Pope Francis

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-angelus-catechesis.html
Pope at Angelus: With God in your life there are always new possibilities
06 February 2022, 12:07

Pope Francis invites Christians to welcome Jesus so they can navigate the sea of life without fear.
By Linda Bordoni

Taking his cue from the Gospel of today’s Liturgy, Pope Francis narrated the parable that tells of how Jesus invites some disappointed fishermen, including Simon Peter, to go back out to sea and cast their nets again (Lk 5:1-4).

Speaking during the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, he said that "Jesus climbs into Simon’s boat and invites him to put out into the open water."

“Jesus gets into Simon’s boat. To do what? To teach. He asks for that very boat, which is not full of fish but rather has returned to the shore empty, after a night of toil and disillusionment.”

“It is a beautiful image,” the Pope said, explaining that “every day the boat of our life leaves the shores of our home to sail out into the sea of daily activities; every day we try to ‘fish from the sea’, to cultivate dreams, to pursue projects, to experience love in our relationships.”

But often, he continued, like Peter, we experience the disappointment of trying so hard and not seeing the desired results: “We are left with a sense of defeat, while disappointment and bitterness arise in our hearts.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-angelus-appeal-human-trafficking-world-day.html
Pope: Human trafficking is a wound shamefully inflicted for economic interests
06 February 2022, 12:15

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-highlights-beautiful-story-of-efforts-to-save-moroccan.html
Pope highlights ‘beautiful story’ of efforts to save Moroccan boy
06 February 2022, 15:57

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2022.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2022
Angelus, 6 February 2022

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Pope Francis appears on an Italian television program...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-war-is-a-contradiction.html
Pope Francis: 'Forgiveness is a human right'
07 February 2022, 00:44

Pope Francis appears on the Italian television programme “Che tempo che fa” for a conversation with host Fabio Fazio. Asked how he manages to bear the weight of so many stories of suffering and unspeakable pain, the Holy Father responds, “The whole Church helps me.”
By Salvatore Cernuzio

“War is a contradiction,” said Pope Francis during his conversation on Sunday night with Italian television presenter Fabio Fazio on the programme Che tempo che fa.

Speaking from his residence at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis answered questions about a wide variety of issues: wars, migrants, safeguarding creation, the relationship between parents and children, evil and suffering, prayer, the future of the Church, and the need for friends. He also affirmed that forgiveness is “a human right,” adding, “the ability to be forgiven is a human right. We all have the right to be forgiven if we ask for forgiveness.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250312/pope-francis-makes-first-tv-talk-show-appearance
Pope Francis makes first TV talk show appearance
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Feb 7, 2022 / 05:30 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-to-priests-be-eradicators-of-inequality.html

Pope to priests: Seek to eradicate all forms of inequality
07 February 2022, 13:56

On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the election of Pope Pius XI to the See of Peter, Pope Francis met Monday with the community of the Pontifical Lombard Seminary of Saints Ambrose and Charles in Urbe.
By Vatican News staff reporter

In his speech to the priests of the Pontifical Lombard Seminary of Saints Ambrose and Charles in Urbe on Monday, the Pope drew inspiration from the figure of Pope Pius XI.

He noted that the Successor of Peter had attended this seminary, located just a stone’s throw from the Roman Basilica of St Mary Major, and had been one of its first pupils.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/february.index.html
Speeches 2022 February
To the Community of the Pontifical Lombard Seminary in Rome (7 February 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-borut-pahor-slovenia-president-audience.html

Pope receives Slovenian President Borut Pahor in audience
07 February 2022, 14:22

Pope Francis meets with the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, on Monday morning at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis, on Monday, received in audience the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor, at the Apostolic Palace.

