Cathy Lins and Marie Lins from the Diocese of Madison report on their trip to the papal visit in the United States and the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
Tag: Pope Francis
Learn lessons from history
We’ve all heard the saying that if we don’t learn lessons from history, we are in danger of repeating it.
This is especially true for the bad things we’ve experienced. And it seems especially true about our history of violence and war.
This year in August the world marked the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The United States dropped bombs on these cities during World War II.
Improve social, physical environment, says pope
To the editor:
I enjoyed the July 2 Catholic Herald articles about Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.
Since becoming pope, Francis has continued the concern for the environment that St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Paul II, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI shared.
He has connected the physical environment crisis with the social environment crisis. Improving the physical environment begins by improving the social environment.
Pope Francis inspires us to care for prisoners
Since he has been our Holy Father, Pope Francis has been spending time in prisons.
Not only does he visit prisoners in Rome, but he also puts visits to prisons on his itinerary for trips outside of Rome. When he comes to the United States in September, he will stop at a prison in Philadelphia.
When he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, he made a point of spending time with prisoners. Even as pope, he continues to make a phone call every other Saturday to inmates he used to visit in Buenos Aires.
Pope ties ecological justice to social justice
To the editor:
In reading through Pope Francis’ most recent encyclical, he reminds us that by hurting God’s creation, we are also hurting ourselves. We are causing pain to the poor and most vulnerable among us. We are damaging all life on this planet, including our own.
I was struck by the ways Pope Francis ties ecological justice to social justice, urging us “to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” These cries are inextricably linked, though some try to frame them in opposition to one another.
Will we answer pope’s call to action?
To the editor:
I would like to express my gratitude to Pope Francis for writing his encyclical, Laudato Si’. He inspires us all to act on our calling to care for the gifts of God’s creation.
In 2001, the U.S. Catholic bishops said, “global climate change is not about . . . partisan advantage or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God’s creation and the one human family. . . ” Pope Francis’ encyclical endorses this and moves the climate change conversation beyond politics to the moral realm where it belongs.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s statement on the release of the encyclical Laudato Si’
Bishop Robert C. Morlino offers the following statement on the release of the encyclical, Laudato Si, by our Holy Father, Pope Francis:
Thanking God for our ‘spiritual fathers’
Friday, June 26, will be a day of great joy in the Diocese of Madison. On that day, Bishop Robert C. Morlino will ordain six men to the priesthood at St. Maria Goretti Church in Madison
Pope visits Pontifical North American College
ROME, Italy — Seminarians studying in the city of Rome have the special grace of being in close proximity to the Holy Father.
This closeness is manifested not only in the spiritual sense of being under the guidance and care of the shepherd of the whole universal Church, but in a particular way by being present with His Holiness during Wednesday audiences, Sunday Angelus addresses, and various liturgical celebrations throughout the year.
Keep Serra statue in U.S. Capitol
Just when Pope Francis plans to canonize Blessed Junipero Serra on September 23 during his visit to the United States this year, the California Senate voted April 12 to replace Serra’s statue in the U.S. Capitol with a statue of the astronaut Sally Ride.
The vote must still be approved by the California Assembly and by Governor Jerry Brown.
Statue in Capitol since 1934
Each state can place two statues of its important citizens in the U.S. Capitol. The statue of Serra has been in the Capitol since 1934. The other California statue is of former President Ronald Reagan.