Pope Francis

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-zealous-apostles-must-embrace-newness-of-the-gospel.html
Pope at Audience: Apostles filled with zeal must embrace Gospel newness
12 April 2023, 09:18

At the weekly General Audience, Pope Francis focuses on St Paul’s description of apostolic zeal, saying that heralds must be open to the newness of the Gospel, while warning of the dangers of distorted zeal.
By Christopher Wells

Having previously considered St Paul’s personal zeal for the Gospel, Pope Francis based his catechesis at the Wednesday General Audience on the Apostle’s description of evangelical zeal in his New Testament letters.

Starting with St Paul’s description of the “armour of God” in the Letter to the Ephesians, the Pope focused on the verse, “As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace” which also brings to mind the words of Isaiah, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good tidings.”

Both St Paul and Isaiah, reference “the feet of a herald of good news […] because the one who goes to proclaim must move.”

But Paul also considers the shoes in the context of the analogy of a suit of armour, because soldiers must have stable footing in battle, and be prepared to run and move in the right direction.

“Evangelical zeal is the support on which proclamation is based.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-pacem-in-terris-anniversary-ukraine-war.html
Pope: God’s mercy never abandons us, even as world endures war
12 April 2023, 10:02

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 12 April 2023 - Catechesis. The passion for evangelization: the apostolic zeal of the believer. 9. Witnesses: Saint Paul.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/pope-revises-vatican-penal-legislation-and-judiciary-system.html

Pope revises Vatican penal legislation and judiciary system
12 April 2023, 15:47

With a new Apostolic Letter issued motu proprio, Pope Francis modifies the penal legislation and the judiciary system of Vatican City to simplify procedures and make the system more efficient, including provisions to clarify the functions of the Office of the Promoter of Justice.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

In light of the "needs that have emerged over the last few years in the sector of the administration of justice" in the Vatican, Pope Francis has established several changes in the penal legislation and the judiciary system of the State of Vatican City, which will enter into force on 13 April 2023.

In a new Motu Proprio – Latin for “on his own initiative” - published on Wednesday, the Pope refers to the changes as "further adjustments" needed to address increasing issues that have emerged in recent years, with the subsequent "increasing workload" for the judiciary, which therefore require "a prompt and just” response in the procedural field.

He was referring implicitly judicial proceedings currently taking place in Vatican City, and in particular to the “Vatican trial” on alleged mismanagement of the Holy See's funds, which began in 2021 and is still ongoing.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254076/pope-francis-changes-law-regulating-vatican-city-court-system
Pope Francis changes law regulating Vatican City court system
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Apr 12, 2023 / 10:47 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio.index.html
Motu Proprio
Apostolic Letter issued “Motu Proprio” of the Supreme Pontiff Francis amending the penal law and judicial system of the Vatican City State (12 April 2023)

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"Synod: Work begins to write Instrumentum Laboris for October assembly"

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/works-for-instrumentum-laboris-of-october-synod-underway.html
Synod: Work begins to write Instrumentum Laboris for October assembly
12 April 2023, 10:27

The General Secretariat for the Synod announces that work has begun on the Instrumentum Laboris for the Synodal Assembly to be held in October 2023, as a group of experts from five continents meet to share their reflections on the Continental Stage.
By Vatican News staff reporter

Works to produce the Instrumentum Laboris of the Synodal Assembly of October 2023 are underway.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the General Secretariat of the Synod announced that as of 12 April, and for the next week, a group of experts from five continents who participated in various capacities in  the 2021-2024 synodal process are meeting at the General Secretariat’s headquarters in the Vatican.

They will spend time discerning the Continental Stage and the seven final documents of the Continental Synodal Assemblies.

Their aim is to start the reflection that will lead, at a later stage, to the drafting of the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, set to take place in the Vatican from 4-29 October 2023.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254075/committee-begins-writing-synod-on-synodality-working-document-behind-closed-doors
Committee begins writing Synod on Synodality working document behind closed doors
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Apr 12, 2023 / 09:25 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-to-religious-association-of-social-health-instit.html

'No one must feel alone in illness,' insists Pope
13 April 2023, 10:35

Pope Francis welcomes members of the Italian Religious Association of Social and Health Institutes (ARIS), praising the Church's exemplary witness in taking care of the ill, and insists that 'No one must feel alone in illness.'
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

'No one must feel alone in illness,' insisted Pope Francis as he addressed members of the Italian Religious Association of Social and Health Institutes (ARIS) in the Vatican on Thursday morning.

