Pope Francis

[grace-land]

Video, with English text, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-s-january-prayer-intention-at-the-service-of-fraternity.html
Pope's prayer intention for January: At the service of fraternity
05 January 2021, 17:00

Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for January 2021, which focuses on human fraternity, and calls for people of different religions, cultures, traditions, and beliefs to return to the essential: love of neighbor.
By Vatican News staff writer

The Pope Video for January, the first of 2021, was released on Tuesday with the prayer intention that Pope Francis is entrusting to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (which includes the Eucharistic Youth Movement – EYM).

The message chosen to open the year 2021 is dedicated to human fraternity: in response to all the challenges facing humanity, the Holy Father asks that we open ourselves to each other and unite, as human beings and as brothers and sisters, “with those who pray according to other cultures, other traditions and other beliefs.”

As he has said on other occasions, “There is no alternative: we will either build the future together or there will not be a future. Religions, in particular, cannot renounce the urgent task of building bridges between peoples and cultures.”
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-baptism-babies-sistine-cancelled-covid19-2021.html

Covid-19: Pope will not celebrate Baptisms in Sistine Chapel
05 January 2021, 16:55

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pope Francis will not celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism for babies in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel this year.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis will not hold this year’s traditional Baptism of infants in the Vatican’s famed Sistine Chapel on Sunday, 10 January, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Holy See’s Press Office announced on Tuesday.

“Due to the health situation, as a precautionary measure, the traditional baptism of children presided over by the Holy Father in the Sistine Chapel on the Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord will not be celebrated this year,” the Holy See’s Press Office said in a brief note on Tuesday.

Instead, the baptisms will take place in the parishes to which they belong.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-01/catholics-and-lutherans-reaffirm-commitment-to-communion.html

Catholics and Lutherans reaffirm commitment to communion
05 January 2021, 15:0

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation underscore their commitment to walk together on their common journey from conflict to communion
By Vatican News staff writer

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation recently announced the publication of the updated Italian translation of the historic ecumenical document called the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. 

A post on the Council’s website notes that by launching the updated document on January 3rd, the day this year when Catholics and Lutherans recall the 500th anniversary of the excommunication of Martin Luther, both the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity underscore their commitment to walk together on their common journey from conflict to communion.
 
The English version of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, with other important dialogue documents, can be found on the website of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, www.christianunity.va .

[grace-land]

Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-on-epiphany-it-is-necessary-to-devote-more-time-to-worship.html
Pope at Mass on Epiphany: Christians need to devote more time to worship
06 January 2021, 10:48

In his homily for the Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis says, “We need to learn even better how to contemplate the Lord,” learning from the example of the Magi.
By Christopher Wells

“In our day, it is particularly necessary for us, both as individuals and communities, to devote more time to worship,” said Pope Francis at the Mass on Epiphany. “We need to learn ever better how to contemplate the Lord,” following the example of the Wise Men, the Magi, who came to Bethlehem to worship the Baby Jesus. “Like them,” the Pope said, “we want to fall down and worship the Lord.”

Taking his cue from the liturgical readings for the day, Pope Francis focused on three phrases “that can help us to understand more fully what it means to be worshippers of the Lord: ‘to lift up our eyes,’ ‘to set out on a journey,’ and ‘to see.’”
 

[grace-land]

Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-angelus-epiphany-love-shines-in-darkness.html
Pope at Angelus: Let Christ’s light shine in love for one another
06 January 2021, 12:07

Pope Francis prays the Angelus on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, and invites us to proclaim the Gospel by allowing God’s light of love to shine for others to see.
By Devin Watkins

As the Church marks the feast of the Epiphany on Wednesday, Pope Francis joined Catholics around the world in praying the Angelus in live-streaming.

Standing in the library of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope reflected on the light which the liturgical feast brings to our world.

He said Epiphany celebrates the same mystery as Christmas—the birth of Christ—but from the perspective of light and the manifestation of the Lord to all peoples.

