Church News & Info 
General Church news and information related to Benedictine community or teachings
Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio elected Pope Francis I
By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76 was elected the 266th pope and took the name Francis. The election March 13 came on the first full day of the conclave on the conclave’s fifth ballot. It was a surprisingly quick conclusion to a conclave that… Read More ›
Detailed schedule of conclave released
Vatican City, Mar 9, 2013 / 05:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Vatican press office director, Fr. Federico Lombardi, has revealed details of the daily schedule of the Conclave set to begin March 12. The Mass for Election of a New Pontiff will take place on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Beginning at 3:45 p.m., Cardinals will be… Read More ›
Cardinals select Tuesday, March 12 for conclave
Vatican City, Mar 8, 2013 / 09:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After five days of meetings, the College of Cardinals has voted to hold a conclave to elect the next Pope on Tuesday, March 12. “The eighth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals has decided that the Conclave will begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013,”… Read More ›
Pope Benedict’s Astonishing Predictions
The reaction to the commentary, Benedict’s renunciation and the wolves within the church, was unexpected. Many of the 150 comments are well worth reading and I was able to add more information in response to some of the comments. It should be emphasized that the article was written because of a truly extraordinary action by Pope Benedict… Read More ›
Worldwide Novena for the Election of the Next Holy Father
As the conclave for the next Holy Father soon approaches, it is the joyful responsibility of every Catholic to pray for the election process, to ensure the choice of the best possible successor to Pope Benedict XVI. We must be on guard against all complacency which concludes, “The Holy Spirit elects the pope. I don’t need to pray for… Read More ›
Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone Asks Contemplatives for Prayer
Vatican City, 25 February 2013 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., sent a letter to the monasteries devoted to contemplative life around the world, invitign them to intensify their prayers at this special moment in the life of the Church. Following is the entire text of the message that is dated 21… Read More ›
If Lent is 40 days, why are there 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter?
“The 40 days of Lent” has always been more of a metaphor than a literal count. Over the course of history the season of preparation for Easter Sunday has ranged from one day (in the first century) to 44 (today in the Roman church). Officially since 1970, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at… Read More ›
Russia meteor’s origin tracked down
Astronomers have traced the origin of a meteor that injured about 1,000 people after breaking up over central Russia earlier this month. Using amateur video footage, they were able to plot the meteor’s trajectory through Earth’s atmosphere and then reconstruct its orbit around the Sun. As the space rock burned up over the city of… Read More ›
Conclave to determine new Pope could be held mid-March
Vatican City, Feb 13, 2013 / 02:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The conclave to elect the next Bishop of Rome could start between March 15 and 19, according to the director of the Holy See’s Press Office. “If everything goes normally, it could be envisioned that the conclave begins between 15 and 19 March,” Father Federico… Read More ›
On Ash Wednesday, pope preaches on humility, Christian unity
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Celebrating what was expected to be the last public liturgy of his pontificate two weeks before his resignation, Pope Benedict XVI preached on the virtues of humility and Christian unity and heard his highest-ranking aide pay tribute to his service to the church. Jesus “denounces religious hypocrisy, behavior that wants to… Read More ›