Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2020-02/pope-francis-mass-santa-marta-family.html

Pope at Mass: cherish those who accompany us in life
14 February 2020, 13:41

In his homily at Mass at Casa Santa Marta, Friday morning, the Pope invites Christians to remember those who accompany us in life as in a family.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis centred his homily on the theme of the family, which he said is not only made up of father, mother, brothers, uncles and grandparents but also the larger family of those who accompany us on the path of life for some time, at the workplace or at studies.

He took his cue from a retiring Casa Santa Marta employee present at the Mass, Patrizia. The Pope compared Casa Santa Marta, where he lives, to a "large family" made up of people who accompany us on the path of life.  They work there every day with dedication and care, who help if a companion is ill, who feel sad if one of them leaves. 

Faces, smiles and greetings, he said, are like seeds that are sown in everyone's heart.  At a farewell, it would do us good, he said, to make an "act of memory and thanksgiving" and also an apology to those who accompany us on our journey.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-audience-president-hungary.html

Pope Francis receives the President of Hungary
14 February 2020, 14:25

Pope Francis receives in audience President János Áder of the Republic of Hungary.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis and János Áder, President of Hungary, looked ahead to the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress scheduled to take place in Budapest next September, during a private audience in the Vatican.

A Holy See Press Office statement said talks between the Pope and the President took place in the Secretariat of State on Friday morning.

As well as focusing on the Eucharistic Congress, they expressed appreciation for the good bilateral relations existing between their States, recalling the centenary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Hungary and the thirtieth anniversary of their re-establishment.

They also shared opinions regarding topics such as social justice, the reception of migrants, promotion of the family, safeguarding creation, the present and the future of Europe.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-message-laity-conference-spain-bishops.html

Pope urges lay Christians to go forth and make the voice of the Gospel resound
14 February 2020, 12:27

A message sent by Pope Francis to participants in an event organized by the Spanish Conference of Bishops’ dedicated to the laity calls on Christians to embrace the missionary mandate and make the voice of the Gospel resound in a world where the Good News is suffocated by so many voices of death and despair.
By Linda Bordoni

In a message of closeness and encouragement to a conference in Spain dedicated to the role of the laity in the life of the Church, Pope Francis reminds Christians never to be afraid to walk the streets and touch the wounds of the people while bearing witness to the Gospel of life.

The conference, entitled “Pueblo de Dios En Salida” (The People of God Going Forth) highlights the involvement of the laity in all sections of society while celebrating the 10th anniversary of the approval of the Statutes of Catholic Action in Spain.

Organized by the Episcopal Commission for the Lay Apostolate of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, the event is taking place in Madrid from 14 to 16 February. In preparation for the conference, a questionnaire was distributed to groups of young people, families, movements, catechists, teachers, etc. gathering together reflections and suggestions.
 
In his message addressed to Cardinal Ricardo Blazquez Pérez, President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, the Pope expresses his appreciation for “the long road of preparation” that has led to this event and in which participants have been able to share ideas and experiences from different realities.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-audience-vatican-zeljko-komsic-bosnia-herzegovina.html

Pope receives Željko Komšić of Bosnia and Herzegovina
15 February 2020, 13:24

Pope Francis on Saturday morning received in audience Željko Komšić, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis on Saturday morning received in audience Željko Komšić, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A Holy See Press Office statement said discussions between the two leaders took place in a cordial atmosphere, and specified that “the parties focused on the good bilateral relations and the domestic situation of the country, with particular attention to the Catholic community. Likewise, the need to guarantee full respect for the rights of all citizens and the effective equality of the three constituent peoples”.

Finally, mention was made of some topics “of mutual interest regarding the international and regional context, such as peace and security, the need to foster paths of dialogue to face the various themes in the Western Balkans and the prospects for the enlargement of the European Union in the region.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-at-opening-of-judicial-year-pursue-the-path-of-justice.html

Pope: Vatican legislative reforms are part of the mission of the Church
15 February 2020, 11:23

Pope Francis speaks at the opening of the judicial year of the Tribunal of the Vatican City State, expressing his confidence in the work of the judicial authorities, and noting that recent financial investigations were prompted by reports originating within the Vatican itself.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis on Saturday addressed members of the Tribunal of the Vatican City State and other officials concerned with the administration of justice and the protection of law and order.

