Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-dicastery-doctrine-faith-sacraments-dignity-faith.html

Pope Francis: Bless the persons, not the union
26 January 2024, 11:29

In an address to the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope Francis discusses the Sacraments, human dignity, evangelisation, and Fiducia supplicans.
By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Francis addressed the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Friday, as the department brought its annual plenary assembly to a close.

Thanking officials for their “precious work”, the Pope recalled that, in his 2022 reform of the Roman Curia, he divided the Dicastery into two sections, one concerned with Doctrine and the other with Discipline.

It was the former subject, the Pope said, that he wanted to touch on in his address, and he offered a number of thoughts organised around three words: ‘Sacraments’, ‘dignity’, and ‘faith’.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/january.index.html
Speeches 2024 January
To participants in the Plenary Session of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (26 gennaio 2024)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256654/pope-francis-blessings-don-t-require-moral-perfection
Pope Francis: Blessings don’t require ‘moral perfection’
By Matthew Santucci
Rome Newsroom, Jan 26, 2024 / 12:00 pm

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-theological-commission-oriental-orthodox-churches.html

Pope to Catholic-Oriental Orthodox commission: Pray and work for communion
26 January 2024, 12:15

Pope Francis highlights the dialogue of charity, truth, and life in his address to the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis on Friday received members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches at the Vatican, on the twentieth anniversary of the Commission’s foundation.

With approximately 50 million members throughout the world, the Oriental Orthodox Churches represent an ancient Christian tradition that recognizes the first three Ecumenical Councils, while adhering to a “miaphysite” Christology – the subject of ongoing ecumenical discussion.

In his address on Friday, Pope Francis encouraged Commission members to continue to “pray and work tirelessly in the service of communion and in countering the famine of peace spreading throughout so many parts of the earth.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/january.index.html
Speeches 2024 January
To the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches (26 January 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-prayer-gives-meaning-to-the-apostolate.html

Pope: Prayer gives meaning to the apostolate
26 January 2024, 13:57

Pope Francis thanks the Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer) for their work in sustaining the “mystique of prayer” in the Church.
By Christopher Wells

In brief, extemporaneous remarks to a delegation from the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (also known as the Apostleship of Prayer), Pope Francis thanked the group for all they do “to sustain in the Church, in the laity and also in consecrated or ordained persons – this ‘mystique’ of prayer.”

He said, “I value the work that you do, which is ecclesial and was born in the bosom of the Society of Jesus.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/january.index.html
Speeches 2024 January
To a Delegation of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (26 January 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-discourse-bari-confirmation-children.html

Pope Francis invites young people to embrace the gift of Confirmation
27 January 2024, 11:21

Pope Francis meets with young people preparing to be confirmed and emphasises the importance of the Sacrament as well as the profound connection between it and the commitments made during Baptism.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis on Saturday addressed a group of children preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. In his welcoming remarks, the Pope greeted the parents, family members, catechists, and Bishop Giuseppe Satriano.

Pope Francis opened his address by asking the children whether they knew the date of their baptism. With this question, he encouraged both the children and the adults to reflect on this important milestone, suggesting that the day be celebrated annually, akin to a second birthday. "Have a cake made with candles, too! An extra cake... not bad!", said the Pope
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/january.index.html
Speeches 2024 January
Audience with the Confirmands of the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto (27 January 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-rwandan-genocide-nolite-timere-cite-jeunes-nazareth.html

Pope Francis: Never forget Rwandan genocide
27 January 2024, 12:01

The Pope meets with members of an Italian non-profit that raises funds for an orphanage in Rwanda founded in the wake of the country's 1994 genocide.
By Joseph Tulloch

"That genocide was terrible, it was terrible. Never forget it, so it can never happen again."

Those were Pope Francis' words on Saturday morning as he met with a group from the Italian non-profit Nolite Timere (‘Do not fear’).

The organisation raises funds for an orphanage in Mbare, Rwanda, founded to serve children orphaned by the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/january.index.html
Speeches 2024 January
To the members of the "Nolite timere" Association (27 January 2024)

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Video, with English text, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-message-holocaust-remembrance-day-video-peace.html
Pope on Holocaust Remembrance Day: Hatred and violence deny our humanity
27 January 2024, 12:49

Pope Francis condemns hatred and violence on Holocaust Remembrance Day, emphasising the importance of remembrance in constructing a peaceful future.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis has released a message on Holocaust Remembrance Day, stressing that the logic of hatred is never justified.

"Be aware", the Pope warns in his videomessage, "of how this path of death, extermination and brutality began".

"Remembrance is an expression of humanity", continues the Pope in his message.

"Remembrance is a sign of civilisation", he adds, before concluding "Remembrance is a condition for a better future of peace and fraternity".

