Tag Archives: Pope John Paul II

Juanes to Perform for Pope Francis at World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia

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Juanes is about to have an experiencia religiosa…

The 42-year-old Colombian superstar will perform for Pope Francis as part of the World Meeting of Families on September 26.

Juanes

The event, which takes place every three years, will mark the first time Pope Francis visits the United States during his papacy.

Juanes joins a roster that includes Andrea Bocelli and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

“Our most important mission in this voyage of life is learning how to love, and what better way to do it than through family,” said Juanes. “I’m deeply honored to sing for Pope Francis.”

The World Meeting of Families is a triennial event that seeks to strengthen family bonds globally. In choosing who would perform at the Festival, the notion was to “bring together performers that represented the world,” said executive director Donna Crilley Farrell.

Performing for the pope has been a big goal for many acts through the years, particularly acts from predominantly Catholic Latin America.
Those who’ve performed for popes in recent memory include Gloria Estefan (for Pope John Paul II in 1995), Argentina’s Diego Torres (In 2003 for John Paul II) and Mexico’s Lucero (also for Pope John Paul II in 1997).

Last year, Argentine Martina Sotessel, who plays Violetta in the popular music-minded Argentine soap opera, sang for Pope Francis in Rome.

Pope Francis Attracts Record-Breaking Crowd in the Philippines

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There’s no denying Pope Francis’ influence in the Philippines…

The 76-year-old Argentine pontiff attracted an estimated 6 million people, who braved steady rain on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church at Manila’s Rizal Park, on his final full day in the island nation.

Pope Francis in Manila

The turnout breaks the record set by the last pontiff to say mass in the same venue – Pope John Paul II in 1995, when five people million attended, according to the Vatican.

Pope Francis dedicated his final homily of his tour to the young and urged protection for children so they aren’t tempted by sin or the devil or distracted by “promises of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes.”

“We need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to a life on the streets,” he said.

The Mass took place on the third and final day of the pope’s visit to the Philippines, whose roughly 80 million Catholics comprise about 7% of the world’s total.

The pontiff arrived Sunday on a popemobile based on the design of a jeepney, the modified U.S. Army World War II jeep that is a common means of public transport in the Philippines, wearing the same plastic yellow rain poncho handed out to the masses during his visit to the central Philippine city of Tacloban a day earlier.

The pontiff was forced to cut his trip short to Tacloban — hard-hit by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 — ahead of the approaching Tropical Storm Mekkhala. About 150,000 people, including survivors of the typhoon and of the earthquake on the island of Bohol that killed more than 200 people in October 2013, braved the approaching storm to attend Mass with the pope.

The pope’s tour, which also took him to Sri Lanka, was his second trip to Asia in five months, in a nod to the region’s growing importance for the Catholic Church as it faces declining support in Europe and the United States.

It was also the fourth papal visit to the Philippines, and the rapturous reception given to him throughout his stay cemented the nation’s status as the Church’s Asian role model.

A Young Cruz Celebrates Christmas with Cuban Orchestra Sonora Matancera in Just-Released Footage

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It’s a special Christmas gift for Celia Cruz fans…

Festive footage has surfaced of the late Cuban salsa singer performing with the great Cuban orchestra Sonora Matancera.

Celia Cruz

The video was captured as part of the orchestra’s holiday album, which featured the young Cruz. It was recorded during Cuba’s last Christmas season before Fidel Castro claimed victory for the Revolution at the start of 1959.

In the vintage video, Cruz is spotted swinging her hips and flashing the bright smile that would make her famous as she sings a Spanish version of “Jingle Bells,” titled “Soy Feliz en Navidad.”

The 1958 album Navidades con la Sonora Matancera also included such Cuban-flavored Christmas numbers as “El Cha-Cha-Cha de la Navidad”  and “Rumba en Navidad.”

Two years later, Cruz would leave Cuba, never to return. The singer who became known as the Queen of Salsa died in 2003. She remains the world’s best known Cuban artist.

Christmas celebrations were officially banned in 1969, following Castro’s declaration that Cuba was an atheist country at the start of the Revolution. The holiday was reinstated in 1997, anticipating Pope John Paul II’s visit to the island. Some artists in Cuba have since recorded new Cuban Christmas music.

Sister Maria Ines Teresa Arias to be Beatified…

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Sister Maria Ines Teresa Arias is one step closer to sainthood…

The Mexican nun, who founded the Congregation of Poor Clare Missionary Sisters, will be beatified at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to the Catholic Church.

Sister Maria Ines was born in Ixtlan del Rio in 1904 and dedicated her life to missionary work. Arias, who passed away in 1981 at the age of 77, now becomes the fourth Mexican woman to be beatified.

Those previously designated as “blessed” are Maria de Jesus Sacramentado (1868-1959), Maria Vicenta Chavez Orozco (1867-1949), founder of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, and Maria Anastasia Guadalupe Garcia (1878-1963), who was beatified in April 2004.

The process of beatification will be led by Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of the Roman Curia and papal nuncio in Mexico.

The late Pope John Paul II pronounced to be true the “miracle” attributed to Arias.

Beatification is a first step toward sainthood, though all of those beatified do not necessarily become saints.