That light, the Pope noted, should be “welcomed in faith and the light to bring to others in charity, through witness, in the proclamation of the Gospel.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-oriental-christmas-greeting-childhood-day.html
Pope Francis sends Christmas greetings to Oriental Christians
06 January 2021, 12:52

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-prays-peace-central-african-republic.html
Pope Francis appeals for peace in Central African Republic
06 January 2021, 13:00

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-college-of-cardinals-in-2021-who-could-vote-in-a-future-papal-conclave-28142

The College of Cardinals in 2021: Who could vote in a future papal conclave
By Marco Mancini

Vatican City, Jan 6, 2021 / 03:01 am MT (CNA).- As of the first month of 2021, the College of Cardinals is composed of 229 members, 128 of whom are under the age of 80, and therefore eligible to vote for the next pope in a future conclave.

It was St. Paul VI who established, on Nov. 20, 1970, that cardinals aged 80 and over could not participate in the process for electing a pope.
 
In 2021, six cardinals of the Catholic Church will lose this privilege: three from Africa, two from Europe, and one from Oceania. Four of the six were given the red hat by St. John Paul II in his last two consistories, in 2001 and 2003.

The first cardinal to turn 80 years old in the course of the year -- on Feb. 27 -- will be Gabriel Zubeir Wako, archbishop emeritus of Khartoum. He was made cardinal by St. Pope John Paul II in 2003.

On March 8, Cardinal Wilfried Fox Napier of Durban, will lose the right to vote in a future conclave. He was also made a cardinal by John Paul II.

Also made a cardinal in 2003, Cardinal George Pell, former prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, will turn 80 June 8.

On July 19, Cardinal Maurice Piat of Port Louis will have his 80th birthday. He was given the red hat by Pope Francis in the November 2016 consistory.

Cardinal Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, will reach age 80 Aug. 18. He received the red biretta from Pope Francis' first consistory, held in February 2014.

The last cardinal to turn 80 in 2021 will be Angelo Scola, archbishop emeritus of Milan. St. John Paul II made him cardinal in the 2003 consistory, when Scola was patriarch of Venice.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-letter-venezuela-porras-covid-poverty.html

Pope prays for Venezuelans hit hard by Covid-19 and poverty
08 January 2021, 11:36

In a letter to Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo, Pope Francis expresses his closeness to the Venezuelan people, who are suffering because of the pandemic and poverty.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis has sent a brief message to Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo, Archbishop of Merida and apostolic administrator of Caracas, on the occasion of his name day on January 6. In his letter, the Holy Father expressed his closeness to the Venezuelan people, who in recent years have been the victim of a heavy humanitarian and socio-economic crisis, aggravated today by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A father’s heart
"May God continue to give you strength and parrhesia so that with a father's heart you know how to accompany and comfort His holy faithful people, tried by the suffering caused by the scourge of the pandemic, the arrogance of the powerful and the growing poverty that strangles them", the Pope wrote.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-appoints-first-lay-head-of-roman-curias-disciplinary-commission-32220

Pope Francis appoints first lay head of Roman Curia’s disciplinary commission

Vatican City, Jan 8, 2021 / 05:20 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis appointed on Friday the first lay head of the Roman Curia’s disciplinary commission.

The Holy See press office announced on Jan. 8 that the pope had named Vincenzo Buonomo, rector of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, as president of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia.

Buonomo succeeds the Italian Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, who served in the role from 2010 until his death on Nov. 13, 2019.

The commission, founded in 1981, is the main disciplinary body within the curia, the administrative apparatus of the Holy See. It is responsible for determining sanctions against curial employees accused of misconduct, ranging from suspension to dismissal.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-telegram-death-cardinal-schwery.html

Pope Francis sends condolences for death of Cardinal Schwery
08 January 2021, 14:12

Pope Francis sends his condolences for the death of Cardinal Henri Schwery, and says the Bishop emeritus of Sion was a shepherd deeply dedicated to the faithful of his diocese in Switzerland.
By Vatican News staff writer

Cardinal Henri Schwery, Bishop emeritus of Sion in Switzerland, died on Thursday at the age of 88 in his hometown of Saint-Léonard.

In response to his passing, Pope Francis sent a telegram on Friday to the late Cardinal’s successor, Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey. In the message, the Pope expressed his condolences to Cardinal Schwery’s family and all the faithful of the diocese he led for nearly 18 years.

