Pope Francis

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Pope Francis' meetings: His conversations with Jesuits in Congo and in South Sudan

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-the-world-is-headed-toward-the-abyss.html
Pope: The world is headed toward the abyss if it won't end war
16 February 2023, 10:41

In separate meetings with Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in South Sudan during his recent Apostolic Journey, Pope Francis shares his concerns about war, for a synodal discussion to protect the environment in the region, and speaks out on a host of other issues.
By Antonella Palermo

War, the cruelty of violence, the protection of natural resources, the evils of the Church, the dream for Africa: these are just a few of the topics addressed by Pope Francis in the meetings he had with Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, meetings that have become regular appointments on the agenda of his apostolic journeys.
 
Vatican News staff writers contributed to this report. The full text of Pope Francis’ talks with the Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in South Sudan can be found at the website of Civiltà Cattolica.

https://www.laciviltacattolica.com/pope-francis-in-conversation-with-jesuits-in-congo-and-in-south-sudan/
Pope Francis in conversation with Jesuits in Congo and in South Sudan
‘The Church is not a multinational spirituality corporation’
Antonio Spadaro, SJ February 16, 2023

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253663/pope-francis-i-believe-that-the-pope-s-ministry-is-for-life
Pope Francis: ‘I believe that the pope’s ministry is for life’
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Feb 16, 2023 / 08:34 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-united-bible-societies-ubs-audience.html

Pope: Christian refugees carry God’s Word to far off lands
16 February 2023, 11:43

Pope Francis meets with an ecumenical delegation of the United Bible Societies, and encourages their efforts to translate Sacred Scripture into many languages and distribute Bibles across the globe.
By Devin Watkins

The United Bible Societies (UBS) has translated the Bible into the mother-tongues of over half of the world’s population, and seeks to help people gain access Sacred Scripture so as to encounter the Word of God without any barriers.

On Thursday, Pope Francis lent his support for the efforts of the global fellowship which was founded in 1946 and operates in over 240 countries and territories.

Meeting with a UBS delegation in the Vatican, the Pope reflected on the spread of the Word of God as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles.

“After Pentecost, with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles spread the ‘kerygma’, explained the meaning of the Scriptures in light of the mystery of Jesus Christ, and warned against those who use it with bad dispositions or for petty interests.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To a delegation from the United Bible Societies (16 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-cei-financial-support-audience.html

Pope: Faith in Christ must be expressed concretely
16 February 2023, 13:00

Pope Francis entrusts to St. Joseph those within the Italian Bishops' Conference engaged in encouraging financial support for the Church in Italy, and urges them to remember that faith in Christ should always translate into concrete action and into our daily lives.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Faith in Christ must transform our day-to-day, and affect concrete choices, Pope Francis said during an audience for those within the Italian Bishops' Conference engaged in encouraging financial support of the Church in Italy.

During an audience on Thursday morning, the Pope thanked them for their service, and for gathering together this week in Rome, where many are participating in a related conference on the topic.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To the heads of the Service for the promotion of economic support to the Catholic Church, of the Italian Episcopal Conference (16 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-ambassador-holy-see-turkiye-prayers-book-dedication.html

Pope’s prayers and closeness to quake-struck people of Türkiye
16 February 2023, 11:53

Pope Francis' handwritten dedication in a book gifted to the new Ambassador of Türkiye to the Holy See

Pope Francis receives the new Ambassador of Türkiye to the Holy See and reaffirms his sorrow and prayers for the suffering caused by the deadly earthquake.
By Linda Bordoni

“My thoughts and prayers go to the noble Turkish people at this time of such sorrow. Dear brothers and sisters, I am close to you and I pray [for you]. With fraternal affection, Franciscus.”

Pope Francis presented the new Ambassador of Türkiye to the Holy See with a book in which he personally penned this dedication expressing his grief for the 6 February earthquake that killed over 41,000 people and triggered a devastating humanitarian emergency.