Expressing his appreciation and encouragement, the Pope observed that ARIS is involved in the management of healthcare facilities of Christian inspiration, and could be compared to the inn of the Good Samaritan, where the sick can receive "the oil of consolation and the wine of hope."
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To Members of the Religious Association of Social-Healthcare Institutes (ARIS) (13 April 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-discourse-union-superiors-general-italy-chapter.html

Pope tells Religious Superiors to keep bringing hope to our 'lost' world
13 April 2023, 13:00

Pope Francis meets with the Union of Major Superiors in Italy to mark their 70th Chapter and offers them three points of reflection on the important role they play, especially regarding women and synodality.
By Francesca Merlo

Choosing three aspects on the theme 'On Synodal Path, Women Witnesses of the Risen Lord', Pope Francis addressed Italy's Union of Major Superiors, in the Vatican for their 70th Chapter.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To Participants in the General Assembly of the Union of Major Superiors of Italy (USMI) (13 April 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/archbishop-miguel-maury-buendia-apostolic-nuncio-great-britain.html

Archbishop Maury Buendía new Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain
13 April 2023, 12:00

Spanish Archbishop Maury Buendía is appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis has appointed Spanish Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain.

He succeeds Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti who was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches last November.

Archbishop Maury Buendía, who has spent most of his working life in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, was made titular Archbishop of Italica in 2008 and has been Apostolic Nuncio to several countries, most recently to Romania and Moldova.

His previous post as Nuncio was to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/church-to-celebrate-3rd-world-day-of-grandparents-and-elderly.html

Church to celebrate 3rd World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
13 April 2023, 12:25

The Church is preparing to celebrate the 3rd World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, on Sunday, 23 July 2023, near the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, with the motto 'His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50).
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The Church is preparing to celebrate the third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday, 23 July, announced the Vatican's Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, in a statement on Thursday.

The Church observes the World Day each year on the fourth Sunday in July, close to the feast of Jesus' grandparents, Saints Joachim and Anne.

Pope Francis instituted this Day in 2021 since, he believes, grandparents are often forgotten, yet they "are the link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young."
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/holy-see-development-policies-must-focus-on-human-person.html

Holy See: Development policies must put the human person at the centre
13 April 2023, 13:38

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia addresses the 56th Session of the UN Commission for Population and Development in New York and reiterates that fertility reduction strategies dictated by the principle of profit don’t contribute to integral human development but to a “throwaway culture.”
By Lisa Zengarini

The Holy See has renewed its call for advancing a model of development that has the “human person at its centre” and promotes human flourishing, in all dimensions and in every stage of life.

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Vatican Permanent ******* to the United Nations made this appeal at the 56th Session of the UN Commission for Population and Development taking place this week in New York on the theme “Population, Education, and Sustainable Development.”
 

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"Synod: North American continental stage highlights baptism, communion, mission"

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/north-america-synod-releases-final-document.html
Synod: North American continental stage highlights baptism, communion, mission
12 April 2023, 20:00

The Final Document for the North American Continental Stage of the Synod focuses on our common baptism as the foundation of synodality, the importance of communion with Christ and with one another, and our mission to bring the Good News to the world, as several key themes that emerged from the consultation with the local Churches of the United States and Canada.
By Christopher Wells

The Final Document from the Continental Stage of the Synod in North America “is an important moment for the Church in the United States and Canada, strengthening our response to the Holy Father Pope Francis to embrace synodality as the way forward for the Church in the modern world,” write Bishops Daniel Flores and Raymond Poisson in a letter introducing the Document, which was published on Wednesday.

The Document was produced by the North American Synod Writing Team, which elaborated three key themes that emerged from the continent-wide consultation: Called and Gifted through Baptism; Communion with Christ and One Another; and Sent Forth on Mission.
 
The complete text of the Final Document of the Continental Stage in North America is on the Synod website. The Synod page provides links to all the Continental Documents as they become available.
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Synod website: https://www.synod.va/en/synodal-process/the-continental-stage/final_document.html

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Synod:  Church in Oceania final document at the end of the continental stage of the Synodal process

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/church-in-oceania-sees-synodality-as-path-forward.html
Church in Oceania sees synodality as path forward
13 April 2023, 16:42

In the final document at the end of the continental stage of the Synodal process, the People of God emphasize the need for inclusion, care for our common home, and other priorities for the upcoming General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
By Christopher Wells

The Church in Oceania has published its response to the Working Document for the Continental Stage (DCS) of the ongoing Synod on Synodality, highlighting themes including inclusion, the role of women in the Church, the ecological crisis, and outreach to young people.

The document begins by noting the rich diversity of the continent of Oceania and the generally positive experience of synodality, while acknowledging concerns about whether the People of God would truly be heard or whether synodality could end up being harmful to the Church. Nonetheless, the discernment process revealed that many participants were “greatly impressed by global calls for a synodal Church” and felt that the DCS captured “a truly global experience of synodality.”
 
