Pope Francis: The first decade

It has been 10 years since Pope Francis was elected to the See of Peter. During this time, his scorecard of accomplishments has been impressive: He has published three encyclicals and five apostolic exhortations. He has made 40 foreign trips and counting.

Church history: Pope Innocent III and the interdict

In Catholic Church history, one of the most famous controversies, and most famous crises between Church and state, between pope and king, took place in the early 13th century. The antagonists were Pope Innocent III and King John of England. Pope Innocent

The ‘pope of surprises’ — 60 years later

“Above all, one must always be ready for the Lord’s surprise moves, for although he treats his loved ones well, he generally likes to test them with all sorts of trials.” Pope St. John XXIII wrote that while on retreat in late

Pope St. John Paul II: Witness to the world

CNS file photo This is the 10th in a series looking at the Church’s 12 most recent popes and the marks they’ve made on the Church. The series is appeared monthly throughout 2018. Sometimes it seemed as if Pope St. John Paul

Pope St. John XXIII: Joyful prophet of renewal

This is the seventh in a series looking at the Church’s 12 most recent popes and the marks they’ve made on the Church. The series appeared monthly throughout 2018. The story goes that when Cardinal Angelo Roncalli of Venice boarded the train

Pius XII: An age in arms

This is the sixth in a series looking at the Church’s 12 most recent popes and the marks they’ve made on the Church. The series appeared  monthly throughout 2018. On Aug. 23, 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union stunned the world