Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-discourse-swedish-academy-vatican.html

Pope to Swedish Academy: We grow more noble as we search for the truth
19 November 2021, 11:58

Pope Francis meets with members of the Swedish Academy, and urges them to fight the culture of indifference and never stop searching for the truth.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis on Friday met with member of the Swedish Academy and opened his greetings by noting how the pandemic has "tested our capacity to dialogue with others."

This, continued the Pope, is no doubt due to the long periods of confinement and the fact that the entire experience of the pandemic has deeply affected people, often unconsciously.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249649/pope-francis-to-swedish-academy-social-media-promotes-monologue-instead-of-dialogue
Pope Francis to Swedish Academy: Social media promotes monologue instead of dialogue
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Nov 19, 2021 / 09:00 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/november/documents.index.html#speeches
Speeches 2021 November documents
To the Members of the Swedish Academy (19 November 2021)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-message-conference-fao-vatican-eradication-child-labour.html

Pope: Child labour robs humanity of its future
19 November 2021, 12:03

Pope Francis addresses participants in an international conference that discusses the need to eradicate child labour, and calls for coordinated initiatives and joint efforts at all levels to fight the scourge.
By Linda Bordoni

Using strong words to decry the exploitation of children in the production processes of the globalized economy for the profit and gain of others, Pope Francis on Friday reiterated the Church’s commitment to continue to promote and coordinate initiatives to protect children, for the good of children themselves and for all humanity.

His message upholding the right to health, education, and a future for all children across the globe was addressed to participants in an International Conference promoted by the Vatican COVID-19 Commission of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the FAO, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249648/pope-francis-persistence-of-child-labor-is-shocking-and-disturbing
Pope Francis: Persistence of child labor is ‘shocking and disturbing’
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Nov 19, 2021 / 08:00 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/november/documents.index.html#speeches
Speeches 2021 November documents
To Participants in the International Conference "Eradicating Child Labor, Building a Better Future" (19 November 2021)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-cardinal-mamberti-pro-petri-sede-150-anniversary.html

Pope names Cardinal Mamberti as envoy for 150th anniversary of Pro Petri Sede
20 November 2021, 12:18

Pope Francis appoints the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, as his special envoy for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the “Pro Petri Sede” Association.
By Devin Watkins

The Pro Petri Sede (or “For the See of Peter”) Association is set to celebrate its 150th anniversary at the Basilica of Kokelberg in Brussels.

The association is active in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and helps raise funds for initiatives of the Pope and the Holy See.

Pope Francis on Saturday appointed Cardinal Dominique Mamberti as his special envoy for the celebrations.

The Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura will preside over the Mass in Brussels on 27 November.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-go-into-the-world-with-your-heart-immersed-in-god.html

Pope: Go into the world with your heart immersed in God
20 November 2021, 13:00

The Pope receives thirty Oblate Missionary Cooperators of the Immaculate in the Vatican on the occasion of a double anniversary: the 70th anniversary of the birth of their Institute and the 20th anniversary of its pontifical approval.
By Paolo Ondarza

Meeting with Oblate Missionary Cooperators of the Immaculate (COMI) on Saturday morning, Pope Francis encouraged them in a symbolic way to become like yeast: small, hidden, but full of faith, and "the larger the dough to be leavened, the richer the quality of the leaven must be".

He noted how being consecrated as a member of a secular institute "means living the spirit of the Incarnation in the time and place in which God has placed us."
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/november/documents.index.html#speeches
Speeches 2021 November documents
To Members of the Secular Institute of Oblate Missionary Cooperators (20 November 2021)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-meets-player-of-friendly-match-for-inclusion.html

Pope encourages players in friendly soccer match to team up for inclusion
20 November 2021, 13:30

Pope Francis meets the two teams playing on Sunday in the 'Fratelli Tutti football match', which is organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture and Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican’s sporting association.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis on Saturday received in audience the representatives of the "World Rom Organization" and the "Pope’s Team - Fratelli tutti" who will play a friendly football match on Sunday to promote the values of inclusion and fraternity.

The 'Fratelli Tutti football match' will take place at 2:30 pm on the training grounds of Italy’s Lazio football club at Formello, some 25 kilometres north of Rome. It is organized by the Pontifical Council and Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican’s sporting association.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249658/pope-francis-meets-the-pope-s-team-ahead-of-friendly-soccer-match
Pope Francis meets the ‘Pope’s Team’ ahead of friendly soccer match
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Nov 20, 2021 / 08:00 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/november/documents.index.html#speeches
Speeches 2021 November documents
To Participants in the football game of the World Rom Organization (20 November 2021)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-video-message-daughters-charity-general-chapter.html

Pope to Daughters of Charity: Be mothers and sisters, not mothers-in-law
20 November 2021, 14:30

Pope Francis sends a video message to the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, as they are concluding their General Assembly in Paris.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis is inviting the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul to cherish the beauty of their vocation, saying God has entrusted His beloved poor to them.

