Pope Francis

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http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/meditations-by-young-people-for-via-crucis-released.html

Meditations by young people for Via Crucis released
24 March 2018, 14:48

Via Crucis at Colosseum  (Vatican Media)
The meditations for the 14 stations of the Cross on Good Friday at the Colosseum were released on Saturday by the Vatican, focusing on the experiences and challenges facing young people today.

This year they have been written by a group of young people coordinated by prof. Andrea Monda.

It was Pope Francis’ idea to entrust the mediations to young people especially in light of the fact that the Church is dedicating space to the new generation at October’s Synod.

Today’s Challenges

This year’s meditations focus on a number of themes such as migration, and living the message of Jesus in the era of the internet.

According to Prof Monda these young people have reflected on the stations as experiences and challenges faced in today’s world.

They also show the ability of today's young people to look inside themselves and to question themselves on the example of Jesus.

For instance, the group chosen by prof. Monda highlight the sufferings of contemporary man. In the 10th station author Greta Giglio writes that Jesus is stripped of his garments like "a young migrant, a broken body arriving in a land that is too often cruel, ready to take away his garment,… and to sell it; left alone with his cross, like yours, with only his battered skin, like yours, with only his eyes full of great of pain, like yours.”
 

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http://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-03/document-pre-synodal-meeting-young-people.html

Document of Pre-Synodal Meeting of Young People released
24 March 2018, 14:52

Participants of the Pre-Synodal Meeting of Young People
The Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops briefed journalists on the document resulting from the work of participants in a week-long Pre-Synodal Meeting of Young People that took place in the Vatican in preparation for the October 2018 Synod of Bishops on Young People.
By Linda Bordoni

A document released by the Pre-Synodal Meeting of Young People was presented in the Vatican on Saturday following a weeklong meeting which was opened in the presence of Pope Francis.

The Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment” will take place in the Vatican in October 2018.

Presenting the document during a briefing at the Vatican Press Office, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, explained it is one of the sources that will contribute to the preparation of the Instrumentum Laboris for the Synod itself.

Contributions from all over the world

Baldisseri also said other contributions will be provided by the Episcopal Conferences, by the Synods of the Eastern Catholic Churches and by synthesis documents resulting from listening sessions conducted in dioceses across the world.

He added that the results of the online questionnaire proposed to young people and the interventions of the international seminar on young people organized by the General Secretariat of the Synod in September 2017 will be added to all that material, as well as observations spontaneously sent in by individuals and groups from all over the planet.

Three-part document

Baldisseri said the document drawn up during this week is divided into three parts, preceded by an introduction: the first part deals with the challenges and opportunities of young people in today's world; the second on faith and vocation, on discernment and on the accompaniment of young people; the third on the Church's formative and pastoral activities.

He noted that approximately 15,300 young people from the five continents took part in the meeting - physically or virtually - representing their peers all over the world.

Document to be handed to Pope Francis on Palm Sunday
 
Link to the document: https://www.facebook.com/notes/synod2018/final-document-of-the-pre-synodal-meeting-of-young-people/1718340804914174/

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/youth-say-they-want-a-church-thats-transparent-up-to-date-46964
Youth say they want a Church that's transparent, up-to-date

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http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-palm-sunday-mass--sing-out-loud--hosanna-.html

Pope Palm Sunday Mass: Sing out loud "Hosanna"
25 March 2018, 11:57

Pope Francis celebrates Mass on Palm Sunday  (AFP or licensors)
Reflecting on the Liturgy of Palm Sunday, Pope Francis contrasted the joy of the people who celebrated Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with the cries of those who want to silence him.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Pope Francis invites us all to see ourselves in the Palm Sunday liturgy. He says that the liturgy “expresses the contradictory feelings that we too, … experience”: love and hatred, self-sacrifice and “washing our hands”, loyalty and betrayal.
 
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-angelus--mary-walks-with-youth-on-their-pilgrimage-of-faith.html
Pope Angelus: Mary walks with youth on their pilgrimage of faith
25 March 2018, 12:13
Pope Francis recalls that Palm Sunday is also diocesan World Youth Day and prays that the Mother of God will accompany this new generation towards the October Synod and World Youth Day, Panama, in 2019.

During the Angelus that followed the celebration of Holy Mass this Palm Sunday, Pope Francis recalled that it was also diocesan World Youth Day noting that the day was an important step on the path towards the Synod of Bishops on young people which will take place in October and to the International Day, which will take place in Panama in January 2019.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-palm-sunday-homily-3/
Pope’s Palm Sunday Homily 
March 25, 2018

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://zenit.org/articles/pope-thanks-public-security-workers-of-vatican/

Pope Thanks Public Security Workers of Vatican 
March 26, 2018

© Vatican Media
After a more formal expression of gratitude, Pope Francis slipped into off-the-cuff mode on March 26, 2018, to thank the Directors and Staff of the Inspectorate of Public Security at the Vatican.

