Catholic Fire

June 14, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis walked along with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at the Vatican. Their first official meeting included a mid-day prayer, as well as visit to the tomb of St. Peter and that of Blessed John Paul II. But before praying together, Pope Francis met with the new head of the Anglican Communion at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, where Welby was accompanied by his wife. There, both leaders talked about the common ground they share. To start off, the Pope mentioned the fact that they were both recently sworn in. POPE FRANCIS “Since we began our respective ministries within days of each other, I think we will always have a particular reason to support one another in prayer.” Pope Francis and Welby admitted that the  relationship between the Catholic Church and the Anglican communion is complex. Yet, the will to promote Christian values is a common value they both share. For that to happen, they said,  reconciliation and ...

Today is the optional memorial of St. Anselm, bishop and doctor of the Church. St. Anselm (1033-1109) was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in Canterbuy, England. St. Anselm's services to the Church are principally the following: First, as Archbishop of Canterbury he defended the rights and liberties of the Church against the encroachments of the English kings, who plundered the Church's lands, impeded the Archbishop's communications with the Holy See, and claimed the right to invest prelates with ring and crosier, symbols of the Church's spiritual jurisdiction. Second, as a philosopher and theologian he developed a method of reasoning which prepared the way for the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. Third, he had a great devotion to Our Lady and was the first to establish the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the West. You can find my favorite quotes, prayers, and writings of St. Anselm here.