“You are mothers and sisters to them - not mothers-in-law!” he exhorted the nuns, as they are about to conclude their 10th General Assembly in the French capital Paris, Oct. 29-Nov. 21.

The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, officially called the Company of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, was co-founded in Paris in 1633 by the great saint and Saint Louise de Marillac, to serve the poor and the marginalized.

They are holding their General Assembly at their Mother House at 140 Rue du Bac, Paris, which is known the world over for Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, after the Virgin Mary appeared to the Daughter of Charity nun, St. Catherine Labouré, in 1830.
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis.html
Pope Francis tells young people to dream and take a bite out of life with Jesus in their heart
21 November 2021, 11:09

During Mass celebrated in St Peter's Basilica on Sunday, on the occasion of the diocesan World Youth Day and the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Pope exhorts today's young people to "stand upright while everything is falling apart", to be courageous in going "against the tide", "without shortcuts, without falsehood".
By Vatican News staff reporter

In his homily during the celebration of Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Our Lord Christ the King, and on the occasion of diocesan World Youth Day (WYD), Pope Francis took his cue from the day’s readings.

The Pope noted that in the Revelation of Saint John and foreshadowed by the prophet Daniel in the first reading, are the words, “He is coming with the clouds.”

The second image is that of the Gospel: Christ who stands before Pilate and tells him: “I am a king”.
Reflecting on these two phrases, the Pope began by encouraging young people to “stop and think about these two images of Jesus, as they journey towards the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon.

The Pope noted that the first image: Jesus who comes with the clouds, evokes Christ’s coming in glory at the end of time. “It makes us realize” said Pope Francis “that the final word on our life will belong to Jesus.”

“He comes ‘with the clouds’ to reassure us,'” said the Pope.  “As if to say: ‘I will not leave you alone when storms gather over your life.  I am always with you.  I come to bring back the bright sky.’”

The prophet Daniel, on the other hand, noted Pope Francis, “tells us that he saw the Lord coming with the clouds as he ‘watched in the night visions.’”

The Pope encouraged young people to “watch in the night visions.”  “In other words, let your eyes remain bright even amid the darkness.  Never stop seeking the light amid whatever darkness we may bear in our hearts or see all around us," he said.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249662/world-youth-day-2021-pope-francis-asks-young-catholics-to-be-critical-conscience-of-society
World Youth Day 2021: Pope Francis asks young Catholics to be ‘critical conscience of society’
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Nov 21, 2021 / 05:05 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2021.index.html
Homilies 2021
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - Holy Mass (21 November 2021)

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-the-kingship-of-christ-signifies-truth-service-life.html
Pope: the Kingship of Christ signifies truth, service, life
21 November 2021, 12:15

Pope Francis reflects on the Kingship of Christ on today's Solemnity of Christ the King, noting that Jesus came not to dominate, but to serve others. And Christians are called to do the same, seeking the truth of Jesus' boundless love who frees us from our weaknesses.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis appeared at the window overlooking Saint Peter's Square for the Sunday Angelus with two young people from the Diocese of Rome participating in the World Youth Day celebrations. Earlier Sunday morning the Pope presided over the World Youth Day Mass in the Basilica.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-encourages-youth-to-be-at-home-and-protagonists-in-church.html
Pope encourages youth to be at home and protagonists in Church
21 November 2021, 12:20

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249663/pope-francis-at-the-angelus-christ-is-not-like-other-kings-but-he-is-a-king-for-others
Pope Francis: Christ is not like other kings, he is a King for others
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Nov 21, 2021 / 06:50 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2021.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2021
Angelus, 21 November 2021

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-to-mexico-city-ecclesial-assembly-listen-and-be-creative.html

Pope to Mexico City Ecclesial Assembly: listen and be creative
21 November 2021, 17:01

Pope Francis addresses a message to participants at the Ecclesial Assembly opening Sunday in Mexico City bringing together representatives of the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean. He encourages them to start by listening to each other and being courageously open to new horizons.
By Alessandro De Carolis – Vatican City

Pope Francis addressed a message to the first Ecclesial Assembly bringing together Caribbean and Latin American countries encouraging them to "listen" to the voice of the people in their discernment and be open to "abundant" creativity in their renewed missionary outreach. The week-long meeting represents an outcome of the synodal path recently initiated by the Pope with more than one thousand participants gathered in Mexico City and online. He refers to the three key words in preparation for the 2023 Synod - communion, participation and mission - while offering two other words for consideration.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-opens-italian-bishops-assembly.html

Pope Francis opens Italian Bishops’ Assembly in Rome
23 November 2021, 12:30

Pope Francis had a private conversation with Italian Bishops on Monday at the opening of their Extraordinary General Assembly, which will be focused on the ongoing synodal process.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis opened the 75th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) on Monday. The meeting is taking place in Rome from 22 to 25 November.

