Tag: Pope Francis

4 September 2015, 2:23 pm - POPE FRANCIS has given all priests the authority to absolve the mortal sin of abortion during the coming Extraordinary Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church, but it remains a "grave offense," the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.

In a pastoral letter titled “Understanding Pope Francis’ gesture rightly" published on Sept. 3, CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the absolution of abortion would not make the sin less serious. Instead, it makes God’s mercy more visible.

"This does not make the sin less grievous. What it does is make the mercy of God more tangible through the ministry of the Church,” Villegas said.

2 September 2015, 2:18 pm -- POPE FRANCIS has given all priests authority to absolve repentant women who have committed the mortal sin of abortion during the coming Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy of the Catholic Church.

In the “Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis according to which an Indulgence is granted to the Faithful on the Occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy,” published Sept. 1, the Pope called on priests to be sources of understanding and guidance toward a path of conversion for women who have resorted to abortion and are seeking forgiveness.

July 2, 2015, 5:02 a.m. - CELEBRATING “gay pride” and the US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, an online student organization under the Office for Student Affairs (OSA) switched to rainbow-filtered profile pictures on its social media accounts last June 28, only to take them down just hours later.

June 19, 2015, 4:05 p.m. - POPE Francis is urging the faithful to combat a “structurally perverse” economic system that has turned the earth into an “immense pile of filth.”

Caring for nature means respecting human ecology—the sacredness of human life, the family, and the male-female dichotomy, the Pope also said.

Nov. 29, 2014, 6:13 p.m. - THE CATHOLIC Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is urging the youth to renew and strengthen their faith during Pope Francis' visit to the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas on Jan. 18, 2015.

Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Youth (CBCP-ECY), called on young Filipinos to reflect on the real essence of the Pope’s visit, which is to live and share God’s “mercy and compassion.”

Nov. 28, 2014, 9:52 a.m. - POPE Francis' meeting with the youth in Asia's oldest university on Jan. 18 will be open to all, not just Thomasians.

Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines—Episcopal Commission on Youth (CBCP-ECY), said the gathering in the Pontifical University would be for the whole Church, especially Catholic youth.

“We are happy that UST accepted to be venue of this youth encounter. But this is not merely for Thomasians," he told the Varsitarian. "This is open for everyone, but with special prioritization for the youth.”

The UST parade ground will however be reserved for pre-selected participants from youth ministries of dioceses across the nation, which the ECY will determine.

Nov. 15, 2014, 11:16 a.m. - POPE Francis will visit the University of Santo Tomas, the only Pontifical university in Asia, on Jan. 18, 2015 to meet with religious leaders and the youth.

In a press conference held Friday evening at the Arsobizpado de Manila, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle formally announced the official itinerary of the papal visit on Jan. 15 to 19, 2015.

(papalvisit.ph) - His Holiness Pope Francis will bring his message of “Mercy and Compassion” to 11 different venues in the Archdioceses of Manila and Palo during his Apostolic Visit to the Philippines on January 15-19, 2015.