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Edit: nature abhors a vacuum. If Catholics scorn proselytism, the Muslims don't. (Rome) Two women covered from head to toe, and three young bearded men. They defy the hot midday heat and the sultry air. For a good quarter of an hour they posed for pictures against the backdrop of magnificent facade of St. Peter's Basilica and the mighty dome of St. Peter. An Islamic family, who, like thousands of tourists every day mad a commemorative photo, on vacation. It's an increasingly frequent image that one gets to see in Rome at St. Peter's Square. An image that was completely...

Pope Francis with the Harlem Globetrotters at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square, May 6, 2015. Credit: © L'Osservatore Romano. Vatican City, May 7, 2015 / 03:19 pm (CNA).- On Thursday Pope Francis demonstrated his keen interest in uniting sports with faith, telling members of Italy's Lazio club not to let training or competitions trump the spiritual essentials. “Sometimes it happens that a guy or a girl, due to training and competitions, forgets about Mass (and) catechesis...this is not a good sign; it means we have lost the scale of values,” the Pope told members of Italian sports...

The pro-abortion fanatics from the activist group Femen are at it again. This time they took to St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican to make their views known and grab attention. Not only did they bare their breasts at the home of the Catholic Church, they simulated anal sex using crucifixes. Authorities quickly arrested them. Femen, the women’s rights group known for topless protests, took their act to a new level of provocation on Friday with an explicitly sexually suggestive demonstration in front of the Vatican. In what they described as a protest over Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to...

Vatican City, 27 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, Benedict XVI celebrated his last general audience. In St. Peter's Square, crowded with tens of thousands of people wishing to bid him farewell, the Pontiff said: “Thank you for coming in such large numbers to this, my last general audience. Thank you, I am truly moved! And I see the Church is alive! I think we also have to thank the Creator for the beautiful weather that He is giving us now, even in winter.” Following is the entire text of the Holy Father's words. Like the Apostle Paul in the Biblical...

On the Desire for God Our Hearts Are Restless Until They Find Their Rest in God VATICAN CITY, Nov. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today in St. Peter’s Square. The Holy Father continued his series of catecheses on faith. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, The path of reflection that we have undertaken together in this Year of Faith leads us to meditate today on a fascinating aspect of human and Christian experience: man bears within him a mysterious desire for God. Very significantly, the Catechism of the Catholic Church opens...

On the Ecclesial Nature of Faith No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother. VATICAN, OCT. 31, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today in St. Peter’s Square. Today the Holy Father continued with the second reflection in his new series of catecheses on faith. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, We continue on our journey of meditation on the Catholic Faith. Last week I explained that faith is a gift, for it is God who takes the initiative and comes to meet us. Thus faith...

On the Nature of Faith "Faith is a gift of God, but it is also a profoundly free and human act" VATICAN, OCTOBER 24, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today in St. Peter’s Square. Today the Holy Father continued his new series of catecheses on faith. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Last Wednesday, with the inauguration of the Year of Faith, I began a new series of catecheses on faith. And today I would like to reflect with you on the basic question: What is faith? Does faith still make sense...

On A New Series of Audiences for The Year of Faith "With Faith, Everything Changes in Us and for Us" VATICAN, OCTOBER 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today in St. Peter’s Square. Today the Holy Father introduced a new series of catechesis meant to accompany the Church during the Year of Faith. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I would like to introduce a new series of catecheses that will be developed throughout the course of the newly inaugurated Year of Faith and that, for the time being, will interrupt...

On the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council "An Event of Light That Shines Forth Even Until Today" VATICAN, OCTOBER 10, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today in St. Peter’s Square. On this Eve of the 50th anniversary of Vatican II, the Holy Father dedicated his reflection to the importance of rediscovering the conciliar documents. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, We have arrived at the eve of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and the beginning of the Year of Faith....

