Pope Francis

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http://www.lastampa.it/2017/04/18/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/patriarch-bartholomew-will-be-in-egypt-with-pope-francis-DaZcz1SuEsk5iaFVT4aAMI/pagina.html

Patriarch Bartholomew will be in Egypt with Pope Francis
Pubblicato il  18/04/2017
Ultima modifica il 18/04/2017 alle ore 22:51

Francis and Bartholomew together in Jerusalem in May 2014

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople will be in Cairo on April 28 and 29, upon invitation of the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mosque, Cheikh Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayyib, during the same days of Pope Francis' visits. A significant presence that unites Christians and their witness of unity as a sign for peace in the world, during these difficult times with the winds of war blowing. The Pope of Rome, and the Patriarch of Constantinople will therefore be next to the Pope of the Coptic Church Tawadros, whose Christian community was hit and mortally wounded by the attacks carried by the fundamentalists.

Bartholomew I was invited by el-Tayyib to participate to the International Conference on Peace, during which Francis and the Grand Imam are expected to speak. The Orthodox Patriarch had mentioned at the end of Easter Divine Liturgy about the possibility of traveling to Egypt as reported by Alberto Negri on the newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore on 16 April. Bartholomew had disclosed a handwritten letter from the Pope, in which Francis thanked him for his friendship and hoped to see him again soon. So, the Patriarch added, "The opportunity could be very close: I have also been invited by the University of Al Azhar in Cairo and on April 28 I could be with Pope Francis at that same event”
 

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta...

http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/04/18/interdict-on-the-former-grand-master-the-pope-forbids-him-to-set-foot-in-rome/

18 apr
Interdict on the Former Grand Master. The Pope Forbids Him To Set Foot in Rome

For April 29, a meeting has been scheduled in Rome of the Council Complete of State among the Professed Knights, the organ that according to statute will proceed with the election of the new Grand Master of the Order of Malta.

As is known, the previous Grand Master, Fra' Matthew Festing of England, delivered his resignation on January 24 into the hands of Pope Francis, in obedience to his command.

Since then, the supreme authority of the Order has been represented, in the capacity of interim lieutenant, by Grand Commander Fra' Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein.

On February 4, however, Pope Francis also placed over the Order his own Special Delegate and “exclusive spokesman,” de facto endowed with full powers, in the person of Archbishop Angelo Becciu, substitute secretary of state.

The following letter is glaring proof of the exercise of these full powers.

In the name of the pope, Becciu prohibits the former Grand Master from taking part in the election of his successor. Not only that. He even forbids him to go to Rome on the occasion of the conclave.

The following is the complete text of the letter, sent to Festing on Holy Saturday.
 

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https://cnstopstories.com/2017/04/18/not-just-another-trade-meeting-convocation-seeks-to-unify-u-s-church/

Not just another ‘trade meeting,’ convocation seeks to unify U.S. church
Posted on April 18, 2017   


WASHINGTON (CNS) — This summer’s Convocation of Catholic Leaders comes at a time when the U.S. Catholic Church is seeking how best to respond to a changing social landscape while bringing Pope Francis’ vision for a church that offers mercy and joy to the world.

Called by the bishops, the historic convocation will find more than 3,000 Catholic leaders — bishops, clergy, religious and laypeople — meeting July 1-4 in Orlando, Florida, to focus on how the pope’s 2013 apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), applies in the United States.

The pope’s document lays out a vision of the church dedicated to evangelization — missionary discipleship — in a positive way, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged and unborn.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-audience-christian-hope-is-born-on-easter

Pope at audience: Christian hope is born on Easter morning
2017-04-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Our faith was born with the Risen Jesus on Easter morning. That was Pope Francis message at his General Audience on Wednesday as he continued his catechesis on the meaning of our Christian hope.

Reflecting on the words of St Paul to the early Christian community in Corinth, the Pope said Jesus himself is our hope and his resurrection is the event that grounds our faith. Without it, he said, Christianity would be a mere human philosophy and Jesus would simply be another great religious figure.

