Praying at the tombs and places of martyrdom of the saints and martyrs of the early Church throughout Rome truly ‘brings us into a real, living, breathing relationship with the Church through her ...

Following a multitude of carnival celebrations in Rome, the city began the Lenten season today with Ash Wednesday. Among the many liturgies to be offered today in the Eternal City, the Holy Father ...

One of the more striking facts of the past century is the global rediscovery of religious pilgrimages. Millions of Muslims now make the Hajj to Mecca. Jews, who can pray at the Western Wall of Herod's ...

Pope Francis arrives for his weekly general audience in St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) ROME (AP) — Pope Francis bowed his forehead to receive ...

Pope Francis will open a Lenten prayer and penance initiative at a Rome parish March 17 rather than in St. Peter's Basilica as in past years. The initiative, "24 Hours for the Lord," was begun by the ...

Photo by Pawel Rakowski, S.J. This is the second article in a seven-part series Lenten series on the station churches of Rome. Read Part I here. The first days of Lent have a decidedly martial ...

Pope Francis has asked members of the Roman Curia to make their own arrangements for a private Lenten retreat from Sunday, March 6 to Friday, March 11. Pope Francis takes part in the Roman Curia’s ...

Photo by Pawel Rakowski, S.J. To worship means to move: to ascend the holy mountain, to tread the pilgrim path, to stand, to sit, to kneel. Today—all comfy pews and padded kneelers, folksy sermons and ...

In the 40 days leading up to Easter, many Christians celebrate Lent, which is the annual Christian holiday that precedes Easter. Derived from the Anglo Saxon word "lencten," meaning "spring," Lent is ...

For the third consecutive year, Pope Francis will not be gathering together with the Roman Curia for a spiritual retreat amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pope Francis has asked members of the Roman Curia ...

Pope Francis bowed his forehead to receive a dab of ashes, then smudged ashes in turn on the heads of other faithful during an Ash Wednesday service in an ancient Roman basilica. Ash Wednesday begins ...