Pope Francis

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Video at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/twenty-years-ago-jorge-mario-bergoglio-is-created-cardinal.html
Twenty years ago: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is created cardinal
20 February 2021, 10:39

Twenty years ago, on 21 February 2001, Pope Saint John Paul II created forty-four new Cardinals – including the then - Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Looking back at the homilies and speeches of Cardinal Bergoglio, we see themes and reflections that have become important priorities in his pontificate.
By Amedeo Lomonaco

It is 21 February 2001. Pope John Paul II, in his homily on the occasion of the ordinary public Consistory, stressed that it was a special day: “Today is a great celebration for the universal Church, which is enriched by 44 new Cardinals.” Among the new cardinals was the then-Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would be elected Supreme Pontiff on 13 March 2013. Pronouncing words that already looked to the future, Pope John Paul said, “This morning ‘Catholic’ Rome warmly embraces the new Cardinals with the same enthusiasm, knowing that another important page of her 2,000-year history is being written.” “The mystical barque of the Church,” he added, “is preparing anew ‘to put out into the deep’, to bring the message of salvation to the world. Together let us unfurl her sails to the wind of the Spirit, examining the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, to answer ‘the ever recurring questions which men ask about the meaning of this present life and of the life to come’ (Gaudium et spes, n. 4).”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/lent-a-time-for-renewing-faith-hope-and-love.html

Lent: a time for renewing faith, hope and love
24 February 2021, 12:41

In this period of preparation leading to Easter, and starting from themes tied to the Lenten journey, we offer reflections of Pope Francis. To experience Lent in hope, the Pope writes in his Message for Lent 2021, means "receiving the hope of Christ, who gave His life on the Cross".
By Amedeo Lomonaco

"Lent is a time for believing, for welcoming God into our lives and allowing Him to ‘make his dwelling’ among us", the Pope writes in his Lenten message for 2021. “In our Lenten journey towards Easter, let us remember the One who ‘humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross’”.

These words from the Pope’s message not only refer to the memorial dimension of remembrance, but also invite us to live, even today, a favorable time to renew faith, hope and charity. All are called to grow "in the realization that, in Jesus Christ, we are witnesses of new times, in which God is ‘making all things new’".
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has often described the meaning of the journey that leads to Easter. "During the Season of Lent", he said Sunday 21 February at the Angelus, "the Holy Spirit drives us too, like Jesus, into the desert. It is not…a physical place, but rather an existential dimension in which we can be silent and listen to the word of God”.
 

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https://www.ncregister.com/blog/popes-new-doctor-a-gerontologist-who-sees-covid-as-normal-disease

Pope's New Doctor: A Gerontologist Who Sees COVID as Normal Disease

Professor Roberto Bernabei will be caring for the health of 84-year-old Pope Francis who suffers from sciatica and had part of one of his lungs removed in his youth.
Edward Pentin   Vatican  February 24, 2021

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis’ new personal doctor is Professor Roberto Bernabei, a specialist in geriatrics who in November said COVID-19 is a “normal disease” and that deaths related to the virus are “almost always” the elderly with at least three pre-existing conditions.

Reportedly a highly respected gerontologist in Italy who teaches internal medicine and geriatrics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, Bernabei told the Italian television channel La7 Nov. 6 that “if this disease targets old people it is a very serious thing, of course. But it is, how to say, a normal disease… Infectious diseases unfortunately attack the most vulnerable.”
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-trip-to-iraq-2021-where-is-pope-francis-going-in-iraq-and-why-a-cna-explainer-22453

Where is Pope Francis going in Iraq and why? A CNA Explainer
By Courtney Mares

Rome Newsroom, Feb 25, 2021 / 12:00 pm MT (CNA).- 

In a week’s time, Pope Francis is expected to make history by becoming the first pope to travel to Iraq. His March 5-8 trip will take him from excavations of historical biblical sites dating back thousands of years to churches where Catholics suffered horrific terrorist attacks only a few years ago.

With meetings planned with Iraqi political leaders and prominent Muslim clerics, the pope is scheduled to travel 900 miles within Iraq in a little over three days.