Ambassador Ufuk Ulutaş was received in audience on Thursday morning by the Pope for the presentation of his credentials at the beginning of his diplomatic mandate.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-mourns-migrants-killed-in-panama-road-accident.html

Pope mourns migrants killed in Panama bus crash
16 February 2023, 13:36

Through a telegram of condolences, Pope Francis mourns 39 migrants killed in tragic bus crash in Panama, expressing his closeness and prayers.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis expressed his great sorrow for the tragic death of nearly 40 migrants in a deadly bus crash in Panama, in a telegram of condolence sent on his behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Thursday.

In the telegram, written in Spanish, the Pope joined in the grief of the families and friends of the deceased, and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Pope Francis concluded his message by giving them "a heartfelt Apostolic Blessing, as a sign of hope in the Risen Lord."
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-02/vatican-hosts-conference-on-lay-co-responsibility-in-the-church.html

Vatican hosts conference on lay co-responsibility in the Church
16 February 2023, 16:04

The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life hosts an international conference on the theme “Pastors and lay faithful called to go forward together” to explore how to encourage a “positive collaboration” between clergy and laypeople for a more synodal Church.
By Vatican News staff reporter

210 presidents and representatives of Episcopal Commissions for the Laity from across the world are gathered in the Vatican this week for a three-day conference to discuss how to improve and enhance the collaboration among laity, priests and consecrated persons in the service of the Church.

Titled “Pastors and lay faithful called to go forward together”, the conference is hosted by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and taking place from 16-18 February in the New Hall of the Synod.

Exploring the nature and foundation of co-responsibility in the Church

Discussions will offer participants an opportunity to explore the nature and foundation of co-responsibility in the Church also in light of the ongoing synodal process on synodality.

In his opening remarks on Thursday, the Prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, recalled the origin and purpose of the meeting which stems from its Plenary Assembly in November 2019, highlighting the “need to study further the role of responsibility pertaining to every baptised person in the Church”.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-the-lenten-journey-is-synodal.html

Pope Francis: Our Lenten journey is synodal
17 February 2023, 11:30

In his Message for Lent 2023, Pope Francis highlights the relationship between the Lenten journey and the synodal journey, which are both rooted in tradition and open to newness.
By Christopher Wells

Personal and ecclesial “transfiguration” is the goal of the ascetical journey of Lent, and similarly of the synodal process, writes Pope Francis in his Message for Lent 2023.

The message, signed on the Solemnity of the Conversion of St Paul and released on Friday, bears the title “Lenten Penance and the Synodal Journey.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent.index.html
Messages Messages for Lent
Lent 2023: Lenten Penance and the Synodal Journey

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-congregation-marian-fathers-respond-creatively.html

Pope to Marians: Continue to “respond creatively” to our times
17 February 2023, 11:53

Pope Francis receives a delegation of the Congregation of Marian Fathers in the Vatican, and encourages them to continue finding new ways of living out the “treasure” of their spirituality.
By Joseph Tulloch

On Friday, Pope Francis addressed the General Chapter of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, which is composed of both priests and non-ordained religious.

He discussed the “treasure” of the Congregation’s spirituality, urging them to follow in the footsteps of their founder, St Stanislaus Papczyński, by “continuing to respond creatively to the challenges that our age presents.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To Participants in the General Chapter of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary (17 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-mexico-entrepreneurs-audience.html

Pope to entrepreneurs: Spiritual capital more important than success
17 February 2023, 12:05

Pope Francis greets a delegation of businessmen and women from Mexico, and urges them to help support the formation of good and holy priests as well as people in need.
By Devin Watkins

A group of around 60 Mexican entrepreneurs met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Friday, accompanied by a representative of the Archdiocese of Mexico City.

In his address, the Pope welcomed the businesswomen and men with a Spanish-language expression often heard in Mexico: “mi casa es su casa” (my home is your home).

