Pope Francis

[grace-land]

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-s-may-prayer-intention-for-ecclesial-movements-and-groups.html
Pope’s May prayer intention: For ecclesial movements and groups
02 May 2023, 13:37

In his intention for May, 2023, Pope Francis prays that ecclesial movements and groups might daily rediscover their evangelizing mission.
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis is dedicating his May prayer intention to ecclesial movements and groups, which says are a “gift” and a “treasure” in the Church.

Dialogue at the service of mission

In his video-message, published each month by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Pope Francis says, “These movements renew the Church with their capacity for dialogue at the service of her evangelizing mission.” He notes, too, that each group has its own unique charism, which allows them to demonstrate both the beauty and the novelty of the Gospel proclamation.

Each charism is different, he explains, thanks to the creativity that marks the various groups and movements. Although they seem to be speaking different languages, by understanding themselves, they are able to make themselves understood.

At the same time, the Pope warns them to avoid the temptation of turning in on themselves, by inviting them to continue to work “at the service of the Bishops and the parishes.”
 

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254212/pope-francis-accepts-retiring-providence-bishop-thomas-tobin-s-resignation

Pope Francis accepts retiring Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin’s resignation
By Joe Bukuras
Boston, Mass., May 1, 2023 / 10:50 am

Pope Francis announced Monday that he has accepted the resignation letter of Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, submitted on his 75th birthday on April 1, as required by canon law.

Tobin is succeeded by Bishop Richard Henning, whom Pope Francis in November appointed as coadjutor bishop of Providence, home to more than 603,000 Catholics.

“On this day dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker, and as we begin this month dedicated to our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, it is with profound gratitude and personal peace that I have received word that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has accepted my request to resign from office, that is, to retire from the active ministry,” Tobin said in a press release May 1.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/pope-appointments-vatican-ecclesiastical-tribunal.html

Pope appoints new officials at Vatican Ecclesiastical Tribunal
02 May 2023, 13:45

Pope Francis appoints Monsignor Alessandro Recchia as Defender of the bond and Promoter of Justice and Professor of Canon Law, Fr. Ernest Bonaventure Ogbonnia Okonkwo, at the Vatican’s Ecclesiastical Tribunal.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Alessandro Recchia, vicar general of the Diocese of Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo, as Defender of the Bond at the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Vicariate of Vatican City.

In addition, the Pope appointed Reverend Ernest Bonaventure Ogbonnia Okonkwo, professor at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome, as Promoter of Justice in the aforementioned Ecclesiastical Tribunal.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-message-church-audiovisual-collection.html

Pope Francis: it is important to preserve the Church's audiovisual collections
02 May 2023, 11:54

Pope Francis has sent a message on the occasion of the first meeting of the scientific committee of the MAC (Audiovisual Memories of Catholicism) Foundation.
By Vatican News

The Pope is calling for the commitment of the entire Church community to preserve the Church's historical audiovisual fonds, a heritage to be preserved and ordered according to scientific criteria. After having already discussed the topic in an interview with don Dario Viganò, granted for the book "Lo sguardo porta del cuore" (The gaze is the door of the heart), Pope Francis turned to the topic once more in a message sent to the newly founded Italian Foundation MAC - Memorie Audiovisive del Cattolicesimo (Audiovisual memories of Catholicism), chaired by Viganò himself, set up "to respond to the cultural urgency of the recovery, preservation and valorisation of the historical audiovisual heritage and the documentary heritage connected to it, relating to Catholicism".
 

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/05/02/230502d.html
Message of the Holy Father to the Fondazione Memorie Audiovisive del Cattolicesimo (MAC) (Audiovisual Memories of Catholicism Foundation), on the occasion of its founding, 02.05.2023

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254218/pope-francis-praises-nfp-method-as-valuable-tool-for-married-couples

Pope Francis praises NFP method as ‘valuable tool’ for married couples
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 2, 2023 / 08:30 am

Pope Francis has praised the Billings method of natural family planning as “a valuable tool” for married couples that also provides needed education about the meaning of the conjugal act.

“In the second half of the last century, as pharmacological research for fertility control expanded and the contraceptive culture was on the rise, John and Evelyn Billings conducted careful scientific research and developed a simple method, accessible to women and couples, for natural knowledge of fertility, offering them a valuable tool for the responsible management of procreative choices,” the pope said in an April 28 message to a conference on the Billings method.

