Pope Francis

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-mass-easter-sunday-2021.html
Pope Francis celebrates Mass on Easter Sunday
04 April 2021, 11:29

Pope Francis presides over Mass on Easter Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Altar of the Chair, and thanks all those who worked hard to make the Triduum celebrations so beautiful.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Easter Sunday morning at the Vatican Basilica with a small number of the faithful present.

Yet the Pope was joined by countless Catholics around the world via digital media across various social media platforms.

At one point, nearly 9 thousand people were simultaneously celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection with the Pope on Vatican News’ English-language Facebook page alone.

Over 170 broadcast networks and media outlets picked up the Easter broadcasts, which has seen much wider coverage in recent years due to live-streaming.

The Vatican this year also added a service in sign language, thanks to the “No One Left Out” project launched by the Dicastery for Communication.

On this holiest of Christian feasts, Pope Francis chose not to multiply words but to reflect in silence on the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection from the dead.

In place of a homily, he led the faithful in silent prayer following the proclamation of the Gospel of John (20:1-9), which was chanted in both Latin and Greek.
 

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Photo gallery and video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-at-easter-jesus-who-was-crucified-has-risen-alleluia.html
Pope at Easter Urbi et Orbi: 'Risen Christ is hope that does not disappoint'
04 April 2021, 12:18

Pope Francis delivers his traditional Easter message “Urbi et Orbi” – to the city and the world – underscoring how today we celebrate the event that gives us the hope that does not disappoint: “Jesus who was crucified has risen”.
By Vatican News staff writer

Throughout the world, the Church proclaims the joyous news that “Jesus, who was crucified, has risen as He said. Alleluia!”, Pope Francis said at the start of his Easter message broadcast live around the world.

He delivered his Urbi et Orbi message inside St. Peter’s Basilica, just like last year, due to coronavirus safety measures.

He had just concluded presiding over the Easter Sunday Mass at the Altar of the Chair with a small congregation participating. The Basilica featured arrays of Avalanche roses given by Dutch florists who traditionally filled St. Peter’s Square with flowers on Easter every year, but had to stop temporarily due to the pandemic.

The Easter reality of the Resurrection offers concrete, tangible hope and consolation, the Pope noted, but its message does not offer us “a mirage or reveal a magic formula” we might wish as an escape exit to the world’s difficult realities.

Among them, the spread of the pandemic, social and economic crisis hitting the poor especially, but also, he noted the “scandalous” fact that “armed conflicts have not ended and military arsenals are being strengthened.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-pope-francis-easter-urbi-et-orbi-blessing-2021
Full text: Pope Francis’ Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing 2021

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-regina-coeli-monday-angels.html

Pope at Regina Coeli: Encountering Christ means finding peace of heart
05 April 2021, 12:19

At the Regina Coeli on Easter Monday, Pope Francis speaks of the angel's appearance and the proclamation of Christ's Resurrection, noting that in finding the Risen Christ we discover peace of heart.
By Vatican News staff writer

Leading the prayer of the Regina Coeli from the library of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis recalled that the day is also known as Monday of the Angels because "we recall the meeting of the angel with the women who arrived at Jesus' tomb" after He had risen.

The Pope noted that the angel said to them: “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He has risen." This expression - “He has risen” - goes beyond human capacity, said the Pope.

Even the women who had gone to the tomb and had found it open and empty could not confirm “He has risen”, but only that the tomb was empty.

"Only an angel could say that Jesus had risen", he said, just as only an angel had been able to say to Mary: “you will conceive a son...and He will be called the Son of the Most High.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-at-the-regina-coeli-never-tire-of-seeking-the-risen-christ
Pope Francis at the Regina Coeli: ‘Never tire of seeking the risen Christ’

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Video, with English text, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-prayer-intention-april-2021-human-rights.html
Pope’s prayer intention for April: ‘For fundamental human rights’
06 April 2021, 17:00

Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of April 2021, and urges everyone to pray for those fighting to protect people’s fundamental human rights in all parts of the world.
By Devin Watkins

“Defending fundamental human rights demands courage and determination.”