The Slovenian leader subsequently met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, accompanied by the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-02/synod-bishops-synodality-first-stage-initial-assessment.html

Synod of Bishops offers initial assessment of synodal process
07 February 2022, 09:00

The Synod of Bishops releases an initial report on the synodal process currently being held at the diocesan level, and lays out the criteria for reports prepared by dioceses, Bishops’ Conferences, and Synods of Eastern Churches.
By Synod of Bishops – Press Release

About three months after the opening of the synodal process, the 15th Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops expressed great satisfaction with the headway being made by the process at the local level. Close to 98% of the Episcopal Conferences and Synods of Eastern Churches worldwide have appointed a person or an entire team to implement the synodal process.

The Ordinary Council's assessment was bolstered by the results that emerged from exchanges during some 15 online meetings with synod appointees from around the world organized by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops from November-December in 2021.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250314/vatican-acknowledges-challenges-in-global-synodal-process
Vatican acknowledges challenges in global synodal process
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Feb 7, 2022 / 13:00 pm

https://mcusercontent.com/e0fbbeecffe9831bf1ef67a4a/files/020856bf-bf47-68ce-3616-14c88a41d686/EN_Press_Release_07.02.2022.pdf
SYNODUS EPISCOPORUM
Vatican City, 7th February 2022
Press release
The Synodal Process: an initial assessment

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-video-message-world-day-prayer-human-trafficking.html

Pope: Human trafficking an ‘open wound’ in the body of Christ and humanity
08 February 2022, 13:21

Pope Francis has released a video message on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking, marked in the Catholic Church on the feast of St Josephine Bakhita, 8 Feb.
By Vatican News staff reporter

Pope Francis is urging all to join the fight against the scourge of trafficking in women and girls saying it is violence.  It is a deep and open wound in the body of Christ and in the body of all humanity, which affects each one of us, he says in a video message on the occasion of the 8th World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking, Tuesday.

The Catholic Church’s annual observance was first introduced by Pope Francis in 2015, when he invited the women religious’ International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the men religious’ Union of Superiors General (USG) to mark the day on 8 February, the liturgical memorial of St Josephine Bakhita.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2022.index.html
Pontifical Messages 2022
Video Message of the Holy Father to the participants in the World Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action Against Human Trafficking (8 February 2022)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250322/pope-francis-names-louisiana-bishop-fabre-to-lead-kentucky-archdiocese-of-louisville

Pope Francis names Louisiana Bishop Fabre to lead Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Feb 8, 2022 / 04:57 am

Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Bishop Shelton Fabre to lead the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky.

Fabre, who has been bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana since 2013, succeeds Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, who submitted his resignation to Pope Francis in August on his 75th birthday.

The 58-year-old Fabre was a priest of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before being made an auxiliary bishop of New Orleans in December 2006.

He served in New Orleans for almost seven years before Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Houma-Thibodaux, a diocese of around 90,000 Catholics in south-east Louisiana, outside New Orleans.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-02/benedict-xvi-ratzinger-abuse-claims-response-forgiveness.html

Abuse, Ratzinger: ‘Shame, sorrow, heartfelt request for forgiveness’
08 February 2022, 13:00

In a letter to the faithful of Munich, the Pope Emeritus speaks of clerical pedophilia, taking his cue from the words "mea maxima culpa" repeated at Mass: “We ourselves are drawn into this grievous fault whenever we neglect it or fail to confront it with the necessary decisiveness and responsibility."
By Vatican News

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI intervenes directly and personally to respond to the report on abuse in the diocese of Munich and Freising where he was archbishop for less than five years. He does so with a text filled with a penitential aspect, which contains his personal "confession" and a look of faith on the "most grievous fault" of abuses and cover-ups.

In the first part of the letter, Ratzinger thanks those who collaborated with him to examine the documentary material and prepare the answers sent to the commission. As he has already done in recent days, he apologizes again for the error, absolutely unintentional, about his presence at the meeting of 15 January 1980, during which it was decided to accept into the diocese a priest who required treatment. He also says he is "particularly grateful for the confidence, support and prayer that Pope Francis personally expressed to me."
 

