Pope Francis

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/healing-the-world-an-opportunity-to-build-something-different.html
Pope at Audience: Healing the world is an opportunity to build something better
19 August 2020, 10:08

At the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis invites us to cure the “virus” of social injustice, inequality of opportunity, marginalization, and the lack of protection for the weakest.
By Christopher Wells

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has not only “exposed the plight of the poor and the serious inequality that reigns in the world,” but even exacerbated them, Pope Francis said at the Wednesday General Audience.

Continuing his catechesis on “Healing the World,” the Holy Father said our response to the pandemic must be twofold: “finding a cure for this small but terrible virus,” but also curing “a larger virus, that of social injustice, inequality of opportunity, marginalisation, and lack of protection for the weakest.”

In meeting that challenge, he said, we must always keep in mind the “preferential option for the poor.” This is not a political, ideological, or partisan option, he said. Rather, "the preferential option for the poor is at the centre of the Gospel."
 
https://zenit.org/2020/08/19/popes-general-audience-matthew-chapter-25-a-key-criterion-of-christian-authenticity-full-text-2/
POPE’S GENERAL AUDIENCE: Matthew, Chapter 25 – A Key Criterion of Christian Authenticity (FULL TEXT)
AUGUST 19, 2020 10:01

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-free-mary-from-associations-with-the-mafia.html

Pope Francis: Free Mary from associations with the mafia
20 August 2020, 15:40

In a letter to the Pontifical International Marian Academy, the Pope expresses his appreciation for the institution of a Department of analysis and study of criminal and mafia-related phenomena, “in order to liberate the figure of Our Lady from the influence of criminal organizations.”
By Vatican News

Pope Francis is calling for authentic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary to be freed from “superstructures, powers or conditioning that does not correspond to the Gospel criteria of justice, liberty, honesty, and solidarity.” The exhortation comes in a letter, made public on Thursday, which is addressed to the President of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, Father Stefano Cecchin.

In his letter, the Pope takes note of an ad hoc Department created within the Academy to study criminal and mafia phenomena, precisely in order “to free the figure of Our Lady from the influence of criminal organizations.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-letter-buenos-aires-parish-nonnatus-feast.html

Pope Francis writes to Buenos Aires parish on patron’s feast
20 August 2020, 17:20

The Argentine-born Pope recalls visiting the parish of St. Raymond Nonnatus on the feast of its patron.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis has sent a message to a parish in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, recalling his visit to the church when he was archbishop there. 

"I remember my meetings there in those festive days - the blessings of mothers, children, couples asking for a child... a true hymn to the life to come," the Argentinian pope wrote in a handwritten letter to Father Rubén Ceraci, the parish priest of the Church of Saint Raymond Nonnatus.

The Pope, who headed the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires from February 28, 1998, until his election as Pope on March 13, 2013, vividly remembered visiting the parish on the feast of its patron saint, August 31.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-surprise-phone-call-to-mozambique-s-cabo-delgado.html

Pope Francis’ surprise phone call to Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado
20 August 2020, 17:00

Pope Francis on Wednesday morning made a surprise phone call to Bishop Luiz Fernando Lisboa, C.P., of the Diocese of Pemba in Mozambique’s troubled province of Cabo Delgado.
By Paul Samasumo and Bernardo Suate

Speaking to Vatican News, the Bishop of Pemba, Fernando Lisboa, spoke of receiving an unexpected phone call from Pope Francis at 11:29 Wednesday morning.

Bishop Luiz Fernando Lisboa has been a consistent voice drawing attention to the worsening humanitarian situation in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado.

Since 2010, Cabo Delgado has witnessed the discovery of substantial gas reserves off its coast. The area is now home to Africa’s largest liquid natural gas attracting enormous investment for the eventual extraction. A growing and relentless insurgency now threaten the investments.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/turkey-turns-second-historic-istanbul-church-into-mosque-93899
Turkey turns second historic Istanbul church into mosque
By Hannah Brockhaus

Rome Newsroom, Aug 21, 2020 / 05:30 am MT (CNA).- A month after the former cathedral Hagia Sophia was converted from a museum into a mosque, another Istanbul church-museum, renowned for its exquisite Byzantine mosaics, will undergo the same transformation.

