Pope Francis

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Photo gallery at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-meets-with-italian-actor-roberto-benigni.html
Pope Francis meets with Italian actor Roberto Benigni
07 December 2022, 12:57

Before the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis met privately with Italian actor and director, Roberto Benigni, who received an Oscar for the internationally acclaimed 1997 film "Life Is Beautiful." A year later the Vatican invited Benigni to a viewing of that film together with Saint Pope John Paul II.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253008/photos-life-is-beautiful-actor-roberto-benigni-meets-the-pope
PHOTOS: ‘Life is Beautiful’ actor Roberto Benigni meets the pope
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Dec 7, 2022 / 08:17 am

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-general-audience-discernment-confirmation.html
Pope at Audience: Inner peace confirms our decisions
07 December 2022, 09:17

Pope Francis continues his catechesis on discernment at the weekly General Audience, and reflects on the need to confirm our decisions with the presence of a long-lasting inner peace.
By Devin Watkins

“We can recognize some important aspects that help to read the time after a decision as a possible confirmation of its goodness.”

Pope Francis made that observation in his continuing catechesis on discernment at the Wednesday General Audience.

He focused his reflections on the importance of confirming decisions with signs from our daily lives.

“One of the distinctive signs of the good spirit is the fact that it communicates a peace that lasts in time. A peace that brings harmony, unity, fervour, zeal.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-history-repeats-itself-today-in-ukraine.html
Pope Francis: History repeats itself today in Ukraine
07 December 2022, 10:51

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2022.index.html
Audiences 2022
General Audience of 7 December 2022 - Catechesis on Discernment. 11. The confirmation of the good choice

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-12/pope-meets-with-council-of-cardinals.html

Pope meets with the Council of Cardinals
07 December 2022, 12:59

Pope Francis and six members of the Council of Cardinals (C-6) met on 5-6 December for their periodical consultations in the Vatican.
By Vatican News staff reporter

The ongoing synodal process leading to the 2023-24 Synod on synodality, the protection of minors and the outcome of the recent COP-27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, were among the important topics discussed at this week’s meeting of the Council of Cardinals (also known as the C-6), which took place at the Casa Santa Marta, in the Vatican, from 5-6 December with the participation of Pope Francis.

Attending the meeting were Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Giuseppe Bertello, Óscar A. Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., Reinhard Marx, Seán Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Oswald Gracias and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., and the Secretary of the Council, H.E. Archbishop Marco Mellino. Pope Francis took part in the proceedings on both days.

According to a statement by the Vatican Press Office, on  5 December the Cardinals celebrated a Mass in the St. Peter’s Basilica in memory of the late Cardinal Richard Kuuia Baawobr, who passed away on November 27.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253006/pope-s-cardinal-advisers-discuss-church-s-efforts-to-prevent-abuse
Pope’s cardinal advisers discuss Church’s efforts to prevent abuse
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Dec 7, 2022 / 07:25 am

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-angelus-mary-immaculate-conception-beauty-baptism.html
Pope at Angelus: Mary helps us preserve our beauty from evil
08 December 2022, 12:07

During the Angelus on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, Pope Francis invites Christians to entrust themselves to Our Lady, reminding us that Mary, the only human creature without sin in history, is with us in the battle, and she is our sister and Mother.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

Pope Francis led the faithful in the Angelus Prayer from St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on 8 September, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-angelus-immaculate-conception-appeal-prayers-peace-ukraine.html
Pope: Peace is possible with God’s help and our goodwill
08 December 2022, 12:37

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2022.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2022
Angelus, 8 December 2022, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

[grace-land]

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-immaculate-conception-prayer-spagna-mary-major.html
Pope Francis brings the prayers of the world to Our Lady
08 December 2022, 16:30

Pope Francis prayed before the Column of the Immaculate Conception on Thursday, during which time he prayed for all the people on earth, old and young, and for peace, especially in Ukraine.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis on Thursday travelled to Rome’s Piazza di Spagna for his customary act of veneration to Our Lady, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception liturgically celebrated on 8 December by the Church.