“At times, it makes me a bit sad when I leave and I see that you are there, working. I think, ‘But these people should be at home, with their families…’. “But you work there, to protect people, me… I do not know how to thank you.”

The Pope spoke to the group during an audience in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace. And even his more formal remarks reflected his connection with those present.
 

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http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-francis-condolences-fire-siberia.html

Pope sends condolences for victims of a fire in Siberia
26 March 2018, 15:05

Pope Francis sends condolences following a fire in a Russian shopping mall  (ANSA)
The Pope offers prayers for those who lost loved ones in the blaze which swept through a shopping and entertainment mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo
 
Please see below the full text of the telegramme:

His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the fire which struck the Winter Cherry complex in Kemerovo, and he offers heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. Entrusting the deceased, especially the many children who lost their lives, to the merciful love of God Almighty, His Holiness offers the assurance of his prayers for all who mourn their loss. With the assurance of his spiritual closeness to the authorities and emergency personnel as they assist the injured and continue their search for the missing, Pope Francis invokes upon all the divine blessings of peace and consolation.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State

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http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-condolences-france-terror-attack.html

Pope condemns terrorist attack in France and expresses closeness to victims
26 March 2018, 15:12

Flowers outside the gendarmerie of Carcassonne pay tribute to slain Lieutenant-colonel Arnaud Beltrame  (AFP or licensors)
Pope Francis has sent a telegramme of condolences to the Bishop of Carcassone in south-west France where four people were killed in a terrorist attack on 23 March.

In a message addressed to Bishop Alain Planet of Carcassone and Narbonne, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to all those affected by a terrorist attack that left four people dead and 15 injured on 23 March.

The Pope said he entrusts to God’s mercy all those who have lost their lives and assured their loved ones of his closeness.

In particular, he said, he recalled Arnaud Beltrame’s “generous and heroic” gesture who gave his life to protect the lives of others.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/03/26/u-s-papal-foundation-announces-period-of-reflection-re-evaluation/

U.S. Papal Foundation announces period of reflection, re-evaluation
Cindy Wooden   Mar 26, 2018
CATHOLIC_NEWS_SERVICE

ROME — After disagreement over funding a $25 million grant request from the Vatican was leaked to the press, the leadership of the U.S.-based Papal Foundation has called for a period of reflection and “a re-evaluation of its mission, its approach to grant giving and its relationship with the Holy See.”

And while the foundation still has scheduled its annual pilgrimage to Rome April 11-14, the trip will not include the members’ customary audience with the pope, according to a press release issued by the foundation March 22.

The Vatican, it said, agreed to “postponing a papal audience until the work of the foundation is complete and its members and stewards have agreed upon the foundation’s mission, governance structure and relationship to the Holy See.”

The statement was released after a meeting of the executive committee of the foundation’s board of trustees, which includes both active and retired cardinals living in the United States. The full board of trustees, which includes the nine cardinals, seven bishops and eight laypeople, is expected to meet in Rome during the pilgrimage.
 

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http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/8788/sistine-chapel-to-live-stream-james-macmillan

26 March 2018 | by Megan Cornwell   
Sistine Chapel to live-stream James MacMillan

It will be the first ever concert to be live-streamed from the Vatican

James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater is to be live-streamed from the Sistine Chapel next month in the first event of this kind.

The Scottish composer’s hour-long composition, which meditates on the suffering of Mary standing at the foot of the cross, will be sung by British choir, The Sixteen, accompanied by orchestral ensemble Britten Sinfonia.

The Stabat Mater was premiered in an extraordinary sell-out performance at The Barbican in October 2016 by The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia, when it received a standing ovation.

The performance – on 22 April – will be live-streamed and then available to watch for one month on Classic FM’s website. It will be the first ever concert to be live-streamed from the Vatican.

The Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols who, after attending the Barbican performance organised for the work to be performed at the Sistine Chapel, said the performance would be “an experience never to forget”.
 

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Hmmm...

http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2018/03/26/far-from-continuity-here-there-is-a-chasm-the-true-story-of-the-eleven-booklets/

(English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.)

26 mar
Far From Continuity, Here There Is a Chasm. The True Story of the Eleven Booklets
di Sandro Magister

As the days go by it is ever more evident that Francis has by no means dismissed or punished Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò, for the way in which he used the letter that Benedict XVI had written to him.

