Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-at-audience-salvation-is-not-bought-it-is-a-gift.html

Pope at Audience: Salvation is not bought, it is a gift
29 May 2019, 12:04

Pope Francis during the General Audience  (AFP or licensors)
Pope Francis begins a new catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles, telling the faithful that the protagonists are the Word and the Spirit.”

At his General Audience on Wednesday the Pope led the faithful on a new journey. Leaving behind his continuing catechesis on the Our Father, Pope Francis began a new cycle focusing on the Acts of the Apostles.

The Word and the Spirit

The Pontiff explained how this book speaks about the spread of the Good News and shows us the wonderful bond between the proclamation of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit who gives power to this witness of faith. He added that, “the protagonists of the Acts are a lively and effective "couple": the Word and the Spirit.”

The Word of God, said Pope Francis, “is dynamic, it irrigates every ground on which it falls.” He also pointed out that its strength, according to St Luke is not its rhetoric but the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-general-audience-catechesis-full-text/
Pope Francis’ General Audience Catechesis: Full Text 
May 29, 2019 15:29•Virginia Forrester

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - General Audience 2019-05-29
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/05/29/vatican-omitted-part-of-popes-crucial-quote-about-mccarrick/

Vatican omitted part of pope’s crucial quote about McCarrick
Nicole Winfield  May 29, 2019
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROME - The Vatican communications office on Wednesday corrected the Italian transcript of Pope Francis’s comments about disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Earlier, it had omitted Francis’s claim that he didn’t remember if he had been told in 2013 of McCarrick’s penchant for sleeping with seminarians.

The omission gave the impression that Francis flatly denied knowing anything about McCarrick, whereas the full comment, provided initially only in the Spanish version, makes clear he didn’t remember. That distinction is at the root of the scandal over the Vatican’s years-long cover-up of McCarrick.

RELATED: In new interview, Pope Francis says he ‘knew nothing’ about McCarrick

The Vatican’s communications coordinator, Andrea Tornielli, said Wednesday the discrepancy was due to the quick turnaround time for translating a lengthy interview from Spanish into Italian, and that the original Spanish was considered the text of reference.

Within minutes of being asked by The Associated Press, the full and corrected version of the quote appeared on the Italian site of the Vatican news portal, Vatican News. The interview was conducted May 21 by Valentina Alazraki, longtime Vatican correspondent of Mexico’s Televisa.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/05/29/parolin-says-mccarrick-investigation-ongoing-gives-no-timetable/

Parolin says McCarrick investigation ongoing, gives no timetable
Elise Harris   May 29, 2019

In a file photo, Pope Francis talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. (Credit: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters via CNS.)
ROME - As the case of ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick makes fresh waves in the media, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has said an investigation into who knew what and how McCarrick rose to power despite open rumors of sexual misconduct is ongoing, but he was vague on a timeline.

Speaking to the press May 29, Parolin insisted that the Holy See “has said many times that they are making an investigation, which consists of gathering together all of the documentation regarding this case.”

In early October 2018, the Vatican released a statement saying Pope Francis had ordered a “thorough study” of its archives with regard to McCarrick and indicating that results would be released in “due course.” To date, no results of that review have been made public.

The statement came in the aftermath of a bombshell letter published last year by former Vatican envoy to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, insisting that Francis and a slew of other Vatican officials knew of allegations of misconduct against McCarrick.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-responds-to-heresy-accusation-china-concerns-16641

Pope Francis responds to heresy accusation, China concerns
By Courtney Grogan

Vatican City, May 29, 2019 / 10:05 am (CNA).- Pope Francis said he reacted “with a sense of humor” to the accusation of heresy made against him earlier this month.

“It does not hurt me at all. Hypocrisy and lies hurt me, these hurt me. But such a mistake, where there are even people who have filled their heads with … no, please, you have to take care of them too,” Pope Francis said in a Spanish interview published May 28.

Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki asked the pope how he took the accusation that he was a heretic, to which he responded, “With a sense of humor, my daughter.”

“I also pray for them because they are wrong and poor people, some are manipulated. And who are those who signed...?” Pope Francis added, alluding to an open letter signed by a group of 19 Catholics who accused the pope of “the canonical delict of heresy.”
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/draft-of-vaticans-new-curial-constitution-would-reform-lines-of-authority

Vatican |  May. 29, 2019
Draft of Vatican’s New Curial Constitution Would Reform Lines of Authority
According to the most current version of Praedicate Evangelium (Preach the Gospel), the authority of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith would be reduced.
Edward Pentin

VATICAN CITY — According to a draft of a new constitution for the Roman Curia, almost all Vatican departments will become known as “dicasteries,” and the newly named Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith will shift from being the second- to the third-most important Vatican department.

The draft places new and significant emphasis on mission and charitable works as the Vatican’s key duties. It also reveals a shift toward greater authority for episcopal conferences, one which modifies the relationship between Curial officials, bishops and the Pope as part of a push toward decentralization.

The Roman Curia, based on the “ecclesiology of Vatican II,” exercises its service to the bishops “in respect to collegiality, synodality and subsidiarity due to the successors of the apostles,” the draft states.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2019/05/29/cardinal-muller-francis-should-engage-with-populists-after-election-landslide/

Cardinal Müller: Francis should engage with populists after election landslide
Claire Giangravè   May 29, 2019

ROME - Many headlines in Italy declared Pope Francis the real loser in the wake of the local elections for the European Parliament, as the ruling populist and anti-immigration party grabbed the majority of the votes.

The May 20-26 elections across Europe saw moderates victorious at the EU level, but in Italy, Poland, and France populist parties swept the votes, showing that Francis’s message of welcoming and integration for immigrants does not resonate in these historically Catholic countries.

In Italy, the right-wing populist party Northern League took home over 33 percent of the vote - remarkable given Italy’s usually fragmented politics - with the pro-European Democratic Party (22 percent) and the left-wing populist Five Star Movement (18 percent) lagging behind.

Now that the preference of Italians is clear, the local church is divided. While some bishops condemn the Northern League and its leader, Matteo Salvini, for its anti-immigration and nationalistic rhetoric, others insist that Francis and the Italian Church can no longer ignore them.

“I thank the Man up there, with no exploitations,” Salvini told reporters, while kissing a rosary as the EU election results came in, on May 26.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/pope-in-romania/2019/05/29/ahead-of-visit-pope-calls-on-romania-to-remember-legacy-of-martyrs/

Ahead of visit, pope calls on Romania to remember legacy of martyrs
Junno Arocho Esteves   May 29, 2019
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

This is the logo for Pope Francis's trip to Romania. (CreditL CNS image/courtesy Holy See Press Office.)
ROME - Pope Francis said he hopes his visit to Romania will strengthen the bonds of faith that unite Orthodox and Catholics in the country.

The ties between the two churches date back to the apostles Peter and Andrew, who were “blood brothers and shed their blood for the Lord,” like the seven bishop-martyrs of the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church, who died during a fierce anti-religious campaign waged under the communist regime in Romania.

“What they have suffered for, even to the point of offering their lives, is too precious a legacy to be forgotten,” the pope said in a May 28 video message to the people of Romania. “And it is a common inheritance, which calls us not to distance ourselves from the brother or sister who shares it.”

The pope was to visit Romania May 31-June 2 and beatify the martyred bishops.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-05/pope-francis-romania-apostolic-visit-cardinal-parolin.html
Card. Parolin: Pope to highlight Europe’s Christian roots in Romania
Pope Francis’ 30th apostolic journey abroad takes him to Romania from 31 May to 2 June. As the Vatican Secretary of State explains, the visit will highlight ecumenical dialogue and the Christian roots of the European continent.
29 May 2019, 16:24
By Linda Bordoni

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2019/05/30/dziwisz-thanks-francis-for-putting-an-end-to-attempts-to-discredit-jpii/

Dziwisz thanks Francis for ‘putting an end’ to attempts to discredit JPII
Elise Harris   May 30, 2019

(Credit: CNS/Marcin Mazur, Bishops Conference of England and Wales.)
ROME - Polish Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz has issued a letter thanking Pope Francis for recent comments defending the late Saint John Paul II’s holiness and his handling of the case of Mexican abuser priest Marcial Maciel.