Pope Francis said our belief is based on the testimony of those who encountered the risen Christ, from Saint Peter and the group of the twelve disciples, to Saint Paul, who was converted by his dramatic meeting with the Lord on the road to Damascus.  Following that encounter, Paul, who previously persecuted Christians, becomes instead an apostle of the faith.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-risen-christ-our-hope/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Risen Christ, Our Hope 
April 19, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gc889yDtmk
2017.04.19 General Audience

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/its-official-pope-francis-to-canonize-fatima-visionaries-during-may-visit-65328/

It's official: Pope Francis to canonize Fatima visionaries during May visit

Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto. Public Domain

Vatican City, Apr 20, 2017 / 03:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his trip to Portugal for the centenary of the Fatima Marian apparitions next month, Pope Francis will canonize visionaries Francisco and Jacinta Marto, making them the youngest non-martyrs to ever be declared saints.

The children will be canonized during Pope Francis' May 13 Mass in Fatima. The decision for the date was made during a April 20 consistory of cardinals, which also voted on the dates of four other canonizations, in addition to that of Francisco and Jacinta, that will take place this year.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-pay-tribute-to-modern-day-martyrs

Pope Francis to pay tribute to modern day martyrs
2017-04-21 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will celebrate a Liturgy of the Word in memory of the martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries on Easter Saturday.

The commemoration is to take place in the Rome Basilica of St. Bartholomew together with members of the Community of Sant’Egidio who look after the Basilica’s Shrine to the memory of modern martyrs. 

In a statement Sant’Egidio remarked that the event takes on a very special significance in times marked by the suffering of so many Christians in the world, and in the light of Easter.

St. Bartholomew is not a parish Church but, as per the request of Saint Pope John Paul II in 1999, it serves as a shrine to men and women who died in defense of their faith during totalitarian regimes and Latin American dictatorships as well as more recent martyrs of terrorism.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-martyrs-are-the-living-blood-of-the-c

Pope Francis: 'martyrs are the living blood of the Church'
2017-04-22 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday paid tribute to modern day martyrs whom he said “are the living blood of the Church".

The Pope was presiding over a Liturgy of the Word at the Church of St. Bartholomew on the Tiber, a shrine to the martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Speaking during his homily, the Pope had words of closeness for the many Christian communities being persecuted today “because of the hatred of the spirit of this world”.

“How often, he said, in difficult moments of history, have we heard it said: ‘Today our country needs heroes’.? Likewise, we can ask, ‘Today what does our Church need?’ Martyrs, witnesses, that is, everyday saints of ordinary life, lives lived coherently; but we also need those who have the courage to accept the grace to be witnesses until the end, until death”.

He said that martyrs are “the witnesses who carry forward the Church; those who witness to the fact that Jesus is risen, that Jesus is alive, who witness to Him with coherent lives and with the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received as a gift”.

And, speaking off-the-cuff the Pope turned his attention to refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of their faith and said that many, today, find themselves in refugee camps, many of which he said, are like concentration camps, while international agreements seem to be more important than human rights.   

Please find below Vatican Radio’s the full translation of the Pope’s homily:
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/testimonies-of-family-and-friends-of-the-new-marty
Testimonies of family and friends of the "New Martyrs"
2017-04-22 Vatican Radio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wN1Ve1DDe4
2017.04.22 Celebration commemorating the "New Martyrs" of the Twentieth and Twentyfirst Century

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http://www.news.va/en/news/vaticans-message-to-buddhists-on-vesakh

Vatican's message to Buddhists on Vesakh
2017-04-22 Vatican Radio

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on Saturday, issued a message on the occasion of the Buddhist feast of Vesakh on the theme ‘Christians and Buddhists: Walking Together on the Path of Nonviolence’.

The Message signed by Council President, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Council Secretary, Fr Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ emphasizes the urgent need to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence as both these values were promoted by Jesus Christ and the Buddha.

The text reiterates how Jesus walked the path of nonviolence to the very end, to the cross and calls his followers  today to embrace his teaching about nonviolence.  Buddha also heralded the same message and encouraged all to overcome the angry by non-anger; overcome the wicked by goodness; overcome the miser by generosity; overcome the liar by truth.

Therefore the message calls for a  common enterprise, to study the causes of violence, combat violence  and to pray for world peace while walking together on the path of nonviolence.

