The anniversary of John Paul II's election to the papacy falls this year on the centenary of his birth: two events celebrated by Churches around the world. The Vatican Publishing House and the Osservatore Romano preserve the memorable moments of that unforgettable evening of 16 October 1978.

October 16, 1978, 42 years ago, was a Monday. It was already dark when, at 6.18 p.m., white smoke billowed out from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, after black smoke had risen seven times before.

On October 4, Pope Francis issued his third encyclical and his second social encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, calling on the world to come together in fraternal love in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and global social, economic and political fragmentation. 

Carlo Acutis, a contemporary of ours, was 15 when he gave his soul to God, having left to the world a backpack full of blessings obtained by his daily surrender. Prayer, the Eucharist, love of the Virgin . . . and profound eagerness to take the faith through the Internet — the instrument he had at hand, working with it intelligently and ably. He achieved his objective, moving innumerable people, who no doubt were unaware of the existence of Eucharistic miracles, as well as many who knew about them.

Any new papal encyclical is noteworthy, and it can’t be denied that when it comes to Pope Francis’s latest, “Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship,” attention must be paid. Having read the work — as opposed to studied it — I want to offer some initial impressions over the next weeks that, I hope, will put it into a theological and historical context.

In a document focused on today’s socio-economic problems, the Holy Father proposes an ideal of fraternity where all countries can be part of a “larger human family.”

Pope Francis has called for a “better kind of politics,” a more “open world,” and paths of renewed encounter and dialogue in his latest social encyclical, a letter that he hopes will promote a “rebirth of a universal aspiration” toward “fraternity and social friendship.”

Martyrdom is the occasion of the most powerful experience of the Spirit's help. 

As Saint Peter says…If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you…1 Pt 4:14).

In it, he condemned the western intelligentsia's faiblesse, which was at the same time dishonest, posturing, stupid, and evil, for Stalinist-style dictatorships.

September 26 marks the day of St. Pope Paul VI. This Pope had indelible prints in the history of the Church. His legacy will always be remembered as he has been exuding holiness, purity, and achievements serving humanity as a whole until our present time.

Pope Paul is always remembered for his great interest in ecumenism and in trying to heal the division between the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches. In 1964, he made history during his historic trip to the Holy Land when he met with Patriarch Athenagoras I.

The miracles from heaven never came to an end over the past centuries, and to be more particular since the birth of the Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.

Some people do not believe in miracles from heaven, yet they are real. People who believe in such miracles are those who trust in the Almighty Lord and give Him the reins of their lives. They consequently live in peace because they are certain that the omnipotence of Lord Jesus Christ guides their ship of life to the shores of safety.

The Church’s teaching on the end of life is re-proposed in “Samaritanus bonus” (Good Samaritan) in pastoral tones: the person is to be taken care of and surrounded with affection until the end.