Dziwisz, who himself faces pressure over his role in accomodating ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick’s rise through ecclesial ranks, in a May 29 letter thanked Francis for “putting an end to attempts to defame the Polish Pope, saying that no one can doubt the holiness of John Paul II.”

His comments follow those made by Francis himself during a lengthy interview with Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, a longtime Vatican correspondent for Mexico’s Televisa.
 
During the interview, Francis praised the efforts of both John Paul II and retired Pope Benedict XVI in the investigation into allegations against Maciel, the infamous founder of the Legionaries of Christ who in 2006 was removed from ministry after being found guilty by the Vatican of leading a double life, including sexually abusing minors.

“In that, Ratzinger was brave. And John Paul II,” Francis said, saying that regarding John Paul, certain attitudes must be understood, “because he came from a closed world, the iron curtain, communism was still in force there…and there was a defensive mentality, or that he knew a thousand things from that world.”

“We have to understand well, no one can doubt the sanctity and goodwill of this man. He was great, a great man,” Francis said.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-sends-message-to-bose-liturgical-conference.html

Pope Francis sends message to Bose Liturgical Conference
30 May 2019, 10:20

Altar used by Pope Francis to celebrate Mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park
Pope Francis sends a message to participants attending the 17th International Liturgical Conference which is taking place at the Monastery of Bose.

The 17th International Liturgical Conference "ALTAR - Recent acquisitions, new problems", opens Thursday at the Monastery of Bose in Northern Italy.

The Conference is being organized by the Monastery along with the National Office for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage of the Italian Episcopal Conference, in collaboration with the National Council of Architects.

The altar was the theme of the International Liturgical Conference in Bose in 2003 and the symposium is returning to this subject to present the latest results of historical studies in the past fifteen years and to discuss new questions that have arisen.

Particular attention will be given to New Testament foundations of the Christian altar and to its image today.

Marking the opening of the event Pope Francis sent a message Thursday signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/05/30/top-vatican-official-echoes-muller-says-dialogue-key-to-political-disagreement/

Top Vatican official echoes Müller, says dialogue key to political disagreement
Elise Harris   May 30, 2019

Credit: Paul Haring/CNS.)
ROME - Facing a steep uphill battle with an increasingly populist Europe, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Wednesday backed comments from a fellow prelate insisting that the Holy See engage politicians with opposing political views, saying the approach must be one of dialogue.

Speaking to journalists May 29, Parolin noted that “The pope said - and he continues to say -  dialogue, dialogue, dialogue” as the right approach to any discussion. And dialogue, he said, “is above all done with those who don’t think like us, those with whom we have some difficulty or problem.”

“I am of this opinion, so also with Salvini one must dialogue,” he said, referring to Italian deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has sparred with the Vatican over his harsh anti-migration policies, and who has recently come under fire from Church officials for kissing the rosary and waving the Bible during political rallies.

RELATED: Italy’s Catholic establishment faults Salvini for rosary

Parolin’s comments back those made by German Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former head of the Vatican’s doctrine department, who in a May 28 interview with Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera said that in his view, the Church is not focusing enough on the faith, and “must not intrude in politics, when there is a democratically legitimized parliament and government as there is in Italy.”
 

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Hmmm...

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-abp-vigano-says-pope-is-lying-in-latest-denial-about-mccarrick

Tue May 28, 2019 - 6:26 pm EST
EXCLUSIVE: Abp Viganò says Pope is lying in latest denial about McCarrick

ROME, May 28, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — For what appears to be the first time, Pope Francis has openly denied that he knew anything of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s immoral activities, directly contradicting Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s account of their conversation on the subject.