Pope Francis on X

In a tweet published on Saturday, the Holy Father writes:

May our remembrance and condemnation of the horrible extermination of millions of Jews and people of other faiths, during the last century, help us all not forget that hatred and violence can never be justified, because it denies our very humanity. #WeRemember
 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2024-01/world-remembers-holocaust-amid-rising-antisemitism.html
World remembers Holocaust amid rising antisemitism
27 January 2024, 16:48

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-encourages-smom-to-continue-its-humanitarian-diplomacy.html

Pope encourages Order of Malta to continue its "humanitarian diplomacy"
27 January 2024, 12:54

Francis praises the Ambassadors of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) for their diplomatic work at the service of the poor and stresses the importance of a "joint" action between SMOM and Vatican diplomacy.
By Lisa Zengarini

“Your work is not simply humanitarian, like the meritorious service provided by so many other institutions.  It is a religious act that gives glory to God by serving the weakest among us and it testifies to the Lord’s preferential love for them.”  Pope Francis gave this reminder to the Ambassadors of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) as he met them in the Vatican on Saturday.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/january.index.html
Speeches 2024 January
To participants in the Conference of Ambassadors of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (27 gennaio 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-president-toudera-central-african-republic.html

Pope Francis meets with President of Central African Republic
27 January 2024, 13:06

Pope Francis grants an audience to the President of the Central African Republic, Mr Faustin Archange Touadéra.

Pope Francis received President Touadéra of the Central African Republic this morning for a meeting that lasted for around twenty minutes.

The President then held talks with Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin, and Archbishop Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the talks, held at the Secretariat of State, discussion focused on the good relations between the Holy See and the Central African Republic, as well as the important role played by the Catholic Church in the country.

The Pope’s visit to the nation in 2015 was discussed, as were some aspects of the social, political and humanitarian situation in the region.
 

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Video at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-at-angelus-reflects-on-sunday-gospel-28012024.html
Pope at Angelus: When tempted or taking wrong path, invoke Jesus
28 January 2024, 12:04

During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis urges the faithful to resist what has the power to enslave them by invoking Jesus whenever they feel tempted or about to make a misstep, and tells them, once again, to not dialogue with the devil.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

When you feel tempted or that the devil is leading you in the wrong direction, invoke Jesus.

This was the suggestion Pope Francis offered to the faithful during his Angelus address in St. Peter's Square on Sunday at noon.

As he reflected on today's Gospel passage according to St. Mark, which recalls Jesus freeing a person who had been possessed by an evil spirit, the Holy Father reminded the faithful that the devil wants to take hold of us, but we can resist him by staying close to the Lord.

He said the devil desires to possess in order to "chain our souls" and that, therefore, "we must guard against the "chains" that suffocate our freedom" and "enchain our hearts."

The Pope acknowledged various types of "enchainments" we all face that "make us slaves, always dissatisfied, and devour energy, goods, and affections."
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-appeals-for-myanmar-middle-east-ukraine.html
Pope: 'Wars destroy people and are defeat for humanity'
28 January 2024, 11:36

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-decries-attack-on-catholic-church-in-istanbul.html
Pope decries attack on Catholic Church in Istanbul
28 January 2024, 13:12

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2024.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2024
Angelus, 28 January 2024

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New interview: Pope Francis in an interview with the Italian newspaper 'La Stampa'

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-interview-la-stampa-israel-hamas-war-two-states.html
Pope on Holy Land war: Without two states, true peace remains distant
29 January 2024, 07:37

In an interview with the Italian newspaper 'La Stampa', Pope Francis renews calls for a global ceasefire, warning the world is on the brink of the abyss, and says the recent declaration 'Fiducia supplicans' seeks to include, not divide.
By Vatican News

"There was the Oslo agreement—so clear—with the solution of the two states. Until that agreement is applied, true peace remains distant."

This is Pope Francis' judgment on events in the Holy Land, following the attacks by Hamas and the war that is destroying the cities of the Gaza Strip.

The Pope shared his thoughts with Domenico Agasso, a Vatican-focused journalist for the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, published on Monday.

Speaking of the many ongoing conflicts, Pope Francis invites everyone to pray for peace, expressing his belief that dialogue is the only path toward a peaceful future.