“In those years, their approach might have appeared outdated and less reliable in comparison with the purported immediacy and security of pharmacological interventions,” he added. “Yet in fact, their method has continued to prove timely and challenging.”
 

[grace-land]

Hmmm...

https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2023/05/a-note-of-caution-about-deck-stacking-charges-against-pope-francis
A note of caution about deck-stacking charges against Pope Francis
By John L. Allen Jr.
May 2, 2023

ROME – When the Vatican recently announced changes to the rules for the Synod of Bishops which, for the first time, allow laity, including women, to be full members with voting rights, the move was widely hailed as a step towards Pope Francis’s famed vow of achieving a greater female presence “where important decisions are made.”

Widely hailed, that is, but not universally.

Competing with the positive narrative put forward by official Vatican media channels and the pope’s friends and allies has been another, more cynical reading. According to some detractors, the rules changes aren’t intended to expand the voices heard during a synod but actually to restrict them – that is, to stack the deck with lay activists who will parrot the pope’s progressive line, while diluting the impact of more conservative bishops.

This school of thought holds that Francis learned from his tumultuous synods on the family in 2014 and 2015 that there’s a strong conservative streak in the global episcopacy, from the U.S. and Poland to Africa and beyond, and that if he were to submit some of his chosen reforms to a free and fair, secret ballot vote within the episcopal college, it’s not automatic what the result might be.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254214/our-lady-of-fatima-statue-to-tour-newark-archdiocese-throughout-may

Our Lady of Fatima statue to tour Newark Archdiocese throughout May
By Joe Bukuras
Boston, Mass., May 1, 2023 / 12:45 pm

One of the replicas of the original Our Lady of Fatima statue will be touring the Archdiocese of Newark from April 28 to May 31. It was crafted using detailed instructions from Servant of God Sister Lucia Dos Santos, one of the three Fatima seers.

One of only 13 copies in the world, the statue is typically housed at the Shrine of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal, where the Marian apparitions of Fatima, Portugal, originally occurred, Jaimie Winters, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, told CNA.

The archdiocese is sponsoring the tour so that parishioners may be able to thank Mary for her protection throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and ask for global conflicts to end, the Jersey Catholic reported. The statue will be on display at 13 parishes throughout the archdiocese, the first being St. Pius X Parish in Old Tappan from April 28 to May 1.

The next parish to receive the Our Lady of Fatima statue will be St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Bloomfield from May 1–3. It will then go to Holy Trinity Epiphany Church in Newark from May 3–4, then on to Holy Family Parish in Nutley from May 5–7, Newman Catholic Center at Montclair State University in Montclair on May 7, and St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny from May 8–9. The full schedule of destinations and dates can be found here.
 
According to the Fatima Shrine’s website, the original statue remains at the Shrine of Fatima and doesn’t travel anymore except in extraordinary circumstances. Instead, the 13 special replicas continue to make tours, allowing Catholics in many dioceses to come together in prayer under Our Lady of Fatima’s patronage

[grace-land]

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-general-audience-3-may-hungary-roots-and-bridges.html
Pope at Audience: May we never forget our roots as we build bridges of humanity
03 May 2023, 09:20

Pope Francis addresses the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square. In the wake of his recent apostolic visit to Hungary he recalls two important aspects of the lives of Hungarian people and their nation: roots and bridges.
By Francesca Merlo

Addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square for his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis recalled his recent trip to Hungary and decided to focus on two images: roots and bridges.