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, ordered Friday that the 700-year-old Chora Church -- currently the Kariye Museum -- be turned into a fully functioning mosque.

The building’s history mirrors that of the famous former Byzantine cathedral Hagia Sophia.

Holy Savior in Chora is a 4th-century Greek Orthodox church whose structure was originally part of a monastery in Byzantine Constantinople.

The church’s current form, instead, dates from the early 14th century. It is highly valued for its masterful mosaics and frescoes.

After the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the church was taken for Muslim worship, and the wall paintings and mosaics thinly covered with dye and lime.

In 1945, the secular Turkish republic declared the building a national monument, and extensive restoration and conservation work was carried out on the former church’s artworks before it opened as a museum in 1958.

Like Hagia Sophia, the building is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-christians-persecution-more-martyrs-now-today.html

Remembering Pope Francis's words about persecuted Christians
22 August 2020, 14:10

As the world commemorates the International Day of the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion, we recall Pope Francis’s words on the persecution of Christians.
Compiled by Sr Bernadette M Reis, fsp

Pope Francis has touched on the theme of the persecution of Christians a number of times since he became Pope in March 2013.

In fact, just a little over a month after his election, Pope Francis said something that he has repeated a number of times since:

“The Church has more martyrs now than during the first centuries."

More martyrs now

Pope Francis spoke this phrase within a homily in which he commented on the martyrdom of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He attributed Stephen’s death to “calumny”, even calling Stephen a “victim of calumny.” From Stephen to our own day, Pope Francis said, many Christians have witnessed to the Gospel in the same way with great courage:

"The age of martyrs is not yet over, even today we can say, in truth, that the Church has more martyrs now than during the first centuries. The Church has many men and women who are maligned through calumny, who are persecuted, who are killed in hatred of Jesus, in hatred of the faith: some are killed because they teach the catechism, others are killed because they wear the cross ... Today, in many countries, they are maligned, they are persecuted ... they are our brothers and sisters who are suffering today, in this age of the martyrs.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2020-08/un-international-day-victims-religion-violence-vietnam-pope.html
UN urges eradicating causes of violence against religion

The UN observes International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on August 22, as the Church in Vietnam calls for prayers for victims and for freedom of religion.
By Robin Gomes

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Video. with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-angelus-charity-high-road-of-perfection.html
Pope at Angelus: Faith in Jesus gives full meaning to charity
23 August 2020, 12:12

At the Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis says Jesus shows us that the path of perfection lies in trusting in Him and carrying out acts of charitable solidarity.
By Devin Watkins

Ahead of the recitation of the traditional Marian prayer, Pope Francis reflected on the day’s Gospel (Mt 16:13-20), in which Peter professes his faith in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God.

In the episode, Jesus asks the disciples about His identity, and leads them further in their relationship with Him.

“Indeed,” said the Pope, “the entirety of Jesus’s journey with those who follow Him, especially with the Twelve, is one of educating their faith.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-angelus-2010-san-fernando-massacre-mexico.html
Pope recalls anniversary of ‘2010 San Fernando Massacre’ in Mexico
23 August 2020, 12:48

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-angelus-coronavirus-italy-earthquake-cabo-delgado.html
Pope Francis prays for victims of Covid-19
23 August 2020, 13:19

https://zenit.org/2020/08/23/peter-professes-his-faith-in-jesus-as-messiah-and-son-of-god/
Full Text of Sunday Angelus Address
AUGUST 23, 2020 13:28  JIM FAIR

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-donates-ventilators-to-malawi-catholic-hospital.html

Pope donates ventilators to Catholic hospital in Malawi
23 August 2020, 09:42

Pope Francis gives several ventilators to a Church-run hospital on the outskirts of Malawi’s capital to help care for patients with Covid-19.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis has made a generous donation of several ventilators to the Likuni Mission Hospital, which lies 9 kilometers from Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.

The gift was made in the Pope’s name by Archbishop Gianfranco Gallone, the Apostolic Nuncio to Malawi and Zambia.

