Pope: Marriage is not a “Right”

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

In an address to members of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, the Vatican office that decides annulments, Pope Benedict asked priests to do a better job of screening candidates for marriage and to feel free to decline a nuptial ceremony because “no one can make a claim to the right to a nuptial ceremony.”

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Egypt Recalls Vatican Ambassador after Pope’s Remarks

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

Egypt’s foreign ministry has recalled its Vatican ambassador for “consultation” after Pope Benedict’s address to the diplomatic corps in which he called upon Muslim countries to do more to protect Christian minorities.

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Pope Benedict Calls for a Return to Use of Christian Names

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

In an era when baby names such as Sienna and Brooklyn are considered fashionable, Pope Benedict XVI is calling for a return to the tradition of giving children Christian names that reflect their status as a son or daughter of God.

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Pope Issues Strong Condemnation of Anti-Christian Hostility

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

In a major foreign policy speech addressed to the diplomatic corps at the Holy See, Pope Benedict XVI delivered a sweeping attack on all forms of religious intolerance prevalent in the world today, from Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy law to Western sex ed programs that indoctrinate children into homosexuality and acceptance of abortion.

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Pope Benedict XVI: Religious Freedom is Path to Peace

by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

The Vatican released the World Peace Day message for 2011 yesterday in which Pope Benedict declares Christianity to be the most persecuted religion in the world and calls upon leaders to realize the vital role religious freedom plays in bringing about just and peaceful societies.

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Pope Leads Worldwide Vigil for Nascent Human Life

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

Along with the worldwide Church, Pope Benedict XVI conducted a vigil for “nascent human life” in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening in which he reminded the faithful that embryos are not just biological material but dynamic, autonomous individuals.

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Pope States Preference for Receiving Communion on the Tongue

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

In a book scheduled to be released tomorrow, Pope Benedict XVI says that while he is not opposed to the practice of receiving Communion in the hand, he encourages the faithful to kneel and receive the Lord on the tongue out of respect for the Real Presence.

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