On the contrary, he has confirmed and even reinforced his powers, explicitly renewing his mandate to bring to a conclusion soon the incorporation of all the Vatican media, including “L'Osservatore Romano,” in a “single communications system” entirely under his control, with a direct line to the pope and intended to preserve his image as an exemplary pastor and now also as a sophisticated theologian.

The operation that hinged on Benedict’s letter, in fact, is part of this overall plan.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/03/27/mary-mother-of-the-church-should-be-celebrated-this-year-cardinal-says/

Mary, Mother of the Church should be celebrated this year, cardinal says
Cindy Wooden   Mar 27, 2018

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. (Credit: Michael Swan/The Catholic Register via CNS.)
ROME - Reminding bishops, pastors and Catholics around the world that all Latin-rite Catholics should celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church on the Monday after Pentecost this year, Cardinal Robert Sarah said the celebration should take precedence over any other possible liturgy that day.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, headed by Sarah, had announced in early March Pope Francis’s decision to add the feast to the Church’s calendar as an “obligatory memorial.”

The Monday after Pentecost is May 21 this year.

Although there are a few specific cases in which the rector of a church or pastor of a parish could choose to celebrate a different Mass that day, Sarah said in a note released March 27 that “all else being equal, the obligatory memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church is to be preferred.”
 

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Photo gallery at the link

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-general-audience-easter-triduum-catechesis.html#.Wrt2cwId8Oc.twitter

Pope at Audience: ‘Easter Triduum is center of Christian faith’
28 March 2018, 11:54

Pope Francis greets the faithful at the Wednesday General Audience  (Vatican Media)
At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis reflects on the Paschal Triduum and invites Christians to be instruments of redemption and hope for our suffering brothers and sisters.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis in his catechesis at the Wednesday General Audience reflected on the Paschal Triduum, calling it the center “of our faith and vocation in the world”.

The Triduum, or “three days”, begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday evening and ends on Easter Sunday. The Holy Father said Christians are called to live the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection as “the matrix of their personal and communitarian lives”.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-the-easter-triduum-2/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On the Easter Triduum 
‘I am in the new life, but I live a corrupt life. And these ‘fake Christians’ will end badly’
March 28, 2018

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/03/28/pope-visits-retired-pontiff-after-doctored-letter-scandal/

Pope visits retired pontiff after doctored letter scandal
Nicole Winfield   Mar 28, 2018
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROME - Pope Francis met Tuesday with Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI in the first known contact between the two, following a major gaffe by Francis’s communications chief over his misrepresentation of a letter from the retired pontiff.

The Vatican press office said Francis called on Benedict to bring him Easter greetings.

The meeting, however, came a week after Francis’s hand-picked communications czar, Monsignor Dario Vigano, was forced to resign over the so-called Lettergate scandal.
 
The scandal led to accusations the Vatican was spreading “fake news,” just weeks after Francis dedicated his annual media message to the fight against “fake news” and the intentional distortion of information. And it produced the exact opposite of Vigano’s desired effect to establish Francis’s theological bonafides, showing that the retired pope - one of the most respected theologians today - wouldn’t endorse the project.

The Vatican spokesman declined to provide any further details of the Francis-Benedict meeting, other than to say that the two occasionally meet.
 

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http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/vatican-releases-pope-francis--scheudle-for-holy-week.html

Vatican releases Pope Francis' schedule for Holy Week
21 March 2018, 15:04
Vatican News will be broadcasting the papal liturgies throughout Holy Week, with live English commentary.
By Christopher Wells

The Vatican is preparing for Holy Week with a full schedule of celebrations scheduled for the holiest portion of the Church year.
 
Holy (Maundy) Thursday
 
There are two main liturgical events on Holy Thursday: the Chrism Mass, celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica; and the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which the Holy Father will offer in the Regina Coeli prison, not far from the Vatican.

During the Chrism Mass, the local Bishop consecrates and blesses the Sacred Oils – Chrism, used for Confirmation, and also in the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Orders; the oil of catechumens, also used in Baptism; and the oil of the sick, for the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. In Rome, the blessed oils are taken to the Cathedral Church, the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, where they are dispensed to the parishes throughout the diocese.

On Thursday evening, Pope Francis will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, commemorating the institution of the Most Holy Eucharist and of the Priesthood. Following a custom established at the very beginning of his pontificate, the Pope will say the Mass in a prison, this year at the Regina Coeli. During the liturgy, Pope Francis will wash the feet of twelve inmates, in imitation of the actions of Jesus Himself at the Last Supper.

