Pope Francis

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Video, with English text, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-august-prayer-intention-for-small-businesses.html
Pope's August prayer intention: 'For small businesses'
02 August 2022, 16:01

Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of August, urging special prayers for small businesses.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

As August kicks off, Pope Francis is calling on Catholics to pray for small and medium-sized businesses, so that "in the midst of economic and social crisis, they find ways to continue operating, and serving their communities.”

The Pope released his monthly prayer intention on Tuesday in a video prepared by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.

In the message, he recognizes the "courage, effort and sacrifice" of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, and acknowledges that they are among the most affected by "the grave socio-economic crisis," brought to new heights by wars and the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.

According to statistics for 2021 from the World Bank, one in four companies lost half of their volume of sales because of the global pandemic. Further exacerbating their reality is that they do not receive adequate public assistance.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-to-youth-in-medjugorje-trust-in-jesus-and-find-peace.html

Pope to youth in Medjugorje: 'Trust in Jesus and find peace'
02 August 2022, 13:45

Pope Francis sends a message to the International Youth Festival taking place in Medjugorje, and encourages young people to welcome the invitation of Jesus to open their hearts and put their trust in God, who can give them consolation and peace.
By Vatican News staff reporter

Thousands of young people are gathered in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, for the annual "Mladifest" International Youth Festival taking place from 1 to 6 August this year.

The calendar of events include liturgies, prayer vigils, processions, adoration, testimonies, as well as concerts and dance, as a time to renew and animate the spiritual life of young people.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251937/pope-francis-to-medjugorje-youth-festival-follow-the-example-of-mary
Pope Francis to Medjugorje youth festival: 'Follow the example of Mary'
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Aug 2, 2022 / 09:30 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-italy-laquila-madonna-images-visit.html

Three images of Our Lady to accompany Pope’s visit to L'Aquila
01 August 2022, 16:12

When Pope Francis travels to the Italian city of L’Aquila on 28 August, three images of the Blessed Virgin Mary will accompany his pastoral visit to mark the annual “Celebration of Forgiveness”.
By Vatican News staff reporter

Three images of Our Lady will frame the Pope’s brief visit to L’Aquila, in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, on 28 August.
For the Pope’s visit, the sacred image of Our Lady of Roio (Our Lady of the Cross) will be placed on the papal altar that will be set up on the parvis of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio for the celebration of Mass, over which Pope Francis will preside before the opening of the Holy Door of Collemaggio.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-to-visit-kazakhstan-in-september.html

Pope to visit Kazakhstan in September
01 August 2022, 11:07

Pope Francis will make his 38th Apostolic Journey abroad to Kazakhstan in mid-September, visiting the city of Nur-Sultan on the occasion of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis will visit Kazakhstan this September.

In a statement on Monday, Matteo Bruni, the Director of the Holy See Press Office announced: "Accepting the invitation of the civil and ecclesial authorities, Pope Francis will make the announced Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan from 13-15 September this year, visiting the city of Nur-Sultan on the occasion of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions."

The Congress is to be held in the Kazakh capital.

The theme of this year’s event will be "The Role of Leaders of World and Traditional Faiths in the Socio-Spiritual Development of Humanity after the Pandemic".

Every three years, religious leaders from around the world gather at the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, in Nur-Sultan.

In 2003, former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev called for the first such Congress.

He drew inspiration from Pope St. John Paul II's 1986 Day of Prayer for Peace convened in the Italian hill town of Assisi, which brought together various religions and leaders to promote interreligious dialogue, peace and harmony.

The 'Spirit of Assisi' meetings became an annual tradition held each year in a different city in Europe.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251927/pope-francis-to-visit-kazakhstan-in-september
Pope Francis to visit Kazakhstan in September
By CNA Staff
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2022 / 05:05 am

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/08/02/220802b.html
Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Francis in Kazakhstan (13 to 15 September 2022) - Programme, 02.08.2022

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-at-audience-gratitude-for-visit-to-canada.html
Pope at Audience: Canada, a penitential visit 'like no other'
03 August 2022, 09:34

Pope Francis resumes his weekly Wednesday General Audience after a July break, and dedicates his catechesis to his recent Apostolic Journey to Canada, a penitential pilgrimage dedicated to embracing indigenous peoples who suffered injustices over the centuries.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis resumed his weekly Wednesday General Audiences on Wednesday, after his annual summer break, and dedicated this week's catechesis to his recently-concluded Apostolic Journey to Canada.

