Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-11/vatican-pcid-interreligious-dialogue-sikh-nanak-birthday.html

Vatican urges Christians and Sikhs to “promote a ‘culture of tenderness’
19 November 2018, 12:54

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, Sikhism's holiest pilgrimage site.  (AFP or licensors)
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue released a message on the occasion of the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, which will be marked on Nov. 23.

The Vatican is urging Christians and Sikhs to join hands to  “promote a ‘culture of tenderness’ for the wellbeing of every human being and for the welfare of the entire created world!” 

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) made the call in its message on the occasion of Sri Guru Nanak Prakash Diwas, or Guru Nanak Jayanti, the birthday of Guru Nanak, the first guru and founder of the Sikh religion.  A national holiday in India, it will be celebrated on November 23 this year. 
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-albania-a-land-of-ancient-and-glorious-history0.html

Pope Francis: Albania, a land of ancient and glorious history
19 November 2018, 17:42

Pope Francis receives a group of Albanian pilgrims, who are in Rome during the commemoration of the 550th anniversary of the death of national hero George Castriot – known to history as Skanderbeg.
By Christopher Wells

In his prepared remarks to Albanian pilgrims, Pope Francis took the opportunity to greet all Albanians “in the name of the ancient bond of friendship and habitual relations” with the See of Peter.

An ancient and glorious history

Pope Francis noted the “ancient and glorious history” of Albania, remarking that the country is an integral part of Europe, with its own unique culture. “Today,” he said, “we remember and celebrate George Castriot Skanderbeg, an heroic son of a strong and generous people, who defended spiritual values and the Christian name with courage.” Skanderbeg, he continued, “forged the Albanian cultural identity with his deeds, becoming an undisputed symbol of cohesion and national unity.”

The Holy Father also spoke of the emigration of many Christians after the death of Skanderbeg, and the subsequent invasion of Albania, and welcomed the presence of Italo-Albanians among the pilgrims.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/11/19/cupich-denies-he-and-wuerl-hatched-rival-plan-before-baltimore/

Cupich denies he and Wuerl hatched rival plan before Baltimore
Christopher White   Nov 19, 2018

NEW YORK - Cardinal Blase Cupich is firing back against claims that he sought to advance an alternative proposal for bishop accountability ahead of last week’s meeting in Baltimore, in place of the plan put forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

“The allegation is false,” the archbishop of Chicago told Crux on Sunday, in response to a Catholic News Agency (CNA) report Friday that he and Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington collaborated on a separate proposal.

“At no time prior to the Baltimore meeting did the two of us collaborate in developing, nor even talk about, an alternative plan,” he said.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-maronites-lebanon-refugees.html

Pope Francis thanks Lebanon for welcoming refugees
20 November 2018, 15:04

Pope Francis greets the Maronite Foundation and Lebanese Authorities  (Vatican Media)
Speaking to a delegation from the Maronite Catholic Church, Pope Francis thanks Lebanon for welcoming over a million refugees and for maintaining a balance between Christians and Muslims.

Pope Francis addressed the Maronite Foundation and a delegation of Authorities from Lebanon on Tuesday.

In brief remarks, Pope Francis jokingly compared the numerous group of people visiting to the “multiplication of the loaves”, as they were more than he had anticipated.

The visit came on the same day as the Pope met with the bishops of the Maronite Catholic Church, who are in Rome for their “ad Limina Apostolorum” visit.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-world-day-migrants-refugees-september-press-office.html

Pope shifts World Day of Migrants and Refugees to September
20 November 2018, 16:55

Pope Francis has shifted the Catholic Church’s annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees from January to September, the Holy See spokesman, Greg Burke said in a statement on Nov. 20.

Pope Francis has shifted the Catholic Church’s annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees from January to September, the Holy See spokesman, Greg Burke said in a statement on Tuesday.

“At the request of various Bishops’ Conferences, the Holy Father has moved the World Day of Migrants and Refugees to the last Sunday of September,” the statement read. “Thus, the next World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the 105  th    ,  will be celebrated on Sunday 29 September 2019.”  “As usual, the text of the Holy Father’s Message will be released some months before the World Day,” Burke added.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-general-audience-covet-commandments.html#.W_VYTTl-Mik.twitter

Pope at General Audience: ‘Commandments open heart to God’
21 November 2018, 12:41

Pope Francis speaks at the Wednesday General Audience  (ANSA)
In his catechesis at the General Audience, Pope Francis says the Ten Commandments help us open our hearts to receive the mercy of God and to show compassion to others.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis turned his attention to the Ninth and Tenth Commandments at the Wednesday General Audience.

The Holy Father said the injunctions – “You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife… You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods” – are more than the last Commandments. “They are the fulfillment of the journey through the Decalogue, and arrive at the heart of everything which is delivered to us therein.”

