Pope Francis

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-at-audience-all-called-to-be-apostles.html
Pope at Audience: We are all called to be apostles
15 March 2023, 09:44

At his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis says that all Christians - priests, religious, and laypeople - are called to be missionary disciples.
By Joseph Tulloch

At his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis continued with his series of catecheses on the “passion for evangelising”, stressing that Christ calls everyone - priest, religious, lay - to be an apostle.

The Holy Father’s catechesis took the form of a reflection on several passages from the New Testament and from the documents of the Second Vatican Council, which together offer a vision of the universal call to mission.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-appeal-malawi-cyclone.html
Pope Francis makes appeal for cyclone-hit Malawi
15 March 2023, 10:14

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253867/pope-francis-a-christian-life-based-on-achieving-higher-positions-is-pure-paganism
Pope Francis: A Christian life based on achieving higher positions is ‘pure paganism’
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Mar 15, 2023 / 04:23 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 15 March 2023 - Catechesis. The passion for evangelization: the apostolic zeal of the believer 7. The Second Vatican Council. 2. Being apostles in an apostolic Church

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-fortunatus-nwachukwu-secretary-evangelization.html

Pope appoints new Secretary of Dicastery for Evangelization
15 March 2023, 12:09

Pope Francis appoints Nigerian Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu as the new Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, as part of the Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches.
By Devin Watkins

Nigerian-born Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu has been appointed as the Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches.

The Holy See Press Office announced the papal appointment on Wednesday.

Archbishop Nwachukwu, the titular Archbishop of Acquaviva, has served since 17 December 2021 as the Holy See’s Permanent ******* to the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva and to the World Trade Organization.

He also served as the Representative of the Holy See to the International Organization for Migration.
 

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Update: Preparatory Commission for General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-03/synod-preparatory-commissioin-established-marian-prayer-grech.html
Preparatory Commission for General Assembly of Bishops established
15 March 2023, 17:42

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod appoints seven members of the Preparatory Commission for the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October.
By Michele Raviart

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary-General of the Synod, has established the Preparatory Commission for the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod appointing seven members, including a sister.

She is Mercedarian Sister Shizue "Filo" Hirota from Tokyo, Japan, a consultant for the Catholic Council for Justice and Peace of the Japanese Catholic Bishops' Conference.

The Preparatory Commission was set up in accordance with Art 10, par. l-2 of the Apostolic Constitution Episcopalis Communio, on the structure of the Synod

The members
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253868/us-bishop-daniel-flores-to-help-prepare-synod-on-synodality-assembly
U.S. Bishop Daniel Flores to help prepare Synod on Synodality assembly
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Mar 15, 2023 / 06:01 am

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2023/03/u-s-border-bishop-appointed-to-synod-planning-committee
U.S. border bishop appointed to Synod planning committee
By John Lavenburg
Mar 16, 2023

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Short video at the link...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253870/photos-nighttime-eucharistic-adoration-in-st-peter-s-square
PHOTOS: Nighttime eucharistic adoration in St. Peter’s Square
[By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Mar 15, 2023 / 09:30 am

There was a candlelit path to the altar holding the Eucharist during adoration in St. Peter's Square March 14, 2023. Daniel Ibanez/CNA

The Vatican held its first monthly eucharistic adoration in the area in front of St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday night.

The March adoration was led by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, OFM Conv, who is the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. The holy hour was offered for Pope Francis in light of his 10th anniversary as pope.
 
The eucharistic adoration, a new pastoral initiative of St. Peter’s Basilica, will take place the second Tuesday of every month from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

It is open to the public.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-to-buddhists-religions-to-foster-fraternity.html

Pope to Buddhists: Religions play crucial role in fostering fraternity
16 March 2023, 11:55

Pope Francis receives a delegation of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism of Taiwan and highlights the crucial role of religions in fostering fraternity by promoting a culture of encounter.
By Lisa Zengarini

At a time marked by “a continued acceleration of changes affecting humanity and the planet”, religions are called more than ever to foster fraternity by promoting a “culture of encounter”, especially among the young.  Pope Francis stressed this point on Thursday as he met in the Vatican with a delegation of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism of Taiwan. The group is visiting Rome for an interreligious “educational pilgrimage”.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/march.index.html
Speeches 2023 March
To a Delegation of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism (Taiwan) (16 March 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-03/pope-francis-receives-lebanese-prime-minister-najib-mikati.html

Pope Francis receives Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati
16 March 2023, 17:37

Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati was received by Pope Francis on Thursday, and later with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
By Vatican News staff reporter

The Pope this morning received in audience the interim Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati. The audience was announced in a communiqué from the Holy See Press Office, which also noted that the head of the Lebanese government subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-invites-josephites-to-emphasize-the-primacy-of-god-s-love.html