The Audience was held in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall due to the intense summer heat in the Italian capital.

During his catechesis, the Pope recalled his 'penitential pilgrimage' to the North American country, focused on healing and reconciliation with the nation's indigenous peoples who suffered attempts to erase their culture and identity.

These injustices were perpetrated in the infamous historic government-funded residential schools system, with the cooperation of many members of the local churches.

In his remarks, the Pope remembered his time in Edmonton, Quebec, and his stop in the Arctic city of Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut Territory.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-recalls-second-anniversary-of-beirut-port-explosion.html
Pope Francis recalls second anniversary of Beirut Port explosion
03 August 2022, 10:56

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-greets-children-attending-vatican-summer-camp.html
Pope greets children attending Vatican summer camp
03 August 2022, 14:19

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2022.index.html
Audiences 2022
General Audience of 3 August 2022 - Catechesis: The Apostolic Journey in Canada

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-conversation-with-canada-jesuits.html

Pope to Canada's Jesuits: 'Miracles can happen when Church is united'
04 August 2022, 10:16

Pope Francis' conversation with Canada's Jesuits is published by Jesuit review 'La Civilta Cattolica,' during which the Pope highlighted the power of synodality, concern for Haiti, the Church's love for families, and liturgy as 'the people of God's public praise!'
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

In Québec, Pope Francis met with his Jesuit confreres ministering in Canada for a private moment of conversation.

On Thursday, the Jesuit review La Civilta Cattolica published the exchange between the Jesuit Pope and his fellow Jesuits which took place in the Archbishop's Residence in Québec City on the last day of his penitential pilgrimage to Canada.

The full text of the conversation, written and published by Fr. Antonio Spadaro, the Editor-in-Chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, can be read here.

The Holy Father normally reserves a private moment to meet with his Jesuit brothers during his Apostolic Journeys, and responds to questions in an informal conversation with those gathered. Among the Jesuits was the Prefect of the Vatican's Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny.

In the conversation, the main themes which emerged were synodality, great concern for Haiti, love for family and the liturgy.
 
https://www.laciviltacattolica.com/walking-together-francis-in-conversation-with-jesuits-in-canada/
Walking Together: Francis in conversation with Jesuits in Canada
by Antonio Spadaro, SJ
August 4, 2022

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251958/pope-francis-appoints-nurse-as-his-personal-health-care-assistant

Pope Francis appoints nurse as his ‘personal health care assistant’
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Aug 4, 2022 / 09:40 am

The Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Francis has appointed a “personal health care assistant.”

Pope Francis has selected Massimiliano Strappetti, a Vatican nurse whom the pope has credited with saving his life, to provide additional assistance as the 85-year-old pope faces mobility problems.

“A nurse, a man with a lot of experience, saved my life,” Pope Francis told Spanish COPE radio after his colon surgery last summer.

Strappetti advised Pope Francis to undergo tests after he had his first flare-up of diverticulitis in February 2021, according to La Repubblica. He, along with the pope’s other medical staff, recommended that the pope have an operation to keep the problem from becoming worse.

The Vatican nurse was also part of Pope Francis’ medical team during his trip to Canada, accompanying the 85-year-old pope during some of his public appearances in a wheelchair.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/metropolitan-antonij-of-moscow-patriarchiate-visits-pope-francis.html

Pope Francis meets with Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Antonij
05 August 2022, 15:29

Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, who succeeds Metropolitan Hilarion, visits the Vatican for the first time, after his appointment in June.
By Vatican News

Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk visited the Vatican for the first time on Friday.