He called for all parties to "immediately stop the bombs and missiles and end hostile attitudes. Everywhere." The Pope called for a "global ceasefire," because "we are on the brink of the abyss."
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256671/pope-francis-small-ideological-groups-oppose-same-sex-blessings-africa-a-special-case
Pope Francis: Small ideological groups oppose same-sex blessings; Africa a ‘special case’
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 29, 2024 / 14:40 pm

https://aleteia.org/2024/01/29/pope-document-on-blessings-meant-to-include-not-divide/
Pope: Document on blessings meant to “include, not divide”
Isabella H. de Carvalho - published on 01/29/24

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-discourse-tennis-real-club-de-tenis-barcelona.html

Pope: Never let children stop being children
29 January 2024, 10:30

Pope Francis commends the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona on its 125th anniversary, emphasising tennis as a means of personal growth through respectful play and urging the club to prioritise the integral development of children.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis on Monday morning welcomed members of Spain's "Real Club de Tenis Barcelona" as they celebrated the 125th anniversary of their founding as a sports club.

"I am pleased," the Pope said in his discourse, "to be able to emphasize once again the opportunities that sport offers for the growth of each person and society."

Speaking about their sport in particular, Pope Francis noted that tennis is not a team sport, and that it therefore "presents an interesting aspect for our consideration."

"It would seem that the challenge between players has mainly to do with the desire to prevail over the opponent," noted the Pope.

However, he continued, through the history of the club, it is clear that it is in fact "an expression of the founders' openness to what good could come from outside and to a dialogue with other cultures, which allowed them to create new realities."
 
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/01/29/240129g.html
Audience with a delegation from the “Real Club de Tenis Barcelona”, 29.01.2024

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-meets-with-president-of-guinea-bissau.html

Pope Francis meets with President of Guinea Bissau
29 January 2024, 12:50

Pope Francis holds an audience with President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea Bissau, discussing the contribution of the Catholic Church to the common good of the country, especially in education and healthcare.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis received the president of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, Mr. Umaro Sissoco Embaló, in the Vatican on Monday.

Following his meeting with Pope Francis, the President met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, accompanied by the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office, the discussions were "cordial," and emphasized "the good relations between the Holy See and Guinea Bissau."

In addition, the statement noted, the Pope and President discussed the social situation in the country, especially "the Church's contribution to the common good, especially in the fields of education and health."
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-invites-catholic-communicators-to-go-against-the-flow.html

Pope invites Italian Catholic communicators to go against the flow
29 January 2024, 12:59

Pope Francis meets journalists of the two Catholic TV and radio broadcasting networks of the Italian bishops, and encourages them to continue to communicate the Church's closeness to the most vulnerable and marginalized.
By Lisa Zengarini

Amid the “vortex of technological innovation” taking place in the world of communication and information, including now artificial intelligence, Catholic communicators must never lose sight of their fundamental mission of bringing “the light of hope” to the darkness that surrounds us.
Pope Francis stated this point as he welcomed to the Vatican on Monday the managers and employees of TV2000 and the inBlu2000 Catholic broadcasting networks owned by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of their foundation.

Noting that “communication and information always have their roots in the human," the Holy Father highlighted, for those attending the audience, three key words for their work.
 
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/01/29/240129a.html
Audience with managers and employees of TV2000 and Radio inBlu2000, 29.01.2024

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Videos at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-01/vatican-mental-health-conference-catholic-ministers-ed-shoener.html
Vatican holds first-of-its-kind mental health conference
30 January 2024, 14:39

Catholic mental health ministers from all over the world gathered in the Dicastery for Communication for the first-ever Vatican workshop dedicated to mental health and pastoral care.
By Joseph Tulloch

In 2016, at the age of 29, Deacon Ed Shoener’s daughter Katie committed suicide. She had wrestled with bipolar disorder for over a decade.

Katie’s death prompted Deacon Shoener to begin advocating for mental health awareness within the Church. He soon founded the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, a non-profit that supports parishes and dioceses in establishing mental health ministries.

Deacon Shoener shared this story at a first-of-its kind conference in the Vatican on Monday, which brought together individuals active in Catholic mental health ministry across the globe.

Participants included Vatican officials, representatives from the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, and individuals working on the frontline in Moldova, India, South Africa and elsewhere.

The view from the Vatican

Monsignor Anthony Ekpo, Undersecretary at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, was the first to speak.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-01/cardinal-de-aviz-consecrated-walking-together-towards-jubilee.html

Cardinal De Aviz: Consecrated people walking together towards the 2025 Jubilee
30 January 2024, 11:08

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life speaks to Vatican News about the upcoming meeting in Rome gathering consecrated people from across the world in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year.
By Bianca Fraccalvieri

More than 300 representatives of consecrated life from over 60 countries are set to meet in Rome from 1 to 4 February for a preparatory meeting ahead of the 2025 Jubilee.

Each country will be represented by a religious man, a religious woman, a member of a secular institute and a consecrated woman belonging to the Ordo Virginum . Together they will experience a new phase of the journey towards the Holy Year to share experiences of life and mission. They will then return to their own respective countries with the mandate  to continue to be a sign of reconciliation between peoples.
 