“I ask our merciful Father to welcome into His peace and light this learned man and Pastor who was deeply dedicated to guiding his diocese,” wrote the Pope. He praised Cardinal Schwery’s dedication to the needs of the faithful, his promotion of priestly vocations, and his efforts to promote the unity of the Church.

Pope Francis concluded his message by imparting his Apostolic Blessing on all those whose paths had crossed that of Cardinal Henri Schwery.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-01/nuncio-speaks-about-service-in-haiti-and-now-to-kuwait-and-qatar.html

New Nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar affirms Pope's committment to interreligious dialogue
08 January 2021, 15:16

From the Caribbean to the Middle East, Archbishop Eugene Nugent talks about his experience as papal nuncio to Haiti and now to Kuwait and Qatar.
By Vatican News staff writer

On 7 January, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Eugene Nugent as the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and Qatar.

The Archbishop had been serving since 2015 as papal nuncio to the Caribbean nation of Haiti.

Archbishop Nugent, who hails from the midwest of Ireland, spoke to Vatican News about his experience in Haiti and about what his new appointment says about the Pope's dedication to interreligious dialogue.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-credential-letters-uruguay-ambassador-carriquiry.html

Uruguayan Ambassador Carriquiry begins new Vatican role
09 January 2021, 12:19

Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour presents his credential letters to Pope Francis, and begins his new role as Uruguay’s Ambassador to the Holy See.
By Vatican News

Uruguayan jurist Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour is certainly one of the best-known faces in the Roman Curia.

He began his service at the Vatican in the early 1970s when Paul VI was Pope.

In July, Uruguay designated Carriquiry as the Latin American nation’s Ambassador to the Holy See.

He presented his credential letters to Pope Francis at an audience on Saturday, marking the official start to his diplomatic mission.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-assault-us-capitol-no-to-violence-interview.html

Pope on assault on US Capitol: 'Reject violence. It’s time for healing'
09 January 2021, 16:01

In a Italian television interview to be aired on Sunday, Pope Francis reacts to this week’s assault on the US Capitol in Washington DC, decrying all violence and inviting Americans to “learn from the past.”
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis says the unfolding of events on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on 6 January “came as a surprise” to him. However, he noted, no society can consider itself immune from subversive elements.

His words come as part of an interview conducted by the Italian “Canale 5” television network, which will be broadcast on Sunday evening.

Violence to be condemned
"I was amazed, because they are a people who are so disciplined in democracy,” said Pope Francis.

However, he added, even mature societies can have flaws, and there are often people "who take a path against the community, against democracy, and against the common good."

Violence must certainly be condemned, the Pope continued. "It must always be condemned, regardless of those who perpetrate it.”
 

[grace-land]

Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-angelus-baptism-lord-catechesis.html
Pope at Angelus reminds us to cherish our baptismal identity
10 January 2021, 12:10

Pope Francis celebrates the Baptism of the Lord inviting the faithful to celebrate the date of their Baptism, the day they received Holy Spirit and became the beloved children of God.
By Vatican News staff writer

Marking the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis reflected on the Liturgy of the day that tells of how Jesus’ pubic life began.

Speaking from the Apostolic Library during the Sunday Angelus, the Pope noted that after the feast of the Epiphany, the Liturgy takes a leap of some 30 years, "hidden" time spent by Jesus  with his family, obeying his parents, studying and working.

All of the evangelists, he said, narrate his public life that they say spanned about three years.

It is striking, he said, that the Lord spent most of his time on earth living an ordinary life, without standing out.

“It is a fine message for us: it reveals the greatness of daily life, the importance in the eyes of God of every gesture and moment of life, even the most simple and hidden,” he said.

After these 30 years of hidden life, the Pope continued, Jesus' public life begins with the baptism in the River Jordan.
 

[grace-land]

Video, with English text, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-angelus-appeal-united-states-violence-congress-democracy.html
Pope appeals to Americans to protect democracy and promote reconciliation
10 January 2021, 15:11

Pope Francis appeals to Americans to maintain a high sense of responsibility and promote democracy and reconciliation in the wake of the violent assault on Capitol Hill.
By Linda Bordoni   

Pope Francis extended his “loving greeting” to the people of the United States of America whom, he said, are “shaken by the recent assault on Congress” and said he is praying for the five people who lost their lives “in those dramatic moments.”