The Pope will also have the opportunity to visit with sick inmates in the prison infirmary, as well as with prisoners in “Section VIII”, a protected area of the facility for prisoners who might be at risk in the general population.
 
Here is the full schedule for the papal events during Holy Week 2018 (all times local Roman time):

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord – 25 March

XXXIII World Youth Day

St Peter’s Square
10.00 Solemn Mass of the Passion of the Lord (with Blessing and Procession of Palms)

Holy Wednesday – 28 March

St Peter’s Square
10.00 General Audience

Holy Thursday – 29 March

Basilica of St Peter
 10.00 Chrism Mass

Regina Coeli prison
16.30 Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
 

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https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/canadian-bishop-pope-cant-visit-just-apologize-indigenous

Canadian bishop: Pope can't visit just to apologize to indigenous
Mar 28, 2018
by Michael Swan, Catholic News Service

Toronto — Pope Francis will not be visiting Canada to personally apologize for the suffering endured by indigenous Canadians at residential schools, said the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A personal apology from the pope, delivered on Canadian soil, was one of 94 "Calls to Action" that came out of a five-year Truth and Reconciliation Commission review of the legacy of residential schools in 2015.

In a March 27 letter to the indigenous peoples of Canada, Bishop Lionel Gendron, CCCB president, said Pope Francis is not able to travel to Canada for the sole purpose of delivering the apology. "A future papal visit to Canada may be considered," Gendron wrote, "taking into account all circumstances, and including an encounter with the indigenous peoples as a top priority."

"Pope Francis, in fulfilling his mission as universal pastor, has spoken often and passionately about the plight of indigenous peoples around the world and the wisdom they offer, not shying away from acknowledging those injustices that have failed to conform to the Gospel and expressing regret for past wrongs," Gendron wrote. "He has pointed to indigenous peoples as critical dialogue partners to whom the church needs to listen."
 

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Photo gallery at the link

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-francis-chrism-mass-homily.html

Pope Francis at Chrism Mass: 'God is close to his people'
29 March 2018, 10:06

Pope Francis celebrates Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica  (Vatican Media)
In his Chrism Mass homily, Pope Francis says that God’s closeness, which is expressed in Jesus’ and Mary’s interactions with others, is key for priestly ministry.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

In his Chrism Mass homily Pope Francis said that the readings from the Chrism Mass made him think of the passage from Deuteronomy: “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call on him?” (4:7)

God is close
 
The Pope observes that the Servant presented in Isaiah (61: 1-3, 6, 8-9), and King David presented in Psalm 88 are illustrations of how God draws near. Revelation 1:5-8 tells us that “the Lord always comes to us.” And the Gospel (Luke 4:16-21) shows us that, although Jesus could have chosen to be a scribe, “he wanted to be an ‘evangelizer,’ a street preacher,” Pope Francis says. “This is God’s great choice: the Lord chose to be close to his people.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-at-chrism-mass-homily-is-touchstone-for-judging-a-pastors-closeness/
Pope at Chrism Mass: Homily Is Touchstone for Judging a Pastor’s Closeness 
March 29, 2018

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-passover-greetings-rome-jewish-community.html

Pope Francis sends Passover greetings to Rome’s Jewish Community
29 March 2018, 14:24

Pope Francis shakes hands with the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni
In a message addressed to the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, Pope Francis extends his “cordial and fraternal” wishes to the Rome Jewish Community for the Feast of Pesach.

Pesach, or Passover, is an eight-day Jewish celebration that commemorates how God freed the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, as recounted in the Old Testament Book of Exodus.

“May the Almighty bless and accompany the journey of the beloved Jewish People”, writes Pope Francis. “May the Most High allow us to grow ever more in friendship and to be witnesses of peace and harmony”, he adds.

The Pope concludes with a request for prayers and with the greeting, “Chag sameach” – “Happy Feast” in Hebrew.

Pope Francis' message comes in response to similarly cordial greetings of “serenity, joy and peace” for Easter, sent to him by Rome’s Chief Rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-03/holy-see-china-press-office-no-imminent-agreement.html

Holy See says there is no imminent agreement with China
29 March 2018, 17:11

Chinese Catholics attend a Holy Thursday Mass at a government sanctioned church in Beijing  (AFP or licensors)
The head of the Holy See press office responded to journalists questions about reports of an agreement regarding the appointment of bishops for the Catholic Church in China

The head of the Holy See Press office has denied media reports that the Vatican is on the verge of signing an agreement regarding the status of the Catholic Church in China.
 
He added that Pope Francis remains in “constant contact” with his advisers on the situation of the Church in China and follows the progress that is taking place in dialogue between the two sides.

