Benedict said that in Francis’s hometown, the “city of peace,” he felt a duty to make a heartfelt appeal for peace. More →

June 22, 2007

As the crisis over Iraq intensified, the Vatican ratcheted up its diplomatic efforts to avert war. Pope John Paul II scheduled several high-level meetings, with officials including United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. More →

February 21, 2003

“Christ needs your youth and your generous enthusiasm to make his proclamation of joy resound in the new millennium,” said Pope John Paul II to the more than 250,000 young Catholics assembled in Toronto for World Youth Day. More →

July 26, 2002

Read more of Judy Valente’s interview with Sister Carolyn Farrell on Catholicism in America. More →

May 10, 2002

Twelve U.S. cardinals and two bishops joined Pope John Paul II and other Vatican officials for two days of discussions about the sexual abuse crisis in the American Catholic church and possible solutions. John Paul told the group there is no place in the priesthood for those who harm the young. More →

April 26, 2002

Pope John Paul II “did not want a monument that was just dedicated to himself, but rather an institution that really focused in on our teaching role within the Church,” says Rev. G. Michael Bugarin, director of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. More →

March 23, 2001