Noting that they are already contained in the Commandments on adultery and stealing, Pope Francis said the Ninth and Tenth indicate “the confines of life, the limit over which a person destroys themself and their neighbor, spoiling their relationship with God.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-pope-continues-teachings-on-ten-commandments/
General Audience: Pope Continues Teachings on Ten Commandments 
November 21, 2018 13:30•Virginia Forrester•

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

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Pope Francis: Today we pray for “Those Who Pray”
21 November 2018, 10:23

Poor Clare cloistered nuns at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis asks us to take the opportunity “to thank the Lord for the gift of so many” nuns who have dedicated “themselves totally to God in prayer” on the World Day of Cloistered Life.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

This week’s Wednesday General Audience coincides with the liturgical memorial of the Feast of the Presentation of Mary. Pope Francis recalled that it is the day on which the Church celebrates the World Day of Cloistered Life, or Pro Orantibus Day — the Day for Those Who Pray.

Gratitude for cloistered men and women

Pope Francis reminded all present in St Peter's Square during the General Audience on Wednesday to pray for the many men and women who are cloistered. “There are many”, he said. He continued saying that it is a good “opportunity to thank the Lord for the gift of so many people who, in monasteries and hermitages, dedicate themselves totally to God, in silence, in a hidden life”.

Convention for nuns
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/itinerary-for-pope-s-visit-to-panama-released.html#.W_VM5JIH4jY.twitter

Itinerary for Pope's visit to Panama released
21 November 2018, 09:39

The itinerary for Pope Francis' visit to Panama to attend World Youth Day celebrations, has been released. He will travel to the country from the 23-27 January 2019.

Wednesday 23th

From Rome, Pope Francis will arrive at Panama’s Tocumen International airport. Following an official welcome, he will travel to the Nunciature.

Thursday 24th

There will be a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace followed by a meeting with state authorities and the diplomatic corps.

Later in the day, the Pope will meet with the Bishops of Central America in the Church of St Francis of Assisi before opening World Youth Day at Cinta Costera.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-social-doctrine-festival-verona.html

Pope Francis: ‘Freedom threatened by poverty, technology, consumerism’
22 November 2018, 19:01

In a video message, Pope Francis invites Christians to work together to overcome obstacles to freedom. He reflects on the challenges presented by extreme poverty, technological domination, and the reduction of the person to a consumer.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis sent a video message on Thursday to participants in the 8th Festival of the Social Doctrine of the Church, taking place in the Italian city of Verona on 22-25 November.

The Holy Father said the event’s theme – “The risk of freedom” – invites reflection on what has always underpinned the experience of men, women, societies, and civilizations. “As Christians,” he noted, “we are called to be attentive and vigilant so that the ‘risk of freedom’ does not lose its highest and most demanding meaning.”

“To risk means getting involved.”

The Pope said Christians must work together to overcome “whatever deprives men and women of the treasure of freedom.”

Pope Francis then spoke about three situations in which people have difficulty living their God-given freedom: extreme poverty, technological domination, and reduction of the person to a consumer
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-11/vatican-choir-meeting-looks-to-the-new-evangelization.html

Vatican Choir meeting looks to the New Evangelization
23 November 2018, 15:14

Monsignor Marco Frisna at the Choral Meeting in the Vatican
The 3rd International Meeting of Choirs gets underway in the Vatican on Friday and will include a major concert in the Paul VI, as well as an audience with Pope Francis.
By Lydia O’Kane

Seven thousand musicians and singers have descended on the Paul VI hall in the Vatican to participate in the 3rd International Meeting of Choirs.

The 3 day gathering organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization in collaboration with Nova Opera Onlus includes conferences, workshops and testimonies, in addition to rehearsals and recitals that will actively involve all the participants who have come from near and far.

Drawing on the international theme of this meeting, there are speakers from Vietnam, Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Included among the attendees are some of the greatest experts in the field of sacred and liturgical music, including Monsignor Marco Frisina who is moderating the gathering which will focus on “Music in the Liturgy and in the Catechesis for the New Evangelization”.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/committee-february-meeting-protection-minors-vatican.html#.W_frkEsrmk0.twitter

Organizing Committe is announced for upcoming meeting on the protection of minors
23 November 2018, 12:27

Pope Francis and the Bishops united in the Synod Hall
The Holy See's Press Office releases a statement announcing that an organizing Committee has been instituted in view of the meeting in the Vatican to take place from 21-24 February.

The Holy See's Press Office released a statement on Friday in which it announced that Pope Francis has named several people to an organizing Committee to prepare for a meeting to take place in the Vatican from the 21-24 February, 2019. This meeting will take up the subject of the protection of minors in the Church and will be attended by the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences. Full statement of the text follows.

