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The election of Pope Francis has thrilled Jewish leaders in Argentina, who predict that their friend will continue to foster warm relations and open dialogue between Catholicism and other faiths during his pontificate. They've seen it firsthand as recently as December, when then-Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio lit the first candle on the menorah at Temple NCI-Emanu El during a Hanukkah ceremony. "He's got a very deep capacity for dialogue with other religions," Rabbi Alejandro Avruj told The Associated Press on Monday, recalling the moment. "He spoke of light as renovation, of the re-inauguration of the temple of Jerusalem...

Monday night's CBS Evening News followed CNN and ABC to the ugly decades-old accusations against Pope Francis from his time in Argentina. CBS featured the same critic of Pope Francis that ABC did on Sunday. CNN, meanwhile, was the only one of the three networks to seriously question the accusations. "There are still questions, though, about the Pope's relationship with Argentina's former government, a military dictatorship that kidnapped and killed thousands in the '70s and '80s," reported fill-in anchor Bob Schieffer. CBS centered the story around Francis' accuser, with only one quote in his defense.

Life & Leisure Credit: Heavy.com Disapproving Joe Biden: 5 Memes from Pope Francis’ Inaugural Mass by SPL Staff on Mar 19, 2013 • 3:10 pm 1 Comment Listers, on the Solemnity of St. Joseph 2013 His Holiness Pope Francis celebrated his inauguration to the Petrine Ministry. In his expected style, Pope Francis charmed the crowd by stopping the popemobile to kiss a baby and bless a handicapped man. His Holiness’ homily spoke of the poor and weakest amongst us to the delegations from over 130 countries and hundreds of thousands of people. Everyone described their experience of the papal inauguration...

Don't be surprised that the honeymoon lasted just a few hours.The Catholic Church looks neither right nor left but up. In other words, the Church is not a vehicle for conservatism or liberalism, capitalism or socialism, but a vehicle for Catholicism. Anyone who thinks and believes otherwise has surely misunderstood the teaching and purpose of the institution left us by Christ Jesus. I say this because within hours of Pope Francis taking to the balcony in Rome, commentators were trying to shape the man in their own image. It’s an outrageous, but inevitable, thing to do. Pope Francis the friend...

A majority of members of Congress who were educated at Catholic colleges and law schools are pro-abortion. That’s the finding of a new report from The Cardinal Newman Society. In all, 52 of 92 (56 percent) elected officials in the last Congress and current Congress that attended Catholic colleges, according to their congressional websites, have voted for pro-abortion rights and/or related funding. In the 112th session of the House of Representatives there were 65 congressmen and women who attended Catholic colleges or law schools. Out of those, 35 support abortion rights. Out of the 12 Catholic-educated congressmen in the incoming...

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Pope Francis, the Mystic “The more we love God and enter into intimate contact with Him through prayer, the more He makes Himself known and enflames our hearts with His love.” —Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, speaking on mystical union with God at his Wednesday General Audience on January 12, 2011 Why is Pope Francis so simple, so genuine, so evidently filled with the love of Christ? Part of the answer may be… because God filled him with His love.

VATICAN CITY - After a week marked by acts of simplicity and openness, Pope Francis finally let his words do the talking as he officially began his stewardship of the Catholic Church on Tuesday. "Please," he implored the tens of thousands, both poor and powerful, gathered outside St. Peter's Basilica. "Let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment." --snip-- At one point, as he neared a group of people in wheelchairs, he signaled for the jeep to stop, hopped off and approached a disabled man held up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHXaYxfg1As&feature=youtu.be While recording for an upcoming album with De Montfort Music, the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, received news that rocked the world. "White Smoke!" Spirit Juice Studios, filming for their EPK, was there to capture the excitement. Dominican Sisters of Mary http://www.sistersofmary.org

Pope Francis waves from the popemobile as he greets people in St. Peter's Square before celebrating his inaugural Mass at the Vatican March 19. (CNS/Paul Haring) By Cindy WoodenCatholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Although attempts were made to simplify the ceremony, Pope Francis officially inaugurated his ministry as pope and bishop of Rome in a liturgy filled with biblical symbolism and signs of the universality of his mission. But before the solemn rites began March 19, Pope Francis -- known for choosing public transport over chauffeur-driven limousines -- took his first spin in the popemobile, blessing the...