“I didn’t know anything ... nothing, nothing,” Pope Francis said in a new interview published on Tuesday in Vatican News.

In response, the former apostolic nuncio to the United States has directly accused Pope Francis of lying.

Both interviews coincide with the release of a leaked correspondence between Pope Francis, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, confirming that restrictions were placed on McCarrick by the Vatican in 2008, and that the former cardinal (who has now been laicized over charges of sexual abuse) travelled extensively during the Francis pontificate, playing a key diplomatic role in establishing the controversial Vatican accord with Communist China.   

The new interview

In the May 28 interview with Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, Pope Francis sought to explain why he has never openly denied Archbishop Vigano’s original testimony, while issuing a denial seemingly for the first time.
 

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https://zenit.org/articles/inside-look-the-beloved-marian-shrine-sumuleu-ciuc-in-transylvania-pope-francis-will-visit-in-romania/

INSIDE LOOK AT DEVOTION IN TRANSYLVANIA: The Beloved Marian Shrine, Sumuleu Ciuc, Pope Francis Will Visit in Romania 
Marian Statue Which Survived Devastating Fire Has Been Thanked for Her Miracles for Years
May 30, 2019 11:35•Deborah Castellano Lubov

Sumuleu Ciuc - Photo Provided by ZENIT's Deborah Lubov
Pope Francis will be visiting the beloved Marian Shrine of Sumuleu Ciuc, the most important Catholic site in the country, where Hungarian-speaking Romanians and Catholics from other countries go each year on pilgrimage.

ZENIT Senior Vatican Correspondent, Deborah Castellano Lubov, brings you an inside look at the Marian sanctuary, which is part of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia, erected by Saint Stephen, King of Hungary in 1009.

Romania is majority Orthodox, with its Catholics making up– according to Vatican statistics–a mere 7.2 percent of the population, which is represented primarily through its Hungarian-speaking community.

During his May 31 – June 2 Apostolic Visit to Romania, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the site.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/04/24/vatican-publishes-updated-schedule-for-popes-visit-to-romania/

Vatican publishes updated schedule for pope’s visit to Romania
Catholic News Service
Apr 24, 2019

(Credit: CNS image/courtesy Holy See Press Office.)
ROME - Visiting Romania May 31-June 2, Pope Francis will stop at six destinations, including a popular Marian shrine in Transylvania.

He also will beatify seven bishop-martyrs of the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church, who died during a fierce anti-religious campaign waged under the communist regime.

His visit to the predominately Orthodox country will be his 30th foreign trip after visiting Bulgaria and North Macedonia in early May.

The trip will include visits to the Romanian Orthodox and Roman Catholic cathedrals, celebration of a Latin-rite Mass and an Eastern-rite Divine Liturgy, as well as separate meetings with political leaders, young people and families as well as members of the Roma community.

He will visit the capital, Bucharest, the cities of Bacau, Iasi, Sibiu, Blaj and the Marian shrine in Sumuleu Ciuc, an important place of pilgrimage for Hungarian Catholics, especially on Pentecost, which is June 9.

The overwhelming majority - almost 82 percent - of Romania’s 20 million inhabitants say they belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church led by Patriarch Daniel. About 6 percent of the population identifies itself as Protestant and over 4 percent identify as Catholic.

The Vatican April 24 released a full schedule for the trip, updating an itinerary published in late March. Times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parentheses.

Friday, May 31 (Rome, Bucharest)
 

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Pope Francis' trip to Romania -- May 31-June 2, 2019

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/04/24/vatican-publishes-updated-schedule-for-popes-visit-to-romania/
Vatican publishes updated schedule for pope’s visit to Romania
Catholic News Service  Apr 24, 2019

ROME - Visiting Romania May 31-June 2, Pope Francis will stop at six destinations, including a popular Marian shrine in Transylvania.
 