Justice begins with personal conversion

The Holy Father offered two main points of reflection in his address. First, he spoke about the Gospel, which teaches us “that the justice proposed by Jesus is not a simple set of rules applied technically, but a disposition of the heart that guides those who have responsibility”. He emphasized that justice must begin within each one, with “our own personal conversion”. This, he said, “is the only justice that generates justice!”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-02/vatican-synod-secretariat-2022-pope-francis-theme.html

Next Synod of Bishops in 2022; theme to be decided by Pope
15 February 2020, 14:35

At a meeting of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis decided that the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will be held in two years’ time, in autumn. He will decide on one of three themes presented to him.
By Robin Gomes

The next ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops has been scheduled for "for autumn 2022", to ensure a "greater involvement" of the whole Church "in the preparation and celebration" of the synod, said a note from the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

Pope Francis decided on the time while presiding over the afternoon session of the first meeting of the 15th Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops on 6 February. 

The topics on the agenda

The working session, which took place on 7 February, suggested to the Pope possible themes to be dealt with at the upcoming synod.  The meeting also reviewed other issues, such as the steps taken after the Synod on Youth in 2018 and the feedback to the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Christus vivit”.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/next-ordinary-synod-of-bishops-to-be-held-in-2022-19495
Next ordinary synod of bishops to be held in 2022

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-angelus-fulfilment-of-the-law.html

Pope at Angelus: ‘God teaches us true freedom and responsibility'
16 February 2020, 12:20

Pope Francis reflects on the Gospel reading for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, which deals with the fulfilment of the Law.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis on Sunday told the faithful that God came into the world to give us His Grace so we can do His will, and he explained that through His law, Jesus teaches us true freedom and responsibility.

Speaking to the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus, the Pope reflected on the Gospel reading which is taken from the "Sermon on the Mount" and deals with the subject of the fulfilment of the Law.

“Let's not forget this: to live the law as an instrument of freedom, which helps me to be more free, which helps me not to be slaves to our passions and sin,” he said. The Pope reflected on war and its consequences, "so many calamities, so many." This, he said, "is the fruit of the passions, and people who make war do not know how to master their passions".
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-fulfilment-of-the-law-as-addressed-in-the-sermon-on-the-mount/
Angelus Address: On Fulfillment of the Law as Addressed in the Sermon on the Mount
February 16, 2020 14:14  Virginia Forrester

Video, with English commentary, at the link below--
Pope's Angelus of 16 February 2020
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/angelus/2020-02/pope-s-angelus-of-16-february-2020.html
or
Pope Francis - Angelus prayer 2020-02-16
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-francis-letter-vatican-diplomats-spend-year-on-mission.html

Pope Francis: future Holy See diplomats will spend a year on mission
17 February 2020, 12:05

Pope Francis sends a letter to the President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, announcing that whoever enters the Vatican’s diplomatic service will be asked to carry out a 12-month missionary experience in a diocese.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis has introduced a year of missionary experience into the curriculum of those preparing to enter service in the Holy See's diplomatic corps.
The Pope had foreseen this change in his final speech at the Synod on the Amazon, and now it has become a reality.

In a letter to Archbishop Joseph Marino, the new President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy – which trains nuncios for the Vatican’s diplomatic staff – Pope Francis requests an addition to the curriculum: one year spent on mission within a local Church. The letter is dated 11 February 2020.

The Holy Father expresses his “desire that priests preparing for the diplomatic service of the Holy See devote a year of their training to missionary service in a diocese.”