The Vatican, he added, is like a home for all Catholics and a place where “the children of the Church can meet and praise God as a family.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To a group of businesspeople from Mexico (17 February 2023)

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Synod on Synodality

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/02/continent-by-continent-popes-synod-on-synodality-gathers-steam
Continent by continent, Pope’s Synod on Synodality gathers steam
By Elise Ann Allen
Feb 17, 2023

ROME – Around the world, Pope Francis’s Synod on Synodality is moving full steam ahead as bishops gather at the continental level to discuss the concerns and priorities of their local churches, ahead of a major gathering in Rome later this year.

Formally opened by Pope Francis in October 2021, the Synod of Bishops on Synodality is officially titled, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission,” and is a multi-stage process that will culminate in two Rome-based gatherings in October 2023 and October 2024.

After an initial consultation with laypeople at the diocesan level, reports summarizing the conclusions were sent to national bishops’ conferences, and bishops are now discussing the contents of those reports in a continental synod phase that is set to close in March.

From Oct. 4-29, bishops and select delegates, including laypeople, will gather in Rome for the first of a two-part discussion, which will close with a similar gathering in October 2024. According to organizers, the exercise is aimed at making the church a more open and welcoming place, driven less by a clerical power-structure and more on collaborative leadership.

As part of the current “continental phase,” seven assemblies are being held for bishops to discuss the issues that emerged in their own regions. The results will be sent to the Vatican to aid in preparations for the October gathering in Rome.
 

Synod North American Assembly update...
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-02/writing-retreat-north-america-continental-team-concludes.html
Synod North American Assembly: 'Synodality means listening to faith of excluded'
17 February 2023, 03:28

On Thursday, members of the writing team drafting the North American continental response for the synod concluded the work they began on Monday, grateful and enriched by the experience.
By Sr Bernadette M. Reis, fsp – Orlando, Florida


Middle East Synod Assembly update...
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-02/middle-east-synod-assembly-young-people-engine-change.html
Middle East Synod Assembly: Young people as “engines of change"
17 February 2023, 16:33

Youth representatives at the Continental Synodal Assembly for the Middle East share their impressions, and call for "really walking together, not just in name".
By Joseph Tulloch and Fr. Jean Pierre Yammine

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-roman-rota-law-course-audience.html

Pope: Canon law is closely linked to Church’s salvific mission
18 February 2023, 10:58

Pope Francis meets with participants in a formation course organized by the Roman Rota, and highlights the important link between pastoral care and canon law.
By Devin Watkins

Greeting students in a course organized by the Roman Rota, Pope Francis recalled the relationship between the Church’s evangelizing mission and Church law.

In his address on Saturday, the Pope said that canon law cannot exist without evangelization and evangelization cannot be carried out without canon law, since the heart of canon law has to do with the “goods of communion, especially the Word of God and the Sacraments.”

“Every person and community,” he added, “has the right to encounter Christ, and all norms and juridical acts are aimed at promoting the authenticity and fecundity of that encounter.”

“Church law is therefore intimately connected to the life of the Church, as one of her necessary aspects, which is justice in conserving and transmitting the goods of salvation.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To Participants in the formation course for legal practitioners, organized by the Tribunal of the Roman Rota (18 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-calls-for-greater-lay-protagonism-in-the-church.html

Pope Francis calls for greater lay protagonism in the Church
18 February 2023, 13:44

Pope Francis addresses the presidents and representatives of Episcopal Commissions for the Laity participating in the Conference “Pastors and lay faithful called to go forward together” and urges them to promote lay co-responsibility in their Churches in a spirit of synodality.
By Lisa Zengarini

For the Church to carry out its mission of proclaiming the merciful love of God effectively “emphasis must be placed on unity and not on separation” between clergy and laypeople, Pope Francis told participants in a conference hosted by the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life on lay co-responsibility.