Here is a breakdown of the places where Pope Francis is scheduled to visit in Iraq.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-changes-may-be-coming-to-the-college-of-cardinals-in-2021

What changes may be coming to the College of Cardinals in 2021?
By Andrea Gagliarducci

Vatican City, Feb 25, 2021 / 06:37 pm MT (CNA).- When Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako turns 80 on Feb. 27, the cardinals eligible to vote in a conclave will drop to 127, seven more than the limit of 120 set by Paul VI and confirmed by John Paul II.

In 2021, five more cardinals will turn 80, and thus age out of voting in the conclave: Cardinals Wilfrid Fox Napier, George Pell, Maurice Piat, Beniamino Stella, and Angelo Scola.

This means that by the end of the year, cardinals eligible to vote in a conclave will be down to 122, prompting questions of whether Pope Francis will appoint more.

During his pontificate, Pope Francis strongly reshaped the College of Cardinals. In seven years, he has summoned seven consistories (one per year) and created 101 new cardinals, 79 of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave and 22 of whom are not, because they are above the age of 80. To put this in perspective, St. John Paul II summoned nine consistories in 27 years of his pontificate, an average of one every three years.

A conclave now would be composed of 73 cardinals created by Pope Francis, 39 created by Benedict XVI, and 16 created by John Paul II.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-02/gregory-of-narek-liturgical-commemoration-vatican.html

Feast of St Gregory of Narek to be celebrated in Vatican
26 February 2021, 14:17

The first liturgical commemoration of Saint Gregory of Narek will be marked on Saturday, 27 February with the celebration of the Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
By Vatican News staff writer

On Saturday, the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the Holy See, is organizing a celebration, in Vatican City, to mark the first liturgical commemoration of Saint Gregory of Narek in the Latin rite.

The celebration comes following a decree of Pope Francis to inscribe 27 February as the liturgical commemoration of Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church, in the General Roman Calendar.

Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica

A statement from the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on Friday notes that Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, will celebrate Holy Mass for the feast in St. Peter’s Basilica at 10:30 am (local time) on Saturday.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-02/cardinal-cantalamessa-delivers-first-sermon-for-lent-2021.html

Cardinal Cantalamessa delivers first sermon for Lent 2021
26 February 2021, 15:18

In his first sermon for Lent 2021, the Preacher to the Papal Household, the newly-created Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., gives an overview of the season, and reflects on the Jesus’ call to repentance.
By Vatican News staff reporter

Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, who was created Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 28 November 2020, delivered his first sermon for Lent 2021 in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. The theme for this year’s Lenten reflections is “Who do you say that I am?”, taken from the Gospel of St Matthew.

For his introductory sermon, the Preacher to the Papal Household offered an overview of the season of Lent, focusing on the passage “Repent, and believe in the Gospel!”

Three moments of conversion

Repentance, or conversion, said Cardinal Cantalamessa, is mentioned in “three different moments and contexts” in the New Testament, corresponding to different moments in our own lives.

The first is founded in the words spoken by Jesus at the beginning of His ministry: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel!” This does not have a primarily moral sense, according to Cardinal Cantalamessa, but instead consists first of all in having faith, in believing, in changing how we see our relationship with God.

The second New Testament call to conversion comes when Jesus invites His disciples to “turn and become like children.” Here, “Jesus puts forward a genuine revolution,” calling them – and us – “to shift the centre from yourself, and to re-centre yourself on Christ.” Becoming like children, said Cardinal Cantalamessa, means going back to the time we first truly encountered Jesus.

Finally, in the book of Revelation, Jesus calls those who are neither hot nor cold to “be earnest… and repent.” “The focus here,” said Cardinal Cantalamessa, is on conversion from being mediocre and lukewarm to being fervent. This is not our own work, he insisted, but rather the work of the Holy Spirit.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/pope-letter-jubilee-year-canonisation-saint-gabriel-lady-sorrows.html

Pope Francis: St Gabriel an example for young people, 100 years on
27 February 2021, 12:13

Pope Francis sends a letter marking the start of a jubilee year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the canonisation of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.
By Vatican News staff writer

On the anniversary of his death on 27 February 1862, Pope Francis sent a letter marking one hundred years since the canonisation of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Canonised by Pope Benedict XV, Saint Gabriel died at the young age of 24, at Gran Sasso in Italy.

