Pope Francis ditched a 1,250-word prepared speech to students saying it would be "a tad boring" to read out loud and opted instead to just quickly hit the high points and spend the rest of the time answering people's questions.

A Dublin hotel owner is placing his trust in an Irish Catholic tradition, hoping to guarantee good weather as some of the most powerful leaders in the world prepare to check in as guests.

Getting caught up in worldly things is like being an adulterer, cheating on God and his love, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.

Unlike many of his predecessors since the early 1600s, Pope Francis has decided not to spend the summer months at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome, although he will observe a reduced schedule in July and August.

DR. GERRY TURCOTTE

In an article entitled "Art and the Beauty of Faith," Father Raymond de Souza references the writings of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who before he became pope wrote that there were "two compelling 'arguments'" for the Church's faith being true – the first was the lives of the saints and their living "Christian witness"; and the second was the art that [the Church] has nurtured in her midst."

BOB MCKEON

Several months ago, I was invited to join the steering committee for the Edmonton Poverty Reduction Initiative. This city committee is composed of leaders from different sectors of society including city council, business, front-line social agencies, health, education, labour and different orders of government. I am there as a "faith sector" representative.

FR. RAYMOND DE SOUZA

A year ago I visited the Diocese of Whitehorse, heading north to the Yukon for the first time. Last week, the bishop of Whitehorse – which comprises all of the Yukon and a little of northern British Columbia – returned the visit as it were, preaching the priests' retreat for the Archdiocese of Kingston, here in the Thousand Islands.

MARK PICKUP

When I heard that Henry Morgentaler had died, my initial response was a hope that he experienced a deathbed conversion.

KATHLEEN GIFFIN

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 23, 2013

Many years ago, a relative whom I had only once met went through a time of great difficulty. The situation I was in at that time was such that I had the opportunity to reach out with some concrete help.

FR. RON ROLHEISER, omi

As a young seminarian in the late 1960s, I was very taken by the writings of Andrew Greeley, a priest in Chicago, who was churning out books on popular spirituality. I found his approach wonderfully refreshing because, at least to my mind, he dealt with our perennial religious struggles in a way that was both more realistic and more hope-filled than most of the religious literature to which I had then been exposed.