Pope Francis

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Pope Francis' trip to Kazakhstan -- Sept. 13-15, 2022

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2022/08/vatican-publishes-schedule-for-papal-trip-to-kazakhstan
Vatican publishes schedule for papal trip to Kazakhstan
By Carol Glatz
Aug 2, 2022 | Catholic News Service
 
Here is the detailed schedule released by the Vatican Aug. 2. Times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parenthesis:
 
Thursday, Sept. 15 (Nur-Sultan, Rome)

9 a.m. (11 p.m. Sept. 14) Private meeting with Jesuit priests at the apostolic nunciature.

10.30 a.m. (12:30 a.m.) Meeting with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers at the cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Speech by pope.

3 p.m. (5 a.m.) The congress at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation concludes with the reading of a final declaration. Speech by pope.

4:15 p.m. (6:15 a.m.) Farewell ceremony at Nur-Sultan international airport.

4:45 p.m. (6:45 a.m.) Departure by plane for Rome.

8:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m.) Arrival at Rome’s Fiumicino airport.

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Pope Francis' trip to Kazakhstan -- Sept. 13-15, 2022

Full video, with English commentary, of the meeting with the local church at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-francis-kazakhstan-bear-witness-joy-gospel.html
15 September 2022, 07:18

In his address to the Church's ministers in Kazakhstan, Pope Francis encourages bishops, priests, and religious men and women to embrace their spiritual inheritance with joy and “bear generous witness to it,” in order to testify to the promise of Christian hope.
By Sophie Peeters

The strength in diversity of the Church and the richness in different experiences must be shared with others to witness to the living Church.

Pope Francis offered that encouragement in his address to Bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and lay pastoral workers on Thursday morning at the Cathedral of the Mother of God of Perpetual Help in Nur-Sultan, Kazakstan.

In his address, the Pope reflected on the rich Christian history of Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, and how the example of those who lived their faith can teach us how to live joyful, Christian lives.

The baptized are all one body, the Pope noted, united together and enriched by countless cultures and walks of life.

The promise of God fulfilled is shown in every Church, continued Pope Francis, with each member living as the heir to a prior history of the future, destined for the promised eternal glory.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/september.index.html
Speeches 2022 September
Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan: Meeting with Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Consecrated Persons, Seminarians and Pastoral Workers (Nur-Sultan, 15 September 2022)

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Pope Francis' trip to Kazakhstan -- Sept. 13-15, 2022

Full video of the Reading of the Conference's Final Declaration, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-francis-closure-congress-world-leaders-traditions-religions.html
Pope at 7th Congress in Kazakhstan: 'We need peace, women, young people'
15 September 2022, 11:41

[In his concluding remarks at the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, Pope Francis urges all religions and societies to involve women and young people in the quest for world peace.
By Francesca Merlo

Concluding the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on his 38th Apostolic Journey abroad, Pope Francis thanked those present for coming from so many different parts of the world.

“We have travelled this road together,” he said. The Holy Father added that the members’ commitment in the service of dialogue over the course of the conference is more valuable than ever “when the problems of the pandemic have been compounded by the utter folly of war.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/kazakhstan-declaration-congress-religion-pope-francis.html
Kazakhstan Congress: Interfaith leaders encourage initiatives for a better world
15 September 2022, 11:26

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/september.index.html#speeches
Speeches 2022 September
Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan: Reading of the Final Declaration and Conclusion of the Congress at the "Palace of Peace and Reconciliation" (Nur-Sultan, 15 September 2022)

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Pope Francis' trip to Kazakhstan -- Sept. 13-15, 2022

Video at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-francis-apostolic-journey-kazakhstan-congress-departure.html
Pope Francis leaves Kazakhstan after 3-day visit
15 September 2022, 13:21

Pope Francis departs Kazakstan on Thursday afternoon, closing his 38th Apostolic Journey abroad, and is expected to arrive back in Rome after participating at the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

At the end of his 3-day Apostolic Journey to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Pope Francis departed the Central Asian nation on Thursday afternoon, aboard the papal plane which took off from the Nur-Sultan International Airport at 5:17 PM local time.

The Pope’s departure was preceded by a departure ceremony at the airport, where the Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, officially bade him farwell.
 