The complete text of the Final Document of the Continental Stage in Oceania is on the Synod website. The Synod page provides links to all the Continental Documents as they become available.
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synod website: https://www.synod.va/en/synodal-process/the-continental-stage/final_document.html

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-diocesan-oblate-brothers-italy-milan.html

Pope: Religious brothers bear witness to fraternity in silent self-giving
14 April 2023, 12:21

Pope Francis meets with a group of Diocesan Oblate Brothers from the Italian Archdiocese of Milan, and urges consecrated religious men to give themselves completely to the mission of serving others in humble fidelity.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis met Friday with a small delegation of religious brothers from the Italian Archdiocese of Milan.

In his prepared remarks, the Pope reflected on three aspects of the name of the consecrated men’s religious institute: the Diocesan Oblate Brothers.

He praised the “small but important sign” which religious brothers offer to the Church.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To a Delegation of Diocesan Oblate Brothers (14 April 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-ita-airways-audience-vatican-apostolic-journeys.html

Pope to ITA Airways staff: You give wings to the Pope!
14 April 2023, 12:52

Pope Francis receives a delegation of representatives of ITA Airways, Italy’s state airline that provides the Holy Father with all of his outgoing passages during his Apostolic Journeys. As per diplomatic agreements, he almost always flies back to the Vatican on board the national airline of the nation from which he departs.
By Linda Bordoni

“Thank you for ‘landing” here in the Vatican,” Pope Francis said to the delegation of ITA Airways representatives whom he received in audience on Friday morning.

“In a way,” he said, “you represent ‘the Pope's wings,’ for you enable the Successor of Peter to fly to the ends of the earth carrying the Gospel of hope and peace.”

“Sometimes I wonder: had St Paul been able to travel by plane, what would have happened?”

And indeed, the Pope continued, it was a Pope who bore the saint’s name who boarded an Alitalia DC8 on 4 January 1964 and became the first Pontiff in history to board an aeroplane for an apostolic pilgrimage.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To the Directors and Staff of ITA Airways (14 April 2023)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254098/st-peter-s-basilica-introduces-new-prayer-entrance-amid-influx-of-tourism

St. Peter’s Basilica introduces new ‘prayer entrance’ amid influx of tourism
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Apr 14, 2023 / 13:15 pm

With 100,000 people cramming into St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the lines to enter the Vatican basilica have returned to their pre-pandemic wait times.

In light of the influx of tourists to the Eternal City, the Vatican has introduced a separate “prayer entrance” for Catholics who want to enter St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass, confession, or adoration.

The entrance, signaled only by a small sign, is immediately to the right of the barricades to enter through the metal detectors on the right side of the piazza.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-in-the-via-crucis-of-life-no-one-can-walk-alone.html

Pope: In the Via Crucis of life no one can walk alone
15 April 2023, 12:25

Pope Francis receives in audience families supported by the Spanish Catholic Foundation “Madre de la Esperanza de Talavera de la Reina” of Toledo which for fifty years has been assisting persons with intellectual disabilities to foster their inclusion in society, and encourages them to continue to be missionaries of God's mercy.
By Lisa Zengarini

“Teamwork is able to ensure that everyone's different abilities converge in a final result that belongs to everyone”, said Pope Francis on Saturday, recalling that in the “Via Crucis of life” no one can walk alone.

The Pope was addressing a delegation of the  Catholic Foundation “Madre de la Esperanza de Talavera de la Reina” of Toledo, Spain, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The Foundation was founded in 1973 to assist people with intellectual disabilities and their families in all stages of their lives, and to foster their social and labour inclusion,  through vocational training so they can acquire skills for an independent life.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-traits-of-missionaries-are-humility-joy-amazement.html

Pope highlights humility, joy, amazement as traits of missionaries
15 April 2023, 12:26

Pope Francis emphasizes the characteristics that marked the missionary labours of Blessed Alfredo Cremonesis, and asks for prayers for Myanmar, the country where Blessed Alfredo gave his life.
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis met with members of the faithful from the Italian Diocese of Crema on Saturday, and recalled the missionary work of Fr Alfredo Cremonesi, who was martyred in Burma (now known as Myanmar) seventy years ago. The encounter had originally been scheduled to take place after Blessed Alfredo’s beatification in 2019, but was delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To the Pilgrimage of the Diocese of Crema (Italy) (15 April 2023)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254107/pope-francis-says-that-he-will-travel-to-mongolia

Pope Francis says he will travel to Mongolia
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Apr 15, 2023 / 06:50 am

Pope Francis said Friday that he plans to visit Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country.

In off-the-cuff remarks to employees of the Italian airline company that staffs the papal plane for his international trips, the pope said that he will travel to Mongolia after his scheduled trips to Hungary and France in the coming months.