Video at the link -- Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Benedict XVI's personal secretary, read out Benedict's letter to the media
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/benedict-xvi-issues-letter-on-munich-abuse-report-full-text
Benedict XVI Issues Letter on Munich Abuse Report — Full Text
‘The victims of sexual abuse have my deepest sympathy and I feel great sorrow for each individual case.’
February 8, 2022

https://www.ncregister.com/news/benedict-s-advisors-provide-analysis-on-munich-abuse-report-rebutting-criticisms-full-text
Benedict’s Advisors Provide Analysis on Munich Abuse Report, Rebutting Criticisms: Full Text
The three German canonists and an attorney present each criticism along with an explanatory response in the form of a 'fact-check.'
Edward Pentin   Vatican   February 8, 2022

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-audience-st-joseph-death-resurrection-faith-catechesis.html
Pope at Audience: Faith in resurrection helps us face death without fear
09 February 2022, 09:55

Reflecting on St. Joseph as the patron saint of a good death during his catechesis at the General Audience, Pope Francis invites Christians to face death with faith in the resurrection, saying that the Christian faith is not a way of exorcising the fear of death, but rather helps us to face it.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

During his catechesis at the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis reflected on the special devotion the faithful have always had for Saint Joseph as the patron saint of a good death – a devotion born of the thought that he died with the assistance of Our Lady and Jesus.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-reiterates-his-call-for-peace-in-ukraine-as-diplomatic-effo.html
Pope reiterates call for peace in Ukraine as diplomatic efforts continue
09 February 2022, 11:21

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-ecuador-telegramme-condolences-quito-flooding.html
Pope expresses closeness to Ecuador as floods devastate the country
09 February 2022, 11:45

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-recalls-world-day-of-the-sick-at-audience.html
Pope Francis recalls World Day of the Sick at Audience
09 February 2022, 12:10

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2022.index.html
Audiences 2022
General Audience of 9 February 2022 - Catechesis on Saint Joseph: 11. Saint Joseph, patron of the good death

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-mondo-migliore-70-anniversary.html

Pope: ‘Wild world needs to be more Christian and humane’
10 February 2022, 09:45

Pope Francis congratulates the Better World Movement on its 70th anniversary, and calls for Christians to help make the world more humane and peaceful.
By Devin Watkins

As the Movement for a Better World (in Italian: Per un Mondo Migliore) marks 70 years since its foundation in Italy, Pope Francis sent a brief video message to mark the celebration.

He expressed his closeness to the movement’s members, and commended them for the extensive work they have achieved over the past 7 decades.

“It has been a vision of life, a vision of Creation,” he said.

Pope Francis noted that Pope Pius XII called for “transformation” in his radio message on 10 February 1952, entitled “Proclamation for a Better World.”

“He used a word: ‘wildness’. A wild world, which must become more humane, more Christian, but more human, because the Lord is always near to humanity.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250343/pope-francis-recalls-powerful-message-from-pius-xii-70-years-later
Pope Francis recalls powerful message from Pius XII 70 years later
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Feb 10, 2022 / 06:00 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-the-antidote-to-healthcare-inequality-is-fraternit.html

Pope Francis: The antidote to healthcare inequality is fraternity
10 February 2022, 15:15

The Pope releases a video message on the occasion of a webinar marking the 30th World Day of the Sick, organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
By Lydia O'Kane

The World Day of the Sick is marked annually on 11 February. On the eve of this observance, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has organized a webinar  entitled: “World Day of the Sick: Meaning, Goals and Challenges.”

Thursday’s event retraces the history of the Day, showing its fruits and highlighting the relevance of its message. There is also space dedicated to the experience, challenges and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

In a video message to participants, Pope Francis took the opportunity to stress the importance of physical and spiritual healing of the body, and the need for effective treatments for everyone.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2022.index.html
Pontifical Messages 2022
Video Message of the Holy Father to the participants in the Webinar “World Day of the Sick: Meaning, Goals and Challenges” (10 February 2022)

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-02/pontifical-academy-life-paglia-palliative-care-webinar.html
Pontifical Academy for Life calls for dissemination of palliative care
10 February 2022, 15:43

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-to-patriarch-of-constantinople-chronia-polla.html

Pope to Patriarch of Constantinople: χρόνια πολλά!
10 February 2022, 12:19

Pope Francis sends a video message congratulating Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on thirty years of ministry as Archbishop of Constantinople, and wishing him "many years" - "Chrónia pollá! Ad multos annos!"
By Christopher Wells

“I wish to express to Patriarch Bartholomew my warmest wishes for his anniversary, asking God to grant him health, serenity, spiritual joy, and – may I say – a sense of humour: even more!”