The meeting between the head of the Department for External Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow and Pope Francis is part of the ecumenical contacts between the Pope and the Patriarchate of Moscow, and follows the conversation between Pope Francis and the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow Kirill, which took place on March 16.

Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk replaced Metropolitan Hilarion in June as president of the Department of External Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Metropolitan Hilarion had been sitting next to Patriarch Kirill during the videoconference in March, when the Pope expressed to the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia his conviction that, regarding the war in Ukraine, the duty of Christians and their pastors is to "do everything " possible "to help peace, to help those who suffer "and to stop the fire” because “those who pay the bill for the war are the people."
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251970/pope-francis-meets-with-russian-orthodox-metropolitan-anthony-kazakhstan
Ahead of trip to Kazakhstan, Pope Francis meets with Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Aug 5, 2022 / 08:22 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/ukrainian-priest-martyred-under-the-soviet-communist-regime-to.html

Ukrainian priest martyred under the Soviet regime, to be beatified
05 August 2022, 13:32

The Pope recognises the murder in hatred of the faith of a priest from the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo, Ukraine, who was killed in 1953 in the Soviet Union. There are also Decrees promulgated for the heroic virtues of five new Venerables, including the director of "Radio Aparecida", Vittorio Coelho de Almeida, and the founder of "Sorriso Francescano", Capuchin Umile da Genova
By Salvatore Cernuzio

A few hours after celebrating a clandestine Divine Liturgy, Father Petro Paolo Oros died when a pistol shot entered his chin, crossed his neck and exited his shoulder. On 28 August 1953, the Soviet communists put an end to the life of robust faith and dedication to the weakest of this priest from the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo, Ukraine. He died in Siltse. The Pope recognised his martyrdom in Friday’s audience with the Cardinal Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Marcello Semeraro. Oros will now be beatified. Together with his martyrdom, the heroic virtues of five servants of God were recognised, who thus become venerable
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-08/holy-see-financial-statement-2021-guerrero-prefect-economy.html

Fr. Guerrero on Holy See Financial Statement: New steps in transparency, sustainability
05 August 2022, 14:30

The Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy speaks to Vatican Media about the Holy See’s Financial Statement for 2021, noting a 3 million Euro deficit compared to the 33 million projected. He says the time for sacrifices has not yet ended, as the Holy See records positive progress but still has to reduce some assets to cover expenses.
By Vatican News

"We have taken many steps in the right direction regarding transparency, economic protection of the Holy See, and sustainability."

Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, offers that assessment of the Holy See's Financial Statement for 2021.

The results, he says, are better than expected, but "a very uncertain period lies ahead" and the Holy See must still deal with various structural problems.

Fr. Guerrero says the underfunding of the Pope's mission is an ecclesial problem, and looks with satisfaction at the sale of the London palace which he says took place "in a transparent way."
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-at-angelus-fear-not-but-be-vigilant.html
Pope at Angelus: 'Fear not but be vigilant'
07 August 2022, 12:16

Pope Francis encourages us not to be afraid as our lives are firmly in God's loving and provident care, but we must 'be ready' at all times, vigilant and attentive to serving God and our brothers and sisters.
By Thaddeus Jones

Greeting pilgrims on a hot and humid August Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about the Gospel reading in today's liturgy that recalls when Jesus reassured His disciples to not be afraid, but also to "be ready" at all times.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-ukraine-russia-grain-appeal-peace.html
Pope applauds Ukrainian grain deal as sign of hope for peace
07 August 2022, 12:33

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-prays-for-victims-of-bus-crash-in-croatia.html
Pope prays for victims of bus crash in Croatia
07 August 2022, 12:51

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2022.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2022
Angelus, 7 August 2022

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-cuba-matanzas-supertanker-port-fire-death-telegram-parolin.html

Pope prays for victims of massive blaze at Cuban fuel depot
08 August 2022, 15:16

In a telegram, Pope Francis conveys his closeness and prays for those affected by a huge fire, caused by lightning strikes on the Matanzas Supertanker Base in Cuba.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ
 
Pope Francis’s telegram

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, conveyed the Pope’s sentiments in a telegram on Monday, addressed to the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Cuba, Bishop Emilio Aranguren Echeverría of Holguín.

