Catholic Youth Portal

ORDINATION OF MARRIED MEN TO SOLVE THE SHORTAGE OF PRIESTS??? In a newly released   interview, Pope Francis discussed the shortage of vocations to the priesthood, saying the first response must be prayer. He also mentioned working with youth, the low birthrate, and the ordination of married men. “The first [response]  – because I speak as a believer – the Lord told us to pray. Prayer, prayer is missing,” Pope Francis said in the interview. He called the lack of priests, to the point that some parishes are cared for by female “community leaders” in Switzerland, “a problem that the Church must resolve.” After prayer, he recommended working “with youth who are seeking orientation. And this is very difficult since it must be done because they ask for this: the youth are the great discarded ones in modern society, because they have no work in many countries.” “For vocations, there is also another problem,” he said, “the problem of the birthrate. If there are n...

✝SAINT VINCE NT THE DEACON ✝ feast Day: January 22 Saint Vincent felt a call to Christ, and was ordained a deacon by his friend Saint Valerius. The Roman emperors had published edicts against the clergy and laity, and Vincent and his bishop, among many others, were thrown into jail. He was then tortured by Governor Dacian in many cruel ways, including beating, flaying, broiling, and stretching on the rack. Astoundingly, Vincent survived these cruel punishments. More astoundingly, the torture only fueled his zeal and strengthened his faith. Enraged that he was unable to break Vincent, Governor Dacian had his torturers beaten. He then approached Vincent with what he felt to be a compromise. He told Vincent that, if he would only give up his sacred books for burning, in accordance with the emperor's edict, he would be freed. Vincent refused, and torture resumed. Finally, he was thrown into a dirty prison cell, the floor strewn with broken glass. This only led to the conversion of...

S YMBOLS   OF   THE  O FFICE   OF  B ISHOP Bishops wear certain regalia which are distinctive of the Order of Bishop, the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders . They are  - t he pectoral cross, ring, mitre, crozier (staff) and pallium . The regular regalia which identify a bishop are the pectoral cross and the ring . The pectoral cross (crux pectoralis) is worn by the Holy Father, cardinals, bishops, and abbots. The word pectoral derives from the Latin pectus, meaning Abreast." This cross is attached to a chain (or cord) and is worn on the chest, near the heart. In the earliest times, the pectoral cross contained a relic of the True Cross or even of a saint . When putting on the pectoral cross, traditionally the bishop says, "Munire me digneris,"  asking the Lord for strength and protection against all evil and all enemies, and to be mindful of His passion and cross. Bishops also wear a ring. In the past, a distinction was made bet...

PONTIFF NAMES 17 NEW CARDINALS Pope Francis named 17 new cardinals on Sunday from Asia, Africa, North and South America, Europe and Oceania. Thirteen of them are under 80 and thus eligible to vote in any conclave to elect his successor. Here they are, in the order in which Francis announced them from the steps of St Peter’s Basilica. They are:   — Archbishop Mario Zenari, Vatican ambassador to Syria. — Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, of Bangui, Central African Republic. — Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid. — Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha of Brasilia. — Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago. — Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario of Dhaka, Bangladesh. — Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo of Merida, Venezuela. — Archbishop Jozef De Kesel of Malines-Brussels, Belgium. — Archbishop Maurice Piat of Port Louis, Mauritius. — Archbishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, outgoing archbishop of Dallas and new prefect of the Vatican dicastry for laity, family and life...

“AMORIS LAETITIA” - THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL AND LONGEST DOCUMENT OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. Amoris Laetitia published by Pope Francis this year, its a document that hints to allow re-married and divorced Catholics the chance to receive the Holy Eucharist. This contradicts the early teachings that, contracted marriages after divorce and without annulment of the first marriage is adulterous, constituting a bar to reception of the Eucharist. When Pope Francis published Amoris Laetitia five months ago, it was predicted that the discussion of the document and its implications for Catholic teaching on marriage and the family would be lively and controversial. So it has turned out. The debate took a fresh turn last week with the publication of leaked letters between the Pope and the bishops of his native Argentina concerning the interpretation of a central point. Before looking at the contents of the leaked letters, it may be useful to refresh our memories abou...