Pope invites Josephites to emphasize the primacy of God’s love
17 March 2023, 12:23

Pope Francis receives members of the Congregation of St Joseph on the 150th anniversary of their foundation by St Leonardo Murialdo, and highlights three aspects of their apostolate: the primacy of God’s love, attentiveness to the changing world, and ‘the paternal gentleness of charity.'
By Christopher Wells

Despite being one of the centres of Freemasonry and other anti-clerical movements, the Italian city of Turin in the late nineteenth century produced many saints, including Saint Leonardo Murialdi, who one hundred and fifty years ago founded the Congregation of St Joseph, known as Josephites or Murialdines.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/march.index.html
Speeches 2023 March
To the Members of the Congregation of St. Joseph (Giuseppini del Murialdo), on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of its foundation (17 March 2023)

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-with-repentant-trusting-hearts-we-receive-gift-god-s-mercy.html
Pope: With repentant and trusting hearts we receive the gift of God's mercy
17 March 2023, 17:58

In his homily at the "24 hours for the Lord" Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation, Pope Francis encourages everyone to trust in the Lord with a repentant and trusting heart, acknowledging our sins and asking for the gift of God's mercy, the divine embrace of consolation and joy.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis presided over the "24 hours for the Lord" initiative on Friday afternoon at Rome's parish of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Trionfale, where he also heard confessions in what has become an annual tradition during the Season of Lent. The celebration in a local Roman parish underscores the universal nature of the "24 hours for the Lord" Lenten initiative, which consists of prayer and reconciliation.

Instituted by Pope Francis and now in its tenth year, the celebration takes place in dioceses around the world on the eve of the Fourth Sunday of Lent as a preparation for the Easter Resurrection. A church in every diocese around the world is kept open for 24 consecutive hours. The faithful are encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to pray in spiritual union with Pope Francis.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253886/pope-francis-hears-confessions-at-roman-parish-god-lifts-us-up-when-we-hit-rock-bottom
Pope Francis hears confessions at Roman parish: God lifts us up when we hit ‘rock bottom’
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Mar 17, 2023 / 12:30 pm

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023.index.html
Homilies 2023
"24 Hours for the Lord": Celebration of Reconciliation (Parish of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Trionfale, 17 March 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-03/cantalamessa-lent-homily-st-paul-personal-relationship-christ1.html

Cardinal Cantalamessa: God loves you
17 March 2023, 10:00

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, the Preacher of the Papal Household, delivers his third sermon for Lent 2023 to Pope Francis and Roman Curia.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The love of God for His people was at the heart of the third sermon for Lent 2023, delivered by the Preacher of the Papal Household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap.

His homily was given in the Vatican on Friday morning to the Roman Curia and Pope Francis himself.

"For your consolation and mine, Holy Father, Venerable Fathers, brothers and sisters," Cardinal Cantalamessa began, "this meditation will be entirely and exclusively centered on God. The discourse on God, that is, theology, cannot remain extraneous to the reality of the Synod, just as it can’t remain extraneous to any other moment of the life of the Church."

Without theology, the Franciscan Cardinal observed, "faith would easily become dead repetition and would lack the main tool for its “inculturation."
 

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https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-francis-throwaway-culture-abortion

Abortion and the ‘Throwaway Culture’: A Decade of Pope Francis on the Life Issues
Examining the Pope’s approach to life issues at the 10-year mark of his papacy.
Lauretta Brown | Nation | March 17, 2023

Pope Francis has spoken with a unique voice on the dignity of human life over the 10 years of his papacy, providing a distinctive framework that connects grave evils like abortion with society’s general disregard for human life when it is viewed as an inconvenience.

He has repeatedly condemned abortion as a prominent manifestation of today’s “throwaway culture,” bluntly characterizing it as “murder” in 2021 and earlier in 2018 likening it to “hiring a hitman” to solve a problem. But while this striking rhetoric has commanded some attention, observers note that, overall, Francis has made opposition to abortion much less of a priority than did his immediate predecessors, Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. And the Pope’s willingness to allow some people who advance pro-abortion-rights perspectives to hold positions at the Vatican has generated confusion and concerns among some Catholics.

