Only about 200,000 to 300,000 Christians are thought to remain in Iraq now, mostly in the Nineveh Plains and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the country’s north. Around 700,000 emigrated in the violent years that have followed the 2003 US-led invasion and the 2014 appearance of IS, and tens of thousands more have fled to Kurdistan. Politically weak, Christians will be hoping the election process helps rather than hinders the country’s slow progress towards peace.

Jesuit Father Paolo Bizzeti, “Christian refugees from neighboring countries outnumber the local baptized”.

The Pope in the “International Citadel” of the Movement founded by Chiara Lubich. Our “epochal challenge is to build a culture of encounter and a civilization of alliance”.

“The opposite of “I” is not “you” but “we”. Our epochal challenge “is to build a culture of encounter and a civilization of alliance”. Pope Francis affirmed this in Loppiano when he met the Focolare Movement founded by Chiara Lubich (1920 - 2008). The Pontiff said to the Focolarini that one of the attitude that brings closer to God is “sense of humor”.

At Easter, beloved brethren, it was the Lord’s resurrection which was the cause of our joy; our present rejoicing is on account of his ascension into heaven. With all due solemnity, we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up, in Christ, above all the hosts of heaven, above all the ranks of angels, beyond the highest heavenly powers to the very throne of God the Father.

Francis was born in 1182 in Assisi. He was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant, Peter Bernadone. His companions saw him as a carefree youth, calling him the “King of Revels.”

Francis enjoyed partying with his friends and had dreams of becoming a knight and gaining glory on the battlefield. But shortly after riding off to fight against Perugia, a nearby town, he ended up in their prison, a broken and disillusioned young man. It was after his return from prison, and during the recovery that followed, that Francis’ life was changed.

The Solemnity of the Ascension celebrates many things, among them the Great Commission to preach the gospel to all nations. Thus, it is a fitting time to ponder the call of Pope John Paul II to a “new evangelization.”

The celebration of the Ascension used to leave me a bit flat. It was clear what Good Friday did for me. And Easter Sunday’s benefits were indisputable. But as for the Ascension, what’s in it for me?

At the general audience, Francis continues his catechesis on Baptism, a sacrament that “imprints an indelible spiritual seal that no sin can erase”. A greeting to the “small farmers” and an invitation to pray the rosary for Syria.

"Holy Father!", "Francis!", "ah Francé! (Italian Roman dialect). People screaming and chanting at the arrival of the Pope in the parish of the Blessed Sacrament, in the working-class district of Tor de' Schiavi. Bergoglio arrives by car just before 4 p.m. and is welcomed by Cardinals Chavez and Tagle and by the parish priest Don Maurizio Mirilli who escorts him in the midst of the joyfully noisy crowd waving smartphones and signs in the courtyard of the church.

Over an hour-long dialogue between Francis and the participants to a conference of the Congregation of Consecrated Life: “Beware not to hold on to your riches, vanity and pride”, “are vocations scarce? Patience!” Do not give scandal with internal disputes”.

It’s the month of May, our Lady’s month, and Mother’s day is just around the corner. So let’s talk about motherhood and a mother's prayer life. Prayer is absolutely necessary for our sanctification and perfection in God's love. We know that. Yet it can be a temptation to let the demands of motherhood excuse us from a consistent, daily prayer life.