The full text of the message is here below:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/regina-caeli-with-mercy-violence-and-rancor-have-n

Regina Caeli: With Mercy violence and rancor have no sense
2017-04-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) In his Angelus address in a sunny St Peter’s Square, Pope France recalled the Church tradition of calling the first Sunday after Easter “in albis”, an expression he said, meant to recall the rite of those who had received baptism in white on the Easter Vigil. The Pope went on to say that  in the Jubilee of Year of 2000, St. John Paul II established that this particular Sunday was to be dedicated to Divine Mercy.

In the last months, the Holy Father said, “we have concluded the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy and this Sunday invites us to resume the grace that comes from the mercy of God.”

Drawing inspiration from the  Gospel reading of the day, the Holy Father  reminded those present of Jesus’ words, "receive the Holy Spirit. Those to whom you will forgive sins will be forgiven ".
 
https://zenit.org/articles/regina-coeli-address-divine-mercy-sunday/
Regina Coeli Address: Divine Mercy Sunday 
April 23, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5ILlmCRl_o
2017.04.23 Regina Coeli

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https://zenit.org/


https://zenit.org/articles/divine-mercy-special-the-story-of-the-painting-of-vilnius-st-faustina-to-pope-francis/
DIVINE MERCY SPECIAL: The Story of the Painting of Vilnius: St. Faustina to Pope Francis 
April 21, 2017

This Sunday marks Divine Mercy Sunday.

For the occasion, Zenit decided to take an inside look at how the image of merciful Jesus in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius was depicted by artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in secret under the supervision of Saint Faustina and Blessed Father Michal Sopocko.

Born in Poland in 1905, Maria Faustina Kowalska belonged to the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. After the Polish nun received the Message of Divine Mercy from the Lord on various occasions in the 1930s, she spearheaded this project.

Given that Jesus wanted everyone to have access to this “well” of mercy, as he communicated to Sister Faustina, the church is open 24/7 every day of the week and there is a webcam to access from the whole world. Here, one can access it: http://www.gailestingumas.com/media/tiesiogine-transliacija/

Here, we would like to share some details you may not have known about this image’s history.
 

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https://zenit.org/


https://zenit.org/articles/holy-see-condemns-using-gods-name-to-perpetrate-acts-of-terror-full-text/

Holy See Condemns Using God’s Name to Perpetrate Acts of Terror (Full Text) 
‘The Holy See urges religious leaders to speak out forcefully against such terror and to act to control effectively their followers who are reprehensibly claiming to act in God’s name by means of terror’
April 21, 2017

On April 20, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent ******* of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the Security Council Open Debate on “The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question.”

In his statement, Archbishop Auza said that the use of chemical weapons in Syria and the Palm Sunday terrorist bombings in Egypt have plunged parts of the Middle East to new lows of barbarism, attacking the very foundation of human dignity and rights. He said that the security of Lebanon and neighboring countries is being threatened by armed groups, risking the governability of the region.

The Holy See reiterated its support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine negotiated between the Parties. The Holy See also urged religious leaders to speak out forcefully against the use of terror in the region and to control their followers who are claiming that God is behind their reign of terror. Archbishop Auza appealed to arms suppliers to act in accordance with internationally agreed upon norms, lest the weapons be used upon the innocent and to destroy crucial infrastructure. He said that Pope Francis’ April 28-29 visit to Egypt is meant to stress the importance of
 dialogue and encounter as an antidote to violence and hatred.

Below is the text of Archbishop Auza’s statement:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/04/24/pope_the_spirit_makes_us_free,_without_compromise,_rigidity/1307683

Pope: The Spirit makes us free, without compromise, rigidity
24/04/2017 12:55

(Vatican Radio) Never forget that our faith is concrete, and rejects compromises and idealizations. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

Among those present at the Mass were the Cardinal counselors of the C-9, who are meeting with the Holy Father on Monday. The Pope reflected on the liberty the Holy Spirit gives us, which brings about the proclamation of the Gospel without compromises or rigidity.

Following the Easter break, Pope Francis on Monday resumed his regular morning Masses, focusing his homily on the Gospel account of Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus. The Holy Father said that Jesus, with love and patience, explained to Nicodemus that he must be “born from above… born of the Holy Spirit.”

