catholics

White Smoke Rises
White Smoke Rises
White Smoke Rises
Jorge Bergoglio, the 76-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been elected as pope. He is the first Latin American to lead the Catholic Church. Bergoglio, who has taken the name Francis I, is also the first Jesuit priest to become pope.
Do You Know the History of Mardi Gras? [VIDEO]
Do You Know the History of Mardi Gras? [VIDEO]
Do You Know the History of Mardi Gras? [VIDEO]
Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," a reference to the binge eating a lot of Catholics do before Lent. As is often the case with holidays, the Christian roots are intertwined with earlier pagan practices. It was very common for early church fathers to integrate elements of pagan ritual in an attempt to attract potential converts. Mardi Gras itself originated in the Middle Ages and wa