Roots

Pope Francis stressed how he saw “so many humble and hard-working people proudly cherish the bond with their roots” during his Journey to Hungary, adding that “among these roots are first and foremost the saints: saints who gave their lives for the people, saints who bore witness to the Gospel of love, saints who were lights in times of darkness; so many saints of the past who today exhort us to overcome the risk of defeatism and the fear of tomorrow, remembering that Christ is our future”.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/russian-orthodox-metropolitan-antonij-greets-pope-at-audience.html
Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony greets Pope at audience
03 May 2023, 12:14

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-edith-bruck-birthday-wishes-friendship-friend-holocaust.html
Pope sends birthday wishes to friend and Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck
03 May 2023, 12:41

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 3 May 2023 - Catechesis. The Journey to Hungary

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2023-05/on-world-press-day-guterres-urges-to-uphold-freedom-of-press.html

World Press Freedom Day: A right increasingly endangered
03 May 2023, 16:49

On World Press Freedom Day, the UN Secretary-General , Antonio Guterres, reiterates his call on States to respect this fundamental human right which is also threatened by the fake news industry.
By Lisa Zengarini

As the world marks the 30th World Press Freedom Day on May 3, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has again reminded governments of their duty to respect and uphold this fundamental human right which, he said, “is the foundation of democracy and justice”.

On this day “the world must speak with one voice - Stop the threats and attacks. Stop detaining and imprisoning journalists for doing their jobs. Stop the lies and disinformation. Stop targeting truth and truth-tellers,” Guterres said in a video message telecast from the UN headquarters in New York at a special event organised by UNESCO on Tuesday on the eve of the observance.
 

https://rsf.org/en/2023-world-press-freedom-index-journalism-threatened-fake-content-industry?data_type=general&year=2023
2023 World Press Freedom Index – journalism threatened by fake content industry

The 21st edition of the World Press Freedom Index, compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), sheds light on major and often radical changes linked to political, social and technological upheavals.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-christianity-islam-share-common-commitment-to-good-life.html

Pope: Christianity, Islam share common commitment to good life
04 May 2023, 11:54

Pope Francis addresses participants at a meeting reflecting on the creative commonalities between Christianity and Islam, and he reminds all those present that the purpose of life is one and gives glory to God.
By Francesca Merlo

Addressing participants at the VI Colloquium between the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, Pope Francis encouraged each member, noting that with this being their sixth encounter, their perseverance is clear. 

Commonalities between religions

The theme of the colloquium, "Creative Commonalities between Christianity and Islam", the Pope said, reflects how “each of us is like the link in a long chain: many people have preceded us on the beautiful and challenging road of encounter and friendship, others will follow us, as we hope and pray, confirming that feeling of brotherhood that is the foundation of relations between peoples”.

Pope Francis then went on to express his appreciation and gratitude to King Abdullah II of Jordan for his attention to the Christian communities not only of his own country but also to those of the Middle East generally, “particularly in times marked by conflict and violence”.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may.index.html
Speeches 2023 May
To participants in the Colloquium with the "Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies" (4 May 2023)

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-catholic-universities-latin-america-caribbean-audie.html

Pope tells Catholic educators to forge open and humane minds
04 May 2023, 14:22

Pope Francis encourages Catholic educators to help form young people who are able to transcend ideologies and cultivate the common good.
By Linda Bordoni

We need to form young people who are “catholic” in the sense of,“universal” Pope Francis said, “We need minds, hearts and hands” that are able to go beyond the constrictions of ideology and speak the language of humanity.

In his address to members of the Organization of Catholic Universities in Latin America and the Caribbean (ODUCAL) whom he received in the Vatican on Thursday, 4 April, the Pope reflected on the growing gap between the rich and the poor and on the wounds that afflict his “beloved” Latin American continent.
Inequality, social and economic crises, and ideological and political polarizations appear to plunge the continent into chaos, he said, but that is where God operates in the most beautiful and creative ways.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may.index.html
Speeches 2023 May
To participants in the Conference promoted by the "Organización de Universidades Católicas de América Latina y el Caribe" (4 May 2023)

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-world-youth-day-lisbon-2023-video-message.html

Pope to WYD participants: Lisbon 2023 a chance to grow in hope
04 May 2023, 13:00

Pope Francis sends a video message to young people registered for World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, and urges them to prepare themselves to encounter others and grow in hope.
By Devin Watkins

With less than three months to go to World Youth Day (WYD), Pope Francis has sent his encouragement to participants registered for the event in Lisbon, Portugal, on 1-6 August.

In his video message released on Thursday, the Pope praised the excitement the young Catholics must feel as they prepare to travel.

“I can imagine the things you must have on your mind,” he said, “how you’re going to: make it happen, request your work or study permit, get what you need for your trip, so many concerns!”

