Pope Francis

[grace-land]

Video at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-at-audience-turns-to-theological-virtues.html
Pope at Audience: Live faith, hope and charity, to merit eternal life
24 April 2024, 09:20

During his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis transitions from discussing the cardinal virtues to the theological ones, recalling that faith, hope and charity help us follow Christ, guide our journey together toward holiness, and restore us, even when we fall.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Theological virtues are infused by God, and with the Holy Spirit, prepare us to merit eternal life.

Pope Francis made this point at his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter's Square, as he transitioned from discussing the cardinal virtues to reflecting on the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.

In recent months, the Pope has been offering this catechesis series on the virtues and vices. After he concluded his discussions of sins, he moved on to virtue, thus far, reflecting specifically on patience, prudence, fortitude, justice and temperance.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-francis-appeals-general-audience-peace-myanmar-ukraine.html
Pope prays for peace and for a two-state solution in Palestine and Israel
24 April 2024, 09:59

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2024.index.html
Audiences 2024
General Audience of 24 April 2024 - Cycle of Catechesis. Vices and Virtues. 16. The life of grace according to the Spirit

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New interview: Pope Fransis In an interview with CBS

According to the excerpt link -- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-norah-odonnell-interview/ -- "An extended version of O'Donnell's interview with Pope Francis will air on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, May 19 at 7 p.m. ET. On Monday, May 20, CBS will broadcast an hourlong primetime special dedicated to the papal interview at 10 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. Additionally, CBS News and Stations will carry O'Donnell's interview across platforms."

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-francis-interview-cbs-negotiated-peace-better-endless-war.html
Pope: 'A negotiated peace is better than an endless war'
25 April 2024, 08:43

In an interview with CBS, Pope Francis calls for an end to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and around the world. He says there is room for everyone in the Church pointing out that if a parish priest doesn't seem welcoming, one can look elsewhere: “There is always a place, don't run away from the Church.”
By Vatican News

Referring in particular to the wars in Ukraine, in Gaza and others that continue to ravage the world, Pope Francis said " Please, countries at war, all of them… Stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace. A negotiated peace is better than a war without end."

The Pope was speaking during an interview granted to the US radio-television broadcaster CBS, on Wednesday afternoon at Casa Santa Marta.

Some excerpts from the hour-long interview conducted by Norah O'Donnell, director of "CBS Evening News," were broadcast shortly after. An extended version of the conversation will be aired on Sunday, May 19, on the eve of World Children's Day, which will take place in Rome on May 25 and 26.
 

A link to some excerpts from the CBS broadcast below --
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257504/pope-francis-to-vladimir-putin-a-negotiated-peace-is-better-than-an-endless-war
Pope Francis to Vladimir Putin: A negotiated peace is better than an endless war
By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 16:10 pm

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2024/04/pope-calls-for-negotiated-peace-blasts-climate-change-skeptics-in-cbs-interview
Pope calls for negotiated peace, blasts climate change skeptics in CBS interview
By Crux Staff
Apr 25, 2024

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-to-azione-cattolica-discourse-weakness-strength.html

Pope to Catholic Action: Embracing one another can prevent wars
25 April 2024, 11:11

Pope Francis addresses Italian Catholic Action and emphasises the importance of embracing others through reflections on missing, saving, and life-changing embraces.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis greeted some 50,000 members of Italian Catholic Action in St Peter's Square on Thursday 25 April as they gathered for their meeting between parents, grandparents, and children.

Speaking of the theme of the meeting, "With Open Arms", the Pope noted that "embrace is one of the most spontaneous expressions of human experience" and that it is through an embrace that life begins.

For this reason, the Pope introduces three points of reflection: three types of embrace: the missing embrace, the saving embrace, and the life-changing embrace.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/april.index.html
Speeches 2024 April
Meeting with the Italian Catholic Action "With open arms" (25 April 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-audience-hungary-president-sulyok-vatican.html

Pope Francis receives Hungarian President
25 April 2024, 12:29

Hungary’s President, Tamás Sulyok, is received in private audience in the Vatican by Pope Francis.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis on Thursday, 25 April, received in audience Tamás Sulyok, President of the Republic of Hungary.