Organizing Committee

The Holy Father has designated as members of the organizing committee for the meeting on the protection of minors in the Church, to be held in the Vatican from 21 to 24 February 2019:  Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago (USA); Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay (India) and President of the Bishops’ Conference of India; the Most Reverend Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta and Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and the Reverend Hans Zollner, S.J., President of the Centre for the Protection of Minors at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, whom he has named contact person for the committee.

Participants in the February meeting
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/zollner-february-meeting-sex-abuse-crisis-preparatory-work.html
Fr Zollner: The meeting in February begins now with consultation phase
23 November 2018, 13:03

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-seminarians-agrigento-emmaus.html

Pope to seminarians: ‘Meet Jesus on the road’
24 November 2018, 11:52

Pope Francis meets with the seminarians from Agrigento  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis reflects on the seminary experience, comparing it to the Gospel account of the disciples walking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus in which Jesus listens, helps them discern, and sends them on mission.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Pope Francis met with seminarians from the Sicilian Archdiocese of Agrigento on Saturday in the Hall of the Consistory in the Vatican. In his prepared remarks which were given to the seminarians, Pope Francis said that just as it did for the Synod of Bishops on Young People the icon of Jesus walking with the disciples to Emmaus is also an icon of the seminary experience. He then explained the key points of this icon: journey, listening, discernment and mission.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-sacred-music-points-to-the-beauty-of-paradise-21149

Pope Francis: Sacred music points to the beauty of Paradise

Pope Francis meets with choir members and muscians Nov. 24, 2018. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.
By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Nov 24, 2018 / 06:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Liturgical and sacred music can be a powerful instrument of evangelization, because it gives people a glimpse of the beauty of heaven, Pope Francis said Saturday at an international meeting of choirs.

“Your music and your song are a true instrument of evangelization insofar as you witness to the profoundness of the Word of God that touches the hearts of people, and allow a celebration of the sacraments, especially of the Holy Eucharist, which makes one sense the beauty of Paradise,” the pope said Nov. 24.

“Never stop this commitment” to music, he emphasized, “such an important commitment to the life of our communities… In moments of joy and sadness, the Church is called to always be close to people, to offer them the company of faith.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-11/cardinal-omalley-statement-february-meeting-sex-abuse-crisis.html

Cardinal O’Malley: ‘February meeting will be an important moment'
24 November 2018, 09:20

Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Sean O'Malley, President of the Commission for the Protection of Minors
Cardinal O’Malley, President of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, says he is grateful for the announcement of the formation of an organizing committee in view of the February meeting on the protection of minors in the Church.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

In a statement released on Friday afternoon, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, and President of the Vatican Commission for the Protection of Minors, says he is grateful for the announcement that Pope Francis has appointed a commission to prepare for the February meeting on the protection of minors in the Church.

Who proposed the February meeting?

Cardinal O’Malley disclosed in the statement that the “proposal for” the February meeting “was developed by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was reviewed by the Council of Cardinals and subsequently accepted by the Holy Father”. He is both pleased that Pope Francis has called for the meeting and he says he looks forward to participating in it.

Role of the Pontifical Commission

The Cardinal explained that the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is an “advisory body to the Holy Father, making recommendations on best practices for the universal Church for education and prevention programs regarding the crime of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults”. In view of this mission, he said that the Commission will be a resource for the committee in its work of preparing for the meeting in February. The Commission’s regularly hosts face to face meetings with survivors and newly appointed bishops, he said. This practice provided the Commission with the inspiration that “calling the bishops to Rome for a similar high-impact meeting would be very important in addressing the clergy abuse crisis globally”.
 

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Pope at Angelus: ‘Jesus’ eternal kingdom founded on love’
25 November 2018, 12:39

Pope Francis prays the Angelus  (Vatican Media)
Ahead of the Sunday Angelus prayer on the Solemnity of Christ the King, Pope Francis says Jesus came to establish an eternal kingdom which is founded on love and gives peace, freedom, and fullness of life.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis prayed the Angelus on Sunday with thousands of pilgrims huddled under umbrellas in a rainy St. Peter’s Square. He even complemented their courage. “You’re brave to have come with this rain!” he said.

In his address ahead of the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father reflected on the day’s Gospel passage (Jn 18:33b-37) and the Solemnity of Christ the King. He said Jesus’ kingdom rests on the power of love, since God is love.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-solemnity-of-christ-the-king/
Angelus Address: On the Solemnity of Christ the King 
•November 25, 2018 14:32•Virginia Forrester

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

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2018-11/pope-francis-mass-generosity-enlarges-heart.html

Pope Francis at Mass: ‘Generosity enlarges the heart’
26 November 2018, 12:39

In his homily at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Monday, Pope Francis says Christians need to be generous towards the poor, and warns against the “disease of consumerism”.