Archbishop Tarcisius Ziyaye of Lilongwe delivered the ventilators to the Missionary Sisters of St Francis of Assisi, who staff the facility.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-asks-for-prayers-from-cardinal-on-pilgrimage-to-lourdes-94933

Pope Francis asks for prayers from cardinal on pilgrimage to Lourdes
By Hannah Brockhaus

Rome, Italy, Aug 24, 2020 / 11:24 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis called an Italian cardinal heading to Lourdes on pilgrimage Monday to ask for his prayers at the shrine for himself and “for some situations to be resolved.”

According to the vicar general of Rome, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Pope Francis called him early in the morning Aug. 24 before De Donatis left on a flight for a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

“He told me to bless you all and to pray for him. He insistently asked for prayers for some situations to be resolved and said to entrust him to Our Lady,” the cardinal told journalists and others aboard the flight from Rome Aug. 24.

De Donatis is leading the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes after recovering from the coronavirus this spring. The 185 pilgrims include 40 priests and four bishops, as well as several healthcare workers who helped treat De Donatis when he was sick with the virus.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2020/08/pope-praises-priest-who-pioneered-argentine-form-of-liberation-theology/

Pope praises priest who pioneered Argentine form of liberation theology
Inés San Martín  Aug 24, 2020

ROSARIO, Argentina – When a pope has no global leaders visiting him on a regular basis, and no appointments with bishops from around the world doing their regular trek to the Eternal City, what does he do?

Well, if you’re Pope Francis, you use the time to dispatch personal notes and emails.

Last weekend, he sent a note to pay homage to a priest from Argentina who died of cancer Aug. 16. Known as a poet, singer, and a defender of Argentina’s biodiversity, Father Julian Zini penned some of the country’s most famous Mass songs.

“I consider him one of the great ‘Poets of the People,’ a creator of song, of life, of beauty,” Francis said in the handwritten note sent to the northern province of Corrientes, where Zini ministered most of his life. The letter was read Saturday during a TV special honoring the life of this priest, defined as a man who “embraced” the Second Vatican Council.

The songs Zini wrote, Francis argues in his letter, now belong to “that people to which he gave his priestly life, they are of that humble people whom he served with generosity as a father who only knows how to give life.”

“To Fr. Julian, ‘a thank you as big as your heart deserves’”, the pontiff wrote, before closing with his usual request for people to pray for him.

Zini was a member of the “Movement of Priests for the Third World,” founded after the Second Vatican Council by a group of priests who had a strong political and social participation. Between 1967 and 1976 the movement worked as an Argentine version of Liberation Theology, with ties to leftwing Peronism but with less affinity for Marxism.

Peronism, named after General Juan Doming Peron, is Argentina’s most important political party, technically called Justicialismo, Though Peron’s philosophy was tied with “doing what needs to be done” at any given time, which leads the party to fluctuate on issues such as taxes and privatization of public services, it’s always been labeled as a force close to the country’s poor and which favors unions.

Even though there were no bishops involved in the movement of Priest for the Third World, their founding document is based in the declaration of Medellin from the Conference of Catholic Bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAM) and Vatican II, and tied poverty in the Third World to exploitation by multinational firms of industrialized countries. The first meeting of the movement took place in 1968, with the explicit support of several bishops, including Enrique Angelelli, today a candidate for sainthood declared a martyr by Pope Francis.
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-general-audience-christian-hope-rooted-in-god-covid.html
Pope Francis: We are stewards called to share earth's fruits with everyone
26 August 2020, 10:00

Pope Francis focuses his weekly General Audience on the importance of equality and sharing of goods in order to reflect God's love for us and for Creation during this time of trial caused by the pandemic.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis opened his catechesis on Wednesday by inviting the faithful to “welcome the gift of hope that comes from Christ”, especially during the pandemic, in which "many risk losing hope".

The Pope explained that it is Christ who “helps us to navigate the tumultuous waters of sickness, death and injustice, which do not have the last word over our final destination.”

Continuing his catechesis on Healing the World, the Holy Father focused on the universal destination of goods and the virtue of hope.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/poland-and-the-world-entrusted-to-our-lady-of-czestochowa.html
Pope Francis spiritually united with pilgrims honouring Our Lady of Czestochowa
26 August 2020, 13:10

https://zenit.org/2020/08/26/popes-general-audience-christian-hope-rooted-in-god-is-our-anchor-full-text/
POPE’S GENERAL AUDIENCE: ‘Christian Hope, Rooted in God, Is Our Anchor’ (FULL TEXT)
AUGUST 26, 2020 10:40

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/general-audience-resume-members-of-faithful-present-pope-francis.html

General Audience to resume with members of the faithful present
26 August 2020, 12:31
 
The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household announced on Wednesday that as of Wednesday, 2 September, Pope Francis’s General Audience will once again take place “with the participation of the faithful.”