The Holy Father’s other key actions on life issues include modifying the wording of the Catechism of the Catholic Church with respect to the death penalty, strengthening its rejection of the death penalty, and raising concerns about society’s treatment of the elderly, disabled and poor.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253885/did-pope-francis-really-hint-that-the-requirement-for-priestly-celibacy-will-be-lifted

No, Pope Francis didn’t really hint that the requirement for priestly celibacy will be lifted
By Father Thomas Petri, O.P.
Washington D.C., Mar 17, 2023 / 09:45 am

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his election to the See of Peter, Pope Francis sat down with Infobae — a news agency from Argentina — to reminisce about his pontificate and to discuss issues affecting the Church and the world. During the interview, he said: “There is no contradiction for a priest to marry.” He called priestly celibacy “a temporary prescription” and said that it’s a prescription that could be reviewed.

The Holy Father made clear what he meant by his words. He said that celibacy is a “temporary prescription” inasmuch as “it is not eternal like priestly ordination, which is forever.” Secular media outlets and even some Catholic news organizations immediately jumped to the conclusion that the pope is open to revising the discipline of celibacy and that he even might lift it.

Of course, he said no such thing. When the requirement for celibacy was openly discussed at the 2020 Amazon Synod, Pope Francis chose not to even mention celibacy in his postsynodal exhortation.

The interview provides an opportunity to ponder the priesthood and celibacy. The Church’s teaching on celibacy is different from her teaching on the indelible character of ordination and holy orders being reserved to men alone. These are dogmas taught by the Church that need to be believed lest we fall into heresy or dissent.
 

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Update: German Synodal Way

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253883/german-bishops-announce-plans-to-bless-same-sex-unions-allow-lay-people-to-baptize-and-preach-at-mass
German bishops announce plans to bless same-sex unions, allow laypeople to baptize and preach at Mass
By AC Wimmer
CNA Staff, Mar 17, 2023 / 08:53 am

Following the conclusion of the German Synodal Way, several bishops have announced plans to put into practice resolutions passed by the process, including liturgical blessings of same-sex unions in their churches.

The Synodal Way, which concluded in Frankfurt on March 11, “give us the tailwind we need for concrete changes in our diocese,” Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück said March 14.

Bode — who is vice president of the German Bishops’ Conference — said his diocese encouraged “all couples in our diocese who cannot or do not want to marry in church but still want to put their relationship under a church blessing” to “get in touch with us.” He added that such celebrations were already available in some parishes of his diocese.

Bode on Tuesday also announced that laypeople would be able to baptize babies and “regularly” preach at homilies, CNA Deutsch reported.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253887/cardinals-muller-burke-rebuke-german-bishops-over-same-sex-union-blessings
Cardinals Müller, Burke rebuke German bishops over same-sex union blessings
By Tyler Arnold
Washington D.C., Mar 17, 2023 / 13:09 pm

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Short video at the lnk...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-welomcing-migrants-points-way-forward-for-future.html
Pope: welcoming refugees points way forward for future
18 March 2023, 11:15

Addressing a group of refugees arriving in Europe through the ‘Humanitarian Corridors’ project, Pope Francis said the initiative protects the dignity of migrants, breaks down walls of indifference, and provides a hopeful vision for the future in Europe.
By Sophie Peeters

Pope Francis greeted a group of refugees and their families who arrived in Europe through “Humanitarian Corridors,” as well as representatives of receiving institutions and communities Saturday morning in the Vatican.

The initiative is organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches and the Waldensian Table, the Catholic Church in Italy, with the support of various governments in Europe.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/march.index.html
Speeches 2023 March
To Refugee Families through the Humanitarian Corridors (18 March 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-world-needs-a-good-politics-that-promotes-peace.html

Pope to Italian youth: world needs “good politics” that promote peace
18 March 2023, 13:24

Meeting in the Vatican with some 150 representatives of companies and cooperatives of the “Progetto Policoro” sponsored by the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Pope Francis highlights the urgent need for “better politics" in our war-torn times.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis on Saturday praised Italian youths involved in a Church sponsored project aimed at offering support to unemployed and underemployed young people, saying their commitment contributes to a “better politics” close to people’s needs and therefore to building peace in the world.

The Pope was addressing representatives of companies and cooperatives part of the “Progetto Policoro”, a project sponsored by the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) to help young people integrate in the labour market by organizing vocational training programmes, promoting cooperatives and creating intermediaries, such as “community animators”.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/march.index.html
Speeches 2023 March
To the young people of the "Progetto Policoro" promoted by the Italian Bishops' Conference (18 March 2023)

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-open-your-eyes-and-be-surprised-by-god-s-gifts.html
Pope: Open your eyes and be surprised by God's gifts
19 March 2023, 12:20

At the Sunday Angelus in Saint Peter's Square, Pope Francis says may we, like the blind man who regains his sight from Jesus, open our eyes and be surpised by the gifts of God in our lives that offer us in turn occasions to do good for others.
By Thaddeus Jones

Welcoming pilgrims to Saint Peter's Sqaure for the midday Angelus, Pope Francis offered his customary reflections on the day's Gospel before leading the recitation of the Angelus prayer. Recalling how Jesus gives sight to a man blind from birth, the Pope described how this miracle brought about a variety of reactions in people.