Washington (CNN) – American Catholics are very enthusiastic about the choice of Pope Francis to head the Roman Catholic Church, according to a new national survey. But a CNN/ORC International survey also indicates that you shouldn't expect them to pay any more attention to the new pope's teachings on issues like birth control than they paid to his predecessors."Pope Francis is starting off with a huge reservoir of goodwill in the U.S. Eighty-eight percent of American Catholics questioned in our survey approve of his selection as pope," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.By contrast, an ABC News/Washington Post poll in...

March 19, 2013, Tuesday — ProtectPope Francis at his inauguration Mass. Today a new pontificate officially began.The essential message in the homily given by Pope Francis to open his pontificate draws on the work and image of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, head of the Holy Family. And that message is to “protect.”This message is important at a time when the figure of the person who “protects,” be he a father, a mother, a priest, a scholar, a leader, is under attack — in a time when the “protection” is entrusted to others, or to none, when the “protectors” are...

The reaction of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist to the white smoke is pure unbridled joy. It's your must watch video of the day. In the middle of recording their debut album for DeMontfort Music, the sisters heard the news that resounded in heaven and earth. VIDEO

"He hasn't actually done much in the way of real policy changes of initiatives, and he certainly is the hope and change pope, but he's at the head of a body, the Vatican, that's very resistant to change," said the CNN commentator. "I've read, for instance, that observers say that you don't change the Vatican, the Vatican changes you."

Flags, including those of his homeland of Argentina, are held up by pilgrims as Pope Francis make his way through the crowd in St. Peter's Square before celebrating his inaugural Mass at the Vatican March 19. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Today, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Pope Francis celebrated the Mass inaugurating his Petrine ministry, receiving the papal pallium and the Fisherman’s Ring. Below is the full text of the Holy Father’s homily, translated by Vatican Radio: Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on...

One of the first official acts of the newly installed Pope Francis was to reach out to the Jewish community of Rome, as his predecessor Pope Benedict had done, and he is being greeted warmly by many Jewish leaders worldwide. For most of the last 1,500 years, though, Catholic-Jewish relations have not been so warm. In fact, there was a time when the Catholic Church was rocked with a scandal: It was alleged that the Pope himself was Jewish. But that was almost 1,000 years ago, and the first order of business is to note how well received Pope Francis...

Today Pope Francis’ official coat of arms and papal motto were unveiled at a Vatican press conference. The coat of arms is almost identical to the one he used as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, except the wide-brimmed cardinal’s hat at the top of the shield has been replaced by a miter, and the papal keys have been added. From the Vatican Information Service, here are details about the symbols found on Francis’ coat of arms: The shield has a bright blue background, at the centre top of which is a yellow radiant sun with the IHS christogram on...

Pope Francis greets the crowd before celebrating his inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 19. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Some of the less-experienced journalists covering the papal conclave were right on the money one week ago. As wrote in my report last Monday, many of these young vaticanisti covering their first conclave believed that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio had a strong chance of surging from behind to beat leading papabili such as Cardinals Scola and Ouellet.  They were convinced the Argentine would have his rivincita—his comeback—in the 2013 conclave. Their rookie rhyme was not without reason....

(Vatican Radio) Homily of the Holy Father at the Inauguration of his Papal Ministry 19 March 2013: Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude. I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons,...

I read on an Italian blog (and so this is at the level of rumor for now) that the Roman ecclesiastical tailor shop Gammarelli sent a mozzetta over the the Apostolic Palace. A mozzetta is the elbow length red cape, often trimmed in ermine, worn by the Roman Pontiff over his white cassock. Tuesday, today, is the Mass of the “inauguration” of Francis’ pontificate. Tomorrow the Pope has an audience with delegations of Christian ‘churches’. Were the Pope to put on the mozzetta, that would be a good occasion. That would be the apt thing to do. It would be...