Church News & Info 
General Church news and information related to Benedictine community or teachings
Pope cites waning strength as reason for resignation
Vatican City, Feb 11, 2013 / 07:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of cardinals Feb. 11 that he no longer has the strength to carry out ministry and will resign on Feb. 28. “I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to… Read More ›
Pope Benedict XVI announces his retirement
Vatican City, Feb 11, 2013 / 04:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI announced today that he will resign from his duties as Pope on February 28th, 2013. The full text of the Pope’s announcement follows. Please revist this page for more details. A press conference will be held in minutes at the Vatican press… Read More ›
Abraham and Mary, models of Faith
Vatican City, Dec 19, 2012 / 10:12 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI continued his series of reflections on faith this Wednesday, saying that at times it includes an element of darkness. “We encounter moments where God seems absent, his silence weighs on our hearts and his will doesn’t correspond to our own as we… Read More ›
Pope focuses on best way to use social media
Vatican City, Jan 24, 2013 / 11:53 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI has asked people to use social networking sites “responsibly” and “with respect,” given the growing number of people who are becoming internet dependent. “These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balanced way, help to foster forms of dialogue and debate which,… Read More ›
California monks build new chapel with medieval stones
Vina, Calif., Jan 10, 2013 / 04:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A California abbey has been home to Cistercian monks since 1955, and now houses a new chapel built of stones taken from a medieval Cistercian monastery in Spain. “These stones have come home…we had a donor event last year because the scaffolding finally came down,… Read More ›
Sealed Under Turkish Mud, a Well-Preserved Byzantine Chapel
DEMRE, Turkey — In the fourth century A.D., a bishop named Nicholas transformed the city of Myra, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Turkey, into a Christian capital. Nicholas was later canonized, becoming the St. Nicholas of Christmas fame. Myra had a much unhappier fate. After some 800 years as an important pilgrimage… Read More ›
Pope Benedict will make Twitter debut with @pontifex
Vatican City, Dec 3, 2012 / 10:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope’s Twitter account will be @pontifex and will start on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Vatican representatives announced. The news of the 85-year-old tweeting came out weeks ago, but officials finally revealed the account’s name and that it will be… Read More ›
Pope reflects on finding faith in a secular world
Vatican City, Nov 7, 2012 / 01:49 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI continued his series of teachings on faith by observing that although secularism is on the rise, everyone has a desire for God, and this can be seen in the experience of love. “Even in today’s secularized society, this desire for God continues… Read More ›
Cardinal George warns US secularization is more serious than elections
Chicago, Ill., Oct 23, 2012 / 07:15 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Francis George of Chicago has said that the “secularizing” of American culture is a “much larger issue” than political causes or the outcome of the presidential elections, warning against a rise of anti-religious sentiment and restating his fears of a future persecution in the… Read More ›