“I am convinced,” he adds, “that such an experience will be useful for all the young men preparing for or beginning priestly service, but especially for those who will someday be called to work with the Pontifical Representatives and, afterwards, will in turn become Envoys of the Holy See to nations and particular Churches.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2020-02/pope-francis-mass-santa-marta-open-compassion-heart.html

Pope at Mass: God asks of us an open heart full of compassion
18 February 2020, 13:16

"The medicine against hardheartedness is memory," says Pope Francis in his homily at Mass Tuesday morning at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. He invites Christians not to forget the grace of salvation that makes the heart sincere and capable of mercy.
By Robin Gomes

In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the day’s Gospel from St. Mark where the disciples are worried about the shortage of bread in the boat where there was also Jesus.  The Pope pointed out that the concern for a material good had got the better of them.  Jesus rebukes them that their hearts are hardened and they cannot understand.  “Have you eyes and cannot see, have you ears and cannot hear?” he asks them, reminding them of the multiplication of five loaves to feed five thousand, with many baskets full of fragments left over.

When compassion lacks, idolatry and ideology set in

In this episode, the Pope pointed to the difference between a “hardened heart”, like that of the disciples and a “compassionate heart”, like that of the Lord.

Compassion is what the Lord wants in us, the Pope said, adding: "Mercy I want, not sacrifice." The Holy Father said that a heart without compassion is an idolatrous heart. A self-sufficient heart goes ahead sustained by its own selfishness, becoming strong only with ideologies.

Speaking about the four ideological groups of Jesus’ time – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots – the Pope said they had hardened their hearts to carry out a project that was not God's, as there was no place for compassion.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-francis-costa-rica-100-jubilee-message.html

Pope urges Costa Ricans to bring Gospel to all during jubilee year
18 February 2020, 11:36

Pope Francis sends a letter to the Catholic Church in Costa Rica at the outset of a jubilee year leading up to the 100th anniversary of the Central American nation’s dioceses.
By Devin Watkins

The Church in Costa Rica inaugurated the jubilee year on Sunday, to help the faithful prepare for the centenary of the country’s ecclesiastical province, to be marked on 16 February 2021.

In a letter sent on Sunday, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin conveyed Pope Francis’ spiritual closeness to Costa Rican Catholics during this special year.
The Pope encourages them to recall “the merciful love of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom all truth, goodness, and beauty flow”.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-02/vatican-judiciary-expands-investigation-into-investments.html

Documents and computer equipment belonging to Msgr Perlasca seized
18 February 2020, 15:48

Last October the Vatican judiciary launched an investigation into financial and real estate investments which led to the suspension of 5 Holy See employees.
By Vatican News

The investigation which began last October and focused on five Holy See employees who were suspended, has been enlarged. A communiqué issued by the Holy See Press Office made the following public: “within the context of a search ordered by the Promoter of Justice, Gian Piero Milano, and by the Adjunct Promoter of Justice, Alessandro Diddi, documents and computer equipment in Msgr Alberto Perlasca’s house and office were seized.” Msgr Perlasca is a former head of the Administrative Office of the First Section of the Secretariat of State. He is originally from Como, Italy, is 59 years old, and as of July 2019 has been exercising the office of substitute Promoter of Justice at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Thus, Msgr Perlasca becomes the sixth suspect in the investigation.

The communiqué states that, “the measure was undertaken pursuant to the investigation into financial and real estate investments by the Secretariat of State, and is linked, while respecting the presumption of innocence, to what emerged in the initial interrogations of the officials under investigation who had already been suspended”.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/breaking-vatican-official-raided-over-london-property-deal-investigation-40558
Vatican official raided over London property deal investigation

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/02/vatican-official-denies-use-of-charity-money-for-london-property-deal/

Vatican official denies use of charity money for London property deal
Junno Arocho Esteves  Feb 18, 2020
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROME - Italian Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, denied allegations that money earmarked for helping the poor was used to invest in a London property deal.

During a book presentation in Rome Feb. 17, Becciu said that accusations he used money from the annual Peter’s Pence collection for the investment “made me suffer.”

