Pope Francis

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December 24, 2015 Tweets

https://twitter.com/roccopalmo
Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · 2h2 hours ago 
Beginning at 9.30 Rome (3.30p ET), worship aid for Pope's Christmas Mass: http://bit.ly/1O5ZlHl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8GaenmdH4I'
Midnight Mass of Christmas 2015.12.24
Scheduled for Dec 24, 2015

Pope Francis celebrates Midnight Mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord.
Audio in: Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and International sound

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http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2015/12/24/christmas-is-here-pope-francis-welcomes-baby-jesus-with-mass-in-st-peter/

Christmas is here! Pope Francis welcomes Baby Jesus with Mass in St. Peter's Basilica
Published December 24, 2015

Getty Images
Saint Peter Basilica is once again the epicenter of Christmas this evening, with Pope Francis saying Mass before tens of thousands of souls expected to gather at the heart of Rome.

Pope Francis has used these occasions in the past to promote the main themes of his pontificate: the love of God for all and God’s mercy for all.

Last year, in his homily of Christmas Eve a somber Pope Francis steeped his Christmas message in sadness for those with little cause for joy — abused children, refugees, hostages and others suffering from violence in the Middle East, Africa, Ukraine and elsewhere.

He also asked Catholics to welcome the tenderness of the Christ Child by letting him, his kindness and his love find us.

On Christmas Day, the pope is set to deliver his Urbi et Orbi message from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as his Apostolic Blessing.
 
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-christmas-eve-homily
Pope Francis' Christmas Eve Homily
Dec 24

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Beginning at 12 noon Rome (6:00 a.m. EST)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD1EjbQWA-8
Christmas Message and Urbi et Orbi blessing 2015.12.25
Scheduled for Dec 25, 2015

Pope Francis gives his traditional Christmas message and the Apostolic Blessing "Urbi et Orbi" to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and to those listening to him on radio and television.

Audio in: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and International sound

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-urbi-et-orbi-where-god-is-born-peace-and-merc

Pope Urbi et Orbi: Where God is born, peace and mercy are born
2015-12-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has delivered his Christmas Urbi et Orbi message where he highlighted world conflicts but stressed that where God is born there is peace, hope and mercy.

Christ is born for us, let us rejoice in the day of our salvation! Those were Pope Francis’ words to the City and the World this Christmas Day from the central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica.

On a clear, sunny day and on the dot of 12 noon the Holy Father greeted the thousands of people gathered in the square below.

Where God is born, hope is born.  Where God is born, peace is born, the Holy Father said.  And, he continued, “where peace is born, there is no longer room for hatred and for war.”

Yet, he noted, where the incarnate Son of God came into the world, tensions and violence persist, and peace remains a gift to be implored and built.  These tensions included those between Israelis and Palestinians and Pope Francis prayed for a resumption in direct dialogue so that peace in the region would be given a chance.

The Pope also prayed that agreement reached in the United Nations would succeed in halting violence in both Syria and Libya
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/urbi-et-orbi-message-christmas-2015
Full text: "Urbi et Orbi" Message - Christmas 2015

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-angelus-forgive-like-st-stephen

Pope Angelus: Forgive like St Stephen
2015-12-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Following two days of ceremonies at the Vatican the Pope was back in St Peter’s Square on Saturday for the Angelus.

On this St Stephen’s Day, Pope Francis recalled this Saint, the first martyr of the Church and remembered all those who suffer persecution in the name of the faith, calling them “our martyrs of today.”

The Holy Father noted that Stephen is a faithful witness, because he does as Jesus does. He knows how to love, to give, but especially to forgive.

Forgiveness, the Pope explained, “leads to "results" and is not just "a good deed": "Among those for which Stephen begged forgiveness, said Pope Francis, was St Paul. The Pope continued, “we can say that Paul was born by God's grace and Stephen’s forgiveness".

