A city like Rome, with its abundance of history and art, can, at times, produce sentiments of inadequacy and disorientation. Here we can find places that open our minds to the possibility of a recuperation of our Christian identity and roots. For a moment, let us abandon the noisy hub-bub of the streets and try […]
The 29th June is the day in which we celebrate the ancient feast of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of Rome. The importance of this Solemnity is shown by the fact that in the fourth century three Masses were celebrated on this feast: one at St Peter’s Basilica, the other at Saint […]
The practice of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was spread due to Jesus’ private revelations to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Paray le Monial Convent in Paris, and was propagated by her confessor the Jesuit, Fr Claude de la Combiere (1641-1682). The feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated for […]
general audience, 21 May 2025 Pope Leo XIV has begun his weekly General Audiences, continuing Pope Francis’ catechetical reflections for the Jubilee Year. This week’s theme was Jesus Christ, Our Hope. Reflecting on the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1–17), Pope Leo XIV offered a new perspective on how Jesus communicates the Gospel. He emphasized […]
In the early days of a new papacy, some of the most telling indicators of a Pope’s mission and vision come not through speeches or documents but in the quieter symbolism of his chosen motto and coat of arms. These heraldic and textual signs offer a profound synthesis of the Pope’s personal spiritual journey and […]
Dear friends, what emotion to hear the resounding phrase ‘Habemus Papam’! Ancient words that are always new, words that always mark a new beginning. We have great joy because the Lord cares for His Church, and the Holy Spirit is always at work, acting with surprising wisdom and simplicity. Pope Leo XIV’s name indicates a […]
From 9.00pm on the 21 April 2025 the Seat of Peter became known officially as Apostolica Sedes Vacans, awaiting the election of the new Holy Father. The preparations are now underway to elect the new Pope in the historic setting of the Sistine Chapel. As the Conclave approaches, the Sistine Chapel – “la Cappella Magna” […]
During the period of the Sede Vacante, and in preparation for the beginning of the Conclave to elect the new Holy Father, the 267th Successor of St Peter, the faithful are invited to pray unceasingly for the Cardinals who will take part in the Conclave. We pray that they will be enlightened by the Holy […]
27 April marks the Sunday of Divine Mercy, Feast instituted by John Paul II in 1992. John Paul II deeply loved the Divine Mercy and the message that Jesus himself had left the young Sister Faustina Kowalska of Cracow, who died in odor of sanctity, in 1938. John Paul II was aware of the story […]
In 1603, Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII, commissioned Michael Angelo Merisi, otherwise known as Caravaggio, to produce the masterpiece called “The Sacrifice of Isaac” which is now displayed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. As a young artist, Caravaggio learned how to paint in the workshop of Simone Peterzano by studying life forms, […]