In his letter, addressed to Bishop Lorenzo Leuzzi of Teramo-Atri, Pope Francis wrote that "this event showed that his Christian witness was so extraordinary and singular that it can be held up as a model for the whole Church, especially for new generations."
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/pope-francis-theme-migrants-refugees-day-message.html

Pope releases theme of Migrants & Refugees Day message
27 February 2021, 12:32

Pope Francis announces the theme for the 107th World Day of Migrants and Refugees to take place on 26 September, which this year is “Towards an ever wider ‘we’.”
By Devin Watkins

The Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development on Saturday revealed the Pope’s message for this year’s observance of the Catholic Church's World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

Towards an ever wider ‘we’
In a communique, the Dicastery said the overarching theme of the Day, which will be held on Sunday, 26 September 2021, is divided into 6 sub-themes.

Pope Francis’ message will “stress the importance of being attentive to the entire human family through an inclusive Church that reaches out and is capable of creating communion in diversity.”

It will also give special attention to the care of our common home, “which translates into care of our common family, care of the ‘we’ that can, and must, become ever more open and welcoming.”
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-says-seeing-a-psychiatrist-helped-him-with-anxiety-when-he-was-younger-72705

Pope Francis says seeing a psychiatrist helped him with anxiety when he was younger
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Feb 27, 2021 / 08:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis has said that seeing a psychiatrist in Argentina helped him with anxiety when he was a younger priest in an interview published in an Argentine newspaper Saturday.

The pope spoke with an Argentine journalist about his physical and mental health. In the excerpt of the transcript provided by the Argentine newspaper La Nacion, Pope Francis said that he has developed ways of dealing with moments of anxiety, such as listening to music by Johann Sebastian Bach.

The interview, which took place in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Feb. 16, 2019, was published in Spanish on Feb. 27.

In the conversation, Pope Francis looked back at how therapy aided his struggle with anxiety when he served as the Jesuit provincial in Argentina.

“Being provincial of the Jesuits, in the terrible days of the dictatorship, in which I had to take people in hiding to get them out of the country and thus save their lives, I had to handle situations that I did not know how to deal with,” Francis said.

During this time, he said that he consulted a psychiatrist once a week for about six months.
 
The interview published in Spanish--
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/opinion/entrevista-con-el-papa-a-las-neurosis-hay-que-cebarles-mate-nid26022021/
Entrevista con el papa Francisco: “A las neurosis hay que cebarles mate”
En La salud de los Papas, el periodista y médico reconstruye las enfermedades de los pontífices y las intrigas que suscitaron; aquí, un fragmento, en el que charla con Jorge Bergoglio
27 de febrero de 2021  02:45

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/02/pope-francis-says-hell-die-in-rome-not-in-argentina/
Pope Francis says he’ll die in Rome, not in Argentina
Inés San Martín  Feb 27, 2021

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/pope-francis-angelus-transfiguration-catechesis-lent.html
Pope at Angelus: Prayer lifts us out of spiritual laziness to help others
28 February 2021, 12:08

At the Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis reflects on the Transfiguration of Jesus, and urges Christians to turn our experience of prayer into a desire to carry hope to the world.
By Devin Watkins

Ahead of the traditional Marian prayer of the Angelus, Pope Francis spoke about the Transfiguration, as recounted in the Sunday Gospel (Mk 9:2-10).

He began by considering what Jesus told His disciples before taking them up the mountain. Jesus had just revealed that He would be condemned to death but would rise again.

