News

Pope Francis: Church’s joy is to be a mother

10/12/2014

The joy of the Church is to be a mother, to go out and seek the lost sheep. That was the message of Pope Francis during Tuesday’s morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope said that the Church does not need to have “a perfect organizational chart” if that would make her sorrowful and closed on herself, if that would make her “not a mother.” He then invited his listeners to be “joyful Christians,” with the “consolation of the tenderness of Jesus.”

“Open the doors to the consolation of the Lord.” In this passage, which served as the starting point for the Pope’s homily, Isaiah is speaking about the end of the tribulation of Israel after the Babylonian exile…

10/12/2014

The document referred to by the Malta Union of Teachers (M.U.T.) is a draft document subject to an ongoing process of internal consultation within the Church and its School authorities. We reserve our comments until this process is duly and freely concluded and the local Church is in a position to make public its official policies regarding its schools in view of their spiritual and religious identity and mission, in full respect of the fundamental human rights…

09/12/2014

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09/12/2014

Before the recitation of the Angelus in St Peter’s Square on Monday, Pope Francis devoted his address to the Virgin Mary on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. He said that this feast can be summed up in these words: everything is a grace, everything is a gift given freely by God, because of His love for us.

The Holy Father explained that the Angel Gabriel calls Mary “full of grace” because in her there is no room for sin…

06/12/2014

1. Any legislation which intends to implement the values enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Constitution of Malta is to be welcomed. The values which inspire and shape Europe, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, tolerance and equality, proportionality, human rights and democracy, justice and solidarity, and the rule of law, are to be interpreted not as a catalogue of entitlements but as a necessary precondition of a ‘culture of dignity’ in which every citizen, irrespective of nationality, status, sexual orientation, gender, age or achievement, lives in an inclusive culture of recognition between human beings…

05/12/2014

Pope Francis thanked voluntary workers across the globe describing their work with men and women in difficulty as a living witness of the tenderness of Christ, who walks with humanity in every era.

Speaking to members of FOCSIV, an International Federation of Christian Voluntary Workers whom he received in audience on International Volunteer Day (December 5), the Pope says voluntary workers offer an image of a Church that rolls up its shirt sleeves and bows to serve its brothers and sisters in difficulty…

04/12/2014

The Holy See, as has already been communicated, concerning the process of the nomination of the new Archbishop of Malta, has given instructions to the Apostolic Nuncio, to start the canonical process of consultation in choosing a successor for Archbishop Paul Cremona.

According to the guidelines of Canon Law, the Apostolic Nuncio is presently seeking the sensus fidelium of the people of God: laity, clergy and religious, on the situation of the Archdiocese, and is asking them to propose names as possible candidates to be considered as the next Archbishop…

04/12/2014

Pope Francis had words of praise and thanks for Turkey and the Salesian fathers of Istanbul, for all the good and “hidden” work they do for countless refugees from the Iraqi and Syrian wars.

Retracing the steps of his recent pilgrimage to Turkey during his general audience Wednesday, the Pope also highlighted the constant need for prayer on the journey towards full communion with the Orthodox Church and reiterated the importance of Christians and Muslims working together in solidarity for peace…

04/12/2014

Il-Ġimgħa 4 ta’ Diċembru 2014, l-Isqof Charles J. Scicluna, Amministratur Appostoliku, żar lill-istudenti u l-voluntiera li qed jieħdu sehem fl-attività ‘Make My House a Home Orange Campaign’, fuq il-kampus tal-Università. Matul din il-kampanja qed jinbiegħ larinġ magħsur biex jinġabru l-flus għall-Preventive Care Unit fi ħdan l-Uffiċċju ‘Ejjew Għandi’, li tgħin il-familji bi tfal li huma f’riskju ta’ faqar. Din il-kampanja qed tiġi organizzata mill-Għaqda Studenti tat-Teoloġija, b’kollaborazzjoni ma’ RTK 4 Charity…

03/12/2014

For the first time in history, the leaders of the world’s major religions gathered together in the Vatican this morning with the aim of eliminating modern slavery. Today, International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, a ceremony was held in the seat of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences in the Vatican’s Casina Pio IV for the signing of the Declaration of Religious Leaders against Slavery…