The Vatican April 24 released a full schedule for the trip, updating an itinerary published in late March. Times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parentheses.

Friday, May 31 (Rome, Bucharest)

- 8:10 a.m. (2:10 a.m.) Departure from Rome’s Fiumicino airport for Bucharest.
- 11:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m.) Arrival at Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest.
- 12:05 p.m. (5:05 a.m.) Welcoming ceremony at the entrance of the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
- 12:20 p.m. (5:20 a.m.) Courtesy visit with President Klaus Iohannis in the Cotroceni Palace.
- 12:50 p.m. (5:50 a.m.) Meeting with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila in the Cotroceni Palace.
- 1 p.m. (6 a.m.) Meeting with civil and political leaders and members of the diplomatic corps at the Cotroceni Palace. Speech by pope.
- 3:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m.) Private meeting with Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel at the patriarchal palace.
- 4:15 p.m. (9:15 a.m.) Meeting with members of the Orthodox synod at the patriarchal palace. Speech by pope.
- 5 p.m. (10 a.m.) Joint Prayer of the Our Father in the new Romanian Orthodox cathedral. Greeting by pope.
- 6:10 p.m. (11:10 a.m.) Celebration of Mass at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph. Homily by pope.
 

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Pope Francis' trip to Romania -- May 31-June 2, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-arrives-for-apostolic-journey-to-romania.html
Pope Francis welcomed to Bucharest for 3-day visit to Romania
31 May 2019, 10:28

Pope Francis greets the President of Romania  (AFP or licensors)
As the papal plane touches down in Bucharest on Friday morning, Pope Francis is welcomed to Romania’s capital by President Klaus Iohannis and a delegation of Catholic and Orthodox leaders, at the start of his 3-day Apostolic Journey to the EU member state.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis’ visit to Romania is his 30th Apostolic Journey abroad, and takes place under the official motto “Let’s walk together”.

He follows in the footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II, who made the first papal visit to the Orthodox-majority nation 20 years ago in May 1999.
 
Videos at the links below--
Pope Francis - Bucharest - Official Welcome 2019-05-31
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

Bucharest – Welcome Ceremony
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis' trip to Romania -- May 31-June 2, 2019

Photo gallery at the link
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-romania-civil-society-treatment-poor-social-model.html
Pope in Romania: Treatment of the poor is best indicator of social model
31 May 2019, 13:09

Pope Francis speaks to Romanian civil society  (Vatican Media)
In his first public event on Romanian soil, Pope Francis invites diplomats and civil servants to build an inclusive society where all share their gifts and abilities, and says the way the poor are treated is the best gauge of the goodness of a nation’s social model.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis addressed Romania’s authorities, members of civil society, and diplomatic corps on Friday morning, shortly after arriving in the capital, Bucharest.

He expressed his joy for the opportunity to visit the ţara frumoasă, or beautiful land, of Romania, 20 years after Pope St. John Paul II.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-romania-civil-society-authorities.html
Pope addresses Romania’s civil authorities: Full text
31 May 2019, 12:36

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - Bucharest - Meeting with Government Authorities 2019-05-31
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis' trip to Romania -- May 31-June 2, 2019

Photo gallery at the link
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-apostolic-visit-romania-permanent-synod-orthodox-church.html
Pope in Romania: I come as a pilgrim of brotherhood
31 May 2019, 15:22

Pope Francis and the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel
Pope Francis meets with the Permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church telling them he comes “as a pilgrim desirous of seeing the Lord’s Face in the faces of my Brothers.”
By Lydia O'Kane

In his address to the Permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Pope spoke of the Lord’s resurrection, as being at “the very heart of the apostolic preaching handed down and preserved by our Churches.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-to-romanian-orthodox-the-bonds-of-faith-that-unite-us-go-back-to-the-apostles/
Pope Francis to Romanian Orthodox: ‘The bonds of faith that unite us go back to the Apostles’ 
May 31, 2019 16:44•Jim Fair