The Pope added that we should all read this episode in the Gospel of John recounting this miracle of Jesus, a short and beautiful story of how much the Lord loves us. We read how people respond in different ways to the Lord's gift of sight to the blind man, whether with a welcome heart, a lukewarm heart, a fearful heart, or a courageous heart.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-appeal-ecuador-angelus-earthquake.html
Pope close to quake-struck Ecuador
19 March 2023, 12:29

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

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-attractions-invite-joy-of-gospel.html

Pope: Attractions invite joy of the Gospel
20 March 2023, 10:37

Pope Francis addresses Italy's National Union of Travelling Attractionists (UNAV) and says attractions participate in the proclamation of the Gospel through the simple and pure joy they bring to all.
By Vatican News staff writer

Addressing Italy's National Union of Travelling Attractionists (UNAV) on Monday morning, Pope Francis commented on the value of attractions as carriers both of joy and of the message of the Gospel.

The National Union of Travelling Attractionists helps protect and promote traveling attractions in Italy.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/march.index.html
Speeches 2023 March
To Members of the National Union of Traveling Fairground Workers (U.N.A.V.) (20 March 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-meets-captains-regent-of-the-republic-of-san-marino.html

Pope meets the Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino
20 March 2023, 13:43

Ukraine, migration, and European relations, were among topics discussed at meeting of Pope Francis and Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis met with the Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino, Their Excellencies Ms. Maria Luisa Berti and Mr. Manuel Ciavatta, in the Vatican on Monday.

According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office, the discussions between the Pope and San Marino's two Heads of State were "cordial" and highlighted "the excellent existing relations between the Holy See and the Republic of San Marino."

Attention, the statement said, "turned to issues of an international nature, with particular attention to the developments of the conflict in Ukraine, relations with Europe, and migration."
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/03/eyeing-2025-jubilee-vatican-opens-shopping-mall-just-off-st-peters-square

Eyeing 2025 Jubilee, Vatican opens shopping mall just off St. Peter’s Square
By Crux Staff
Mar 20, 2023

ROME – Perhaps it was inevitable that the most storied church in Christendom eventually would be flanked by a chapel to that other defining Western creed, consumerism. Fulfilling that bit of destiny, the Vatican opened its very own shopping mall on March 16, located immediately adjacent to St. Peter’s Square.

The idea behind the new 120,000 square foot “Caput Mundi” Mall, using a traditional saying about Rome as the “capital of the world,” is to appeal not only to the four million visitors who move through the Vatican every year, but also the 35 million tourists and pilgrims expected for the Jubilee Year in 2025.

Ironically, the mall is located in a space associated with the last great jubilee. It occupies the fifth and top floor of a massive parking garage on Rome’s Janiculum Hill built for the Jubilee Year of 2000, and has been in the works since 2020. The space was previously devoted to a coffee bar and cafeteria for the busloads of tourists and pilgrims who arrive in the parking structure.
 

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https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-benedict-xvis-aide-acknowledges-criticism-memoir-97974014

Pope Benedict XVI's aide acknowledges criticism over memoir
By The Associated Press
March 19, 2023, 2:01 PM

ROME -- The longtime secretary to Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged Sunday that his tell-all memoir, published in the days after Benedict’s death, had been criticized for casting Pope Francis in an unfavorable light, but insisted that some of the polemics were more about anti-Benedict prejudice than anything else.

In some of his first public comments since Benedict’s Dec. 31 death, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein said he remained loyal to Francis and that he was still waiting for the pontiff to give him a new job.

Gaenswein’s future has been the subject of much speculation following Benedict’s death and the publication of “Nothing But the Truth: My Life Beside Pope Benedict XVI.” In the memoir, Gaenswein charted his nearly 30 years working with Benedict, but also settled old scores, revealed palace intrigues and detailed some of the bad blood that accrued during the decade in which Benedict lived as a retired pope alongside Francis.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253906/meet-the-new-nigerian-secretary-for-the-vatican-dicastery-for-evangelization

Meet the new Nigerian secretary for the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Mar 21, 2023 / 13:00 pm

From a childhood as a war refugee to a career as a Holy See diplomat, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu will now take on a new leadership role in one of the most important dicasteries in the Roman Curia.

The Nigerian archbishop was recently appointed by Pope Francis as a secretary for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.

The dicastery is tasked with “the work of evangelization, so that Christ, the light of the nations, may be known and witnessed to by word and deed, and the Church, his mystical body, may be built up.”