At the same time, the Pope urged the young people to “look toward the horizon” by using their excitement and hope as a stepping stone.
 

Video, in Spanish, at the link...
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254237/see-you-in-lisbon-pope-francis-shares-message-3-months-before-world-youth-day-2023
‘See you in Lisbon,’ Pope Francis shares message 3 months before World Youth Day 2023
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 4, 2023 / 07:00 am

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/pope-coronation-charles-iii-parolin-vatican-secretary-state.html

Cardinal Parolin to represent Pope Francis at Coronation
04 May 2023, 10:30

The Vatican Secretary of State will represent Pope Francis at the Coronation of King Charles III on 6 May 2023
By Vatican News

The Vatican Secretary of State will represent Pope Francis at the Coronation of King Charles III.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday said the Cardinal Secretary of State will be present in Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May 2023, in representation of the Pope and the Holy See.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254236/vatican-to-send-representative-of-pope-francis-to-british-coronation-ceremony
Vatican to send representative of Pope Francis to British coronation
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 4, 2023 / 03:04 am

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/parolin-peace-mission-pope-russia-ukraine.html

Cardinal Parolin: Kyiv and Moscow informed of Holy See's peace mission
04 May 2023, 12:19

On the sidelines of a book presentation, the Cardinal Secretary of State expresses “surprise” at the words of Russian and Ukrainian officials who said they were unaware of the Vatican peace initiative the Pope mentioned during his flight back from Budapest.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Reiterating Pope Francis’ tireless appeal to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said it is a top priority to try to “Find points of agreement and put an end to this massacre that is strongly affecting Ukraine, but also has significant implications for Russia".

The Cardinal, who was answering questions put to him by journalists after the presentation of a book, responded to one reporter who recalled the Pope’s words during his flight back to the Vatican after his three-day apostolic visit to Hungary on Sunday evening. “I am willing to do whatever needs to be done. Also, there is a mission going on now, but it is not public yet. Let's see how ... When it is public I will talk about it,” the Pope said.

Subsequently, officials of both the governments of Moscow and Kyiv governments responded saying they were not aware of this Vatican initiative, nor had they had any specific communication.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/archbishop-prevost-the-bishop-is-a-pastor-not-a-manager.html

Archbishop Prevost: ‘The bishop is a pastor, not a manager’
04 May 2023, 14:00

In an interview with Vatican Media, the new prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Archbishop Robert Prevost, says, “We are often worried about teaching doctrine, but we risk forgetting that our first duty is to communicate the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus.”
By Andrea Tornielli

At the age of 67, Archbishop Robert Prevost is beginning his “novitiate” as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.

An Augustinian friar, Robert Francis Prevost was born in the US city of Chicago, and served first as a missionary and later as bishop in Chiclayo, Peru, before being chosen by Pope Francis to succeed Cardinal Marc Ouellet.

In the following interview with Vatican Media, he sketches a portrait of the type of bishop needed today.

Q: What has it mean for you to go from being a missionary bishop in Latin America to leading the dicastery that helps the Pope choose bishops?
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-condolences-telegram-rwanda-flooding.html

Pope Francis praying for flood victims in Rwanda
04 May 2023, 19:01

Pope Francis expresses his sorrow and promises prayers for the victims of heavy flooding in the western and northern provinces of Rwanda.
By Devin Watkins

Heavy rains and flooding have killed at least 130 people and destroyed over 5,000 homes in Rwanda in recent days.

In response, Pope Francis sent his condolences to those affected in a telegram addressed to the Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda, Archbishop Arnaldo Catalan.

On Thursday, Pope said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the recent flooding in the western and northern provinces of Rwanda.”

Pope Francis also expressed his “spiritual closeness with all those suffering in the wake of this disaster.”

He also offered his “assurance of prayers for the dead, injured, and displaced, as well as those engaged in recovery efforts.”

The Pope wrapped up his telegram by extending his Apostolic Blessing upon all the people of Rwanda.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254240/order-of-malta-elects-canadian-lawyer-as-81st-grand-master

Order of Malta elects Canadian lawyer as 81st grand master
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 4, 2023 / 10:00 am

The Order of Malta this week elected Fra’ John Dunlap as prince and 81st grand master of the Order of Malta.