To understand this better, the Pope said, one can consider the first Reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles. Peter and John have healed a crippled man, and the doctors of the Law don’t know what to do, how “to hide” what happened, “because the event was public.” When they were questioned, Peter and John “answered with simplicity”; and when they were ordered not to speak about what happened, Peter responded, “No! We cannot remain silent about what we have seen and heard. And we will continue to do as we have been doing.”

The Word became flesh; our faith is concrete
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/04/24/egypt_awaits_the_pope_of_peace/1307754

Egypt awaits the 'Pope of Peace'
24/04/2017 15:55

The Logo of Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit to Egypt

(Vatican Radio) Preparations are in full swing for Pope Francis’ upcoming apostolic visit to Egypt.

The Pope is scheduled to fly to Cairo on Friday 28th for a 2-day pastoral journey during which he will celebrate Mass, participate in a Conference for peace, meet with clergy, encourage the small Egyptian Christian community in their faith and of course promote and deepen inter-religious dialogue in the predominantly Muslim nation.

One of the highlights of the visit is his meeting with the Orthodox Coptic Patriarch, Tawadros II.

The Pope’s presence in Egypt is seen as particularly poignant in the wake of the Palm Sunday attacks on the Orthodox Coptic churches in Tanta and Alexandria.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/04/24/pope_francis_to_visit_italian_cities_of_bozzolo,_barbiana/1307741

Pope Francis to visit Italian cities of Bozzolo, Barbiana in June
24/04/2017 15:18

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will make a private visit to the northern Italian towns of Bozzolo and Barbiana on 20 June 2017 to pray at the tombs of Don Primo Mazzolari and Don Lorenzo Milani.

Bozzolo is in the Diocese of Cremona and Barbiana is in the Diocese of Florence.

A communique from the Holy See Press Office says the visit "will take place in a private rather than an official form".

The Holy Father recently dedicated a video message to Don Lorenzo Milani.

Please find below the full programme of the Pope's visit:
 

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http://www.lastampa.it/2017/04/24/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/c-at-work-on-congregations-courts-and-staff-OdHXMKg0H1maz0gFUtpC5H/pagina.html

C9 at work on congregations, courts, and staff
Pubblicato il  24/04/2017
Ultima modifica il 24/04/2017 alle ore 17:51

Some adjustments and possible transfers of some competence among congregations, potential new mergers, the powers of the Holy See Courts, and the central issue concerning the selection and formation of the ecclesiastical and lay personnel working in the Vatican. These are the themes on the C9 agenda, which on the morning of Monday, April 24 started their 19th meeting, which will be held in the morning and in the afternoon until Wednesday 26 April.

The Council of the Nine Cardinals, instituted by Pope Francis one month after his election, helps the Pontiff in reforming the Curia and in managing the universal Church. These days, discussions about some possible adjustments to the competencies of some congregations, such as those for the Oriental Churches and the Evangelization of Peoples, will be finalized while other possible mergers will be taken into consideration 

On the agenda also the powers proper to the courts of the Holy See, from the Penitentiary to the Apostolic Signature. There are no novelties, but a decentralizing and thus an enhancing of the role of the local Churches is expected as Francis had previously anticipated in the apostolic exhortation “Evangelii gaudium” (November 2013), the programmatic document of his pontificate.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-gospel-must-be-proclaimed-with-humili

Pope Francis: Gospel must be proclaimed with humility
2017-04-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Tuesday for the intentions of his “brother,” Coptic Patriarch Pope Tawadros II, whom he will be meeting in three days’ time as he makes an Apostolic Voyage to Egypt.

The day’s Mass commemorates Saint Mark the Evangelist, who is recognized as the founder of the patriarchate of Alexandria. “I offer this Mass for my brother, Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts,” Pope Francis said. He prayed for “the grace that the Lord might bless our two churches with the abundance of the Holy Spirit.

The Cardinal counsellors who make up the C-9 advisory group were among the faithful taking part in the Pope’s daily Mass.

