Pope Francis

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-at-angelus-open-your-hearts-to-god-s-love-show-kindness.html
Pope at Angelus: Open your hearts to God's love, show kindness to all
24 December 2023, 12:16

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis encourages us to open our hearts to God's loving kindness and to respond to His call to be gentle, respectful, and caring for others.
By Thaddeus Jones

Welcoming pilgrims and visitors to Saint Peter's Square for the midday Angelus on the eve of Christmas, Pope Francis offered reflections on the Gospel reading for today's Fourth Sunday of Advent, which recounts the scene of the Annunciation as the Angel tells Mary she will conceive Jesus and "the power of the Most High will overshadow you."
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-at-christmas-we-are-close-to-victims-of-war.html
Pope: At Christmas, we are close to brothers and sisters suffering from war
24 December 2023, 13:10

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Angelus, 24 December 2023

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-christmas-eve-mass-st-peter-s.html
Pope at Christmas Mass: Let us fix our eyes on the True God
24 December 2023, 17:07

Christmas Mass during the Night in Saint Peter's Basilica

Pope Francis presides at the Christmas Mass During the Night in St Peter’s Basilica, and says that "the wonder of Christmas" is that an infinite God "becomes finite for our sake."
By Joseph Tulloch

“A census of the whole earth.”

That’s how Pope Francis began his homily for Christmas Mass during the Night in St Peter’s Basilica, quoting directly from the Gospel according to St Luke.

The evangelist, the Pope noted, makes a point of emphasising this census, which he could have just mentioned in passing.

A stark contrast thus emerges: “While the emperor numbers the world’s inhabitants, God enters it almost surreptitiously. While those who exercise power seek to take their place with the great ones of history, the King of history chooses the way of littleness.”

“None of the powerful take notice of him,” the Pope stressed: “Only a few shepherds, relegated to the margins of social life.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023.index.html
Homilies 2023
Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (24 December 2023)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256369/full-text-pope-francis-homily-for-christmas-2023
Full text: Pope Francis’ homily for Christmas 2023
By Pope Francis
Vatican City, Dec 24, 2023 / 18:00 pm

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Pope Francis delivers his annual “urbi et orbi” address on Christmas from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 25, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256371/pope-francis-on-christmas-saying-yes-to-the-prince-of-peace-means-saying-no-to-war

Full video of the Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" Blessing, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-may-christmas-bring-peace-to-our-world-turn-sorrow-to-joy.html
Pope: May Christmas bring peace to our world and turn sorrow into joy
25 December 2023, 12:20

In his Christmas message at the midday "Urbi et Orbi" blessing on Christmas Day, Pope Francis speaks of how the Child Jesus reveals God's tender love for each one of us, which brings about "the joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and bestows peace." He prays for world peace and calls for every effort to stop violence and help those who are suffering.
By Thaddeus Jones

Greeting the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square from the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis offered his traditional good wishes on this Christmas Day with a message followed by his solemn "Urbi et Orbi" blessing, to the city and the world.

The Pope said we look to the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem during these times, sadly marked by "sorrow and silence." Yet the birth of the Saviour there and the proclamation of the angel, “To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,” give us great hope as "the Lord has been born for us...the eternal Word of the Father, the infinite God, has made His home among us."
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/urbi.index.html
Messages Urbi et Orbi
"Urbi et Orbi" - Christmas 2023

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-christian-witness-lead-to-changed-hearts-miracles-faith.html
Pope at Angelus: Christian witness leads to changed hearts, miracles of faith
26 December 2023, 12:16

Pope Francis leads the midday Angelus prayer on the Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr, the day after Christmas, recalling his heroic witness to Jesus that planted the seed of faith in others, transforming hearts and working miracles of faith.
By Thaddeus Jones

The day after Christmas, on the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square.

In his address, the Pope spoke about the heroic witness of Saint Stephen, whom he recalled for his integrity, dedicated service to the poor, and great courage in bearing witness to Jesus even as he was mercilessly stoned to death by his persecutors led by Saul.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-st-stephens-day-martyr-religious-persecution-peace.html
Pope Francis prays for an end to religious persecution
26 December 2023, 13:10

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Angelus, 26 December 2023, Feast of St. Stephen Protomartyr

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-keep-watch-over-the-heart-recognize-and-reject-evil.html
Pope at Audience : Keep watch over the heart, recognize and reject evil
27 December 2023, 10:09

Beginning a new series of catecheses on the virtues and the vices opposed to them, Pope Francis at his weekly General Audience explains how the Scriptures and the masters of the spiritual life urge us to reject evil at its root and highlights the importance of safeguarding the heart.
By Thaddeus Jones

Pope Francis welcomed pilgrims attending his General Audience in the Paul VI Hall on this Wednesday, just two days after Christmas.

His catechesis opened a new series looking at the virtues and the vices opposed to them with an introduction on safeguarding the heart.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-israel-ukraine-palestine-war.html
Pope Francis prays for victims of war and violence
27 December 2023, 10:30

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 27 December 2023 - Cycle of Catechesis. Vices and Virtues. 1. Introduction: safeguarding the heart

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256381/vatican-to-publish-private-homilies-of-pope-benedict-xvi

Vatican to publish private homilies of Pope Benedict XVI
By Daniel Payne
CNA Staff, Dec 27, 2023 / 13:00 pm

The Vatican will publish the previously uncirculated “private” homilies of the late Pope Benedict XVI in the coming year, the Holy See has announced.

The Vatican Publishing House said Dec. 23 that it intends to release “a book of some 130 homilies given by the late Pope Benedict XVI at private Sunday Masses,” according to Catholic News Service (CNS).

The homilies comprise “30 given while [Benedict] was pope and more than 100 given to members of his household once he retired,” CNS reported.

The homilies were reportedly transcribed by members of Memores Domini, a lay association that lived with Benedict, the news service said. Four female members of the organization worked in Benedict XVI’s papal household and also moved with him to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery after his retirement.

Neither the Vatican nor the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, who also announced the publication of the homilies last week, gave a date for when the writings would be fully published.

The Vatican City newspaper L’Osservatore Romano and the German newspaper Die Welt published the first of the homilies earlier this month.
 

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Re: Fiducia Supplicans

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256363/ukrainian-archbishop-says-same-sex-blessings-document-doesn-t-apply-to-eastern-churches
Ukrainian archbishop says same-sex blessings document doesn’t apply to Eastern Churches
By Joe Bukuras
CNA Staff, Dec 22, 2023 / 16:56 pm

The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said Friday that the Vatican’s recent declaration on nonliturgical same-sex blessings does not apply to the Eastern Catholic Churches.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said that his statement was in response to numerous appeals from bishops, clergy, monastics, church movements, and individual laity of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church regarding Fiducia Supplicans, a declaration from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published Dec. 18. 

That declaration said that “blessings are among the most widespread and evolving sacramentals” and that it is possible to give “blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex.”

The declaration clearly states that the Church’s teaching on marriage between one man and one woman has not changed and emphasizes that such blessings should “never” occur within the ceremony of a civil union “and not even in connection with them” to avoid confusion or scandal.

Shevchuk said, according to an online translation of his statement from Ukrainian to English: “After consulting with relevant experts and competent institutions, I wish to inform you of the following: The above-mentioned declaration [Fiducia Supplicans] interprets the pastoral meaning of blessings in the Latin Church, not in the Eastern Catholic Churches.”

“It does not address questions of Catholic faith or morality, does not refer to any prescriptions of the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches, and does not mention Eastern Christians. Thus, on the basis of canon 1492 of the CCCC, this declaration applies exclusively to the Latin Church and has no legal force for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church,” he said.

The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches all share one Code of Canon Law, separate from that of the Latin Church.
 

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Re: Fiducia Supplicans

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256384/fernandez-its-proper-for-each-bishop-to-discern-regarding-fiducia-supplicans-application
Fernández: ‘It’s proper for each bishop’ to discern application of Fiducia Supplicans
By Nicolás de Cárdenas
ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 27, 2023 / 17:00 pm

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, commenting on the reluctance expressed by individual bishops and bishops’ conferences regarding the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, stated that “it’s proper for each local bishop to make that discernment.”

The declaration from the DDF establishes a distinction between liturgical blessings and those of an informal nature and encourages the blessing of persons in “irregular situations” and “same-sex couples” considering that, carried out with certain precautions, they should not be confused with approval of conduct or circumstances contrary to doctrine.

In an interview published in the Spanish newspaper ABC, Fernández responded to the criticism and divergent opinions expressed by other cardinals, bishops, and bishops’ conferences, assuring that “if the text is read with an even disposition, it can be seen that it supports with great clarity and simplicity the perennial Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality.”
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256398/benedict-trusted-francis-but-he-was-bitterly-disappointed-biographer-says-in-new-interview

‘Benedict trusted Francis. But he was bitterly disappointed,’ biographer says in new interview
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2023 / 10:57 am

On the eve of the first anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s death, his biographer, Peter Seewald, raised serious concerns about how Pope Francis is managing the legacy of his predecessor.

“Benedict trusted Francis. But he was bitterly disappointed several times,” Seewald said in an interview published Dec. 27.

Pope Francis may have written “nice letters” to his predecessor and described him as a “great pope,” Seewald told the New Daily Compass. However, in practice, he said, he has “erased much of what was precious and dear to Ratzinger.”
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256405/ewtn-to-air-conference-on-benedict-xvi-one-year-after-his-death
EWTN to air conference on Pope Benedict XVI one year after his death
By Matthew Santucci
Rome Newsroom, Dec 29, 2023 / 16:30 pm

One year after the death of Pope Benedict XVI, scholars, experts, and friends of the late pontiff will meet in Rome on Dec. 30–31 in the Benedict XVI Hall of the Campo Santo Teutonico at the Vatican to discuss his legacy.

EWTN, the Fundatio Christiana Virtus Association, and the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation have partnered to hold the conference, which will air on EWTN throughout the day on Dec. 31 beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET (see schedule below).
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256396/pope-francis-meets-with-cardinal-burke-amid-salary-apartment-controversy

Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Burke amid salary, apartment controversy
By Daniel Payne
CNA Staff, Dec 29, 2023 / 09:20 am

Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Raymond Burke on Dec. 29, 2023, at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis on Friday had an audience with Cardinal Raymond Burke, the Vatican said, several weeks after a flurry of reported controversy involving the pontiff and the 75-year-old U.S.-born prelate.

A release from the Holy See Press Office briefly mentioned that the pope had met with Burke in an audience on Friday morning. No reason was given for the meeting, nor were details of the audience shared by the press office.

The cardinal on Friday declined to comment on the meeting.

The meeting comes weeks after reports that Pope Francis had stripped Burke of his Vatican housing and salary privileges, with the Holy Father allegedly claiming that Burke was a source of “disunity” in the Church and that he was using the privileges afforded to retired cardinals against the Church.
 

https://www.reuters.com/world/conservative-cardinal-burke-says-he-is-still-alive-after-rare-pope-meeting-2023-12-29/
Conservative Cardinal Burke says he is 'still alive' after rare pope meeting
By Philip Pullella
December 29, 20237:47 AM CSTUpdated 11 hours ago

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-telephone-call-ukraine-zelensky-peace.html

Ukrainian President thanks Pope for support for peace efforts in Ukraine
29 December 2023, 08:01

Pope Francis has spoken by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked the Pope for his support for the Peace Formula involving more than 80 States.
By Vatican News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for his Christmas greetings to Ukraine and for supporting the Peace Formula.

This appreciation was conveyed during their latest phone conversation, details of which President Zelensky posted Thursday on the official presidential website and on his X account.

“I have just spoken with His Holiness Pope Francis to express gratitude for his Christmas greetings to Ukraine and Ukrainians, for his wishes of peace – just peace for all of us,” said President Zelensky. “We discussed our joint work on the Peace Formula – more than 80 states are already involved at the level of their representatives. There will be more. I am grateful to the Vatican for supporting our work.”
 

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/12/pope-zelensky-speak-as-war-grinds-on-and-religious-freedom-concerns-grow
Pope, Zelenskyy speak as war grinds on and religious freedom concerns grow
By Elise Ann Allen
Dec 29, 2023

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-to-taize-youth-dare-to-build-a-different-world.html

Pope to Taizé youth: ‘Dare to build a different world’
28 December 2023, 11:35

In greetings to the 46th European Meeting of Taizé, Pope Francis encourages young people to embrace listening and welcome those on the margins of society.
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis has sent his greetings to young people gathering, under the auspices of the Taizé community, “to pray and share the life of the local people and Church communities” in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The 46th Taizé European Meeting, an ecumenical gathering of youth from various countries and denominations, is taking place from 28 December to 1 January and will focus on the theme “Journeying Together.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2023.index.html
Pontifical Messages 2023
Message of the Holy Father, signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, to mark the 46th European meeting of young people organized by the Taizé Community in Ljubljana [28 December 2023 - 1st January 2024] (28 December 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-editorial-staff-osservatore-di-strada-romano.html

Pope Francis meets with editorial staff of Osservatore di Strada
29 December 2023, 17:35

Pope Francis meets with the editorial staff of the "Osservatore di Strada", a monthly publication of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, which offers a platform for people living on the margins of society.
By Marina Tomarro

On Friday, the entire editorial staff of the Osservatore di Strada met with Pope Francis, along with several writers and artists who face hardship and contribute to the magazine.