“I want to deny this because we did not use that money,” he said. “Peter’s Pence was not affected; an investment was made on a building. It was a good and opportune occasion, which many people envy us for today. With Brexit, the value of the building has tripled.”
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/02/u-s-eastern-catholic-bishops-celebrate-liturgy-at-tomb-of-st-peter/

U.S. Eastern Catholic bishops celebrate liturgy at tomb of St. Peter
Cindy Wooden  Feb 18, 2020
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROME - Faith is not something people put on like a piece of cloth that is easy to change, but is more like skin, which “is inseparable from us,” said Bishop Mikael A. Mouradian, leader of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg, which covers the United States and Canada.

Looking for guidance or for a model, a person naturally looks to one who has the most experience and expertise; for Catholic bishops, the first model is St. Peter, prince of the apostles, said Mouradian in a homily Feb. 18 at the apostle’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Armenian Catholic bishop presided at the Divine Liturgy concelebrated with the other Eastern Catholic bishops of the United States as part of their visit “ad limina apostolorum,” literally to the tomb of the apostles.

Wearing their own rites’ mainly gold and white vestments, the Ukrainian, Ruthenian, Maronite, Melkite, Syriac, Syro-Malabar, Armenian and Romanian Catholic bishops were assisted at the liturgy by a small choir of Armenian seminarians and by an Armenian deacon who gave a running commentary of the Armenian-rite liturgy and indications to the concelebrants about which prayers to recite.
 
The bishops, like the 14 groups of U.S. bishops that preceded them on their “ad limina” visits, recited the creed and paused in silence before St. Peter’s tomb.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-francis-audience-blessed-meek-versus-anger.html

Pope at Audience: Meekness unites us, anger drives us apart
19 February 2020, 11:47

At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis reflects on Jesus’ invitation to meekness in the third Beatitude, and urges Christians to be people of mercy and hope.
By Devin Watkins

Turning his attention to the third Beatitude of Matthew’s Gospel – “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” – Pope Francis said a meek person is kind and shuns violence, refusing to grow angry when passions run high.

“Anyone can seem meek when all is calm,” he told pilgrims at the General Audience in the Paul VI Hall, “but how do we react when ‘under pressure’ or are attacked, offended, or assaulted?”

Jesus, said the Pope, is a model of meekness especially in how He suffered the Passion.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-general-audience-on-the-3rd-beatitude-full-text/
POPE’S GENERAL AUDIENCE: On the 3rd Beatitude (FULL TEXT)
February 19, 2020 14:10

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - General Audience 2020-02-19
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/council-of-cardinals-revising-new-apostolic-constitution.html

Council of Cardinals revising new Apostolic Constitution
19 February 2020, 14:52

The 33rd meeting of the Council of Cardinals was dedicated to a re-reading of the new document that will replace "Pastor Bonus", as well as a consideration of proposed amendments to the text.
By Vatican News

The Council of Cardinals met again this week for their regularly scheduled meeting in the Vatican.

According to a statement of the Holy See Press Office, Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Óscar A. Rodríguez Maradiaga, Reinhard Marx, Seán Patrick O'Malley, Giuseppe Bertello, and Oswald Gracias were present for the meeting, along with the Secretary of the Council, Archbishop Marcello Semeraro, and the Assistant Secretary, Bishop Marco Mellino.
Pope Francis was present for the proceedings, with the exception of the meeting on Wednesday morning which took place during the General Audience. The final session is taking place on Wednesday afternoon, with Pope Francis in attendance.

The text of the new Apostolic Constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia, which has been revised in light of the contributions offered by the various Dicasteries and by some experts, was the subject of an in-depth re-reading and revision by the Council. The Cardinals also followed some suggestions received in recent weeks from Cardinals resident in Rome who had not yet had the opportunity to send their proposals.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-bari-mediterranean-bishops-migration-mideast-christians.html

Migration and Mid-East Christians at heart of Pope’s visit to Bari
19 February 2020, 16:43

Pope Francis travels to the southern Italian city of Bari on Sunday to address a conference entitled “Mediterranean: Frontier of Peace,” which sees the participation of some 60 Catholic bishops from 19 nations bordering the Mediterranean.
By Linda Bordoni

During his visit to the coastal city of Bari, Pope Francis will participate in a conference with bishops from Mediterranean countries and celebrate Mass in front of the Basilica of St. Nicholas. It will be his second visit to the city following the one in July 2018 during which he prayed for peace in the Middle East, together with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

The event organized by the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) will focus on issues facing the region.