In his homily during the liturgy, Pope Francis said the Gospel must be proclaimed with humility, overcoming the temptation of pride. The Holy Father spoke about the necessity for Christians of “going out to proclaim” the Good News. A preacher, he said, must always be on a journey, and not seek “an insurance policy,” seeking safety by remaining in one place.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-sends-video-message-ahead-of-egypt-vi

Pope Francis sends video message ahead of Egypt visit
2017-04-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has sent a video message to the people of Egypt ahead of his Apostolic Journey to the country, saying the “world needs peace, love and mercy”.

Pope Francis began his video message to the people of Egypt with the traditional greeting in Arabic: “As-salamu alaykum! (Peace be with you!)”

He said he is “coming as a friend, as a messenger of peace, and a pilgrim to the country that, over two thousand years ago, gave refuge and hospitality to the Holy Family as they fled the threats of King Herod.”

The Pope thanked those who invited him, including the President, Patriarch Tawadros II, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and the Coptic-Catholic Patriarch, as well as all those people preparing for his arrival.

He said he would like his visit to “be a witness of my affection, comfort and encouragement for all the Christians of the Middle East”.

He called his interreligious and ecumenical visit “a message of friendship and respect for all the inhabitants of Egypt and the region, and a message of brotherhood and reconciliation with all the children of Abraham, particularly the Muslim world, in which Egypt holds so important a place.”

Speaking about recent “blind violence” in the country, Pope Francis said, “Our world needs peace, love and mercy. It needs peacemakers, people who are free and who set others free, men and women of courage who can learn from the past in order to build the future, free of every form of prejudice.”

He went on to say “Our world needs people who can build bridges of peace, dialogue, fraternity, justice and humanity.”

Finally, Pope Francis extended a warm embrace to the Egyptian people of all religions, age, and means.

“Shukran wa Tahiaì Misr! (Thank you and may Egypt flourish!)”

Please find below the official English translation of the Pope’s video message:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-audience-our-faith-an-anchor-in-he

Pope Francis at audience: our faith an anchor in heaven
2017-04-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, during which he continued his catechetical reflections on the theme of Christian hope, focusing specifically on the final words of comfort and consolation the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew records Our Lord speaking to the  disciples immediately before ascending into heaven and taking His place at the right hand of the Father.

“‘I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. (Mt 28:20)’” began Pope Francis in his main catechesis, quoting the very last words of Matthew’s Gospel. “These last words of the Gospel of Matthew,” he went on to say, “recall the prophetic proclamation we find at its beginning: ‘[T]hey shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us, (Mt 1:23; cf. Is. 7:14)’”

Then, departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis said, “God will be with us, every day, until the end of the world.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-gods-promise-that-gives-hope/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On God’s Promise That Gives Hope 
April 26, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLNfIXzwmxw
2017.04.26 General Audience

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-gives-ted-talk-we-build-future-togeth

Pope Francis gives TED talk: 'We build future together'
2017-04-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has broken new ground in the way he communicates his message when the first-ever papal TED Talk went on line.

TED is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading ideas in the form of short talks. What began in 1984 as a conference covering Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED), today provides talks from a wide range of different speakers – except popes. Until today.

Those of us following TED’s annual Conference in Vancouver had been promised a surprise “world figure” who would deliver his 18-minute message on the conference theme, “The Future You”, alongside tennis superstar, Serena Williams, entrepreneur, Elon Musk, and chess champion, Garry Kasparov.

But no one expected to see the Pope’s face appear on the screen.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-talk-to-ted-full-text/
Pope Francis’ ‘Talk’ to TED (Full Text) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYkZ5V26frg
2017.04.26 - Pope Francis gives TED talk: 'We build future together'

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http://www.news.va/en/news/press-briefing-at-the-conclusion-of-the-meeting-of

Press briefing at the conclusion of the meeting of the C-9
2017-04-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, held a briefing for the press on the XIX Meeting of the Cardinal Councillors with Pope Francis.

The Council of Cardinals, he said, met with the Holy Father for three days: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 24-26 April. All of the members of the Council were present. Pope Francis was absent from the morning meeting on Wednesday on account of the General Audience.

The working sessions took place in the mornings from 9-12:30 and in the afternoons from 16:30-19:00. The sessions were dedicated to further considerations on the various dicasteries of the Curia; in particular, there were continued discussions concerning the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide), and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. The Cardinals also considered texts to propose to the Holy Father regarding the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue; the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; and three tribunals: the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.