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Pope Francis' trip to Kazakhstan -- Sept. 13-15, 2022

In-flight press conference at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-francis-kazakhstan-inflight-press-conference-ukraine-china.html
Pope: ‘Difficult to dialogue with those who started a war, but it must be done’
15 September 2022, 21:00

On the flight back to Rome from Kazakhstan on Thursday, Pope Francis tells reporters that "the decadent West breeds populism; in politics we must start again from values.... With China, we need the patience of dialogue."
By Vatican News

We must dialogue, always. On the flight back to Rome on Thursday, Pope Francis answers questions from journalists who accompanied him to Kazakhstan, discussing the war in Ukraine, the right of a nation to defend itself, and arms trafficking.

He also talks about the role of politics and the West in a crisis of values which risks generating populism.

Responding to a question about the situation in Germany, Pope Francis explains that the Church needs pastors, not pastoral plans.

At the beginning of the press conference, the Pope wished a happy birthday to Avvenire journalist Stefania Falasca and then had a cake served to celebrate her.

Here is an unofficial translation of the press conference:
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252304/pope-francis-the-west-has-taken-the-wrong-paths
Pope Francis: ‘The West has taken the wrong paths’
By CNA Staff
CNA Staff, Sep 15, 2022 / 14:55 pm

https://cruxnow.com/pope-in-kazakhstan-2022/2022/09/on-zen-trial-pope-stresses-importance-of-dialogue-with-china
On Zen trial, pope stresses importance of dialogue with China
By Elise Ann Allen
Sep 15, 2022

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-francis-we-must-grow-as-a-samaritan-church.html

Pope suppresses Populorum Progressio Foundation, but mission continues
16 September 2022, 11:43

Pope Francis establishes the Populorum Progressio Fund, and tells members of the former Foundation that the Synodal journey must help the Church become more “Samaritan,” comforting, and engaging in order to “touch the wounds of Christ’s suffering flesh in His people.”
By Christopher Wells

In view of upcoming changes sparked by the reform of the Roman Curia, Pope Francis invited members of the Populorum Progressio Foundation, in the words of Benedict XVI, to remain faithful to the principles “that have distinguished your commitment to the dignity of every human being and the fight against poverty.”

Founded by Pope St. John Paul II in 1992, the Populorum Progressio Foundation for Latin America and the Caribbean was intended to “promote the integral development of the communities of the poorest campesinos [peasant farmers] of Latin America.” On Friday, the Holy Father suppressed the Foundation, establishing in its place the Populorum Progressio Fund.
 
From Foundation to Fund

Pope Francis effected the envisaged changes in a Rescript published on Friday, which suppresses the Foundation and establishes the Populorum Progressio Fund. The rescript, which enters into force on Friday with its publication in L'Osservatore Romano and the Acta Apostolice Sedis, also delegates Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, to issue the appropriate regulations.

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/september.index.html
Speeches 2022 September
To Members of the Administration Board of the “Populorum Progressio” Foundation (16 September 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-audience-trappists-general-chapter-assisi.html

Pope encourages Trappists to pursue quest inspired by Jesus’ “dreams"
16 September 2022, 13:31

Addressing participants in the General Chapter of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance Pope Francis encourages them to pursue four “dreams” in order to edify and improve oneself and one’s community.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis on Friday had words of encouragement and appreciation for the abbots and abbesses of the Trappist Order who are meeting in Assisi to foster communion of spirit and vision within the Order and to address current issues. The General Chapter is scheduled to last until 23 September.

Turning to the new Abbot General, Dom Bernardus Peeters, who was elected earlier this year, the Pope noted that he had immediately set out to visit the twelve regions in which Trappist monasteries are located.

“The Abbot says that on this journey he ‘collected the dreams of the superiors’, the Pope said, expressing appreciation for “this way of expressing himself” and saying that he too conceives “dreaming” in a positive sense: “not utopian but projectual.”

What’s more, he added, we are not dealing with the dreams of an individual, but sharing a "collection" of dreams that have emerged from the communities, and that will most probably be the subject of discernment in this second part of the Chapter.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/september.index.html
Speeches 2022 September
To Participants in the General Chapter of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists) (16 September 2022)

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Hmmm...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252308/a-supermarket-of-religions-god-s-will-and-the-wisdom-of-a-tweaked-declaration
A ‘supermarket of religions,’ God’s will, and the wisdom of a tweaked declaration
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Sep 16, 2022 / 07:52 am

A sensitive passage in the final declaration of the congress that brought Pope Francis to Kazakhstan Sept. 13–15 appears to have been changed after it found the approval of attendants.

Initially, point 10 of the declaration said: “We note that pluralism and differences in religion, skin color, gender, race, and language are expressions of the wisdom of God’s will in creation. Thus any incident of coercion to a particular religion and religious doctrine is unacceptable.”

A changed wording — apparently made after the approval of the declaration by its participants and the subsequent publication — instead said the following:

“We note that pluralism in terms of differences in skin color, gender, race, language and culture are expressions of the wisdom of God in creation. Religious diversity is permitted by God and, therefore, any coercion to a particular religion and religious doctrine is unacceptable.”

This new wording was published by the congress website and local media on Sept. 15, apparently hours after the previous version, which was streamed by Vatican News and EWTN — and can still be found online.

The congress declaration almost verbatim drew on the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed by Pope Francis and a prominent sheik in Abu Dhabi in February 2019, which states: “The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings,” as per the version published by the Vatican.
 

--Item 10 wording with the approval of the declaration--
https://web.archive.org/web/20220915102757/https://religions-congress.org/en/page/deklaraciya-uchastnikov-VII
DECLARATION OF VII CONGRESS
OF THE LEADERS OF WORLD AND TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS

--Item 10 wording AFTER the approval of the declaration--
https://religions-congress.org/en/page/deklaraciya-uchastnikov-VII
DECLARATION OF VII CONGRESS
OF THE LEADERS OF WORLD AND TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/kazakhstan-bishop-cautions-about-interreligious-meeting
Kazakhstan Bishop Cautions About Interreligious Meeting the Pope Attended
Bishop Athanasius Schneider spoke with EWTN about the gathering in his country, which concluded today.
Edward Pentin   Blogs   September 15, 2022

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252320/archbishop-paul-gallagher-to-represent-pope-francis-at-queen-elizabeth-ii-s-funeral

Archbishop Paul Gallagher to represent Pope Francis at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
By Kevin J. Jones
Denver Newsroom, Sep 16, 2022 / 17:00 pm

Pope Francis’ representative at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be veteran Vatican diplomat Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Holy See press office director Matteo Bruni said on Friday.

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, died at the age of 96 on Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. As British monarch, she was also the titular head of the Church of England, which separated from the Catholic Church in the 16th century.

The queen’s funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on Sept. 19.

Since 2014, Archbishop Gallagher has served as Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State. His recent work includes a fact-finding mission to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion.

Gallagher, 68, is a British national. He was born in Liverpool and attended St. Francis Xavier High School there.
 

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/09/16/220916d.html

Statement of the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, 16.09.2022

The Most Reverend Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, will represent Pope Francis at the Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September 2022.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-may-church-in-world-be-permanently-in-a-state-of-mission.html

Pope: May Church in world be 'permanently in a state of mission’
17 September 2022, 14:28

Pope Francis welcomes 1,500 faithful from the Italian dioceses of Alessandria and Spoleto-Norcia and speaks to them about the importance of the Eucharist in Christian life: a pastoral and missionary conversion is necessary, which cannot leave things as they are. He recalls the ongoing synodal journey, the need to grow in fraternal communion, and the call to be witnesses of Jesus in daily life.
By Adriana Masotti

Pope Francis met with groups from two Italian dioceses at midday on Saturday in the Paul VI Hall, faithful from the Diocese of Alessandria and confirmandi - young people who are preparing for confirmation or who have recently been confirmed -  from the Diocese of Spoleto-Norcia. The Pope first spoke to the group from Alessandria, while mentioning the many young people from Spoleto-Norcia who are "like so many flowers that are blooming" and with them one experiences "a sense of having the whole family" together.

St. Pius V, Church reformer

The occasion of the visit of pilgrims from Alessandria was the 450th anniversary of the death of Saint Pius V, who was born in Bosco Marengo, found in the Piedmont diocese. "He was a reformer of the Church, who made courageous choices," said the Pope. Since then, the style of Church governance has changed, he observed, and "the backbone of his life was faith," affirming how his teachings are important also for today's world.

First, they invite us to be "seekers of truth," and Jesus is Truth in a way that is not only universal but also communal and personal, he added, saying the challenge is to experience that search for truth today in the daily life of the Church and of Christian communities. And this search can only take place through personal and communal discernment starting from the Word of God.