“The image of a strong and triumphant Messiah is put into crisis, their dreams are shattered, and they are beset by anguish at the thought that the Teacher in whom they believed should be killed like the worst of wrongdoers,” said the Pope.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/pope-francis-cardinal-turkson-message-world-rare-diseases-day.html
Pope Francis prays for people suffering from rare diseases
28 February 2021, 12:45

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/pope-francis-angelus-appeal-nigeria-schoolgirls-nigeria.html
Pope appeals for release of 317 schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria
28 February 2021, 13:14

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-02/pope-francis-faith-doubts-book-interview-don-pozza.html

Pope Francis: ‘A faith without doubts cannot advance’
28 February 2021, 10:18

The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera releases excerpts from Don Marco Pozza’s new book-length interview with Pope Francis, in which he explores how doubts and crises of faith lead us deeper into the mystery of God.
By Vatican News

"Of Vices and Virtues" (published by Rizzoli) is the title of Don Marco Pozza's new book-interview with Pope Francis, which is set to be released on 2 March.

Several portions of the book were published Sunday by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Anger and bullying

In one part of the interview, the Pope describes rage and the path toward healing from anger.

“[Anger] is a storm whose purpose is to destroy. One example is the bullying that occurs among young people. (...) Bullying arises when, instead of seeking to understand one's own identity, one belittles and attacks the identity of others. When episodes of aggression and bullying occur in youth groups, schools, and among neighbors, we see the poverty of the identity of the aggressor. The only way to 'heal' from bullying is to share, to live together, to dialogue, to listen others, and to take time apart, because only time can build a relationship.”
 

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https://cruxnow.com/pope-in-iraq/2021/02/days-before-trip-popes-envoy-in-iraq-tests-positive-for-covid/

Days before trip, Pope’s envoy in Iraq tests positive for COVID
Inés San Martín  Feb 28, 2021

ROME — Slovenian Archbishop Mitja Leskovar, the papal ambassador in Iraq, who was supposed to accompany Pope Francis during his March 5-8 visit to the land of the two rivers, tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and is now in isolation.

The news was first reported by ADNKronows, an Italian news agency, but then confirmed by several sources, including the nunciature in Baghdad, where Pope Francis is scheduled to reside during his three days in Iraq.

This will be Pope Francis’ first apostolic trip since he visited Thailand and Japan back in November 2019, and the possibility of the trip being cancelled due to either the coronavirus pandemic or security concerns has always loomed large.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-03/pope-francis-franciscan-centre-solidarity-message.html

Pope to Franciscan Centre for Solidarity: continue your work, following in Jesus' steps
01 March 2021, 13:15

Pope Francis meets with members of the Franciscan Centre for Solidarity, based in Florence, and thanks them for their thirty years of service sowing the seeds of the Kingdom of God.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis opened his message to Florence's Franciscan Centre for Solidarity on Monday by greeting their President, Maria Eugenia Ralletto. He noted that the Centre has, for many years, been carrying out "a valuable service of listening to and being close to people who find themselves in difficult economic and social conditions". These, continued the Pope, include families facing different hardships and the elderly who need support or companionship.

"First of all, I would like to say 'thank you'", said the Pope. He noted that the Centre is "an effective work of assistance" based on volunteering. "In the eyes of the faith you are amongst those who sow the seeds of the Kingdom of God" in a world that generates so much inequality, he added.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-03/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-renunciation.html

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: “There are not two Popes”
01 March 2021, 10:12

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI recalls that his renunciation of the papacy was a “difficult choice” but made “in full conscience,” believing that he did well.
By Vatican News

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s resignation from the papacy, which became effective eight years ago, [28 February 2013] was a “difficult choice,” but made “in full conscience” – one which he has not regretted at all.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-addresses-resignation-conspiracy-theories-iraq-and-biden-in-new-interview-50478
Benedict XVI addresses resignation conspiracy theories, Iraq, and Biden in new interview

The interview in Italian--
https://www.corriere.it/cronache/21_marzo_01/intervista-ratzinger-non-ci-sono-due-papi-rinuncia-8-anni-fa-credo-aver-fatto-bene-07a0ce58-7a01-11eb-b9cd-5eae78a2031e.shtml
Intervista a Ratzinger: «Non ci sono due Papi. La rinuncia di 8 anni fa? Credo di aver fatto bene»

https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-benedict-s-conscience-is-clear-regarding-his-2013-resignation
Pope Benedict’s ‘Conscience Is Clear’ Regarding His 2013 Resignation
Edward Pentin  Vatican  March 1, 2021

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/03/benedict-discuses-resignation-iraq-and-biden-in-new-interview/

Benedict discuses resignation, Iraq and Biden in new interview
Inés San Martín  Mar 1, 2021

ROME – Eight years to the date since he officially left the See of Peter vacant, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI still has to repeat that “there is only one pope,” that his decision to resign was made with full freedom, and it wasn’t due to a gay lobby in the Vatican.