According to a Holy See Press Office statement, Mr Sulyok subsequently met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

During the cordial meeting at the Secretariat of State, the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and Hungary were evoked and appreciation was expressed for the commitment of the Catholic Church to the development of Hungarian society.
 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-to-hungarian-pilgrims-gift-of-peace-begins-in-our-hearts.html
Pope to Hungarian pilgrims: 'The gift of peace begins in our hearts'
25 April 2024, 11:55

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/april.index.html
Speeches 2024 April
To the pilgrims from Hungary (25 April 2024)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257492/historic-st-mark-s-basilica-will-host-pope-francis-this-weekend

Historic St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, will host Pope Francis this weekend
By Francesca Pollio Fenton
CNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 04:00 am

This weekend, on Sunday, April 28, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in St. Mark’s Square during a one-day trip to Venice, Italy. Afterward, he will privately venerate the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist inside the basilica. This papal visit to the iconic basilica puts a spotlight on the famous church dedicated to St. Mark and on its significance to the famous “floating city.”

St. Mark’s Basilica, also known as the “Church of Gold,” is a Byzantine cathedral in St. Mark’s Square. Founded in 828 A.D. after the remains of St. Mark were transported from Alexandria, Egypt, the basilica has undergone several transformations.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-highlights-the-social-value-of-draughts-game.html

Pope highlights the social value of draughts board game
26 April 2024, 11:10

Meeting a group of Italian draughts players, Pope Francis says that the game brings a "breath of fresh air" to our digital societies, marked by individualism.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis welcomed to the Vatican on Friday a delegation of the Italian Draughts Association as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of its foundation.

Greeting the group in the Clementine Hall, the Pope highlighted two features of this ancient game which, he said, are particularly valuable in today’s individualistic societies.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/april.index.html
Speeches 2024 April
To the members of the Italian Draughts Federation (26 April 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-welcomes-president-of-the-republic-of-tajikistan.html

Pope Francis meets with the President of the Republic of Tajikistan
26 April 2024, 13:04

On Friday morning Pope Francis welcomed Emomali Rahmon, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, to the Vatican. Discussions at the Secretariat of State highlighted the importance of dialogue and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures for the promotion of world peace and harmony.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis Francis welcomed Emomali Rahmon, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, to the Vatican on Friday morning.

Following the morning encounter, President Rahmon met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin together with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

The Holy See Press Office noted that in their cordial dicussions held at the Secretariat of State, the leaders recalled the good relations between the Holy See and Tajikistan, while matters regarding some of the country’s political and socio-economic situation were also discussed. Particular attention focused on "the importance of dialogue and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures for the promotion of peace and stability in the world."
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-francis-g7-summit-italy-artificial-intelligence.html

Pope Francis to participate in G7 session on AI
26 April 2024, 18:59

Pope Francis will take part in the upcoming G7 session on Artificial Intelligence under Italy’s presidency of the group.
By Vatican News

The Holy See Press Office on Friday confirmed that Pope Francis will intervene in the G7 Summit in Italy’s southern Puglia region in the session devoted to Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The confirmation of the Holy Father’s participation in the Summit, which will take place from June 13 to 15 at Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, follows the announcement made by Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

"This is the first time in history that a pontiff will participate in the work of a G7," she said, adding that the Pope would attend the "outreach session" for guest participants at the upcoming Group of Seven industrialised nations meeting.

The Summit foresees the participation of the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-04/john-xxiii-and-john-paul-ii-pastors-in-the-midst-of-the-people.html

John XXIII and John Paul II: Pastors in the midst of the people
26 April 2024, 14:12

The images of John Paul II and John XXIII hanging from the facade of St Peter's during the canonization Mass in 2014

Ten years ago, Pope Francis canonized Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II during Mass in St Peter’s Square. Living in times of great historical upheaval, the beloved pontiffs bore witness to the hope and joy that comes from an encounter with Jesus.
By Alessandro Gisotti

Who are the saints? First of all, they are not “supermen”, as Francis has so often reminded us. Yet in the collective imagination, even of non-believers, holiness is synonymous with exceptionality. If your name is on the calendar – one could say facetiously – it is certainly due to a life lived in an extraordinary way.