Pope Francis begins “The Pope Video” for April with this remark, and goes on to describe exactly what he means.

He says he is referring to “actively combatting poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, and the denial of social and labor rights.”

As a press release from the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network points out, the Pope is inviting all people of goodwill to pray for those who “risk their lives fighting for fundamental rights.”
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/general-audience.html
Pope at Audience: The Saints ceaselessly "give us a hand"
07 April 2021, 10:14

Continuing his Catechesis on Christian prayer, Pope Francis reflects on the Communion of Saints, saying their intercession “is their most exalted service to God’s plan”
By Lydia O'Kane

Following the Easter celebrations, Pope Francis on Wednesday continued his catechesis on Christian prayer during the General Audience, focusing this week on the Communion of Saints.

He explained that whenever we pray, we are never alone, but find ourselves immersed in a great stream of past, present and future intercession for the needs of individuals and of the whole world.

Expansive power of Prayer

We pray together with all the saints in the communion of the Body of Christ which is the Church, the Pope said, adding that those good prayers are “expansive,” “they propagate themselves continuously, with or without being posted on social networks: from hospital wards, from moments of festive gatherings to those in which we suffer silently.”

 “One person’s pain is everyone’s pain, and one person’s happiness is transmitted to someone else’s soul,” he added.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-appeal-prayers-victims-floods-indonesia-east-timor-audience.html
Pope prays for victims of floods in Indonesia and East Timor
07 April 2021, 10:39

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-fr-mintoff-malta-birthday-peace-lab-malta.html

Pope personally congratulates Maltese priest on his 90th birthday
07 April 2021, 14:09

Pope Francis reaches out to Fr Dionysius Mintoff, founder of a Centre for Peace and a shelter for migrants in Malta, on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
By Linda Bordoni

“Dear father, I have just found out that the day before yesterday you turned 90! I send you my Best Wishes!”

These simple words on a hand-written note, penned and signed by Pope Francis, most certainly made the day for Fr. Dionysius Mintoff, as he went about celebrating an important birthday at the Pope John XXIII Peace Laboratory he founded on the island of Malta.

In the note, written on 3 April, Pope Francis goes on to thank Fr Mintoff for his priestly and religious life as a Franciscan and for his life-long ministry in the Church. In his typical modest style, he asks the elderly Franciscan to pray for him before wishing him a blessed Easter and signing off with a simple: “fraternally yours, Francesco.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-appointment-bishop-duluth-usa.html

Pope Francis appoints new bishop of Duluth in the US
07 April 2021, 14:21

Pope Francis appoints Msgr. Daniel J. Felton as the new Bishop of the US Diocese of Duluth.
By Vatican News staff writer

The Holy Father on Wednesday appointed a new Bishop for the Diocese of Duluth, in the US state of Minnesota.

Msgr. Daniel J. Felton hails from the clergy of the Diocese of Green Bay, and has served until now as its Vicar General.

Brief biography

Bishop-elect Daniel J. Felton was born on 5 February 1955 in Portsmouth, Virginia, in the diocese of Richmond.

He attended Saint Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in religious studies (1973-1977).

He carried out his ecclesiastical studies at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he received a master’s degree in theology. He was subsequently awarded a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, in 1990.

Msgr. Felton was ordained a priest for the diocese of Green Bay on 13 June 1981.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-04/hans-kung-theologian-death-93-switzerland-vatican-council.html

Swiss theologian Hans Küng dies aged 93
07 April 2021, 09:45

The 93 year-old theologian participated in the Second Vatican Council. A critic of the doctrine on papal infallibility, his authorisation to teach Catholic theology was revoked in 1979.
By Vatican News

Swiss theologian Hans Küng died on Tuesday at the age of 93 in his home in Tübingen, Germany.

Born in Sursee on 19 March, 1928, he was ordained a priest in 1954. Three years later, in his dissertation for the doctorate, he argued for the convergence between Catholics and Reformed on the doctrine of Justification: he claimed that, in reality, the same thing is affirmed with different words. In 1960 he became professor at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Tübingen, and later took part in the Second Vatican Council as an expert, where he had the opportunity to engage with Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI.