Following the hygiene directives issued by the competent authorities, the audiences for the month of September will be held in the Apostolic Palace’s San Damaso courtyard.

The statement says that attendance at these General Audiences “is open to anyone who wishes” to participate. It also notes that no ticket is necessary and that it begins at 9:30 am.
 
The Bronze Door under the right colonnade of St Peter's Square will serve as the entrance to the Courtyard. People wishing to attend will be allowed to enter beginning at  at 7:30 am.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-john-paul-i-election-anniversary-42-years.html

John Paul I: the faith of the "Smiling Pope” in Vatican II
26 August 2020, 13:37

Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected pope on August 26, 42 years ago. Experts are currently examining a presumed miracle that could open the way for the beatification of John Paul I.
By Vatican News

One of the shortest pontificates in history could bring to the honour of the altars another pope of the 20th century.  John Paul I lived only 34 days on the Chair of Peter, but his testimony - not only in that short period of time, but more so in the previous decades as bishop and pastor, esteemed even outside the Italian borders - remains very tangible in the Church even today.

It was 42 years ago that Albino Luciani, the Patriarch of Venice, was elected pope on the fourth ballot on August 26, 1978, and assumed the double name “John Paul”, in homage to his immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI.  The former appointed him Bishop of Vittorio Veneto, thus including him among the Fathers of the Council; while the latter transferred him to Venice and created him cardinal.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-08/john-paul-i-foundation-names-scientific-committee.html
John Paul I Foundation names scientific committee
26 August 2020, 16:14

A Press Release from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State names the members of the new John Paul I scientific committee
By Vatican News

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-monica-augustine-feast-day.html

Pope Francis pays a visit to St Monica on her feast day
27 August 2020, 18:34

On the liturgical memorial of St Monica, Pope Francis visits her relics in the Basilica of St. Augustine in Campo Marzio, Rome.
By Vatican News

On Thursday evening, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, communicated that earlier in the afternoon, Pope Francis went to visit the Basilica of St Augustine in Campo Marzio.

He spent some time in prayer in the Chapel of St Monica, Augustine's mother, in front of St Monica's tomb.

Pope Francis then returned to the Vatican.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-08/vatican-mission-day-evangelization-peoples-october18-2020.html

Vatican confirms World Mission Day 2020 will be observed on Oct. 18
28 August 2020, 14:42

The Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples has cleared doubts about the postponement of the annual Church observance.
By Vatican News

The Catholic Church’s World Mission Day 2020 will be observed as usual on October 18, the Vatican said on Friday.

“In response to some requests about the celebration of World Mission Day 2020, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples confirms that it will be celebrated this year at the universal level on Sunday, October 18, with no change in the calendar,” the Congregation said in a press release.
 
Pope’s message

On Pentecost Sunday, May 31, Pope Francis released his message for this year’s celebration. Based on theme taken from the Book of Isaiah, “Here am I, send me”, the Pope’s message says that the Covid-19 pandemic is an opportunity for mission and service to others.

World Mission Day, or Mission Sunday, was instituted by Pope Pius XI instituted in 1926, to remind Catholics about their commitment and support to the missionary work of the Church through prayer and sacrifice.

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https://catholicphilly.com/2020/08/news/world-news/pope-francis-to-take-his-post-pandemic-pleas-to-global-stage/

Pope Francis to take his post-pandemic pleas to global stage
By Cindy Wooden • Catholic News Service • Posted August 28, 2020

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When he addresses, via video message, the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 15, Pope Francis is expected to speak about using the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to rethink economic, political and environmental policies in a way that will benefit humanity and the earth.

Since COVID-19 was officially recognized as a pandemic in early March, the pope has been urging individuals, organizations and governments to recognize the inequalities the pandemic has highlighted in economics and access to health care and education, as well as the ways current patterns of production and consumption have damaged the environment.