It is customary for the Holy Father to travel to the Column of the Immaculate Conception on the feast day, though the last two years the visit has been private and very early in the morning in order to adhere to restrictions put in place for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Traditionally, the Pope places a bouquet of white roses at the base of the column and prays for her intercession to help all people in their suffering and struggles.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-prayer-full-text-immaculate-conception.html
Full text of Pope Francis' prayer on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
08 December 2022, 16:28

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Re:  Father Rupnik case continued

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253022/jesuit-expert-in-the-fight-against-abuse-vatican-dicastery-must-respond-regarding-father-rupnik
Jesuit expert in the fight against abuse: Vatican dicastery must respond regarding Father Rupnik
By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
Rome Newsroom, Dec 8, 2022 / 12:00 pm

Father Hans Zollner, a Jesuit priest and an expert in the fight against abuse, said the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “must respond” to questions surrounding the case of Father Marko Rupnik, a member of the Society of Jesus accused of abuse.

Zollner is one of the leading experts in the field of safeguarding from sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. He is a member of the Vatican’s Commission for the Protection of Minors since its creation in 2014 and is the director of the Institute of Anthropology: Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care (IADC) at the Gregorian University in Rome.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language sister news agency, Zollner said that he believes that “it’s obvious that the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith has to respond.”

Zollner’s statement marks another development in the widening controversy surrounding Rupnik, a well-known Jesuit priest and artist who has been accused of abuse that he allegedly committed against at least nine women.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253018/former-jesuit-provincial-on-the-rupnik-case-it-is-a-tsunami-of-lack-of-transparency
Former Jesuit provincial on the Rupnik case: It is a ‘tsunami’ of lack of transparency
By CNA Staff
Denver Newsroom, Dec 7, 2022 / 22:30 pm

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-movement-christian-workers-audience.html

Pope: Christian workers must feel at home in Church communities
09 December 2022, 12:26

Pope Francis meets with members of the Movement of Christian Workers, and calls for labourers to renew society through solidarity and work for the common good.
By Devin Watkins

The Movement of Christian Workers met with Pope Francis on Friday, as the Vatican-recognized federation of Christian labourers’ associations marks over 50 years of service.

The Pope thanked the group for their contributions to society in the aftermath of the Second World War, and reflected on the twin themes of purification and a new “planting season”.

“It is important not to indulge in self-celebration, but to recognize the Holy Spirit's action in the folds of your history, not so much in sensational events, but rather in the humble, everyday ones.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/december.index.html
Speeches 2022 December
To members of the Movement of Christian Workers (9 December 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-meeting-denus-mukwege-drc-nobel-peace-doctor.html

Sexual violence in DRC: 'International community cannot turn a blind eye'
09 December 2022, 14:54

Nobel peace prize laureate, Doctor Denis Mukwege, meets with Pope Francis shortly before the Holy Father's visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the doctor works tirelessly to save the lives of women who have suffered sexual violence at the hands of rebels in the country.
By Alessandro di Bussolo and Francesca Merlo

Congolese gynaecologist and human rights activist Denis Mukwege, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was received by Pope Francis in the Vatican on Friday morning.

Dr Mukwege has just returned from a trip to the Italian city of Naples where he received an award and donations for his Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, in which he treats women who are victims of sexual violence in war.

Speaking to Vatican News' Alessandro di Bussolo, Dr Mukwege denounced the atrocities taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in particular the support that the group of rebels M23 receive from neighbouring Rwanda.
 
DRC awaits Pope Francis

Dr Mukwege noted that the Holy Father will be making a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo at the end of January, after having had to postpone it for medical reasons.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253026/pope-francis-meets-nobel-peace-prize-winner-denis-mukwege-ahead-of-congo-trip
Pope Francis meets Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege ahead of Congo trip
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Dec 9, 2022 / 04:18 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-encourages-firefighters-to-follow-example-of-good-samaritan.html

Pope encourages firefighters to follow example of Good Samaritan
10 December 2022, 13:02

Addressing a group of Italian firefighters, Pope Francis says their selfless dedication to helping people in need reflects the parable of the Good Samaritan who embodies Jesus’ commandment to love as He loved us.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis met a group of Italian firefighters and their families in the Vatican on Saturday.

Welcoming some 3,000 people in the Paul VI Audience Hall, the Pope thanked them for their “precious service” to prevent disasters and to save people in major emergencies, recalling the recent deadly mudslide in the Italian island of Ischia, and their several interventions to help earthquake victims.

He noted that their “sense of dedication, promptness, selflessness, boldness, and willingness to sacrifice” are well known and people are rightly proud of it.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/december.index.html
Speeches 2022 December
To the firefighters, with family members (10 December 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-to-seminarians-live-a-life-of-prayer-and-thanksgiving.html

Pope to seminarians: Live a life of prayer and thanksgiving
10 December 2022, 13:46

In his prepared remarks to community members of the Barcelona Seminary, Pope Francis affirms the importance of a priest's life of prayer and making Christ present in the Eucharist, the sacraments, and the Word, inspiring the hearts of men and women.
By Vatican News staff reporters

Meeting with seminarians and community members of the Seminario Conciliar de Barcelona at the Vatican on Saturday, Pope Francis encouraged the seminarians to bring God's love to the world through their personal witness and ministry.