In an interview released Monday, he also refers to Pope Francis’s upcoming trip to Iraq and to U.S. President Joe Biden.
 
According to Corriere, Benedict’s voice is “thin as a breath,” and during some sections of the conversation, almost soundless. His personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein was also present at the interview, and in some rare passages repeats and “translates” while Benedict nods in approval.

“The mind remains clear, quick as the eyes, alert and lively,” writes the journalist who met with the pope emeritus. “The white hair is slightly long, under the papal skullcap as white as his robe. Two very thin wrists emerge from his sleeves, highlighting an image of great physical fragility. Ratzinger wears a watch on his left wrist and on his right a strange contraption that looks like another watch but is actually an alarm ready to go off if something happens to him.”
 

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Video, with English text, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-03/pope-francis-prayer-intention-march-sacrament-reconciliation.html

Pope's prayer intention for March: The sacrament of reconciliation
02 March 2021, 17:00

Pope Francis' prayer intention for March seeks to highlight the joy that the Sacrament of Reconciliation brings, and reminds us that it’s a loving and merciful encounter between us and God.

The Pope Video for March has been published, with the prayer intention that Pope Francis is entrusting to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
.
It’s a message full of hope, in which he invites us to rediscover the power of personal renewal that the Sacrament of Confession has in our life. “Let us pray that we may experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation with renewed depth, to taste the forgiveness and infinite mercy of God,” Pope Francis asks. This month’s video opens with the Pope himself going to confession, “in order to be healed, to heal my soul.”
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-03/pope-at-audience-prayer-opens-us-to-the-trinity.html
Pope at Audience: Prayer opens us to the Trinity
03 March 2021, 09:34

At Wednesday’s Audience, Pope Francis says we have access to the Trinity through prayer, thanks to Jesus.
By Christopher Wells

“It is Jesus who opened up Heaven to us and projected us into a relationship with God,” Pope Francis said at Wednesday’s General Audience. “Jesus has revealed to us the identity, this identity of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Father continued his ongoing catechesis on prayer, focusing this week, and next, on the relationship between prayer and the Trinity. It is thanks to Jesus Christ, the Pope said, “that prayer opens us up to the immense sea of God as love.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-03/pope-francis-myanmar-appeal-violence-against-protesters.html
Pope calls for end to violence against Myanmar protesters
03 March 2021, 10:53

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-03/pope-general-audience-prayers-apostolic-visit-iraq.html
Pope Francis asks for prayers for his visit to Iraq
03 March 2021, 11:16

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/shroud-of-turin-to-go-on-virtual-display-for-holy-saturday-84580

Shroud of Turin to go on virtual display for Holy Saturday
By Hannah Brockhaus

Rome Newsroom, Mar 4, 2021 / 03:00 am MT (CNA).- For the second time, the Shroud of Turin will be exposed for veneration on social media and websites on Holy Saturday, the archbishop of Turin has announced.

The Shroud, which bears the image of a crucified man and has been venerated for centuries as Christ’s burial cloth, will be displayed via live stream on April 3.

“The Shroud is a reality that concerns everyone. The Shroud image that Turin has preserved for almost five centuries testifies to pain and death, but also to resurrection and eternal life,” Turin’s Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia said in his March 3 announcement.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-joseph-tobin-appointed-member-of-vaticans-congregation-for-bishops-11893

Cardinal Tobin appointed member of Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops
By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Mar 4, 2021 / 10:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis on Thursday appointed the archbishop of Newark, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

Pope Francis also named Cardinal Sérgio da Rocha, archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, a member of the same 25-member Vatican congregation.

As a member, Cardinal Tobin joins another American, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., was also a member of the Congregation for Bishops until aging out in November 2020 at the age of 80.