The Pope arrived at the Ergife Hotel in Rome at 4:00 pm and spoke privately with the Italian bishops. The Holy See Press Office reported that as he initiated the meeting, Pope Francis greeted the prelates with a card containing an image of the Good Shepherd and the text of a reflection entitled "The Beatitudes of the Bishop". He returned to the Vatican at about 6:00 pm.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249680/pope-francis-speaks-to-italy-s-catholic-bishops-in-strictly-private-meeting
Pope Francis speaks to Italy’s Catholic bishops in ‘strictly private’ meeting
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome, Italy, Nov 23, 2021 / 05:00 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-message-culture-council-plenary-humanism.html

Pope: Church offers Christian humanism to overcome society's fluidity
23 November 2021, 15:00

Pope Francis sends a video message to participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, and calls for a renewed Christian humanism to help stem the fluidity of Western society.
By Devin Watkins

As Pontifical Council for Culture kicks off its plenary assembly, Pope Francis sent a video message to participants on Tuesday, reflecting on the theme: “Necessary Humanism”.

The Pope began by noting how the assembly is being held in a virtual format, lamenting that the digital universe makes everything “incredibly close but without the warmth of presence.”

He said the pandemic has revealed the weaknesses of our social and economic model, including working methods, social life, and religious practices.

At the same time, the pandemic has rekindled people’s desire to face the fundamental questions of existence, such as the question about God and the human being.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2021.index.html
Messages Pontifical Messages 2021
Video Message of the Holy Father to mark the conclusion of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture (23 November 2021)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-telegram-waukesha-tragedy-christmas-parade-prayers.html

Pope prays for victims of Wisconsin tragedy
23 November 2021, 15:19

Pope Francis is praying for the dead, the injured and the families of all those affected by Sunday’s attack on a Christmas parade in Wisconsin, USA.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis said he is close to all those who have been affected by a tragic incident caused by a driver who ploughed through a Christmas parade in Waukesha in the suburbs of Milwaukee on Sunday.

In a telegram, signed on his behalf by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope assures the community where the incident took place of his spiritual closeness and prayers.

Commending the souls of those who died to Almighty God’s loving mercy, he says he “implores the divine gifts of healing and consolation upon the injured and bereaved.”

Concluding the telegram, the Pope says he is praying the Lord “to bestow upon everyone the spiritual strength which triumphs over violence and overcomes evil with good.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249682/pope-francis-prays-for-wisconsin-parade-victims
Pope Francis prays for Wisconsin parade victims
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Nov 23, 2021 / 06:38 am

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Video at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-11/christmas-tree-st-peters-square.html

Christmas Tree arrives in St. Peter’s Square
By Vatican Radio staff writer

The 40th Christmas tree to light up the season in St. Peter’s Square hails from the northern Italian Trentino region where it was chosen in line with the Vatican's policies for sustainability and respect for the environment.

The St. Peter’s Square Christmas tree tradition was started in 1982 by Pope Saint John Paul II.

This year’s red fir (Picea abies) comes from the Paganella area of the Dolomite mountains on the Italian border with Austria. It arrived in the Vatican accompanied by certification it was harvested according to a sustainable forestry project. It also came complete with handmade wooden Christmas decorations.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-11/relics-of-st-bernadette-to-visit-dioceses-in-great-britain.html

Relics of St. Bernadette to visit dioceses in Great Britain
23 November 2021, 14:53

A recent announcement reveals plans for the relics of St. Bernadette of Lourdes to tour the Dioceses of England, Scotland and Wales in autumn 2022.
By Jack Ryan

Following an annual meeting of the English and Welsh Bishops conference last week, it was made public that relics from St Bernadette’s thigh will be taken to major cathedrals and churches across Great Britain next year, giving Catholics the chance to venerate her, and seek her intercession.

The Saint of Lourdes

St Bernadette, whose real name was Marie Bernarde Soubirous, was an illiterate French girl who received apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary when she was 14 years old.

Between February 11 and July 16 of 1858, St Bernadette witnessed 18 apparitions at the grotto of Massabielle, by the side of the River Gave in the village of Lourdes.

They involved a vision of a young lady, dressed in white who spoke to St Bernadette, telling her that people must offer prayer and penance for their sins. She also asked Bernadette to go to the local with the message that a chapel be built and that people go there in procession.