"We too, he went on to say, are born from God's forgiveness. Not only in baptism, but every time we are forgiven our heart is reborn, it is regenerated. The Holy Father also stressed that, we must never tire of asking God's forgiveness, because only when we are forgiven can we learn to forgive. "
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/holy-mass-for-the-families-27-december-2015

Homily of Pope Francis: Feast of the Holy Family

 The biblical readings which we just heard presented us with the image of two families on pilgrimage to the house of God. Elkanah and Hannah bring their son Samuel to the Temple of Shiloh and consecrate him to the Lord (cf. 1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-28). In the same way, Joseph and Mary, in the company of Jesus, go as pilgrims to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover (cf. Lk 2:41-52).

We often see pilgrims journeying to shrines and places dear to popular piety.  These days, many of them are making their way to the Holy Door opened in all the cathedrals of the world and in many shrines. But the most beautiful thing which emerges from the word of God today is that the whole family goes on pilgrimage. Fathers, mothers and children together go to the house of the Lord, in order to sanctify the holy day with prayer. It is an important teaching, which is meant for our own families as well. Indeed, we could say that family life is a series of pilgrimages, both small and big.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKPxdFaOp0E
Holy Mass for the Families 2015.12.27

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-angelus-learning-forgiveness-in-th

Pope Francis at Angelus: learning forgiveness in the family
2015-12-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with pilgrims and tourists gathered beneath a Sun-drenched Roman sky in an unseasonably warm St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the third day of Christmas and the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

“By the example and witness of the Holy Family,” said Pope Francis, “each family can draw valuable guidance for life and lifestyle choices, and can draw strength and wisdom for the journey of every day.” He went on to say, “Our Lady and Saint Joseph teach us to welcome children as a gift from God, to get them and rear them, cooperating in a wonderful way with the Creator’s work and giving to the world, in every child, a new smile.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-angelus-appeal-for-cuban-migrants

Pope Francis: Angelus appeal for Cuban migrants
2015-12-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis appealed for Cuban migrants on Sunday, who are often victims of human traffickers, and find themselves at present stranded on the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. He called on the countries of Central America to help the roughly five thousand migrants seeking to reach the United States via the land route to find a solution to the situation.

Speaking to pilgrims and tourists after the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis said, “My thoughts in this moment go out to the numerous Cuban migrants who find themselves in difficulty in Central America, many of whom are victims of human trafficking: I invite the countries of the region to renew with generosity all necessary efforts in order to find a rapid solution to this humanitarian drama.”

Mexico and several Central American countries have seen a surge in migration from Cuba as warming relations between the Communist-ruled island nation and the United States has raised the possibility that current U.S. asylum policy toward Cubans could end soon.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/12/29/pope_francis_erects_new_diocese_in_bangladesh/1197676

Pope Francis erects new diocese of Barisal in Bangladesh
29/12/2015 12:00

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Tuesday erected a new diocese in Bangladesh.  The Diocese of Barisal is composed of some territory from the diocese of Chittagong, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The Holy Father also appointed Bishop Subroto Lawrence Howlander, C.S.C., auxiliary bishop of Chittagong, as the first bishop of the new diocese of Barisal.

Comprising an area of 20,708 square kilometres, the new diocese of Barisal has a population of 15,183,927 of whom 29,685 are Catholics.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-christ-child-teaches-us-of-gods-humil

Pope Francis: Christ-child teaches us of God's humility
2015-12-30 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The figure of the Christ-child was the focus of Pope Francis’ catechesis on Wednesday at the weekly General Audience.

The humility of Our Divine Lord in the manger, and its stark contrast with our own often grandiose self-appraisal was a particular motif of the catechetical reflection the Holy Father offered to the pilgrims and visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the event.

“This is a great mystery,” said Pope Francis, departing from his prepared text in Italian, “God is humble.” He went on to say, “We, who are proud, full of vanity, and who think ourselves great stuff – we are nothing. He is the great one: He is humble, and He makes Himself a child.”