Published by L’Osservatore Romano, the Osservatore di Strada features people living in poverty and makes them the protagonists of the monthly publication.

They include several homeless people who sleep rough near St. Peter’s Square.

Friendly encounter

According to Piero Di Domenicantonio, the magazine’s coordinator, the staff and writers thanked the Pope for his encouragement and his expressions of closeness to people in need.”

"At this special audience with the Pope,” he said, “we wanted not only the friends with whom we form the editorial staff, but also those writers, authors, and artists with whom we try to cultivate this culture of encounter, just as Pope Francis himself invites us to do. Great and small talents to give flavor to this newspaper.”

Also present at the audience were the director of the Osservatore Romano, Andrea Monda, and the prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini.

The Pope did not give any speech, but preferred to meet and personally greet all the participants in the meeting.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256329/vatican-announces-art-contest-for-stations-of-the-cross-to-be-displayed-in-st-peter-s-basilica

Vatican announces art contest for Stations of the Cross to be displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Dec 29, 2023 / 07:00 am

Attention Catholic artists: The Vatican has announced an art competition in which your paintings can be displayed inside of St. Peter’s Basilica along with the works of Renaissance masters Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

The contest winner will get to showcase an original set of paintings of the Stations of the Cross for a temporary exhibition in the basilica during Lent 2026 and a cash prize of 120,000 euros (about $131,000).

The competition is free and open to artists from anywhere in the world. Artists are free to choose the style and technique but are required to paint the traditional 14 Stations of the Cross.

How to enter?
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-audience-pueri-cantores-federation.html

Pope Francis: Singing can touch hearts and deepen prayer
30 December 2023, 10:48

Pope Francis meets with young singers of the Pueri Cantores Federation, and praises choral singing as a joyful accompaniment to the prayer of the Church community.
By Devin Watkins

“Singing and music can touch hearts, give beauty, and restore zest and hope”.

Pope Francis offered that reflection on Saturday as he met with members of the International Federation of Pueri Cantores.

The group was founded in 1950 in France by Father Fernand Maillet, and later grew into a federation of children’s and youth choirs, boasting over 1,000 members from 25 countries. The Federation brings children together from around the world each year to sing for peace, praise the Lord, and have fun making music together, according to its website.

In his address, the Pope praised their beautiful choral singing which had welcomed him to the hall in the Vatican.

He also thanked them for their efforts to help people to pray and open their hearts to the Lord.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
To the International Federation of Pueri Cantores (30 December 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-12/pope-benedict-xvi-death-anniversary-federico-lombardi.html
Fr. Lombardi: Pope Benedict XVI was ‘a master and witness of faith’
30 December 2023, 17:52

One year on from Pope Benedict XVI’s death, Fr. Federico Lombardi, his former papal spokesman, reflects on the legacy and witness of faith of the late Pope.
By Federico Lombardi, SJ

A year after the departure of Pope Benedict XVI, it is right and natural to consider his legacy.

Is he a figure to be entrusted mainly to the masters of reading the past, or is he a figure who continues to challenge all of us today, precisely in these dramatic times we are living?

That he is a master of the faith, there is no doubt. We will not soon tire of rereading his "Introduction to Christianity" and his "Jesus of Nazareth" trilogy; theologians will be able to delve into his Opera Omnia for a long time, continuing to draw suggestions and guidelines for their reflection and research.

That he is also an eminent witness to life in faith - and to Christian faith in eternal life - is also entirely clear to those who have listened to him in his homilies and his spiritual magisterium, as well as to those who have been able to know him closely, following his long inner journey up to his encounter with God.

What I would now like to observe, however, is that Joseph Ratzinger continues to be a precious companion even for those who are living with participation and passion the affairs of life and human history on this earth, with all the dramatic questions that today it brings with it.
 