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-dont-trust-report-that-pope-francis-denied-reality-of-hell-53450

Vatican: Don’t trust report that Pope Francis denied reality of hell
By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Mar 29, 2018 / 08:21 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday the Holy See stated that a reported interview between Pope Francis and an Italian journalist, which claims the Pope denied the existence of hell, should not be considered an accurate depiction of Francis’ words, but the author’s own “reconstruction.”

A recent meeting between Pope Francis and Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari, 93, was a “private meeting for the occasion of Easter, however without giving him any interview,” the March 29 communique stated.

“What is reported by the author in today’s article is the result of his reconstruction, in which the literal words pronounced by the Pope are not quoted. No quotation of the aforementioned article must therefore be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father.”

Scalfari, a self-proclaimed atheist, is the founder and former editor of Italian leftist newspaper La Repubblica. In an article published on the site March 29, Scalfari claims that Pope Francis told him, “hell doesn’t exist, the disappearance of the souls of sinners exists.”
 
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-allegedly-says-hell-doesnt-exist-in-latest-scalfari-interview
Mar. 29, 2018
Pope Allegedly Says Hell Doesn't Exist in Latest Scalfari ‘Interview’
Nonagenarian atheist philosopher also claims Pope is honoured to be called a revolutionary, but the Vatican stresses that although the two men met, no interview was given and the comments are not a “faithful” rendering of what was said.
Edward Pentin

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https://zenit.org/articles/pope-has-mass-of-lords-supper-at-regina-coeli-prison/

Pope Has Mass of Lord’s Supper at Regina Coeli Prison 
Holy Father Washes Feet of 12 Inmates from Around World
March 29, 2018

© Vatican Media
In keeping with his practice each year of his Pontificate, Pope Francis on Holy Thursday, March 29, 2018, washed the feet of prison inmates during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

This year, the Holy Father visited Regina Coeli Prison, perhaps the best-known of Rome’s prisons, located very close to the Vatican.  It was built in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood in 1654 as a Catholic Convent, converted to a prison in 1881.
 
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-03/pope-francis-holy-thursday-washing-feet-regina-coeli-prison.html
Pope Francis at Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 'Jesus risks himself in service'
29 March 2018, 17:45
Pope Francis tells the inmates at Regina Coeli prison present for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper that Jesus risks himself by serving others because he loves so much.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Pope Francis, speaking off the cuff during his homily during the Mass of the Lord's Supper at Regina Coeli prison, contextualized the Gospel passage from John in which Jesus washes his disciples’ feet.

Jesus does what a slave does

He explains that this was a task done by slaves. After having dirtied their feet on the dusty roads, people would return home. As soon as they entered their house, a slave would provide the “service” of washing their feet. “Jesus wants to do this service to give us an example of how we must serve one another,” Pope Francis says.
 

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https://onepeterfive.com/italian-news-website-accuses-vatican-news-editor-of-manipulation/

Italian News Website Accuses Vatican News Editor of Manipulation
Maike Hickson    March 28, 2018 

As we reported on 23 March, Father Bernd Hagenkord, S.J., the high-ranking managing editor of the official Vatican news service, Vatican News – which had been supervised by Monsignor Dario Viganò until the “Lettergate” scandal – claimed in a comment under his own blog post concerning the Viganò scandal that the “partial publication” of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s letter was “agreed upon” with Benedict himself. In that post, he tried to downplay the whole Lettergate scandal, claiming that no one had been really hurt in this minor incident, with Monsignor Viganó just making a “mistake.” Later on, the German bishops’ news website picked up on his claim about Benedict’s purported approval and reported on it.

At the time, we commented on this new statement by Hagenkord as follows:

The problem with Hagenkord’s claims is the following. If Pope Benedict had really approved of the partial publication of his letter – that which had been published in the first place, without the two missing paragraphs – why did Monsignor Viganò not say so? He could have simply stated that he only published a part of the letter because Benedict had himself agreed upon it. And there would not have been any scandal. Nothing.

Thus, the credibility of this second highest media man in Vatican News is being damaged, right after Viganò’s own – also by the very fact that Hagenkord tries to minimize the public scandal of the whole Lettergate case.
“
As it turns out, Hagenkord’s own reputation has now also been damaged. As the Vatican-based Italian news website Il Sismografo – which is widely read within the walls of the Vatican –  reports today, Hagenkord had later quietly removed his earlier statement about the letter’s publication having been “agreed upon” under his blog post. It is nowhere to be found anymore, except for a statement from another commentator who still quotes Hagenkord’s deleted comments.