On 25 March, St. Bernadette asked the lady who she was. “I am the Immaculate Conception”, she replied. In 1854, four years earlier, Pope Pius IX had defined the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

Bernadette was beatified in 1925 and canonised by Pope Pius XI on December 8, 1933, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-general-audience-saint-joseph-salvation-history.html
Pope at Audience: St. Joseph a model for meaningful human relationships
24 November 2021, 09:23

Pope Francis continues his catechesis series on St. Joseph at the Wednesday General Audience, and says that Joseph shows that even those who appear on the margins of society have a special role in God’s plan of salvation.
By Devin Watkins

The Pope picked up his catechesis on St. Joseph at the weekly General Audience, reflecting on his role in salvation history.

Focusing on how he is presented in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, Pope Francis noted that both evangelists compose a genealogy of Jesus, which begins either with Abraham (as in Matthew) or Adam (as in Luke) and culminates in Joseph and Jesus.

Both Luke and Matthew, said the Pope, present Joseph not as the biological father of Jesus but in any case, as “fully the father of Jesus.”

“Through him, Jesus fulfils the history of the covenant and salvation between God and man.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249691/pope-francis-at-the-general-audience-st-joseph-is-protecting-the-catholic-church
Pope Francis: St. Joseph is protecting the Catholic Church
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Nov 24, 2021 / 04:00 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2021.index.html#audiences
Audiences 2021
General Audience of 24 November 2021: Catechesis on Saint Joseph - 2. Saint Joseph in salvation history

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-preface-church-magisterium-sacred-heart-university.html

Pope: Catholic universities showcase bond between faith and science
24 November 2021, 15:50

Pope Francis pens the preface to a book covering the history of the Italy-based Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and highlights the importance of the Church’s work of education.
By Devin Watkins

On the sidelines of the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis was presented with the first copy of the book by Bishop Claudio Giuliodori and the University’s Rector Franco Anelli.

Entitled “The Magisterium of the Church for the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart”, it gathers the teachings of the Popes and Italian bishops which were directed to the university founded by Fr. Agostino Gemelli in Rome on 7 December 1921.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-francis-bulgaria-bus-crash-telegram.html

Pope offers prayers for victims of Bulgaria bus crash
24 November 2021, 14:49

Pope Francis prays for the people who died in a fatal bus crash in Bulgaria on Monday. He also conveys his closeness to the injured and the families of those affected by the incident.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis has expressed deep sadness for the loss of life and the injuries caused by a fatal bus incident in Bulgaria on Monday morning.

The bus, traveling from Istanbul in Turkey to the North Macedonian capital of Skopje, hit a guardrail and burst into flames some 40km south of Sofia, killing 46 people, 12 of them children. Seven people escaped from the bus and were taken to the hospital for medical attention.

In a telegram signed on his behalf by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and addressed to the President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, Pope Francis expressed his heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by the tragedy, mindful in particular of the children who have died.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-donates-oxygen-generating-machine-to-baghdad-hospital.html

Pope donates oxygen-generating machine to Baghdad hospital
24 November 2021, 16:19

The Pope’s donation of an oxygen production plant to St. Raphael Hospital in Baghdad has been indispensable for treating patients during the Covid-19 health emergency.
By Vatican News staff writer

With a Rite of Blessing on Tuesday, St. Raphael Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, formally inaugurated an oxygen production plant, capable of generating medical oxygen. The machine is a donation by the Holy Father through funds placed at the disposal of the Secretariat of State by the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and the Apostolic Almoner.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249694/synod-on-synodality-organizers-want-local-stage-to-focus-on-one-fundamental-question

Synod on Synodality organizers want local stage to focus on one fundamental question
By Courtney Mares
Rome, Italy, Nov 24, 2021 / 09:00 am

Cardinal Mario Grech warned Italian bishops on Tuesday against the temptation to use the Synod on Synodality to further objectives other than the goal of listening to the People of God.

The General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops said Nov. 23 that there is a “risk — or perhaps the temptation — of wanting to overload the synodal process with other meanings and objectives, of wanting to add things to be done to achieve further results, beyond the shared experience of listening to the People of God about synodality and the synodal Church.”

“This risk especially concerns those who thought of a synodal path before the proposal formulated by the General Secretariat of the Synod,” he added.

The cardinal spoke at the Italian bishops’ 75th Extraordinary General Assembly, taking place in Rome on Nov. 22-25.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-11/pope-decrees-causes-of-saints-titus-brandsma.html

Blessed Titus Brandsma on the road to sainthood
25 November 2021, 13:03

Pope Francis authorizes the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a series of Decrees including the recognition of a miracle attributed to Blessed Tito Brandsma, who was killed “in hatred of the faith” in the Dachau concentration camp in 1942.
By Vatican News staff writer

A Holy See Press Office statement on Thursday revealed that Pope Francis authorized Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, to promulgate a series of causes for advancement towards sainthood of the following holy men and women: