Pope Francis

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

Pope: In face of nuclear threat and risks to freedom, let us build peace together
09 January 2023, 11:39

In his address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis calls for an "immediate end to this senseless conflict" in Ukraine and the abolition of the death penalty. The Pope reiterates the two-state solution in the Holy Land and urges "integral disarmament." He underscores the nuclear threat. He makes an appeal for women and against abortion. And he expresses concern over the situation in Brazil and other places due to tensions caused by polarization.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Pope Francis addressed a host of international themes in his annual new year's meeting with the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See. He highlighted key challenges facing our world and affecting everyone, such as the war in Ukraine and the "wake of death and destruction" it leaves behind, with people dying not only from bombs but also from hunger and cold. He mentioned the political and social tensions in Brazil, but also in Peru and Haiti, the violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the death penalty in Iran, and the exclusion of women from education in Afghanistan. He devoted attention to crises around the world: war-torn Syria and Yemen with populations dealing with deadly landmines; terrorism in Africa; the conflicts in the South Caucasus; the social, economic and political crisis in Lebanon; and the tragedy of migration that has turned the Mediterranean into a graveyard.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/january.index.html
Speeches 2023 January
To members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See (9 January 2023)

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-francis-january-prayer-intention-for-educators.html
Pope Francis' January prayer intention: For educators
10 January 2023, 16:00

Pope Francis invites the faithful to pray “that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than confrontation and helping especially the youngest and most vulnerable above all.”
By Christopher Wells

In his prayer intention for January, Pope Francis invites educators to add “fraternity” to the content of their teaching, noting that “educators are witness who impart not only their mental knowledge, but also their convictions, their commitment to life.”

He added that education itself is an “act of love” that can show us the way “to recover a sense of fraternity, so we will not ignore those who are most vulnerable.”

Pope Francis called on the faithful to pray “that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than confrontation, and helping especially the youngest and most vulnerable above all.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-mourns-those-killed-in-senegal-road-accident.html

Pope mourns those killed in Senegal road accident
10 January 2023, 13:21

Pope Francis sends a telegram of condolences, mourning the 40 killed and scores injured in a bus crash in central Senegal and offering prayers of comfort and peace for all affected.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis has joined in mourning the 40 people killed and dozens injured in a tragic bus crash in central Senegal.
In a telegram sent on the Pope’s behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, the Holy Father expressed his closeness and concern for the, at least, 78 people injured, some of them seriously, when damaged buses rammed into each other earlier this week.

The Pope prayed that God welcome the deceased into His peace and light, and asked Him to bring comfort and hope to all those affected by the tragedy
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-francis-receives-rome-call-vatican-audience.html

Pope: AI Ethics must safeguard the good of human family
10 January 2023, 11:06

Pope Francis receives signatories of the Rome Call for AI Ethics, promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life and Renaissance Foundation, and applauds their efforts to safeguard the good of the human family, promote shared ethics and fraternity among all, and be vigilant against misuses of technology and artificial intelligence.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

While warning against misuse of technology and artificial intelligence, Pope Francis has encouraged using these tools in ways that safeguard the human family and promote the common good.

Receiving the signatories of the 'Rome Call' for A.I. Ethics in the Vatican on Tuesday morning, the Pope thanked the Pontifical Academy for Life and to the Renaissance Foundation for their commitment in promoting, through the Rome Call initiative, "a shared ethics regarding the great challenges that lie ahead on the horizon of artificial intelligence."
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/january.index.html
Speeches 2023 January
To Participants in the "Rome call" meeting promoted by the Renaissance Foundation (10 January 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-urges-faithful-to-journey-together-in-compassion-with-sick.html

Pope urges faithful to journey together in compassion with the sick
10 January 2023, 15:52

Pope Francis releases his message for the 31th World Day of the Sick, and urges Catholics to heed the example of the Good Samaritan showing compassion and taking care of the sick in a world that discards the most vulnerable.
By Lisa Zengarini

As the Church journeys along the synodal path, Pope Francis is inviting the faithful to reflect on the fact that “it is especially through the experience of vulnerability and illness that we can learn to walk together according to the style of God, which is closeness, compassion, and tenderness”. He makes the call in his Message for the 31st World Day of the Sick, which was released on Tuesday.

The Catholic Church marks the annual day on 11 February, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.  The theme of this year’s observance is “Take care of him: Compassion as a synodal exercise of healing”, drawn from the Gospel of Luke on the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/sick.index.html
Messages World Day of the Sick
31th World Day of the Sick 2023

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253304/pope-francis-meets-italian-prime-minister-giorgia-meloni

Pope Francis meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Jan 10, 2023 / 08:55 am

Pope Francis met Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, at the Vatican on Tuesday.

The private meeting, which lasted a little over 30 minutes, marked the third time in nine days the 45-year-old politician was at the Vatican.

Meloni was among the first to pay her respects to the late Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 2, together with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella. She also attended the funeral of the pope emeritus on Jan. 5.

Meloni introduced her team to Pope Francis. Her 6-year-old daughter, Ginevra, also took part in the meeting — Meloni’s first papal audience since becoming prime minister on Oct. 22, 2022.
 

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https://www.ncregister.com/news/breaking-cardinal-george-pell-dies-at-81

BREAKING: Cardinal George Pell Dies at 81
Edward Pentin Vatican January 10, 2023

Cardinal George Pell has died in Rome this evening at the age of 81.

The Australian cardinal had been admitted to a Rome hospital for routine hip replacement surgery on Tuesday afternoon. The operation was successful, but he later suffered a suspected cardiac arrest, according to his personal secretary, Father Joseph Hamilton. 

The Archdiocese of Sydney is expected to issue a statement shortly. 

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Pell the Vatican’s first prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in 2014 in a move to help clear up Vatican finances after a series of highly publicized scandals.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-telegram-cardinal-pell-death.html

Pope mourns passing of Cardinal Pell, upholds his cooperation with Holy See
11 January 2023, 12:45

Pope Francis sends a telegram of condolences upon the death of Cardinal George Pell who, he says “unwaveringly followed his Lord with perseverance even in the hour of trial”.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis has recalled the late Cardinal George Pell’s “consistent and committed witness, his dedication to the Gospel and to the Church, and particularly his diligent cooperation with the Holy See in its recent economic reform, for which he laid the foundations with determination and wisdom.”

The Pope’s words came in a telegram of condolences addressed to Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, for the death of Cardinal Pell in Rome on Tuesday evening, aged 81, following cardiac complications after undergoing hip surgery.
 
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/01/11/230111c.html
Telegram of the Holy Father on the death of His Eminence Cardinal George Pell , 11.01.2023

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253318/pope-francis-praises-cardinal-george-pell-s-dedication-to-the-church
Pope Francis praises Cardinal George Pell’s dedication to the Church
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Jan 11, 2023 / 05:32 am

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-01/cardinal-george-pell-dies-in-rome.html
Cardinal George Pell dies in Rome
11 January 2023, 08:09

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-audience-apostolic-zeal-is-very-oxygen-of-christian-life.html
Pope at Audience: Apostolic zeal is the 'very oxygen' of Christian life
11 January 2023, 09:55

At his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis starts a new series of catecheses on the theme of apostolic zeal, recalling how Christ's Church was born with missionary zeal sent by the Holy Spirit to shed the light of Christ to every land and people. He invites everyone to continue praying for peace in Ukraine and an end to the "cruel suffering" there.
By Thaddeus Jones

Greeting pilgrims in the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican for his weekly audience, Pope Francis spoke about how apostolic zeal is the "very oxygen" of Christian life and the measure of the Church's spiritual health. The theme, apostolic zeal, marked the start of a new series of catecheses for his weekly audience.

Describing the key missionary dimension of apostolic zeal, he recounted how the apostle Matthew at the start of his discipleship immediately introduced Jesus to his friends. And recalling the words of the late Pope Benedict, he said apostolic zeal "proclaims Jesus not by proselytism but by attraction, out of a joyful desire to share with others the loving gaze of Jesus and the call to follow him as his disciples."
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 11 January 2023 - Catechesis. The passion for evangelization: The believer's apostolic zeal. The call to the apostolate (Mt 9:9-13)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-01/cardinal-george-pell-funeral-pope-francis-date.html

Cardinal Pell’s funeral to be held on Saturday in St. Peter’s
12 January 2023, 10:16

Pope Francis will preside over the final portion of the funeral of the late Australian Cardinal George Pell on Saturday in St. Peter’s Basilica.
By Vatican News staff reporter

The Holy See Press Office announced on Thursday that Pope Francis will preside over the rites of Ultima Commendatio and Valedictio at the funeral of Cardinal George Pell.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will celebrate the Requiem Mass at 11:30 AM on Saturday, 14 January.

The Mass will take place at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter in the Vatican Basilica.

A host of other Cardinals and bishops are expected to concelebrate the Mass.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253329/funeral-of-cardinal-george-pell-to-be-at-vatican-on-saturday
Funeral of Cardinal George Pell to be at Vatican on Saturday
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Jan 12, 2023 / 03:38 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-greets-italian-police-who-provide-security-around-vatican.html

Pope greets Italian police who provide security around Vatican
12 January 2023, 12:38

Pope Francis holds his traditional audience for directors and staff of the Vatican Inspectorate of Public Safety, the Italian security forces that maintain public order and provide security in St Peter’s Square and the areas surrounding Vatican territory.
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis took the opportunity of the traditional audience with members of the Vatican Inspectorate of Public Safety to thank them for the service they provide “with self-denial and a spirit of sacrifice.”

Created as part of the implementation of the Lateran Accords between Italy and the Holy See, the Inspectorate is an Italian police force charged with maintaining public order in St Peter’s Square and the areas adjacent to the Vatican. The Pope recognized their work in providing security during gatherings of the faithful and pilgrims at the Vatican, as well as their assistance during papal visits to the city of Rome and on pastoral visits to Italy.

“For all this, I heartily reiterate my esteem and appreciation for your helpfulness and for your dedicated and professional service.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 11 January 2023 - Catechesis. The passion for evangelization: The believer's apostolic zeal. The call to the apostolate (Mt 9:9-13)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253335/church-in-argentina-to-celebrate-10th-anniversary-of-pope-francis-election-to-papacy

Church in Argentina to celebrate 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election to papacy
By CNA Staff
CNA Newsroom, Jan 12, 2023 / 14:00 pm

The executive committee of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference invited the country’s faithful to celebrate “with joy and fervor” the 10th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the successor of St. Peter.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, then archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected pontiff on March 13, 2013, on the second day of the conclave following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Francis is the first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit to serve as pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church.

In a letter, the Argentine bishops, headed by Bishop Óscar Ojea, encouraged the dioceses of Argentina to join the celebrations from March 11–19, marking the 10th anniversary of the start of Pope Francis' Petrine ministry, in order to “renew along with our holy faithful People of God the affection” for the Holy Father.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-01/mayor-rome-gualtieri-audience-pope-francis-jubilee-2025.html

Mayor of Rome presents Pope with plan for 2025 Jubilee
13 January 2023, 17:29

The Mayor of Rome is received in audience by Pope Francis to illustrate and explain the government’s decree regarding architectural and organizational interventions in view of the 2025 Jubilee Year.
By Tiziana Campisi & Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis’ audience with Roberto Gualtieri, the Mayor of Rome, took place on Thursday morning under the banner of the 2025 Jubilee Year as the eternal city prepares to welcome increased numbers of pilgrims and tourists and strives to show itself at its best and live up to the spiritual significance of the Jubilee.

Gualtieri’s hour-long meeting with the Pope on Thursday morning preceded the signing of a special Jubilee decree in Rome’s Chigi Palace, the seat of the Council of Ministers and the official residence of the Italian Prime Minister.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-place-christ-our-first-love-at-the-center-of-your-life.html

Pope to Augustinians: 'Place Christ at the center of your life'
13 January 2023, 12:48

Pope Francis encourages the Primatial Council of the Confederation Canons Regular of Saint Augustine to seek the Lord in all they do, witness God’s love, and let the Gospel be their rule of life, as they open up to the future with renewed hope.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Place Christ at the center of your life and mission, and witness the love of God in all you do.

This was the recommendation Pope Francis gave to the Primatial Council of the Confederation Canons Regular of Saint Augustine on Friday morning in the Vatican.

The Confederation was established in 1959 by Pope St. John XXIII.

In his address, the Pope recalled that consecrated life is like water, “if it does not flow, it stagnates," and like salt, "if it loses its flavour, it becomes useless.” He also warned against isolation and self-referentiality, and encouraged religious to always work together and help each other.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/january.index.html
Speeches 2023 January
To the Members of the Primatial Council of the Confederation of Canons Regular of Saint Augustine (13 January 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/vatican-releases-calendar-of-upcoming-papal-liturgies.html

Vatican releases calendar of Pope Francis' upcoming liturgies
13 January 2023, 11:40

The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff publishes the calendar of solemn liturgies at which Pope Francis will preside in coming weeks, which include the Sunday of the Word of God and several Masses in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
By Vatican News staff reporter

The Vatican’s Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has released the Pope’s liturgical schedule for the rest of January and the beginning of February.

On Sunday, 22 January – the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time – Pope Francis will celebrate Holy Mass in St Peter’s Basilica to mark the Sunday of the Word of God.

Three days later, on 25 January, the Holy Father marks the Solemnity of the Conversion of St Paul the Apostle by celebrating Second Vespers for the Feast in the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls.

The Solemnity concludes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and the ecumenical Vespers ceremony in St Paul’s includes the participation of representatives of various other Christian churches and ecclesial communities.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-francis-john-xxiii-community-children.html

Pope to children: God gazes at us with eyes of love
14 January 2023, 11:45

Pope Francis meets with children and staff from the Pope John XXIII Community, and encourages young people to care for one another with the same love that God has for them.
By Devin Watkins

Meeting with young people assisted by the Pope John XXIII Community Association on Saturday, Pope Francis praised the intuition of Fr. Oreste Benzi, the Italian-born priest who founded the community in 1968 to assist people on the margins of society.

Members of the community—an international association of the faithful of pontifical right—strive to share their lives with the poor and oppressed, living with them 24 hours a day.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/january.index.html
Speeches 2023 January
To the Members of the "Pope John XXIII Community" Association (14 January 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-encourages-future-priests-to-become-prophetic-witnesses.html

Pope encourages future priests to become prophetic witnesses of the Gospel
14 January 2023, 11:57

Pope Francis welcomes priests, deacons, seminarians and staff of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and invites them to cultivate constant dialogue with the Lord, communion in the Church, and to become missionary disciples in society by serving the most needy.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis has encouraged future North American priests studying in Rome to cultivate “constant dialogue” with the Lord, to foster communion in the Church, and to become prophetic witnesses bringing the Gospel of God’s love especially to those who are in need.

The encouragement came as he met priests, deacons, seminarians and staff of the Pontifical North American College on Saturday.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/january.index.html
Speeches 2023 January
To the Community of the Pontifical North American College (14 January 2023)

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RIP Cardinal Pell   

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-01/cardinal-george-pell-funeral-homily-battista-re-pope-francis.html

Cardinal Re: Faith sustained late Cardinal Pell in difficult final years
14 January 2023, 13:57

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re celebrates the funeral Mass of the late Australian Cardinal George Pell, with Pope Francis presiding over the rites of Ultima Commendatio and Valedictio.
By Amedeo Lomonaco

The Requiem Mass of Cardinal George Pell, prefect emeritus of the Secretariat for the Economy, who died unexpectedly on 10 January, was celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday.

In his homily at the funeral, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, recalled that "the unexpected end of Cardinal George Pell's earthly life took us all by surprise.”

The late Australian-born Cardinal "was present with us to concelebrate the funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the parvis of the Basilica and, despite his 81 years, he seemed in good health."
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253353/a-man-of-the-church-cardinal-george-pell-s-funeral-celebrated-at-vatican
‘A man of the Church’: Cardinal George Pell’s funeral celebrated at Vatican
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Jan 14, 2023 / 07:50 am

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Pope Francis interview: Interview by the magazine, "Mundo Negro"

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-francis-africa-a-continent-to-be-valued-not-plundered.html
Pope Francis: Africa 'a continent to be valued, not plundered'
14 January 2023, 14:16

We publish an excerpt of Pope Francis' interview published online on Friday by Comboni missionaries in Spain in 'Mundo Negro' magazine. The 30-minute interview took place on 15 December at the Vatican with the magazine's director, Fr. Jaume Calvera, Editor-in-Chief ,Fr.Javier Fariñas Martín, and Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

Q: Holy Father, you became a Jesuit, among other reasons, to go to Japan as a missionary...

Yes, that is true.

Q: What has stayed with you since that time?

I think I have always been interested in the peripheries. I look at the peripheries from the inside, not only because they interest me intellectually. And that is what stays with me, to go beyond the frontiers.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-to-cubans-continue-walking-together-in-faithful-hope.html

Pope Francis recalls 25th anniversary of JPII's visit to Cuba
14 January 2023, 16:13

As the Church in Cuba celebrates the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s historic visit to the island nation on 21-25 January 1998, Pope Francis sends a letter encouraging Cubans to continue walking together in faithful hope to build a better future.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis has sent a letter to Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez of San Cristóbal de La Habana, the Bishops and the People of God of Cuba.

He conveyed his blessings and closeness to the Cuban Church, as it marks the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Journey to the country, on 21-25 January 1998.

The message was consigned by Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect Emeritus of the former Congregation for Clergy, who at the time was the Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba, and has been invited to the celebrations.