The Holy Father said he is closely following the news about the unfortunate accident that caused a fire and several explosions at the Matanzas Supertanker base, with at least one death and many wounded and missing.

He also assured the people of Cuba and the families of those affected of his spiritual closeness, and prayed to the Lord “to grant them strength in this moment of pain to sustain the work of extinguishing the fire and the search” for the missing.

“With these sentiments,” read the telegram, the Pope “imparts to them a heartfelt comforting apostolic blessing, as a pledge of hope in the risen Christ.”

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-telegram-condolences-cardinal-jozef-tomko.html

Pope recalls 'great faith' and service of late Cardinal Tomko
09 August 2022, 12:19

Pope Francis recalls the 'great faith,' 'wisdom' and 'long and fruitful service' of the late Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, who passed away on Monday at age 98.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"In remembering this esteemed and wise brother who, sustained by deep faith and a far-sighted gaze, humbly and self-sacrificingly served the Gospel and the Church, I think with gratitude of his long and fruitful work in the Holy See as a diligent and prudent collaborator of my predecessors."

The Holy Father expressed this as he sent condolences for Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, to Archbishop of Košice, Bernard Bober.

Created a Cardinal in 1985 by Pope St. John Paul II, the Slovak-born Cardinal passed away on Monday 8 August in his Rome apartment at age 98
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-indigenous-peoples-sense-of-community-is-precious.html

Pope: Indigenous Peoples’s sense of family and community is precious
09 August 2022, 19:44

Pope Francis sends a tweet on the occasion International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, observed on August 9.
By Vatican News staff reporter

“How precious is that profoundly genuine sense of family and community among #IndigenousPeoples! And how important it is to cultivate properly the bond between young and old, and to maintain a healthy and harmonious relationship with all of creation!"

Pope Francis tweeted these words on Wednesday as the world marked the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The Day, which is observed on 9 August each year, was established by the United Nations in 1994 to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251997/teaching-of-humanae-vitae-is-irreformable

Reacting to pontifical academy, theologian says teaching of Humanae vitae can't change
By Carl Bunderson
Denver, Colo., Aug 8, 2022 / 19:01 pm

The teaching of Humanae vitae on contraception is an instance of the ordinary and universal magisterium, and as such is irreformable, a moral theologian has said in response to a statement from the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Father Thomas Petri, O.P., president of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., noted that even critics of the teaching on contraception have “acknowledged that this was always the Church’s teaching” and that nowhere in the Church’s teaching has there been permissiveness, of any form, of contraception.

“This suggests that this has always been the teaching of the Church, so it's part of the ordinary, universal magisterium,” Petri said. “So even if it's the case that any particular encyclical” such as Humanae vitae “is not infallible, the teaching that it presents is in fact irreformable, because it's part of the ordinary and universal magisterium of the Church.”

In Humanae vitae, his 1968 encyclical on the regulation of birth, St. Paul VI wrote that “any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation — whether as an end or as a means” is “excluded,” as an unlawful means of birth control.

The Pontifical Academy

The Pontifical Academy for Life, an institution associated with the Holy See but which is not itself a magisterial body, hosted a 2021 seminar on ethics in which a participant discussed “the possible legitimacy of contraception in certain cases.”
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-general-audience-old-age-bear-witness0.html
Pope at Audience: Old age 'fruitful time to bear witness to Christ’
10 August 2022, 09:16

Pope Francis concludes his catechesis on the value and meaning of old age at the weekly General Audience, and recalls that serene faith and trust in Christ’s promise at that time of life can offer fruitful witness to the Gospel.
By Devin Watkins

At the Wednesday General Audience, held in the Paul VI Hall due to the heat, Pope Francis picked up the theme of the value of old age for the last time.

He reflected on Jesus’ words of farewell to His disciples at the Last Supper, as recounted in the Gospel of John (14:1-3).

The Pope noted that many people eventually pass through the frailty and challenges of old age, but said it can also be a time of “exciting blessings of faith.”

