According to the book, the pope emeritus ordered the destruction of all his private notes in writing, “without exceptions and without loopholes.”

The migration crisis roiling the borderlands is literally in the backyard Bishop Seitz, the new chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ migration committee.

A Reflection for Friday before Epiphany, by Christopher Parker

Pope Benedict XVI was a renowned theologian, a “recognized authority,” who left “a rich legacy of studies and research on the fundamental truths of the faith,” said the official summary of his life and papacy.

The bells tolled, the organ played, and the congregation of 50,000 Romans and pilgrims applauded warmly as pallbearers brought the casket of Pope Benedict XVI onto the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.

A Reflection for Thursday before Epiphany, by Jill Rice