Pope Francis invited Christians to be generous towards the poor, saying a charitable attitude opens the heart and helps us to be kinder. He also warned that the enemy of generosity is consumerism, where we buy more than we need.

The Holy Father said there are many places in the Gospels in which Jesus contrasts the rich and the poor. He said we can think of Jesus’ comment to the rich young man: “It will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:23).

Pope Francis said some would call Christ “a communist”. “The Lord, when he said these things, knew that behind riches there always lurks the evil spirit: the spirit of the world,” he said. But, the Pope noted, Jesus also said: “No one can serve two masters” (Mt 6:24).
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-ukraine-holodomor-genocide.html

Pope Francis recalls Ukraine Holodomor famine
25 November 2018, 14:52

A Ukrainian man kneels before a Holodomor memorial in Kiev  (ANSA)
Pope Francis recalls the ‘Holodomor’ genocide inflicted upon Ukraine by the Soviet Union in the early 1930’s, and prays that such horrors never happen again.
By Devin Watkins

Following the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis remembered the man-made famine that struck Ukraine in 1932-1933 and the anniversary of the event which occurred on Saturday.

The famine is known as ‘Holodomor’ in Ukrainian, which means “to kill by starvation”.

Pope Francis called it “a terrible famine instigated by the Soviet regime which caused millions of people to die.”

Though the final death toll is unknown, most estimates put the number of people killed between 3.3 and 7.5 million, most of whom were ethnic Ukrainians.

The Vatican City State is one of 16 countries to consider Holodomor an act of genocide carried out by the Soviet government.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-11/abp-scicluna-protection-of-minors-is-a-global-synodal-issue.html

Abp Scicluna: Protection of minors is a global, synodal issue
26 November 2018, 09:10

Archbishop Charles Scicluna
Newly appointed to the organising Committee for a February meeting of Church leaders from around the world, Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna says he hopes the Church will begin to take a global approach to protecting minors and confronting clerical sexual abuse.
By Christopher Wells

In an exclusive interview with Jesuit periodical America, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta described the upcoming meeting as “the beginning of a new approach that I hope will be global, because it concerns the whole Church.” But, he continued, “it will also have a very important local context, because safeguarding is not something up-there, it has to be lived in every parish, in every school, in every diocese.”

A new phase

With the announcement on Friday of an organising Committee, preparations for February’s summit on the protection of minors in the Church has entered a new phase. In addition to Abp Scicluna, the organising Committee is composed of Cardinals Blase Cupich and Oswald Gracias, and child protection expert Father Hans Zollner, SJ.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-11/cardinal-cupich-sex-abuse-summit-to-promote-a-culture-change.html
Cardinal Cupich: Sex abuse summit to promote a culture change
26 November 2018, 09:27

In an interview with Crux, the on-line Catholic news service, U.S. Cardinal Blase Cupich, describes the anti-abuse summit called by Pope Francis as the beginning of a worldwide reform intended to bring about a change in culture regarding how the Church protects children.
By Seán-Patrick Lovett

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2018-11/pope-mass-casa-santa-marta-harvest-end-world-life.html#.W_0zOqVV-Os.twitter

Pope at Mass: how do we want to meet the Lord?
27 November 2018, 12:09

Pope Francis says in his homily at Casa Santa Marta that it is wise to make an examination of conscience regarding how we want to present ourselves before the Lord when it is our time to meet him.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Pope Francis’ homily at Casa Santa Marta on Tuesday took its inspiration from the reading from the Book of Revelation. It is wise to make an examination of conscience, he said, in view of the fact that we will one day face the Lord. We should ask how we wish to present ourselves when we meet Him, he said. It will help us make progress so that that meeting will be a “joyful” moment.

The final harvest

In the last week of the liturgical year, Pope Francis said that it is a grace to think about the end of the world and the end of our lives. The First Reading from the Book of Revelation speaks about that using “the figure of the harvest”, the Pope said.

At the harvest, each of us will meet the Lord…each will say to the Lord: ‘This is my life…. This is the quality of my life.’

All of us will have to admit our errors, because everyone errs, and the good done, because everyone does good, the Pope said.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-russian-art-photo-gallery.html

Pope visits ‘Pilgrimage of Russian Art’ exhibit in Vatican
27 November 2018, 14:52

Pope Francis on Tuesday visited the “Pilgrimage of Russian Art. From Dionysius to Malevich” exhibition showing in the Vatican’s Braccio di Carlo Magno in St. Peter’s Square.

During the private visit the Pope was accompanied by Vatican Museums Director, Barbara Jatta, and by the curator of the exhibition, Zelfira Tregulova who heads Moscow’s Tretayakov Gallery.
 
The exhibition is free and can be visited until 16 February 2019.