With these words, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, congratulates the Archbishop of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, on the thirtieth anniversary of his election to the See of St Andrew.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2022.index.html
Pontifical Messages 2022
Video Message of the Holy Father for the 30th anniversary of the election of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (10 February 2022)

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https://www.catholicnews.com/retired-pope-has-full-support-of-pope-francis-aide-says/

Retired pope has full support of Pope Francis, aide says
By: Carol Glatz
Date: February 10, 2022

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis was among those showing their support for retired Pope Benedict XVI, sending his predecessor “a beautiful letter,” according to the former pope’s secretary.

In the letter, Pope Francis “speaks as a shepherd, as a brother” and “expressed once again his complete trust, his full support and also his prayers,” said the secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.

The archbishop spoke to the Italian news program TG1 Feb. 9 about the retired pope’s letter in response to a report on sexual abuse cases in the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, which the former pope headed as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger from 1977 to 1982.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-apostolic-journey-malta-press-office-holy-see.html

Pope Francis to visit Malta in April
10 February 2022, 12:09

Pope Francis will undertake a two-day apostolic journey to the Republic of Malta at the beginning of April 2022.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis will travel to the Mediterranean island nation of Malta for an apostolic visit in April.

A Holy See Press Office communiqué on Thursday said that “Accepting the invitation of the President of the Republic of Malta, the civil authorities and the Catholic Church of the country, His Holiness Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Journey to Malta from 2 to 3 April 2022, visiting the cities of Valletta, Rabat, Floriana and the island of Gozo.”

The programme and further details of the journey will be announced in the near future.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250342/pope-francis-will-visit-malta-in-april-local-church-confirms
Pope Francis will make 2-day visit to Malta in April
By CNA Staff
Valletta, Malta, Feb 10, 2022 / 04:34 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-video-message-our-lady-of-lourdes-argentina.html

Pope: May Our Lady of Lourdes open our hearts to encounter
11 February 2022, 11:00

Pope Francis sends a video message to Catholics in Argentina who are celebrating the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Lourdes at a Shrine dedicated to her in El Challao, in the province of Mendoza.
By Linda Bordoni

February 11 is the anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous. 30 years ago, Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick on this day of the solemnity of Our Lady of Lourdes to highlight the plight of the sick and to call the attention of health institutions, civil society and all believers, to those who take care of them.

It is on this day that Pope Francis has sent a video message of participation and prayer to pilgrims gathered in Buenos Aires at a Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2022.index.html
Pontifical Messages 2022
Video Message of the Holy Father for the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes (11 February 2022)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250356/5-fascinating-facts-about-the-apparitions-of-our-lady-of-lourdes
5 fascinating facts about the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes
By Francesca Pollio
Denver Newsroom, Feb 11, 2022 / 03:00 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-motto-jubilee-2025-letter-fisichella.html

Pope urges a prayerful preparation for 2025 Jubilee
11 February 2022, 12:00

Pope Francis sends a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, as the Church begins preparations for the 2025 Jubilee year.
By Francesca Merlo