The Pope was speaking during the Sunday Angelus just days after an angry mob stormed Capitol Hill and clashed with police as Congress convened to validate Joe Biden’s presidential win.

Violence is always self-destructive

“I reiterate that violence is always self-destructive,” Pope Francis said, adding that “Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost.”

“I urge the State authorities and the entire population to maintain a high sense of responsibility in order to soothe tempers, promote national reconciliation, and protect the democratic values rooted in American society,” he said.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-asks-immaculate-virgin-mary-to-intercede-for-us-after-capitol-violence-65400

Pope Francis asks Immaculate Virgin Mary to intercede for US after Capitol violence
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Jan 10, 2021 / 05:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis prayed Sunday for the United States, asking the Immaculate Virgin Mary to help foster a “culture of encounter” after the recent violence at the U.S. Capitol Building.
 
In the midday Marian prayer broadcast live from the library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis invoked the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, who was proclaimed patroness of the United States in 1846.

“May the Immaculate Virgin, Patroness of the United States of America, help to keep alive the culture of encounter, the culture of care, as the main way to build the common good together,” the pope said.
 
In a video clip published Jan. 9, Pope Francis said that he was “astonished” by this incident that occurred in the U.S. Capitol Building.

“I was astonished, because they are a people so disciplined in democracy, right? But it’s a reality,” the pope said in the clip published to the website of the Italian news program TgCom24.

“Something isn’t working,” Francis continued. With “people taking a path against the community, against democracy, against the common good. Thanks be to God that this has broken out and there was a chance to see it well so that now you can try and heal it. Yes, this must be condemned, this movement…”

The clip was published as a preview of a longer interview with Pope Francis by Vatican journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona, who works for the Italian television network Mediaset.

The interview will air on the evening of Jan. 10, and will be followed by a Mediaset-produced film on the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from his youth in Argentina until his election as Pope Francis in 2013.
 

Videos at the link
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/videos-depict-capitol-police-letting-protesters-into-us-capitol-posing-for-selfies
In some videos, Capitol police appear to let protestors into US Capitol, pose for selfies
Other videos from other parts of the chaotic day show very different interactions between protestors and police.
Sat Jan 9, 2021 - 5:57 am EST

[grace-land]

Pope Francis' interview that aired on Italian news program Tg5 Jan. 10 -- various topics

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-interview-we-need-unity-in-the-catholic-church-society-and-nations-34989
Pope Francis: We need unity in the Catholic Church, society, and nations
By Hannah Brockhaus

Rome Newsroom, Jan 10, 2021 / 02:30 pm MT (CNA).- In the face of political discord and self-interest, we have an obligation to promote unity, peace, and the common good in society and in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said Sunday.

“At this moment, a politician, even a manager, a bishop, a priest, who does not have the ability to say ‘we’ is not up to par. ‘We,’ the common good of all, must prevail. Unity is superior to conflict,” the pope said in an interview that aired on Italian news program Tg5 Jan. 10.

“Conflicts are necessary, but right now they have to go on vacation,” he continued, noting that people have a right to different points of view, and “political struggle is a noble thing,” but “what matters is the intention to help the country grow.”

“If politicians emphasize more self-interest than the common interest, they ruin things,” Francis stated. “The unity of the country, of the Church, and of society must be emphasized.”
 
The Vatican will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to its residents and employees next week, and Pope Francis said he has “booked” his appointment to receive it.

“I believe that, ethically, everyone has to get the vaccine. It is an ethical option because it concerns your life but also that of others,” he stated.

Recalling the introduction of the polio vaccine and other common childhood immunizations, he said, “I don’t understand why some say this could be a dangerous vaccine. If doctors present it to you as something that can be fine and has no special dangers, why not take it?”

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-opens-ministries-lector-acolyte-women.html

Pope Francis: Ministries of lector and acolyte to be open to women
11 January 2021, 12:00

Pope Francis changes the Code of Canon Law to institutionalize what is already allowed in practice: the access of lay women to the service of the Word and the Altar. The Pope explains his decision in a letter to Cardinal Ladaria.
By Vatican News

With a Motu proprio released on Monday, Pope Francis established that from now on the ministries of Lector and Acolyte are to be open to women, in a stable and institutionalized form through a specific mandate.

