VATICAN CITY (EWTN News/CNA) — Pope Benedict XVI met with members of an Eastern Catholic aid organization on June 24, urging them to concentrate on the survival of threatened Christian populations in the Middle East.

“I ask you to do everything possible,” Pope Benedict told members of the Reunion of Organizations for Aid to the Oriental Churches (ROACO), “to ensure that the pastors and faithful of Christ can remain in the East, where they were born, not as strangers but as citizens who bear witness to Jesus Christ as the saints of the Eastern Churches did before them.”

ROACO, which coordinates the work of several agencies providing funds to the Eastern Catholic Churches, began four days...READ MORE

VATICAN CITY (EWTN News/CNA) —The Vatican’s new initiative aimed at sparking dialogue with atheists and agnostics may soon be coming to North America.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, told EWTN News in a recent interview that the “The Courtyard of the Gentiles” may come to three cities.

“Quebec in Canada, which is one of the so-called ‘most secular’ places there is, where it seems like these days the question of faith is almost bothersome,” he said. “And, also, we’re thinking about two U.S. cities: Chicago on the one hand and Washington on the other.”

The project was launched as an answer to the Pope’s call for a “New Evangelization.” It...READ MORE

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist & the limbo of the Children - Reginaldus, The New Theological Movement

. . .Scripture Scholar: unless we repent, severe judgment comes on the West. . .

. . .Fr. Zuhlsdorf: snails, solfege & pyromania. . .

. . .MSNBC: ‘children of mud’ celebrate the Nativity of John the Baptist. . .

. . .Platonic Monkey: birthday of Saint John the Baptist. . .

. . .Origen: the voice which proclaims The Word. . .

. . .Frank Sheed: “It is clear, then, that John the Baptist’s mission was essential”. . .

More Catholic Books for Your e-Reader - Brandon Vogt, The Thin Veil

Flash Mob: Eucharist - Barbara, Mommy Life

. . .Reginaldus: does the Real Presence remain after...READ MORE

New York state has been teetering on the edge of redefining marriage. With just days, and possibly hours, left before the overextended state Legislature calls it quits for the summer, the Republican leadership in the state Senate is still deciding whether to bring a same-sex “marriage” bill to the floor for a vote.

The state’s most prominent Catholic, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, has been lobbying lawmakers on the issue and speaking out against a radical redefinition of marriage. He spoke about his experience last night, during a reception at his residence behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan; the reception was for the Catholic aid agency Fidesco. At the same time, President...READ MORE

ROME (CNA/EWTN News) — The Vatican has introduced a new way of keeping silence in their churches while also informing tourists: the iPod.

June 24 is the first full day of a trial which sees pilgrims to the Basilica of St. John Lateran given an audio guide with a special app explaining the 1,700-year history of the church, which serves as the Pope’s cathedral.

“I can easily say that in Italy there are no examples of experiences like this in religious contexts, probably not even those in museums,” Jelena Jovanovic said to CNA. Her company, Antenna International, created the handheld device.

The multilingual guide offers audio, video, photos and texts to give an interactive experience to...READ MORE

World Youth Day 2013, set for Rio de Janeiro - Gianni Valente, La Stampa/Vatican Insider

How Christians Become Atheists - Randy, Speaking the Truth in Love

Sexual Revolution: Built Upon Sand - Anthony Esolen, Public Discourse

A Mean Age For Youthful Sex - Carolyn Moynihan, MercatorNet

Resurgent Church Architecture - D Mac, Creative Minority Report

Movies, Beauty, Truth, and Swear Words - Tony Rossi, Patheos

Report:  Vatican Announces Plan For Another New Translation - LarryD, Acts of the Apostasy

Purgatory and Ghosts - Joe Heschmeyer, Shameless Popery

Revealing, Truth-Assaulting Sentence of the Day: End of Gender - Carl Olson, Ignatius Insight Scoop

The Natural Law - Doctor Jeff...READ MORE

ROME (EWTN News/CNA) — The Eucharist assimilates man into the divine life of Jesus, enabling him to more closely follow in Christ’s footsteps and become a gift to others, Pope Benedict XVI said in his homily for the feast of Corpus Christi, June 23 (Sunday, June 26, in the United States).

“This is the transformation that the world has most need of, because it redeems from within, opening it up to the size of the the Kingdom of heaven,” Pope Benedict declared.

He was celebrating Mass in his cathedral, the basilica of St. John Lateran, before leading the traditional Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Rome to the basilica of St. Mary Major.

The feast of Corpus Christi...READ MORE