The President of CEI, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, explained that the meeting will take place in a “synod” style, with the formulation of a shared proposal for a final document.  He said its objective is to highlight the Mediterranean as a meeting of civilizations, a place where Christianity developed and is “therefore, a frontier of peace.”

Hailing from North Africa, Europe and the Middle East, participants are discussing issues connected to migration, evangelization of young people, unemployment, cultural exchanges and peacemaking.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2020-02/pope-francis-mass-casa-santa-marta-know-jesus-up-to-the-cross.html

Pope at Mass: being Christian means accepting Jesus, even to the cross
20 February 2020, 12:54

In his homily at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday, Pope Francis urges the faithful to do all that is necessary to truly know Jesus.
By Francesca Merlo

During his daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reflected on two questions from the daily Gospel reading: “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?”

Three steps to knowing Jesus

The Pope said that the Gospel teaches us the three steps that help us learn who Jesus truly is. These are to know, to witness and to accept the path that God has chosen for Him.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-francis-the-power-of-education-for-a-more-fraternal-humani.html

Pope Francis: The power of education for a more fraternal humanity
20 February 2020, 13:45

Pope Francis addresses participants of the Plenary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, urging them to “unite efforts in a broad educational alliance to form mature people, capable of overcoming fragmentation and opposition and rebuild the fabric of relationships for a more fraternal humanity".
By Vatican News

“Education is a dynamic reality; it is a movement that brings people to light.” Those were the words of Pope Francis to participants of the Plenary of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Speaking to those gathered in the Vatican on Thursday, the Pope stated that education “is a peculiar kind of movement, with characteristics that make it a dynamism of growth, oriented to the full development of the person in their individual and social dimension.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-praises-those-dedicated-to-catholic-education-for-their-work-each-day/
Pope Praises Those Dedicated to Catholic Education for Their Work Each Day
Addressing Congregation for Catholic Education, Explains the Appeal Behind Upcoming Global Education Pact
February 20, 2020 16:16  Deborah Castellano Lubov

Vatican
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/02/20/200220b.html
Audience with the participants in the Plenary of the Congregation for Catholic Education (for Educational Institutions), 20.02.2020

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/02/u-s-eastern-catholic-bishops-thank-pope-for-lifting-ban-on-married-priests/

U.S. Eastern Catholic bishops thank pope for lifting ban on married priests
Cindy Wooden Feb 20, 2020
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROME - Pope Francis “is a father who knows very well his daughters and sons,” including those who belong to the Eastern Catholic churches, said the Armenian Catholic bishop of the United States and Canada.

Bishop Mikael A. Mouradian of the California-based Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg was one of 15 bishops from eight Eastern Catholic churches who spent close to three hours conversing with Pope Francis Feb. 20.

The meeting was part of the bishops’ “ad limina” visits to Rome to report on the status of their eparchies or dioceses. They were the last group of U.S. bishops to complete the visits, which are required regularly of every bishop in the world.
 

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https://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/fraternally-francis

Feb. 20, 2020
Pope Francis Thanks Cardinal Müller for Remarks Published in Register

The Holy Father’s handwritten note of appreciation came in response to Cardinal Müller’s Feb. 12 statement calling Querida Amazonia “a pastoral letter of prophetic power.”
Edward Pentin

Pope Francis has sent a handwritten letter to Cardinal Gerhard Müller, thanking him for a book the cardinal wrote in 2017, and for a statement he wrote on the Pope’s apostolic exhortation on the Amazon Synod.

“Dear Brother, thank you very much for the book The Pope — Mission and Mandate and for the text on the post-synodal exhortation Querida Amazonia which I liked,” the Pope wrote in the letter dated Feb. 12, the day the apostolic exhortation on the Amazon Synod was published.
 
The Pope closed his short note by asking for Jesus’ blessing on the cardinal and for Mary’s intercession, and asking the cardinal to pray for him. He signed it with the words, “Fraternally, Francis.”