World Day of Consecrated Life on 2 February

The event in Rome also takes place as the Church celebrates the World Day of Consecrated Life on 2 February. As per custom, that day Pope Francis will preside over the celebration in St. Peter's Basilica.
 

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Re: German Synodal Way

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256679/critics-challenge-german-synodal-way-in-light-of-abuse-study
Critics challenge German Synodal Way in light of abuse study
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Jan 30, 2024 / 10:52 am

In light of a Protestant abuse study unveiled in Germany, a Catholic lay group has called into doubt the “persistent narrative of the Synodal Way attributing systemic causes of abuse to specifically Catholic factors.”

Published on Jan. 25, the ForuM study identified 1,259 accused individuals and 2,174 survivors of abuse since 1946 within the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), according to a report by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. This study’s findings starkly contrast with the claims of an “alleged Catholic-specific dimension of sexual abuse,” stated “Neuer Anfang,” a German lay group critical of the Synodal Way.

The German Synodal Way, which voted for women’s ordination and transgender ideology, among other issues, linked its resolutions to the MHG Study, an investigation of clerical sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Germany.
 

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Re: Fiducia Supplicans

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2024/01/african-cardinal-says-fiducia-has-discredited-synod-on-synodality
African cardinal says ‘Fiducia’ has discredited synod on synodality
By Ngala Killian Chimtom
Jan 30, 2024

ROME – An African cardinal who recently led the continent’s bishops in rejecting blessings for same-sex couples has now lashed out at the timing of the Vatican document that opened the door to such a move, calling it “damaging” to the synodal process convened by Pope Francis.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo said that because the Dec. 18 release of Fiducia Supplicans, which authorized non-liturgical blessings of the persons involved in same-sex relationships, came between the two Synods of Bishops on Synodality, it created the misleading notion that the document was the fruit of synodal discussions.

“The timing, the moment when this document was published, was damaging for the synodal process,” Ambongo said Jan. 25.

The 64-year-old Ambongo, who also serves as president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), said the timing of the document’s release “brought discredit to the synod, to synodality.”

“In the first session, the synod dealt with all these issues, but the synod did not decide,” Ambongo said. “So the publication of this document, between the two sessions of the synod, was seen by most people as if it was the fruit of the synod, when it had nothing to do with the synod.”

Ambongo’s comments came in a press conference during a Jan. 24-26 joint meeting between representatives of SECAM and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) held in Nairobi, Kenya.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-01/holy-see-mission-celebrates-world-day-of-peace-in-geneva.html

Holy See Mission celebrates World Day of Peace with prayer gathering in Geneva
31 January 2024, 12:54

The Holy See’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva gathers members of the international community and representatives of different religions “to reflect on the precious gift of peace.”
By Christopher Wells

At this year’s celebration of the 57th World Day of Peace, Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot reflected on Pope Francis’ Message for the Day, emphasizing that technological progress must be accompanied by an ethical framework to ensure the flourishing of a culture of peace and the building of a better world.

The annual prayerful gathering, now in its fifteenth year, was hosted by the Holy See’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, and brought together numerous ambassadors, leaders of international organizations, and representatives of various religious communities.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-01/mongolian-becomes-52nd-language-of-vatican-news-family.html

Mongolian becomes 52nd language in Vatican News family
31 January 2024, 08:04

Vatican News has added Mongolian to the 51 languages already available, offering coverage of Pope Francis’ activities with the support of the Church in Mongolia.
By Vatican News

Vatican Radio–Vatican News now speaks the language of Mongolia. Mongolian joins the 51 languages already present, both written and spoken, thanks to a collaboration with the local Church.

All Sunday Angelus and Wednesday catechesis will be translated and published on the Vatican portal’s new dedicated language page.

“We are happy about this new possibility to read the words of the Holy Father in Mongolian,” emphasizes Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar. “It is one of the fruits of his recent visit to the land of the eternal blue sky, which touched the hearts of Mongolian Catholics, but also of many people of other religious beliefs, positively impressed by the great human and spiritual testimony of Pope Francis.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/china-consecration-new-bishop-shaowu-minbei-fujian.html

China: Consecration of the new bishop of Shaowu
31 January 2024, 12:14

Fr. Pietro Wu Yishun has been consecrated as the new Bishop of Shaowu (Minbei) in the Chinese province of Fujian, taking place according to the framework of the Provisional Agreement.
By Vatican News

On Wednesday, 31 January, the new bishop of Shaowu (Minbei) in the Chinese province of Fujian was consecrated.

Father Pietro Wu Yishun was appointed by Pope Francis on 16 December 2023.

The appointment was announced on Wednesday by the Holy See Press Office following his episcopal consecration, as set out in the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China.