“This,” repeated Pope Francis, “is a true mystery: God is humble – and it is a beautiful thing.”
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/saved-by-a-child
Pope Francis: Last General Audience of 2015 (full text)
2015-12-30 L’Osservatore Romano

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-prayers-for-us-uk-south-america-storm

Pope Francis: appeal for US, UK, South America storm victims
2015-12-30 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis called for prayerful solidarity with victims of natural disasters that recently struck parts of the United States, Great Britain, and South America (in particular Paraguay). The Holy Father’s appeal came at the end of his catechetical reflection during the General Audience on Wednesday in St. Peter's Square.

“I invite everyone to pray for the victims of the calamities which in these days have befallen the United States, Great Britain, and South America – particularly Paraguay,” said Pope Francis.
 
Paraguay is the country hardest hit by flooding in South America that has spread across Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay as well, causing several fatalities and inflicting massive damage, while driving at least 150 thousand people from their homes. Climatologists say the flooding is due to unusually heavy summer rains resulting from an intense “el Niño” weather phenomenon.

In the United States,  severe weather that included tornadoes and flooding killed dozens of people over the past weekend, and continues to advance across the United States, bringing heavy snow and freezing rain over a great stretch of the country from Texas to northern New England.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-prayer-intentions-for-january-2016

Pope's Prayer Intentions for January 2016
Dec 30

 
His universal prayer intention is: “That sincere dialogue among men and women of different faiths may produce the fruits of peace and justice."

His intention for evangelisation is: “That by means of dialogue and fraternal charity and with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Christians may overcome divisions."

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http://www.lastampa.it/2015/12/29/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/baldisseri-synod-reform-is-in-progress-5JmzC0AGxojYgCh9crIM2J/pagina.html

Baldisseri: Synod reform is in progress
29/12/2015
iacopo scaramuzzi

The Synod secretariat is organising a "seminar exclusively for specialists in the fields of ecclesiology and Canon law". The purpose of the seminar, which is scheduled to take place in February, is to drive forward the reform of the ordo synodi and the synodal institution begun by Pope Francis. The news was announced by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, who, in an interview with Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano and confirmed Francis' intention to publish an apostolic exhortation at the end of the two Synods - the Extraordinary and Ordinary ones held in October 2014 and October 2015 - on the theme of the family. He also have a positive overview of the methodological innovations already introduced - after "some initial difficulties" were overcome - and announced that in April discussions will begin on theme of the "next" Synod "assembly", which has not been prearranged.
The Tuscan cardinal emphasised that the "renewal" of the Synod is part of "the great plans for the reform of the Roman Curia and other Church institutions, which the Holy Father is leading". In particular, regarding the recent speech the Pope gave for the commemoration of the institution's establishment after the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Baldisseri recalled: Francis "spoke about a synodality expressed at all levels, placing particular emphasis on the role of the Episcopal Conferences. He first mentioned this in his Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium", in which the Pope talked about Curia reform and the relationship between the Petrine primacy and the College of Bishops. Episcopal Conferences have an important role to play in this context. In order to facilitate a better understanding of synodality, the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops is organising a seminar exclusively for specialists in the fields of ecclesiology and Canon law. The seminar is to take place in the month of February. The initiative is aimed at delving deeper into the subject or at least giving rise to further study, starting with doctrine and existing research."
 

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December 30, 2015 Tweets
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica

Thomas Rosica Retweeted

 Catholic News Svc ‏@CatholicNewsSvc  · 7h  7 hours ago 
Remembering #popeinus with a #CNSvideo playlist: http://tinyurl.com/qdrcn4x  #papaenus #PopeFrancis
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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcRSxXfDzTxZ-y3oJEOf6kesOhhPJdYQT

Pope Francis visits America
by Catholic News Service•
26 videos•
5,087 views•
Last updated on Oct 2, 2015
 
Complete Catholic News Service video coverage of the historic visit to the United States by Pope Francis in September 2015.

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http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/12/30/the-year-in-review-in-catholicism-2015/

The year in review in Catholicism 2015
By Michael O'Loughlin
National reporter | December 30, 2015

Keeping up with news about the Church is always interesting, but 2015 was a banner year in many ways. There was the release of a first-ever encyclical on the environment, vigorous debates about religious freedom after the legalization of same-sex marriage in Ireland and the United States, an intense back-and-forth about how the Church deals with the modern family, and of course, Pope Francis’ three-city tour of the United States.