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - Bucharest - Meeting with Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church 2019-05-31
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis' trip to Romania -- May 31-June 2, 2019

Photo gallery at the link
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-apostolic-visit-romania-orthodox-cathedral-our-father.html
Pope in Romania: the 'Our Father' prayer in Bucharest's Orthodox Cathedral
31 May 2019, 16:20

Pope Francis prays the 'Our Father' in Bucharest's Orthodox Cathedral  (AFP or licensors)
Pope Francis prays the ‘Our Father’ prayer in Bucharest’s new Orthodox People’s Salvation Cathedral.
By Linda Bordoni

The ecumenical dimension of Pope Francis’ visit to Romania was highlighted in Bucharest Friday, by his meeting with the Patriarch of Romania’s Orthodox Church, followed by an encounter with its Permanent Synod, and the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in the city’s new Orthodox Cathedral.

The Pope is on a three-day apostolic visit to the predominantly Orthodox Balkan State.  Addressing the congregation in the monumental Orthodox People’s Salvation Cathedral, Pope Francis said he wished to share some thoughts in preparation for the recitation of the ‘Our Father’ prayer.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-our-father-prayer-address-orthodox-cathedral-full-text.html
Pope prays the 'Our Father' in Romanian Orthodox Cathedral: full text
31 May 2019, 16:37

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - Bucharest –The Lord’s Prayer 2019-05-31
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis' trip to Romania -- May 31-June 2, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-mass-bucharest-romania-mary-model-of-joy.html
Pope in Romania: Mary the model of encounter and joy
31 May 2019, 17:51

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Bucharest's Catholic Cathedral  (Vatican Media)
At Mass in Bucharest, on the Feast of the Visitation, Pope Francis contemplates Mary as the model of journeying, encountering, and rejoicing.
By Vatican News

The last time a Pope celebrated Mass in the Cathedral of St Joseph in Bucharest was on the 8th of May 1999. That was exactly 20 years ago, and the Pope was St John Paul II.

On Friday afternoon, Pope Francis celebrated his first Mass in Romania and reflected on the feast of the day: the Visitation of Our Lady to her cousin Elizabeth. In his homily, he invited us to contemplate what he called three precious elements: “Mary journeys, Mary encounters, Mary rejoices”.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/romania-pope-speaks-of-mary-mary-journeys-mary-encounters-mary-rejoices/
Romania: Pope Speaks of Mary: ‘Mary Journeys, Mary Encounters, Mary Rejoices’ 
May 31, 2019 18:17•Jim Fair

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Pope Francis' trip to Romania -- May 31-June 2, 2019

https://cruxnow.com/pope-in-romania/2019/05/31/in-romania-pope-delivers-shout-out-for-women-and-call-to-encounter/
In Romania, Pope delivers shout-out for women and call to ‘encounter’
Claire Giangravè   May 31, 2019

(Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini.)
BUCHAREST, Romania - In a jam-packed Saint Joseph Cathedral in Romania on Friday, Pope Francis encouraged the local church to embrace a culture of encounter while giving a shout-out to women in the country.

“Contemplating Mary enables us to turn our gaze to all those many women, mothers and grandmothers of these lands who, by their quiet sacrifices, devotion and self-denial, are shaping the present and preparing the way for tomorrow’s dreams,” the pope said in a homily based on a meeting between Elizabeth and Mary in the Gospel.

“Theirs is a silent, tenacious and unsung sacrifice; they are unafraid to ‘roll up their sleeves’ and shoulder difficulties for the sake of their children and families,” he added.

Aboard the papal plane from Rome, Francis greeted Spanish journalist Valentina Alazraki with whom he had a long interview published May 28. He told the reporter that he had been touched by the story of Rocío, a murdered Mexican woman, and reinforced the importance of eliminating violence against women.