Pope Francis began a series of general audience talks Aug. 5 about the principles of Catholic social teaching that can help the world recover from the pandemic and move forward in a way that is better for human beings and for the environment.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/08/vatican-representative-calls-on-u-s-to-sign-nuclear-test-ban-treaty/

Vatican representative calls on U.S. to sign nuclear-test-ban treaty
Cindy Wooden  Aug 29, 2020  CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROME — The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the absurdity of “pouring valuable resources into the maintenance of weapons of destruction while so many on this planet are struggling to survive,” a Vatican representative told a U.N. meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

“It is impossible to make a moral case for continued nuclear weapon testing,” said Msgr. Fredrik Hansen, charge d’affaires at the Permanent ******* Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.

“There should never be another nuclear test explosion,” he told the online meeting Aug. 26.

The United Nations has designated Aug. 29 as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, and Hansen used the occasion to call on China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States to ratify the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Visiting Hiroshima in November, Pope Francis said that “the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is today, more than ever, a crime not only against the dignity of human beings but against any possible future for our common home. The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral,” Hansen said.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/book-collects-pope-francis-words-of-encouragement-to-athletes-27448

Book collects Pope Francis' words of encouragement to athletes
By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Aug 29, 2020 / 09:36 am MT (CNA).- The Vatican is publishing a new book collecting Pope Francis’ notable speeches to athletes of all kinds, and which includes the testimonies of three professional athletes.

An Aug. 29 press release describes the book as a collection of the pope’s “most significant speeches to athletes,” including great champions, men and women with physical or intellectual disabilities, children, and young people.

The 124-page pocket-sized book is “a ‘manual’ that suggests the possibility of living sport - but also life itself - according to the concrete indications of an exceptional coach: Pope Francis,” the release says.

“Put Yourself in the Game: Thoughts on Sports” (in Italian Mettersi in Gioco: Pensieri sullo Sport) was edited by the Vatican’s publishing house and the Dicastery for Communications.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2020-08/season-of-creation-jubilee-for-the-earth.html

Season of Creation: Jubilee for the Earth
25 August 2020, 15:03

In a joint statement, the presidents of the CCEE and the CEC invite the faithful to take part in the Season of Creation, encouraging them to celebrate the richness of the Christian faith as an expression to protect our common home.
By Lydia O'Kane

From 1 September to 4 October, Christians all over the world will celebrate the Season of Creation, as well as the Day of Creation on 1 September.

As in past years, both the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and The Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), are encouraging Member Churches in Europe to come together over the course of the month to celebrate the “richness of the Christian faith as an expression to protect our common home.

Creation a gift for mankind
In a statement issued by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, President of CCEE, and Rev. Christian Krieger, President of CEC, Creation is described as “a gift of God for mankind and for all living beings. It is, therefore, our responsibility to protect it as good and reliable stewards, and as faithful servants of God.”

Pope Francis’s call to protect our common home
They point out that Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si’, underlines, “the urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development."
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-at-angelus-christians-called-to-imitate-jesus-s-service.html

Pope at Angelus: Christians called to serve God and neighbour as Jesus
30 August 2020, 12:15

At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis says “taking up the Cross” means imitating Jesus by expending our life in service to God and neighbour.
By Vatican News

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the mystery of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection – a teaching, Pope Francis said, that the disciples are not yet able to understand, because their faith “is still immature, and too closely tied to the mentality of the world.”

The Pope said that for Peter and the other disciples – and for us too – the Cross is seen as “a ‘stumbling block’, whereas Jesus considers the ‘stumbling block’ [to be] escaping the Cross, which would mean avoiding the Father’s will.” This, the Pope said, is why Jesus rebukes Peter so strongly, saying to him, “Get behind me, Satan!”
 

Video, with English commentary, at the link below--

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-appeal-peace-mediterranean-sea.html
Pope addresses tension in eastern Mediterranean sea
30 August 2020, 12:20

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-looks-ahead-to-world-day-prayer-creation-angelul.html
Pope prays for Mauritus, ahead of World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
30 August 2020, 12:20

https://zenit.org/2020/08/30/holy-fathers-address-at-angelus-prayer/
Holy Father’s Address at Angelus Prayer
AUGUST 30, 2020 13:09