In addition to having dedicated himself to the study of the history of religions, especially the Abrahamic ones, he was known for his positions in the theological and moral field, often critical of various points of Catholic doctrine. In particular, he spoke out against the dogma of papal infallibility as understood by the First Vatican Council. In 1979, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith revoked his faculty to teach as a Catholic theologian, but he continued to work as professor emeritus of ecumenical theology at the University of Tübingen.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-argentina-letter-blessed-sacrament.html

Pope Francis recalls love for Eucharistic adoration from his youth
08 April 2021, 11:05

Pope Francis sends a handwritten note to Alpha and Omega Catholic weekly in reply to a record from his youth containing his name as one of the faithful nocturnal adorers who prayed at the Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament in his home country, Argentina.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis has sent a letter to Spanish Catholic weekly Alpha and Omega after receiving a photo of a record from the 1950’s with his name and a number.

The record indicated that as a young man, Pope Francis was one of the many faithful who made regular visits to the Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to pray at night, alongside his brother Óscar.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-world-monetary-fund-message.html

Pope Francis: Too much exclusion for a world in which all are equal
08 April 2021, 12:57

Pope Francis sends a letter to the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund as they begin their virtual spring meetings. In his letter, the Pope stresses the importance of developing a just and equal society for all.
By Vatican News staff writer

In a letter addressed to the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, Pope Francis noted that over the last year, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, "our world has been forced to confront a series of grave and interrelated socio-economic, ecological and political crises".

As the groups meet this spring, the Pope stresses that it is his hope that their discussions may contribute to a model of 'recovery' capable of generating new, more inclusive, and sustainable solutions to support the real economy, assisting individuals and communities to achieve their deepest aspirations and the universal common good.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247206/pope-francis-calls-for-global-covid-19-recovery-plan-in-message-to-world-bank-and-imf
Pope Francis calls for global COVID-19 recovery plan in message to World Bank and IMF
CNA Staff, Apr 8, 2021 / 13:00 pm

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2021/documents/papa-francesco_20210404_lettera-banca-mondiale.html
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2021 SPRING MEETINGS OF THE
WORLD BANK GROUP AND INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
[5-11 April 2021]

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-04/pope-message-symposium-child-sexual-abuse-cardinal-omalley.html

Pope backs multi-faith efforts to eradicate child sexual abuse
08 April 2021, 16:50

Participants at an International Symposium on strategies for preventing and healing child sexual abuse receive a message of encouragement and gratitude from Pope Francis.
By Linda Bordoni

In a message to religious leaders, scholars and experts from various fields participating in the international Symposium “Faith and Flourishing: Strategies for Preventing and Healing Child Sexual Abuse”, Pope Francis expressed his support and hope for the eradication what he described as “a profound evil.”

The three-day symposium is a landmark event organized by Harvard University in partnership with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Catholic University of America.

It kicked-off on April 8th, the day organizers hope will soon become the World Day of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, Healing and Justice.

In his message to participants, the Pope expressed his trust that “by bringing together Religious Leaders, Scholars, and experts from various fields in order to share research, clinical and pastoral experiences and best practices, the Symposium will contribute to a greater awareness of the gravity and extent of child sexual abuse and promote more effective cooperation at every level of society in eradicating this profound evil.”
 
The Symposium
On the Symposium website you are invited to hear the voices of survivors of child sexual abuse and follow upcoming Symposium presentations that include: “Challenges and Opportunities for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse; “Managing Urgent and Emerging Challenges Related to Digital Safety and the Global Pandemic; “The Role of Faith and Faith Leaders in Preventing and Healing Child Sexual Abuse”; “The Importance of Faith Leaders in Preventing and Healing Child Sexual Abuse.”

All presentations can be viewed by the public who is also invited to join discussion following registration. Click here for info.
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https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/video-presentations
On Demand Program
The following presentations will be available to stream from this page each day at 12:00 AM, for all participants to view on-demand.  The program will be available for viewing for up 90 days following the event.  To watch the full program without interruption click on the date for each day. To watch one program at a time, click on the picture or the title.