Hearing the Word helps a community grow in the knowledge of Jesus, the Pope continued, and in the community life that must be woven from bonds of love and sharing. The Word "comes alive particularly in the celebration of the Eucharist."

“Saint Pius V worked to reform the Church's Liturgy, and after four centuries the Second Vatican Council implemented further reform to better adhere to the needs of today's world. Much has been said in recent years about the Liturgy, especially its external forms. But the greatest effort must be made to ensure that the Eucharistic celebration actually becomes the source of community life.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/september.index.html
Speeches 2022 September
To the Pilgrims from the dioceses of Alessandria and Spoleto (17 September 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-09/dicastery-evangelization-hymn-jubilee-2025-competition.html

Competition for Jubilee 2025 Hymn kicks off
17 September 2022, 09:00

The Dicastery for Evangelization invites entries for the Hymn for the Holy Year 2025, encouraging interested persons to set to music a provided text which expresses the essence of the Jubilee event.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

With preparations beginning in view of the Holy Year 2025, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, in charge of coordinating the Holy See’s efforts for the Jubilee Year, is launching a competition, open to all, for the composition of the Jubilee hymn.

Interested participants in the competition are invited to set to music a text proposed by the Dicastery’s Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World, which expresses the essence of the jubilee event.

The hymn is intended to have a liturgical purpose and should be capable of being sung by a Church congregation and by a schola cantorum.

Entries in the competition are required to be sent in by 25 March 2023.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252322/vatican-holds-contest-to-choose-music-of-official-hymn-of-2025-jubilee-year
Vatican holds contest to choose music for official hymn of 2025 Jubilee Year
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Sep 17, 2022 / 05:12 am

https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/inno.html
REGULATIONS FOR COMPOSING THE HYMN

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-09/cardinal-konrad-krajewski-ukraine-mission-war-charity.html

Cardinal Krajewski under fire near Ukraine's frontlines: ‘Jesus, I trust in you’
17 September 2022, 18:54

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, gets shot at as he delivers humanitarian aid in Pope Francis’ name near the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, emerging unscathed and continuing his mission.
By Gabriella Ceraso & Devin Watkins

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski is currently in Ukraine for the fourth time since Russia’s invasion on 24 February.

He is there to deliver humanitarian aid, rosaries, and spiritual closeness in the name of Pope Francis, who sent the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

The Polish-born Cardinal traveled first to Odessa, then to Zaporizhzhia, where he presently finds himself. His mission should take him next to Kharkiv.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252324/pope-francis-representative-in-ukraine-shot-at-while-delivering-aid
Pope Francis' representative in Ukraine shot at while delivering aid
By CNA Staff
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 17, 2022 / 16:19 pm

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-at-angelus-be-creative-and-clever-in-doing-good-always.html

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-at-angelus-be-creative-and-clever-in-doing-good-always.html
Pope at Angelus: Be creative and clever in doing good always
18 September 2022, 12:07

Pope Francis calls on the faithful to use creativity, prudence, and even cleverness, in living out the Gospel in our daily lives, and to be generous in using the goods of this world for those who need them most, showing fraternal love and social fellowship.
By Thaddeus Jones

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis offered his weekly reflections on the Sunday Gospel, which recounts the parable Jesus told about the corrupt manager who squandered his master's property, but was discovered and set to be fired. The manager quickly and shrewdly found a way out of the situation to save himself. The Pope said understanding the point of this parable can be difficult at first, and we need to reflect on what lesson Jesus is giving us here.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-prays-for-peace-between-azerbaijan-and-armenia.html
Pope prays for peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia
18 September 2022, 13:29

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2022.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2022
Angelus, 18 September 2022

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Pope Francis' interview with Neapolitan newspaper Il Mattino...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-francis-it-is-time-for-humanity-to-change-course.html
Pope Francis: It is time for humanity to change course
18 September 2022, 13:01

In an interview published Sunday by “Il Mattino” for the 130th anniversary of the Neapolitan newspaper, Pope Francis addresses a wide-range of topics, from war to the difficulties of the Italian south to those of the world; from politics as the highest form of charity to the scourge of organised crime and the devastation of the environment, with a particular reference to the Terra dei fuochi and the floods in the Marche region of Italy.
By Christopher Wells

In a wide-ranging interview with Neapolitan newspaper Il Mattino, Pope Francis emphasizes once again the need to address the ongoing problems of war, pandemic, and poverty by working together for the common good. “Only by discovering what unites us, brothers and sisters, will we find the way out of the crisis we are going through, which did not begin today…”

Although the interview focused especially on issues facing Naples and southern Italy, Pope Francis made it clear that the problems they are facing “are global issues,” questions that “concern the future of the whole world.”