“In two weeks’ time, God willing, I will leave for my 41st pilgrimage, by going to visit Hungary. And then there will be Marseille, then Mongolia,” Francis said at a Vatican audience with ITA Airways on April 14.

An apostolic journey to Mongolia would make Pope Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251031/divine-mercy-sunday-2022-plenary-indulgence

Divine Mercy Sunday 2023: Here’s how to obtain a plenary indulgence
By Joe Bukuras
Boston, Mass., Apr 15, 2023 / 06:00 am

What do a certain Polish nun and a certain Polish pope have in common? They both became saints and they were both instrumental in the institution of Divine Mercy Sunday, which offers many graces to the faithful.

Be sure to thank St. John Paul II and St. Maria Faustina Kowalska this April 16 because as Divine Mercy Sunday rolls around again this year, the faithful have the opportunity to take refuge in the depths of Christ’s mercy by receiving either a plenary or partial indulgence.

Here are some facts about Divine Mercy Sunday, including the Church’s guidance on how to receive indulgences on the day:

What is Divine Mercy Sunday?
 

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-at-regina-coeli-seek-the-risen-one-in-the-community.html
Pope at Regina Coeli: Seek the Risen One in the community
16 April 2023, 12:08

Pope Francis insists on the need to remain within the Church in order to find Jesus, while calling on the faithful to open our arms to all those who are wounded by life, excluding no one from God’s mercy.
By Christopher Wells

There’s more to the Apostle St Thomas than his famous doubts about Jesus’ Resurrection, Pope Francis said during the Regina Coeli on Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Pope began his reflection on the day’s Gospel by noting that “Thomas was not the only one who struggled to believe.” But unlike his fellow Apostles, who closed themselves inside the Upper Room, Thomas “showed he was courageous,” he “went out, running the risk that someone might recognize, report, or arrest him.”

When the other Apostles told Thomas that Jesus had appeared to them, he struggled to believe them, saying he will believe only when he can see and touch the wounds of Jesus.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-regina-coeli-appeal-sudan-fighting-prayers-dialogue.html
Pope appeals to warring parties in Sudan to lay down arms and resume dialogue
16 April 2023, 12:32

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-appeal-regina-coeli-orthodox-easter-peace-russia-ukraine.html
Pope: Wars continue to sow death in stark contrast with the Easter message
16 April 2023, 13:15

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-defends-st-john-paul-ii.html
Pope defends St John Paul II against ‘offensive and unfounded inferences’
16 April 2023, 14:32

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/04/brother-of-missing-vatican-girl-walks-back-insinuations-against-john-paul-ii
Brother of missing ‘Vatican girl’ walks back insinuations against John Paul II
By Elise Ann Allen
Apr 15, 2023

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Regina Caeli, 16 April 2023

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-charism-of-the-community-of-the-beatitudes-is-a-gift.html

Pope: Charism of the Community of the Beatitudes is a gift
17 April 2023, 12:08

On the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation, Pope Francis highlights the Pentecost experience and the eschatological dimension of the charism of the Community of the Beatitudes.
By Vatican News staff reporter

Pope Francis welcomed members of the Community of the Beatitudes to the Vatican on Monday, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of their foundation.

After several reorganizations, the group, which rose out of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, was recognized by the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life as “an Ecclesial Family of Consecrated Life of diocesan right” in 2020. It is the first community of this kind.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To a Delegation of the Community of the Beatitudes (17 April 2023)

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Update: Father Marko Rupnik

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254106/father-rupnik-superior-denies-possible-transfer-of-the-priest-from-rome-to-milan
Father Rupnik superior denies possible transfer of the priest from Rome to Milan
By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 17, 2023 / 11:00 am

Various media reported that Father Marko Rupnik, accused of having sexually abused numerous nuns, could leave Rome and be assigned to a residence for priests in Milan, Italy.

The source of the rumors was Father Miran Žvanut, superior of the Society of Jesus in Slovenia, who told the Slovenian weekly Reporter that the accused priest will be forced to leave the Italian capital and live confined to the Aloisianum in Gallarate, the home for elderly priests of the Society of Jesus in the Diocese in Milan in northern Italy.

Asked about these alleged statements, Rupnik’s superior, Father Johan Verschueren, who is also the delegate of the Society of Jesus for Houses, Works, and Interprovincial Jesuits in Rome, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that those statements will remain “on the the Reporter’s record.”

He also stressed that Rupnik “only has one major superior — that’s me. Therefore, I am dealing with the case, and I will not comment on the proceedings still going on now.”

“In fact, I only deal with Father Rupnik’s case within the limits described by canon law, no more and no less," he said.
 

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2023/04/jesuit-overseeing-rupnik-case-hits-back-at-rumors-says-process-ongoing
Jesuit overseeing Rupnik case hits back at rumors, says process ongoing
By Elise Ann Allen
Apr 14, 2023