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247202/pope-francis-to-offer-divine-mercy-sunday-mass-in-church-with-st-faustinas-relics

Pope Francis to offer Divine Mercy Sunday Mass in church with St. Faustina’s relics
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Apr 8, 2021 / 08:00 am America/Denver (CNA).

On Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis will offer Mass in a church containing the relics of both St. Faustina Kowalska and St. John Paul II.

This will be the second year that the pope has chosen to offer Mass in the church, Santo Spirito in Sassia, which was transformed into a center for Divine Mercy spirituality.

Pope Francis’ Divine Mercy Sunday Mass on April 11 will not be open to the public but will be broadcast on television and via live stream at 10:30 a.m. local time.

Following Mass, Pope Francis will recite the Regina Coeli prayer from inside the church.

Located near St. Peter’s Basilica, Santo Spirito in Sassia is Rome’s official Divine Mercy church. Before the coronavirus epidemic, people gathered each day there at 3 p.m. to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

"At the hour of Divine Mercy … truly the church is filled with many souls -- the young, the sick, couples, and people facing great difficulties of a moral nature who come to implore the Divine Mercy," Msgr. Jozef Bart, the church’s rector previously told CNA.

The Polish priest was personally selected by Pope John Paul II to transform the 16th-century church, originally built as a hospital chapel, into a center for Divine Mercy spirituality in 1994.
 

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Video at link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-04/holy-see-philippines-70-years-diplomatic-relations.html

Holy See, Philippines mark 70 years of diplomatic relations
09 April 2021, 15:23

It was on April 8, 1951 that representatives of the Holy See and the Philippines signed a treaty establishing diplomatic relations.
By Robin Gomes

The Holy See and the Philippines on Thursday marked the 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two states.  Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, the anniversary was marked by a virtual event and a message by the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs.   

Outgoing Philippine ambassador to the Holy See, Grace Relucio-Princesa, reaffirmed her nation’s commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relations.  She assured the government’s continued partnership with the Church because “there’s really room for engagement”. “Let the Philippine embassy in the Vatican start this: diplomacy for humanity, diplomacy for the common good, and one of this is migration,” said the 65-year-old diplomat who is retiring.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2021-04/britain-s-duke-of-edinburgh-dies-aged-99.html

Outpouring of condolences for death of Britain’s Prince Philip, aged 99
09 April 2021, 14:26

Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, dies at the age of 99. The Archbishop of Westminster says he will be greatly missed.
By Lydia O’Kane

A statement issued by Buckingham Palace on Friday said, "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."

The Prince had spent a month in hospital receiving treatment for an infection and underwent heart surgery before being released on 16 March to return to Windsor Castle.

The Duke of Edinburgh was Britain’s longest serving consort. He was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, and was made a Prince of the United Kingdom after his marriage to Princess Elizabeth in 1947.

On her accession to the throne, Prince Philip dedicated a lifetime of service to Queen and country.

Condolences

Paying tribute to the Duke, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said, “At this moment of sadness and loss I pray for the repose of the soul of Prince Philip, Her Majesty the Queen’s faithful and loyal husband. I pray for the Queen and all of the Royal Family.

“How much we will miss Prince Philip’s presence and character, so full of life and vigour. He has been an example of steadfast loyalty and duty cheerfully given. May he rest in peace.”

The Duke of Edinburgh gave up a promising naval career to support his wife and carried out 20,000 Royal engagements promoting British interests both at home and abroad. He was by Queen Elizabeth’s side when she met Pope Francis at the Casa Santa Marta in 2014.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247219/cardinal-nichols-leads-catholic-community-in-mourning-death-of-prince-philip-at-age-99
Cardinal Nichols leads Catholic community in mourning death of Prince Philip at age 99

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-condolence-telegram-prince-philip-elizabeth-parolin.html

Pope’s condolences for death of Prince Philip
10 April 2021, 12:11

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram on the Pope’s behalf to Queen Elizabeth II, recalling her husband’s “record of public service”.
Vatican News

