Oh, Francis!

Pope Francis flew out of Philadelphia yesterday evening, after a grueling week that took him to three cities in Cuba and three in America, an itinerary that would have exhausted a man half his age. Read more.

Families Find Their Voice

Robert Royal: There was a relaxed and festive atmosphere in the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday – quite a contrast with the high drama of the pope’s major speech to the United Nations and his visit to the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan on Friday. Read more.

Pope Francis: Some Clarifications

Robert Royal: There were many feel-good moments during the pope’s visit to New York City yesterday. He stopped in the morning to pray with representatives of other religions at the 9/11 memorial on the site of the World Trade Towers. Read more.

Parsing the Pope

Robert Royal: “The pope,” a distinguished Jesuit emailed me shortly after Francis’s speech to the Joint Meeting of Congress yesterday, “seems to be having a good day.” Quite so. Read more.

Who is Pope Francis Speaking to?

Robert Royal: Our most influential newspapers, and with differing political orientations – all published stories within minutes of the pope’s first speech in the United States yesterday, noticing its highly political nature. Read more.

The Only, Real Revolution

Robert Royal: Pope Francis concluded his pilgrimage in Cuba yesterday in Santiago – the very same city where his predecessor, Benedict XVI, slipped and fell in his room, and (as we now know) decided that he would have to resign the papacy . . . Read more.

The Pope’s Arrival in America

The Holy Father will arrive in the U.S. this afternoon. EWTN (with host Raymond Arroyo and TCT’s Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray) will be covering the arrival beginning at 3:30 Eastern. Be sure to watch.

Francis, Mary – Hemingway

Robert Royal: The secular media have been trying to draw a contrast between Pope Francis and both of his predecessors – St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI – largely on the basis of his simple ways and emphasis on mercy. Given that the secular media are not themselves, to the eye, conspicuous admirers, let alone practitioners, of poverty and meekness, you have to ask yourself: Why? The answer, I’m sorry to say, is less that they are seeking to accurately portray what is distinctive about Francis . . . than it is a backhanded way to diminish the orthodoxy of two former popes who, in their own ways, lived lives of notable simplicity and charity.Read more.

VIDEO: Pope Francis’ 1st Mass in Havana

Live coverage of Pope Francis’ 1st Mass in Havana with Raymond Arroyo, Robert Royal, Fr. Gerald Murray and Fr. Roberto.

Two Cubas, Two Popes

Robert Royal: In his first full day in Cuba, Pope Francis – contrary to his usual practice – began the day deliberate, restrained, and careful to stick to his prepared remarks at each formal event. Read more.

VIDEO: Pope Francis Arrives in Cuba

Pope Francis begins his papal visit to Cuba by attending the welcoming ceremony prepared for him. Live with Raymond Arroyo, Robert Royal, Fr Gerry Murray, Fr. Roberto Cid on EWTN.

Cuba and the “Patria Grande”

Robert Royal: The eyes of the world are focused on Pope Francis as he begins the heart of his visit to Cuba. Read more.