The Catholic Sun

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The skills of winegrowers -- respect, perseverance and knowing how to prune to produce fruit -- are also valuable messages for the soul, Pope Francis said." Wine, the land, farming skills and entrepreneurial activity are gifts from God," the pope told winegrowers, winemakers and others taking part in an event organized by Vinitaly -- an international wine and spirits exhibition held in Verona, Italy, every year for industry professionals. The event was dedicated to Italian wine and "the economy of Francesco," an economy inspired by St. Francis of Assisi that respects the earth and promotes peace and justice.

Alec Bansal and Jacob Krotonsky, both seniors at Brophy College Preparatory — a Jesuit Catholic high school in Phoenix — recalled meeting Sean, a homeless man who had holes in his shoes. Rather than offer him cash, the pair opted to go to the nearby Dick’s Sporting Goods to buy him a new pair of socks and shoes. This encounter with somebody on the margins led Bansal and Krotonsky to establish Soles 2 Souls, a Brophy club and non-profit organization dedicated to providing shoes for the homeless populations.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis declined to read his prepared remarks during an audience with Catholic communicators from France, saying he has bronchitis and "can't speak well." "I would like to read the whole speech, but I have a problem; I have a bit of bronchitis, and I can't speak well," the pope told communications representatives of dioceses, religious congregations, parishes and other Catholic groups in France during a meeting at the Vatican Jan. 12.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A key step in the search for Christian unity is getting to know people of other churches and denominations and coming to appreciate their faith and spirituality, Pope Francis told a group of Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox students studying at Catholic universities in Rome. The students are among hundreds who, since 1964, have received scholarships from the Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration to pursue degrees in Rome while living at Catholic seminaries and religious residences.

Bishop John Dolan announced his new Pastoral Council for the Diocese of Phoenix on Sunday during Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix. The 22-member council, comprised of clergy, religious and laity, attended the Mass, which aired live across the diocese on AZTV, Channel 7. An initiative established in October of 1965 as one of the many positive results of Vatican II, the pastoral council’s role is to investigate, consider, and to formulate practical conclusions about those things which pertain to pastoral works. Its president is the diocesan bishop.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the Sistine Chapel, where popes are elected, Pope Francis baptized 16 infants, who, he said, "give us the witness of how to receive the faith: with innocence and with an open heart. "Celebrating the feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jan. 7, the pope baptized seven girls and nine boys, including one set of twins, during a morning Mass with fewer than 300 people in the chapel. Afterward, he led the recitation of the Angelus prayer with about 12,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A person does not have to travel far from home to find people living on the margins of society and in need hearing the message of the Gospel, Pope Francis said. "Do not be afraid to leave your securities to be able to share the everyday life of your brothers and sisters," the pope told the France-based Missionary Fraternity of the Cities during an audience at the Vatican Jan. 4. "Many have open hearts and are waiting, without knowing it, for the good news" of the Gospel, he said.

Presented by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, the first-ever Interfaith Mental Health Meeting was held on Friday at the Creighton University School of...