Preparations are beginning within the Church for the upcoming Jubilee year, due to be held in 2025. In a letter addressed to President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pope Francis noted that “the Jubilee has always been an event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church”. He recalled that ever since the year 1300, which marked the first Holy Year, "God’s holy and faithful people has experienced this celebration as a special gift of grace, characterized by the forgiveness of sins and in particular by the indulgence, which is a full expression of the mercy of God".
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250357/pope-francis-calls-for-great-symphony-of-prayer-ahead-of-2025-jubilee-year
Pope Francis calls for ‘great symphony of prayer’ ahead of 2025 Jubilee Year
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Feb 11, 2022 / 04:00 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2022.index.html
Letters 2022
Letter of the Holy Father to H.E. Msgr. Rino Fisichella for the Jubilee 2025 (11 February 2022)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250358/pope-francis-appoints-bishop-to-lead-two-irish-catholic-dioceses

Pope Francis appoints bishop to lead two Irish Catholic dioceses
By CNA Staff
Galway, Ireland, Feb 11, 2022 / 05:30 am

Pope Francis on Friday named a bishop to lead two Irish Catholic dioceses.

The pope appointed Bishop Michael Duignan on Feb. 11 to oversee the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora, in addition to his current Diocese of Clonfert.

The 51-year-old bishop said that he hoped the change would lead to renewal in the dioceses in the west of Ireland.

He said: “There is no doubt that today is a historic day for the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. It is also a historic day for the Diocese of Clonfert and indeed for the Catholic Church in Ireland.”
 

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2022/02/pope-francis-prepares-to-visit-florence-for-meeting-of-mediterranean-bishops-mayors

Pope Francis prepares to visit Florence for meeting of Mediterranean bishops, mayors
By Inés San Martín
Feb 11, 2022

Later this month, Pope Francis will close a five-day meeting involving dozens of bishops and mayors from the Mediterranean region in the Italian city of Florence.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will be present at the opening ceremony, while President Sergio Matarella will participate in the pontiff’s closing Mass.

The meeting follows one held in Bari in 2020, just as the pandemic was starting, but only included the bishops of the region.

At the center of the meeting will be the topic of migration: What can be done to save people from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, which Francis has called the “Mare Mortum,” meaning the Sea of Death.

Participants will come from 20 countries, and at least 70 bishops and 60 mayors are expected to attend.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-francis-donation-caritas-lithuania-migrants.html

Pope Francis sends aid to migrants stranded in Lithuania
12 February 2022, 12:01

Pope Francis sends an aid package to Caritas Vilnius to assist migrants stranded in Lithuania near its border with Belarus, as many complain of harsh treatment and difficult living conditions.
By Devin Watkins

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced Saturday that Pope Francis has sent 50,000 Euro to Caritas Vilnius, which is assisting migrants stuck near Lithuania’s eastern border.

The Pope’s aid package offers an immediate expression of his “feeling of spiritual closeness and paternal encouragement”, according to a statement.

He has sent the funds through the Apostolic Nunciature in Lithuania, which will go toward providing migrants with medicines, foodstuffs, and warm clothing.

The statement says the aid will help them endure the “harsh living conditions which they are suffering during this cold winter, which are aggravated also by the ongoing pandemic.”

‘Engineered’ migration crisis

Thousands of migrants streamed from Belarus into Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia in the summer of 2021, sparking a renewed migration crisis.

The European Union accused Belarus’ president of orchestrating the migrant influx in retaliation for EU sanctions.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250362/number-of-catholics-in-asia-and-africa-continues-to-rise

Vatican: Number of Catholics worldwide rose by 16 million in 2020
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Feb 11, 2022 / 13:00 pm

The number of Catholics worldwide increased by an estimated 16 million in 2020 to 1.36 billion, according to statistics released on Friday by the Vatican.

The rise was in line with global population growth in the year that the coronavirus pandemic swept the planet, reported Vatican News, the online news portal of the Holy See. Catholics continued to account for 17.7% of the total world population.

The figures for 2020 — the most recent year where numbers are available — come from the 2022 edition of the Annuario Pontificio (Pontifical Yearbook) and the 2020 Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae (Statistical Yearbook of the Church), compiled by the Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics.

As in previous years, the Church grew most rapidly in Asia (1.8%) and Africa (2.1%) and most modestly in Europe (0.3%).

Almost half (48%) of the world’s Catholics live in the Americas, with 28% located in South America.