There is nothing new about women proclaiming the Word of God during liturgical celebrations or carrying out a service at the altar as altar servers or as Eucharistic ministers. In many communities throughout the world these practices are already authorized by local bishops.

However, up to this point, this has occurred without a true and proper institutional mandate, as an exception to what Pope St Paul VI had established when, in 1972, even while abolishing the so-called “minor orders”, he decided to maintain that access to these ministries be granted only to men because both were considered to be preparatory to the eventual admission to holy orders.

Now, in the wake of the discernment which has emerged from the last Synods of Bishops, Pope Francis wanted to formalize and institutionalize the presence of women at the altar.
 
http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20210110_spiritus-domini.html
APOSTOLIC LETTER
ISSUED "MOTU PROPRIO"
SPIRITUS DOMINI
BY THE SUPREME PONTIFF
FRANCIS
MODIFYING CANON 230 §1 OF THE CODE OF CANON LAW
REGARDING ACCESS OF WOMEN TO THE MINISTRIES OF LECTOR AND ACOLYTE

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-opens-ministries-of-lector-and-acolyte-to-women-a-cna-explainer-28784
Pope Francis opens ministries of lector and acolyte to women: A CNA Explainer

Vatican City, Jan 11, 2021 / 11:45 am MT (CNA).- On Jan. 11, Pope Francis published an apostolic letter issued motu proprio (which means “on his own impulse” in Latin), modifying canon law regarding women’s access to the ministries of lector and acolyte. He also released a letter to Vatican doctrinal chief Cardinal Luis Ladaria explaining his reasoning for the decision.

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-world-day-sick-message-2021.html

World Day of the Sick: Pope urges “trust-based relationship” in care for the sick
12 January 2021, 12:05

In his message for the 29th World Day of the Sick on 11 February, Pope Francis urges a path of healing grounded in a trusting and interpersonal relationship between the sick and those who care for them.
By Robin Gomes

“A society is all the more human to the degree that it cares effectively for its most frail and suffering members, in a spirit of fraternal love.” Pope Francis makes the point in his message for this year's World Day of the Sick.

In order to fight hypocrisy and self-idolatry, he says, Jesus asks us to “stop and listen, to establish a direct and personal relationship with others, to feel empathy and compassion, and to let their suffering become our own as we seek to serve them,” the Pope says in the message, released by the Vatican on Tuesday.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-01/ash-wednesday-coronavirus-note-distribution-ashes.html

Vatican modifies distribution of ashes for Ash Wednesday
12 January 2021, 15:42

The Congregation for Divine Worship releases a note laying out the procedures priests around the world are to follow for the distribution of ashes at the start of Lent.
By Vatican News

The health situation caused by Covid-19 continues to forces changes on daily life, which are also reflected in the Church’s sphere.

Ahead of the beginning of Lent, on Wednesday, 17 February, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has published a note detailing how Catholic priests are to distribute ashes.

Instructions
After blessing the ashes and sprinkling them with holy water in silence, the priest addresses those present, reciting once the formula found in the Roman Missal: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ash-wednesday-vatican-offers-guidance-on-ash-distribution-amid-pandemic
Ash Wednesday 2021: Vatican offers guidance on ash distribution amid COVID-19 pandemic

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-01/alleged-vatican-transactions-in-australia-erroneous-amounts.html

Alleged Vatican transactions in Australia: erroneous amounts
13 January 2021, 16:05

The Australian financial supervisory body, which had spoken of 1.4 billion euros transferred over the last six years, admits a calculation error: it was 6 million euros. The Holy See: “The figure is attributable, among other things, to a number of contractual obligations and the ordinary management of resources"
By Vatican News

The case over the enormous financial transfers allegedly sent from the Holy See to Australia has been dismantled. The amount was not 1.4 billion euros with 47,000 financial transactions over the past six years, but 6 million euros consisting of 362 transactions. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), Australia's financial overseer, released the information via the website of “The Australian” newspaper with a statement admitting that it had massively overestimated the flow of these transfers. “It is believed that a computer coding error is at the origin of the miscalculation,” writes AUSTRAC, which had mistakenly considered transactions with Italy as also being those of the Vatican.