“In old age the works of faith, which bring us and others closer to the Kingdom of God, are by now beyond the power of the energy, words, and impulses of youth and maturity,” he said.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-appeal-prayers-cuba-matanzas-fire.html
Pope renews prayers for victims of fire in Cuba
10 August 2022, 10:34

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-ukranian-people-still-suffering-from-a-cruel-war.html
Pope: Ukrainians still suffering from a “cruel war”
10 August 2022, 13:02

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2022.index.html
Audiences 2022
General Audience of 10 August 2022 - Catechesis on Old Age: 16. “I go to prepare a place for you”. Old age, a time projected towards fulfilment

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-argentina-missionary-indigenous-videomessage.html

Pope: 'Going on mission means giving the best of ourselves and God's gifts'
10 August 2022, 12:04

In a video message, Pope Francis encourages a parish group in Argentina who went on mission among indigenous peoples, and recalls that going "on mission" means going out of ourselves to give others the best of ourselves and what God has given us.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

Pope Francis has sent a message to greet and encourage a group of missionaries – young people and adults - from the parish of Nostra Signora dell’Assunzione of Rio Cuarto in Argentina, who went on missions among the indigenous peoples of Salta, Victoria Este, in the diocese of Orán.

The missionaries, about thirty in number, spent a week among the Wichi communities, accompanying families, celebrating Masses and bringing the Word of God among the Indigenous people, under the motto “dreams are built together.”

“Thank you for what you have done, thank you for this work,” Pope Francis said to them in a video message sent on Wednesday, urging them to “keep going” with their mission.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-ukraine-zelensky-phone-call.html

Ukrainian President thanks Pope Francis for prayers in phone call
12 August 2022, 20:15

Pope Francis speaks by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked the Pope for his constant prayers as the nation endures ongoing aggression.
By Andrea De Angelis

A telephone conversation between Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took place on Friday, 12 August, nearly six months after the start of the war in Ukraine.

Their conversation came as part of the Pope’s oft-expressed solidarity with all the Ukrainian people.

Presidente Zelensky broke the news himself in a tweet. The two men spoke of the horrors being suffered by the Ukrainian people since Russia invaded on 24 February, and the president expressed his gratitude to the Pope for his prayers.

"Our people need support of world spiritual leaders who should convey to the world the truth about acts of horror committed by the aggressor in Ukraine," wrote the President.

Shortly thereafter, in a separate tweet, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, reiterated the news of the telephone conversation, adding that "Ukrainian state and society will be happy to greet the Holy Father”, expressing hopes for a visit by Pope Francis to Kiev.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/giovanni-battista-re-mass-homily-cardinal-tomko.html

Cardinal Tomko’s love for service to Church recalled at funeral Mass
11 August 2022, 13:48

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re celebrates the funeral Mass for the late Cardinal Jozef Tomko, and recalls the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples’ faithful and fruitful service to the Church and the Pope.
By Sophie Peeters

Pope Francis, on Thursday morning, participated privately at the funeral Mass of the late Cardinal Jozef Tomko, celebrated at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He presided over the funeral rites of Commendatio and Valedictio for the late Slovakian Cardinal.

Cardinal Jozef Tomko died on 8 August in his apartment in Rome at the age of 98. He was created a Cardinal in 1985 by Pope John Paul II and was the Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the Mass.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/meet-the-first-cardinal-of-east-timor-interview.html

Meet the first Cardinal of East Timor
11 August 2022, 06:30

In a wide-ranging interview with Vatican News, meet Cardinal-elect Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili, who will become East Timor's first Cardinal at the end of August.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Timor Leste, or East Timor, will receive its first red hat, with Pope Francis' appointment of Cardinal-elect Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili.

For the occasion, the 54-year-old future Cardinal granted a wide-ranging interview to Vatican News, where he discusses his small Southeast Asian island nation with an overwhelmingly Catholic majority.

During the conversation, he elaborates on the reality in his country, his own vocation and spirituality, and what sees as being the Church's most important priorities and challenges at the moment.