“Saddened to learn of the death of your husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, His Holiness Pope Francis offers heartfelt condolences to Your Majesty and the members of the royal family,” Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin wrote in a telegram addressed to Queen Elizabeth. “Recalling Prince Philip’s devotion to his marriage and family, his distinguished record of public service and his commitment to the education and advancement of future generations, His Holiness commends him to the merciful love of Christ our redeemer,” the Cardinal wrote.  “Upon you and upon all who grieve his loss in the sure hope of the resurrection, the Holy Father invokes the Lord’s blessings of consolation and peace,” he concluded.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-colombia-bishops-violence-parolin-telegram.html

Pope’s closeness to victims of violence in southern Colombia
10 April 2021, 11:15

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram on the Pope’s behalf to Colombia's bishops expressing concern over the dramatic situation in the southern part of the country.
Vatican News

Pope Francis condemns the "episodes of violence and expresses his closeness to the people who live in the midst of so much suffering" in the southwestern Pacific region of Colombia. This is what the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, wrote in a telegram addressed to the president of the Colombian Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Oscar Urbina Ortega of Villavicencio. The message also recalls "the commitment of bishops, priests, religious and laity in the incessant search to build bonds of peace in the entire region".
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-04/cardinal-cassidy-remembered-for-life-of-service-to-the-church.html

Cardinal Cassidy remembered for life of service to the Church
10 April 2021, 16:14

The former President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Edward Cassidy, died in Newcastle, Australia, on Saturday, at the age of 96.
By Vatican News staff reporter

The Church in Australia and around the world is mourning the death on Saturday of Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

“Cardinal Cassidy showed not only diplomatic skill and political astuteness, but also human authenticity and common sense,” said Archbishop Mark Coleridge, the President of the Australian Bishops’ Conference. “There was a simplicity in it all – the simplicity of a man called to high office in the Church but with his eyes firmly on Jesus Christ.”
 

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https://www.catholicnews.com/update-francesco/

UPDATE: Francesco
By: Sister Hosea Rupprecht

Date: April 7, 2021
Movie Ratings: NR
Movie Classification: A-II

NEW YORK (CNS) — Award-winning documentarian Evgeny Afineevsky (“Cries From Syria”) issues a call for action with his film “Francesco” (Discovery+).

The unspoken summons comes through allowing viewers to witness the influence one man, Pope Francis, has succeeded in having over the many social and other issues of our time.

Rather than present a linear biography, the movie takes its form from the Holy Father’s own agenda. As depicted here, the pontiff’s primary goal is to bring the message of human dignity to the world by shining a light into some of the darkest corners of the globe, where political, social, economic and religious injustices have taken — and, in some cases, are still taking — place.
 

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Links:  Vatican Observatory’s new website, podcast etc...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247200/vatican-observatorys-new-website-a-launch-pad-to-show-the-catholic-church-supports-science
Vatican Observatory’s new website a launch pad to show the Catholic Church supports science
By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Apr 8, 2021 / 05:00 am America/Denver (CNA).

The Vatican’s astronomical observatory has launched a new website as part of its mission to show the world the Catholic Church’s support of science and scientific research.

Together with the website, which has hundreds of resources on faith and science, the Vatican Observatory has also started a podcast to explore “the wonder of God’s universe” with Vatican astronomers and expert guests.

Jesuit Br. Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory, told CNA in an email interview that the old website “was hardly ever visited.”

“The mission of the Vatican Observatory, articulated by Pope Leo XIII back in 1891, is to show the world that the Church supports science. And while we’ve done a pretty good job of doing the science, I know we’ve been less successful at ‘showing the world,’” Consolmagno said.

With roots dating back to 1582, the Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-04/vatican-museums-gardens-open-3-may.html

Vatican Museums to reopen on 3 May
08 April 2021, 20:42

Booking is required as are punctuality, masks and social distancing. The Vatican Gardens will also be open for visits.
By Vatican News staff writer

In line with government decrees to curb the spread of the pandemic, the Vatican Museums will reopen on the first Monday of the month of May.

The re-opening follows the Museums’ third closure since the start of the pandemic.

Rules and regulations are clear and will be enforced by security personnel. First and foremost, all visitors are required to book tickets on-line.