“We have not awakened to wars and planetary injustice, we have not listened to the cry of the poor, and of our gravely ill planet.”
 
The full text of the Pope Francis’ interview, in the original Italian, can be found on our Italian page:
https://www.vaticannews.va/it/papa/news/2022-09/papa-francesco-intervista-scelzo-il-mattino-napoli.html

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Hmmm...

https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2022/09/pondering-the-churchs-electoral-college-one-year-from-now
Pondering the Church’s electoral college one year from now
By John L. Allen Jr.
Sep 18, 2022

ROME – Exactly one year from yesterday, assuming nothing unexpected happens in the meantime, Italian Cardinal Angelo Comastri will turn 80 and lose his right to vote in a papal election. By that point, ten of his fellow Princes of the Church also will have crossed the 80-year-old threshold, leaving the number of cardinal electors at precisely 120.

That number, 120, is the ceiling established by St. Paul VI in 1975 for the total body of cardinal electors, though popes ever since routinely have exceeded the limit when they distribute new red hats. The reasoning is that since you never know when an election will occur, by the time it happens the number probably will have come back down to around where it’s supposed to be. In 2005 and 2013, the actual number was 115.

(If you’ve ever wondered, the practical logic for the 120 ceiling is that Paul VI felt if the group were any larger, a conclave would become unwieldy. The spiritual basis comes in Acts 1:15, when the disciples, who are said to have numbered about 120, gathered to choose a successor to Judas as an apostle. I suppose the irony that the regulation of a papal election is, in part, based on the story of the apostle who betrayed Jesus scarcely needs pointing out.)

We can probably assume that between now and Sept. 17, 2023, Pope Francis won’t hold another consistory. So far, Francis has staged eight consistories, with an average gap of 14.5 months between them. As a result, we can take a look down the line right now at what the group of cardinal electors will look like the next time it hits that magic number of 120.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-to-new-bishops-be-open-to-dialogue-and-close-to-poor.html

Pope to new Bishops: Be open to dialogue and close to poor
19 September 2022, 17:20

On Monday morning Pope Francis met privately in the Apostolic Palace with around 200 newly ordained Bishops over the past year taking part in the second session of a formation course taking place at the Regina Apostolorum Atheneum and organized by the Dicasteries for Bishops and for Eastern Churches.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

The private audience of Pope Francis with the Bishops marked an informal meeting, with all seated in a circle, consisting of testimonies, suggestions, and encouragement to serve the poor. The meeting topped off days dedicated to 'learning' how to be bishops, the challenges to face, and the issues to bring forward.

Around 200 new bishops participating in the formation course organized by the Dicasteries for Bishops and for Eastern Churches met with the Pope on Monday morning in the Clementine Hall. The meeting was confidential so as to allow free conversation between the Pope and the Bishops, many from Latin America. Those present consisted of participants in the second session of the course from 12-19 September held at the Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum in Rome.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252331/pope-francis-extends-a-hand-to-china

Pope Francis extends a hand to China
By Andrea Gagliarducci
Rome Newsroom, Sep 19, 2022 / 08:33 am

While a trial against Cardinal Joseph Zen is getting underway in China, the Holy See continues to work toward the renewal of the Sino-Vatican agreement for the appointment of bishops.

There appear to be no substantial changes to the deal, which seems to likely be renewed for another two years despite criticisms.

However, some developments should not be underestimated.

The first development is the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, under Cardinal Pietro Parolin, moving toward establishing a mission of the Holy See in Beijing.
 