“The path that God is showing to the Church is precisely that of living communion and walking together more intensely and more concretely. He invites you to overcome the ways of acting independently”, the Pope said on Saturday as he addressed 200 presidents and representatives of Episcopal Commissions for the Laity who gathered this week in the Vatican to discuss how to improve the collaboration among laity, priests and consecrated persons in the service of the Church Titled “Pastors and lay faithful called to go forward together”, the Conference was aimed at exploring the nature and foundation of lay co-responsibility in the Church also in light of the ongoing synodal process on synodality.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To Participants at the Conference promoted by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life (18 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-calls-for-care-and-love-toward-the-mentally-ill.html

Pope Francis: Jesus loves people with disabilities just as they are
18 February 2023, 15:15

Pope Francis sends a message to a Study Day on people with disabilities, and urges everyone to love and care for them just as Jesus does.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis has called for loving and caring for people who suffer from mental illness, and reassured them that Jesus loves them just as they are.

The Holy Father did so in a message sent Saturday to participants in a study day on "Siblings: sisters and brothers in disability and mental illness" which was held at the Sala Troisi in the Roman neighbourhood of Trastevere and organised by the L'Arche Community in Italy, which cares for people with neurodevelopmental disorders.
 

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New interview: Pope Francis grants an interview to Italy’s ‘Canale 5’ program “Journeys of the Heart”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-interview-davide-banzato-italy-journey-heart.html
Pope: War steals children’s smiles but we must never lose hope
18 February 2023, 12:42

Pope Francis grants an interview to Italy’s ‘Canale 5’ program “Journeys of the Heart”, and reflects on the suffering inflicted by war and the importance of faith in God’s plan despite life’s disappointments.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Pope Francis took 10 questions to knit together the 10 years of his pontificate from Fr. Davide Banzato, a priest of the New Horizons community and presenter of Italian TV program “Journeys of the Heart”.

The special program aired on Mediaset’s Canale 5 on Saturday morning, and saw the Pope interviewed at his Vatican home at the Casa Santa Marta.

As explained by Fr. Banzato, the idea was originally supposed to be a video message for the show’s producers and crew but morphed into a full-length interview.

Don't get attached to bad things

The interview began with a topic close to the Pope’s heart: memory.
 

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-angelus-address-19-february.html
Pope at Angelus: Strive for the 'extraordinary'
19 February 2023, 12:10

During his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis urges the faithful to strive always for the 'extraordinary,' like Jesus who died for us sinners, who could not offer Him anything in return.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Do not be complacent, but, like Jesus, always strive to do the 'extraordinary.'

Pope Francis made this exhortation during his Sunday Angelus, as he addressed the thousands of faithful and visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square at midday on Sunday.

The Pope began by observing that Jesus' words to us in the day's Gospel reading according to St. Matthew, are "demanding" and "seem paradoxical," as the Lord invites faithful to turn the other cheek and love their enemies.

It is normal for us to love those who love us, and be friends with those who are friends with us, "yet," Pope Francis highlighted, "Jesus provokes us by saying: if you act in this way, "what extraordinary thing do you do?'"

“What do you do that is extraordinary? This is the point to which I would like to draw your attention today.”

"Extraordinary," the Pope said, is that which goes beyond the limits of the usual, and exceeds usual practices and normal calculations, "dictated by prudence."
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-at-angelus-help-turkey-syria-quake-victims.html
Pope appeals for Turkey, Syria quake victims, Ukraine & New Zealand cyclone
19 February 2023, 12:43

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Angelus, 19 February 2023

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-02/bishop-david-oconnell-dead-los-angeles-california.html

Los Angeles mourns ‘shooting death’ of Auxiliary Bishop O’Connell
19 February 2023, 14:26

The US Archdiocese of Los Angeles mourns the late Bishop David O’Connell, who died due to a gunshot wound on Saturday, and recalls his life of service to the Church as a peacemaker and advocate for immigrants.
By Devin Watkins

Bishop David O’Connell, an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, was found dead due to a gunshot wound in the suburb of Hacienda Heights on Saturday afternoon.