Here are some of the biggest stories from 2015, as told through Tweets from Crux, our staff and contributors, and you, our readers.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-a-song-for-our-christian-journey

Pope Francis: a song for our Christian journey
2015-12-31 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the Pueri cantores on Thursday morning in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. The international young choristers’ organization has been holding its annual meeting in Rome this week, six days of festivities, culminating on New Year’s Day with some of them participating in Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The motto of the Congress this year is Cantate spem vestram! “Sing out your hope!” – a theme on which Pope Francis reflected extensively in unscripted remarks to the choristers on Thursday morning. “Christian life is a journey,” said Pope Francis, “it is a joyful journey: sing, then, for this.”

The Holy Father offered his remarks in response to a series of questions from a select few of the more than 4 thousand participants, questions that ranged from whether Pope Francis ever gets angry, to what he wanted to be when he grew up. “When I was a boy,” said Pope Francis in answer to the second question, “I thought about becoming a butcher,” explaining that he always enjoyed to see the butchers about their trade in their market stalls in the Buenos Aires of his childhood.

In answer to the first, he said, “Yes, but I don’t bite,” and warned against letting what is a normal and inevitable human reaction to injustice or even irksome behavior in others, not become a habit. “Anger is poison,” he said, “it poisons your soul,” if too long or too often indulged.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-good-always-wins

Pope Francis: the good always wins
2015-12-31 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) “How meaningful it is to be gathered together to give praise to the Lord at the end of the year!”

Those were the words of Pope Francis as he celebrated First Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God in St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening.

The liturgy at the conclusion of the civil year included the singing of the Te Deum, the Church’s solemn hymn of praise and thanksgiving.

“The Church on so many occasions feels the joy and the duty of lifting up her song to God with these words of praise,” the Pope said in his homily. In particular, the final words of the hymn – “Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee” – have a special resonance during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The Te Deum, he continued, also helps us see the works of God in history and in our own lives, and gives us hope for the new year that lies before us.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz7NxIcHQns
Celebration of the Vespers and the Te Deum 2015.12.31 

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December 31, 2015 Tweets
https://twitter.com/roccopalmo

Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · 31 Dec 2015 
“Overcome indifference” – Pope’s message for global church's 49th World Day of Peace over this New Year's: http://bit.ly/1NUTa7A
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http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/messages/peace/documents/papa-francesco_20151208_messaggio-xlix-giornata-mondiale-pace-2016.html

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE FRANCIS
 FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE
 XLIX WORLD DAY OF PEACE

1 JANUARY 2016

Overcome Indifference and Win Peace

1. God is not indifferent! God cares about mankind! God does not abandon us! At the beginning of the New Year, I would like to share not only this profound conviction but also my cordial good wishes for prosperity, peace and the fulfilment of the hopes of every man and every woman, every family, people and nation throughout the world, including all Heads of State and Government and all religious leaders. We continue to trust that 2016 will see us all firmly and confidently engaged, on different levels, in the pursuit of justice and peace. Peace is both God’s gift and a human achievement. As a gift of God, it is entrusted to all men and women, who are called to attain it.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/participation-of-the-faithful-in-encounters-with-p

Participation of the faithful in encounters with Pope Francis during 2015

Vatican City, 30 December 2015 (VIS) – The Prefecture of the Papal Household today published a communique reporting that during the year 2015 a total of 3,210,860 faithful attended the various encounters with Pope Francis: general audiences (704,100), special audiences (408,760), liturgical celebrations in the Vatican Basilica and in St. Peter's Square (513,000), and the Angelus and Regina Coeli prayers (1,585,000). These data refer only to events held in the Vatican and do not include others attended often by large numbers of faithful, for instance during the apostolic trips to Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Sarajevo, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Cuba, the United States of America, Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, or during trips within Italy and pastoral visits in the diocese of Rome.