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/2022/09/trial-opens-for-hong-kongs-cardinal-joseph-zen
Trial opens for Hong Kong’s Cardinal Joseph Zen
By Elise Ann Allen
Sep 19, 2022

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252332/cardinal-zens-trial-has-been-delayed-due-to-covid
Cardinal Zen’s trial has been delayed due to COVID
By Jonah McKeown
St. Louis, Mo., Sep 19, 2022 / 11:51 am

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Video at the link...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252340/st-peter-s-basilica-to-light-up-with-video-projection-telling-the-story-of-first-pope

St. Peter’s Basilica to light up with video projection telling the story of first pope
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Sep 20, 2022 / 08:34 am

Visitors to the Vatican in October will be able to see the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica illuminated with a video display telling the story of the Church’s first pope.

An eight-minute video, “Follow Me: The Life of St. Peter,” will be projected onto the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica every night from Oct. 2 to Oct. 16, starting at 9 p.m.

A short preview of the video at a Vatican press conference on Sept. 20 revealed that it will showcase video renderings of Renaissance artwork found in the Vatican Museums and inside the basilica.
 
The display will be projected on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica every 15 minutes between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. during the first two weeks of October.

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Hmmm...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252339/belgium-bishops-defy-vatican-publish-ceremony-for-blessing-same-sex-unions
Bishops in Belgium defy Vatican, publish ceremony for blessing same-sex unions
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Sep 20, 2022 / 06:27 am

In open defiance of the Vatican, Catholic bishops in Belgium on Tuesday announced the introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses.

The bishops of Flanders also published a liturgy for the celebration of homosexual unions.

“In doing so, they are going directly against the Vatican,” reported Nederlands Dagblad.

The Vatican published an official clarification in March 2021 that the Catholic Church does not have the power to give liturgical blessings of homosexual unions.

However, basing their argument on Amoris laetitia, Cardinal Jozef De Kesel of Mechelen-Brussels and other bishops of the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium on Sept. 20 published a document titled “Being pastorally close to homosexual persons — For a welcoming Church that excludes no one.”
 

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Report at the link: National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Diocesan Phase of the 2021-2023 Synod

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252336/us-synod-synthesis-shows-desire-for-greater-communion
U.S. synod synthesis shows ‘desire for greater communion’
By Carl Bunderson
Denver Newsroom, Sep 19, 2022 / 16:36 pm

The Synod on Synodality has thus far demonstrated the “joys, hopes, and wounds” shared by members of the Church in the United States, according to a report on the process issued Monday.

“These consultations express a deep desire for greater communion,” read the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Synthesis document, released Sept. 19.

The fruit of consultation in the Latin-rite dioceses in the U.S, as well as Catholic associations, organizations, and national ministries, the synthesis noted several themes: enduring wounds, especially those inflicted by the sexual abuse crisis; enhancing communion and participation in the life of the Church; ongoing formation for mission; and engaging discernment.

In a letter prefacing the report, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, chair of the U.S. bishops’ doctrine committee, wrote that it is “an expression of what we as a Church have heard each other say when asked about our deepest preoccupations and hopes for the Church of which, by the grace of God, we are all a vital part.”

He emphasized that “the publication of this document is not a concluding moment, however; it is a reflective, forward-moving moment. It is an invitation to listen, to discuss together and to discern together as the Church, about how best to understand and act upon those matters that sit deeply in the hearts and minds of Catholics in the U.S.”

The report noted that the abuse crisis “has eroded not only trust in the hierarchy and the moral integrity of the Church, but also created a culture of fear that keeps people from entering into relationship with one another and thus from experiencing the sense of belonging and connectedness for which they yearn.”

Division within the Church was also a major wound, especially related to the use of the Traditional Latin Mass: “The limited access to the 1962 Missal was lamented; many felt that the differences over how to celebrate the liturgy ‘sometimes reach the level of animosity. People on each side of the issue reported feeling judged by those who differ from them.’”

Division among the bishops was also noted: “The perceived lack of unity among the bishops in the United States, and even of some individual bishops with the Holy Father, as a source of grave scandal. This perceived lack of unity within the hierarchy seems to, in turn, justify division at the local level.”
 
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2022/09/u-s-diocesan-synod-reports-highlight-enduring-wounds-in-church
U.S. diocesan synod reports highlight ‘enduring wounds’ in Church
By John Lavenburg
Sep 20, 2022

https://www.usccb.org/resources/US%20National%20Synthesis%202021-2023%20Synod.pdf
National Synthesis of the People of God
in the United States of America for the
Diocesan Phase of the 2021-2023 Synod