On the Ecclesial Nature of Liturgical Prayer The Liturgy is the Act Whereby We Enter Into Contact with God VATICAN, OCTOBER 3, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today in St. Peter’s Square. The Holy Father continued his new series of catecheses on prayer in the Sacred Liturgy by reflecting upon the ecclesial nature of liturgical prayer. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In the last catechesis I began to speak about one of the privileged sources of Christian prayer: the sacred liturgy, which – as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states...

On the Pastoral Visit to Milan for Family Meeting Love is the Only Force that Can Transform the World VATICAN CITY, JUNE 6, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave during the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square. Today the Holy Father reviewed his trip of last Friday through Sunday to Milan for the 7th World Meeting of Families. * * * “The family, work and celebration”: this was the theme of the Seventh World Meeting of Families, which took place in recent days in Milan. I still carry in my mind’s eye...

On Prayer and Ministry Without prayer 'we risk suffocating amid a thousand daily cares' VATICAN CITY, APRIL 25, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square.  The Pope continued his reflection on prayer in the Acts of the Apostles. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In the last catechesis, I showed that from the beginning of her journey, the Church found herself having to face unforeseen situations, new questions and emergencies, which she sought to respond to in the light of faith, by allowing...

On the Apostles' Response to Persecution "In the face of trial, they pray, they get in touch with God" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 19, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the general audience Wednesday. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, After the great feasts we return to the catechesis on prayer. In the audience before Holy Week we reflected on the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, present in the midst of the apostles when they were awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit. An atmosphere of prayer accompanied the Church’s first steps....

April 11 Audience: On Easter's Spiritual Joy "Sadness and the wounds themselves become sources of joy" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 16, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave during the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, April 11. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, After the solemn celebrations of Easter, our meeting today is pervaded by spiritual joy; even if the skies above are grey, in our hearts we carry the joy of Easter and the certainty of the Resurrection of Christ, who has definitively triumphed over death. First, I wish...

On the Trip to Mexico and Cuba "When God is excluded, the world becomes a place inhospitable to man" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 4, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square. He offered a review of his recent apostolic trip to Mexico and Cuba, as well as giving a reflection on the Sacred Triduum. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, The emotions evoked within me during my recent Apostolic Journey to Mexico and Cuba are still alive, and today I wish to focus upon...

On the Praying Presence of Mary "Mary prays in and with the Church at every decisive moment of salvation history" VATICAN CITY, MARCH 14, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square. The Pope continued his series of catecheses on prayer, today beginning a series of reflections on prayer in the Acts of the Apostles. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, With today’s catechesis, I would like to begin to speak about prayer in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Letters of...

On the Silence of Jesus An Attentive, Silent, Open Heart Is More Important Than Many Words VATICAN CITY, MARCH 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square. The Pope concluded his series of reflections on the prayer of Jesus by today considering His silence. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In a previous series of catecheses I spoke about the prayer of Jesus, and I would not wish to conclude this reflection without briefly pausing to consider the theme of Jesus’ silence, which...

On Psalm 110(109), to Christ the King "We Are Invited to Look to Christ in Order to Understand the Meaning of True Royalty" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 16, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catecheses Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in St. Peter's Square. The Pope continued with his series of catecheses on prayer, concluding today his reflection on the prayer of the Psalter. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I would like to conclude my catecheses on the prayer of the Psalter by meditating on one of the most famous "royal...

On Psalm 119, the Acrostic Psalm "Wholly Pervaded by Love for God's Word" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at today's general audience. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In previous catecheses, we meditated on several of the psalms that exemplify the typical kinds of prayer: lament, trust and praise. In today's catechesis, I would like to turn to a consideration of Psalm 119 according to the Hebrew tradition, 118 according to the Greco-Latin: It is a very special psalm, the only one of its kind. First, it is...

On Psalm 136 (135) "God Is; God Is Good, and His Mercy Is Eternal" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 19, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in St. Peter's Square. The Pope today continued his catecheses on prayer with a reflection on Psalm 136 (135). * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I would like to meditate with you on a psalm that summarizes the whole of salvation history as recounted for us in the Old Testament. It is a great hymn of praise that extols the Lord...