His body was discovered around 1 PM local time, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In a statement, the LA Sheriff’s Department announced an investigation into the shooting death of an adult male, without naming Bishop O’Connell.

No details related to a possible suspect or motive were released.
 
Irish priest in American diocese

The late Bishop O’Connell was born in Cork, Ireland, on 16 August 1953.

He studied theology at All Hallows College in Dublin, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on 10 June 1979.

Pope Francis appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles on 21 June 2015.

Following his death, mourners held candles and prayed the Rosary near the site of his death.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253685/breaking-la-auxiliary-bishop-david-oconnell-shot-and-killed
LA Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell shot and killed
By Shannon Mullen, Courtney Mares
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 18, 2023 / 23:08 pm

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-audience-st-peters-circle-charity-rome.html

Pope: Nourish a culture of tenderness to oppose indifference and waste
20 February 2023, 11:48

Pope Francis tells members of St Peter’s Circle that he sees in them the image of the Good Samaritan who was moved by compassion and tenderness.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis had warm words of gratitude for members of the Rome-based charitable association that strives to reach poor people in Rome with concrete help and compassion.

Receiving a delegation of St Peter’s Circle in audience on Monday, he said “I recognize in you the image of the Good Samaritan.”

The Pope upheld the effort, time, energy, creativity, patience, and perseverance the association puts into its work, which is carried out through a number of activities.

“I think of you who meet our brothers and sisters in soup kitchens, in listening centres, in shelters, in homes that host the families of children undergoing treatment in the Bambino Gesù children’s hospital.”

St Peter’s Circle was founded in 1869 through the initiative of a group of young Romans, in order to support the Church’s charitable activities. It is supported by the Diocese of Rome and carries out some of its activities directly on behalf of the Pope.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To the Members of the "Circolo San Pietro" (20 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-artists-beauty-work-of-holy-spirit-ente-dello-spettacolo.html

Pope to artists: Beauty is work of the Holy Spirit
20 February 2023, 11:59

In an address to members of an Italian cinema organisation, Pope Francis reflects on the importance of beauty, which, he said, is often “left to one side” in theological discussion.
By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Francis on Monday welcomed to the Vatican members of the Ente dello Spettacolo Foundation, a Catholic organisation which promotes cinema in Italy.

Setting aside his prepared remarks, the Holy Father spoke off-the-cuff to participants about the significance of beauty, and its relationship with harmony, which he identified as “the work of the Holy Spirit.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To the Members of the Ente dello Spettacolo Foundation (20 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-technology-must-be-at-the-service-of-man.html

Pope: Technology must be at the service of humanity
20 February 2023, 13:50

Pope Francis addresses participants in a workshop hosted by the Pontifical Academy for Life on the relationship between the person, emerging technologies and the common good, and reiterates that progress of science and technology must always be at the service of human dignity and integral human development.
By Lisa Zengarini

As it meets for its general assembly this week, the Pontifical Academy for Life is holding a two-day workshop focused on the ethical aspects of the so-called “Converging Technologies” (Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology, and Cognitive Science).

Entitled “Converging on the person: Emerging Technologies for the Common Good”, the international workshop is taking place on 20-21 February with the participation of academics from around the world.

In his address to the participants on Monday, Pope Francis highlighted three important challenges in this delicate field “where progress, ethics and society meet, and where," he said, "faith, in its perennial relevance, can provide a valuable contribution.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february.index.html
Speeches 2023 February
To the Members of the Pontifical Academy for Life (20 February 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-02/feast-of-the-chair-of-st-peter-celebrated-on-21-february.html

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter celebrated this year on 21 February
20 February 2023, 18:57

On the occasion of the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, pilgrims visiting St. Peter’s Basilica will be able to admire the statue of the Apostle and the suggestive "luminaria" symbolizing the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiff.
By Vatican News staff reporter

On Tuesday, 21 February, the Church will celebrate the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. The celebration, which is traditionally observed on 22 February, has been brought forward by one day, as this year it coincides with Ash Wednesday.