The last Pope who participated in the entire Council and lived it from within leaves us thus a testimony of its enduring relevance and encourages us to continue to develop its seeds and consequences without fear, reformulating the same mission of the Church in the world, engaging reason and faith to collaborate for the good and salvation of humanity and the world.

His gaze turns towards the future in hope. The service of Benedict XVI continues in the deepest movement of the Church of the Lord, led by Pope Francis and his successors.

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/a-year-without-benedict
A Year Without Benedict
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER: His words often had a way of making the vast mystery of the God-Man understandable, always presenting Jesus in his fullness, from his simple birth to his suffering, death and resurrection.
Michael Warsaw | Publisher's Note | December 30, 2023

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https://www.ncregister.com/features/pray-with-the-pope-on-new-year-s-eve-and-the-solemnity-of-mary-mother-of-god

Pray With the Pope on New Year’s Eve and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
TV PICKS 12.31.23

Daniel J. Engler
Arts & Entertainment
December 30, 2023

SUNDAY, Dec. 31
Remembering Benedict XVI: Life, Teaching, Legacy

EWTN At 6:30 and 9:30 a.m. and 4 and 6 p.m., experts recall the late Pope and salute him — and at noon in St. Peter’s Basilica, Archbishop Georg Gänswein will celebrate Mass in remembrance of him.

SUNDAY, Dec. 31
New Year’s Eve

EWTN At 1:30 p.m., live, Pope Francis is to preside at the Vespers of Thanksgiving and Te Deum in St. Peter’s. At 10 p.m., The Catholic University of America’s Christmas Concert re-airs. At midnight, live, is the Solemn Mass of Reparation in atonement for our sins of the past year celebrated in Irondale, Alabama. (Re-airs 8 a.m. Monday.)

MONDAY, Jan. 1
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

EWTN At 4 a.m., live, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. (Re-airs 6:30 p.m.) Re-airing at 8 a.m. and midnight is the New Year’s Eve Solemn Mass of Reparation From EWTN.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2023/12/rome-entrepreneurs-see-2025-jubilee-as-not-only-spiritual-but-business-opportunity

Rome entrepreneurs see 2025 Jubilee as not only spiritual but business opportunity
By Elise Ann Allen
Dec 30, 2023

ROME – With the opening of Pope Francis’s “Jubilee of Hope” in 2025 less than a year away, a group of young Christian businessmen say they see the event as an opportunity to boost Rome’s profile as a hub of entrepreneurial talent and innovation.

Members of the Christian Union of Entrepreneurs and Managers (UCID), a private association of believers made up of managers and businessmen who base their work on the principles of the Catholic Church’s social doctrine, want to boost the business and tech sectors in Rome, making it more competitive and less dependent on tourism.

Benedetto Delle Site, a Roman businessman in the finance sector who serves as president of the youth sector of UCID, was quoted in Italy’s paper of record, La Repubblica, as saying the jubilee for Rome is “the last call, we need a pact with businesses to relaunch the image of the capital city.”
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256408/here-s-where-christians-continued-to-face-persecution-in-2023

Here’s where Christians continued to face persecution in 2023
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 30, 2023 / 09:55 am

Christians have been persecuted by adversarial groups since the time of the apostles, and in varied parts of the world Christians continue to face existential threats from governments and other entities.

On the Dec. 26 feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr who died around 34 A.D., Pope Francis said in his Angelus that “2,000 years later, unfortunately, we see that the persecution continues.”

“There are still those, and there are many of them, who suffer and die to bear witness to Jesus, just as there are those who are penalized at various levels for the fact of acting in a way consistent with the Gospel, and those who strive every day to be faithful, without ado, to their good duties, while the world jeers and preaches otherwise,” the pontiff said.

Persecution worsening
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256354/what-countries-did-pope-francis-visit-in-2023-and-what-did-he-say

What countries did Pope Francis visit in 2023 and what did he say?
By Peter Pinedo
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 30, 2023 / 07:00 am

Pope Francis maintained a busy travel schedule in 2023, visiting six different countries on three separate continents despite being one of the oldest popes in Church history and enduring ongoing struggles with poor health.

Francis turned 87 this month, and in March he celebrated his 10th year as pope. Although his year was marked by several hospital stays, struggles with bronchitis, and sciatica that often confined him to a wheelchair — as well as a canceled trip to Dubai for COP28 due to health issues — the pontiff still managed to make five international trips, called “apostolic journeys.”

Here is where he went.