He was sworn in on May 3 and will hold the office for 10 years.

Dunlap, 66, is Canadian and the first professed knight from the Americas to lead the sovereign state and religious order. He is a lawyer by profession.

The position of grand master of the Order of Malta has been vacant since the death in 2020 of Fra’ Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto.

The order announced Dunlap’s election on May 3. He has been leading the order as lieutenant grand master since last year, when he was appointed by Pope Francis following the sudden death of his predecessor, Fra’ Marco Luzzago.
 
The pope’s special delegate to the Order of Malta is Cardinal Silvano Tomasi.

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-encourages-commission-minors-to-continue-its-work.html

Pope encourages Commission for Protection of Minors to persevere
05 May 2023, 11:44

Pope Francis addresses the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, and encourages them to persevere in their work despite difficulties and the unfounded impression “that little is changing for the better”.
By Lisa Zengarini

Efforts to improve guidelines and standards for the conduct of clergy and religious to safeguard against sexual abuse in the Church "must continue", Pope Francis told members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Friday.

The Commission, which was created in 2014, is meeting this week for its second plenary assembly since the Apostolic Constitution ‘Praedicate Evangelium’ formally established it within the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in June 2022.

The session’s agenda includes a review of the Commission's task to provide annual audits of safeguarding reports by Bishops' Conferences, a review of its five-year strategic plan, and an "open discussion on how to better define working methods, roles and responsibilities" of the body, among other listed items.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254250/pope-francis-invites-child-protection-group-to-have-a-spirituality-of-reparation
Pope Francis invites child protection group to have ‘a spirituality of reparation’
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 5, 2023 / 09:15 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may.index.html
Speeches 2023 May
To the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (5 May 2023)

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/coronation-king-charles-iii-ambassador-trott-british-holy-see.html

UK Ambassador to Holy See foresees excellent relations under King Charles III
05 May 2023, 09:00

Christopher Trott, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See, highlights several new elements of the Coronation, and expresses confidence for a continued fruitful and warm relationship between the British government and the Vatican under the new King.
By Linda Bordoni

Cardinal Pietro Parolin is to represent Pope Francis and the Holy See at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023, a historic occasion steeped in history but tinged with modernity.

In an interview with Vatican News, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See said he looks forward to developing further the excellent relationship that exists between the British monarch and the Vatican. And “as something of a history geek,” Ambassador Chris Trott dwelt on some significant details that firmly place the ancient ceremony in the new millennium.

First of all, he said, it will be the first time a papal representative will have been present for the Coronation inside Westminster Abbey since 1553.

The ambassador explained it was prior to the Second Vatican Council when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. That meant, he added, that Pope Pius XII’s representative in Britain had to follow the ceremony from an especially-built stand outside Westminister Cathedral – the Catholic mother church - that is situated some 400 metres from the Abbey.

The Second Vatican Council

The presence now of a papal representative inside the Abbey for the Coronation is not due to British government policy, he said: “It is a result of Vatican Two.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/cardinal-vincent-nichols-coronation-king-charles-iii.html
Cardinal Nichols: Coronation of King Charles III is ‘profoundly Christian’
05 May 2023, 15:00

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-05/coronation-ceremony-to-feature-significant-ecumenical-elements.html
Coronation ceremony to feature significant ecumenical elements
05 May 2023, 12:12

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254247/a-guide-to-the-christian-and-catholic-symbolism-in-king-charles-iii-s-coronation
A guide to the Christian — and Catholic — symbolism in King Charles III’s coronation
By Jonah McKeown
St. Louis, Mo., May 5, 2023 / 10:00 am

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-discourse-tennis-padel-sixth-symposium-vatican.html

Pope: Sport must remain a game and a passion
06 May 2023, 11:08

Pope Francis addresses participants in the First International Tennis and Padel Symposium in Rome and highlights the close link between sport and education, reminding that sport must remain a game.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis on Saturday addressed teachers, children and young people hailing from over 30 countries to take part in the sixth International Tennis and Padel Symposium in Rome.

The event, taking place on 6 and 7 May, is focused on education and training.  Referring to this crucial aspect, in his speech the Pope highlighted the close link between sports and education.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may.index.html
Speeches 2023 May
To Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (6 May 2023)