Pope Francis, however, speaking precisely on this point, has emphasized – in an Apostolic Exhortation that would perhaps repay further and deeper study – that all the baptised are called to holiness, to be “saints next door”, who are far more numerous than those included on the Church’s calendar. Holiness, the Pontiff wrote in Gaudete et exsultate, is seen “in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile”.

John XXIII and John Paul II believed wholeheartedly in this holiness of the People of God, a patient people who know how to entrust themselves to the Father and let themselves be guided by Him, and on 27 April ten years ago they were proclaimed saints in a St Peter’s Square packed with the faithful.
 

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Re:  German Synodal Way

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257510/four-german-bishops-resist-push-to-install-permanent-synodal-council
Four German bishops resist push to install permanent ‘Synodal Council’
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 13:57 pm

Four German bishops on Wednesday distanced themselves from the controversial Synodal Way’s plans for a permanent body to oversee the Church in Germany, instead appealing for unity with the universal Church.

The four bishops are the same who have previously blocked funding for this body: Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne and three prelates from Bavaria: Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, of Eichstätt; Stefan Oster, SDB, of Passau; and Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg.

In a joint statement, the prelates confirmed on April 24 that they would not be parties to a committee charged with setting up a German “Synodal Council, as this would conflict with the sacramental constitution of the Church.”

The four bishops also rejected the view that the German Bishops’ Conference could legally establish a “synodal committee” if four of its members did not support the committee.

Given the Vatican’s repeated interventions against the German process, the bishops said on Wednesday they would instead look to the Synod of Bishops in Rome to point the way for “a more synodal Church [in Germany] in unity with the universal Church.
 

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2024/04/four-german-bishops-opt-out-of-contested-synodal-council
Four German bishops opt out of contested ‘Synodal Council’
By Elise Ann Allen
Apr 26, 2024

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-francis-great-age-foundation-elderly-young-people.html

Pope: Love shared between elderly and young makes society wiser
27 April 2024, 11:44

Pope Francis meets with participants in an event promoted by the Great Age Foundation, and says intergenerational love has the power to transform society and impart wisdom.
By Devin Watkins

The Great Age Foundation held an event on Saturday in the Paul VI Hall, entitled “The Caress and the Smile,” which brought together over 6,000 grandparents and grandchildren to highlight the rights of the elderly and society’s duty to them.

Pope Francis greeted participants and thanked Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, which helped promote the event.

In his address, the Pope highlighted the importance of young people and the elderly spending time together, saying their shared love makes the world better, richer, and wiser.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/april.index.html
Speeches 2024 April
"The caress and the smile": meeting of Pope Francis with grandparents, the elderly and grandchildren, organized by the Fondazione Età Grande (Old Age Foundation) (27 April 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-to-spanish-seminarians-fill-your-emptied-land-with-god.html

Pope to Spanish seminarians: 'Fill your emptied land with God'
27 April 2024, 13:31

Pope Francis meets the community of the Seminary of Burgos, Spain, and urges it to fill Spain’s depopulated rural areas with God by freeing themselves from “false human securities.”
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis encouraged a group of seminarians, priests and bishops from Spain to take up the challenge of bringing God to its depopulated rural areas by welcoming diversity to build a community-based Church.

The encouragement came as he met students and staff of the Seminary Burgos on Saturday.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/april.index.html
Speeches 2024 April
To the Community of the Seminary of Burgos (Spain) (27 April 2024)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-francis-visit-venice-prison-art-interview-patriarch-moragli.html

Patriarch of Venice: Mercy at the heart of the Pope's visit
27 April 2024, 13:05

The Holy See's Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale in the Giiudecca Women's Detention Facility  (AFP or licensors)

On the eve of Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to Venice, Archbishop Francesco Moraglia reflects on the significance of his meeting with inmates at the city’s Giudecca prison, “a place of expiation and rebirth, but also a place of art” as it hosts the Holy See’s Pavilion at the Contemporary Art Biennale.
By Benedetta Capelli

The Lagoon City of Venice is ready to welcome Pope Francis on Sunday, April 28, for his one-day visit with the motto "Remaining united in the love of Christ."

The Pope will depart, by helicopter, from the Vatican at 6:30 am and is scheduled to land at about 8 am in the Square in front of the Giudecca Women’s Prison Facility which houses about 80 inmates. In the prison’s inner courtyard, he will meet with the inmates, deliver an address and listen to some of their stories.