The Pope handed them his prepared address where he recalls some of the essentials of what it means to be a priest.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/december.index.html
Speeches 2022 December
To the Community of the Barcelona Seminary (10 December 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-audience-president-slovakia-zuzana-caputova.html

Pope discusses war in Ukraine with Slovak President
10 December 2022, 16:24

Pope Francis holds a private audience with the President of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová, and discusses the global impact of the war in Ukraine.
By Vatican News staff reporter

On Saturday, Pope Francis received in audience the President of Slovakia, Ms. Zuzana Čaputová.

A statement issued by the Holy See Press Office after the meeting said the two leaders held "cordial" talks which focused on the bilateral relations existing between the Holy See and the Slovak Republic, as well as the role of the Church in the Slovak society.

The Pope and the President also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its worldwide impact.
 

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-advent-offers-us-a-time-to-know-the-lord-in-new-ways.html
Pope: Advent offers us a time to know the Lord in new ways
11 December 2022, 12:10

Pope Francis focuses his Advent reflections on how we, like John the Baptist, can renew our understanding of who the Lord is and be surprised by God's mercy and tenderness. He also blesses the nativity figurines of the baby Jesus brought by children and their families.
By Thaddeus Jones

Pope Francis welcomed the many pilgrims for the midday Angelus on this Third Sunday of Advent, in particular families with their children, who brought little statuettes of the Child Jesus to be blessed on this day, a tradition Saint Pope Paul VI started over fifty years ago.

Before imparting his apostolic blessing, the Pope Francis offered his reflections on the Sunday Gospel when today we read about John the Baptist who while in prison sends his disciples to ask Jesus if He really is the Messiah. John the Baptist learns that Jesus is indeed the Christ, who with words and gestures of compassion towards all and with loving mercy heals the sick, restores sight to the blind, raises the dead, and preaches good news to the poor, just as the prophets foretold.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-appeal-prayers-peace-south-sudan.html
Pope Francis prays for peace in South Sudan
11 December 2022, 12:39

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-angelus-appeal-international-mountain-day.html
Pope Francis: ‘Women move mountains!’
11 December 2022, 13:44

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2022-12/pope-praises-heroic-example-blessed-isabel-cristina-mrad-campos.html
Pope praises heroic example of Blessed Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos
11 December 2022, 15:41

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2022.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2022
Angelus, 11 December 2022

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-encourages-blind-association-to-promote-inclusiveness.html

Pope encourages association for visually-impaired to promote inclusiveness
12 December 2022, 12:35

Pope Francis meets members of the Italian Union of Blind and Partially Sighted Persons (UICI), and encourages them to be signs of hope in Italian society as it faces difficult times, like their Patroness St. Lucy did.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis on Monday welcomed members of the Italian Union of Blind and Partially Sighted Persons (UICI) in the Vatican as they prepare to celebrate their Patron Saint Lucy of Syracuse, on December 13.

UICI is a non-confessional and non-profit association founded in 1920 and is a member of the World Blind Union (WBU), which was established to advocate for making the world a better and safer place for visually impaired people and eliminate social prejudices against them in order to achieve their full integration in society.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/december.index.html
Speeches 2022 December
To Members of the Italian Union of Blind and Partially-Sighted People (12 December 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-amitie-judeo-chretienne-jewish-christian-dialogue.html

Pope: May Jews and Christians continue to grow in friendship
12 December 2022, 13:48

n an audience with members of a French group dedicated to Jewish-Christian dialogue, Pope Francis stresses the importance of mutual respect, and warns of the "resurgence" of anti-Semitism.
By Joseph Tulloch

The Pope on Monday received members of the Amitié Judéo-Chrétienne, a group of French Christians and Jews dedicated to dialogue and collaboration between the two religious traditions.

In his address to the group, the Pope discussed the example given by the organisation’s founder, the importance of its work, and the “worrying resurgence” of anti-Semitism.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/december.index.html
Speeches 2022 December
To members of Amitié Judéo-Chrétienne de France" (12 December 2022)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/twitter-pontifex-10th-anniversary.html

Tenth anniversary of @Pontifex's first tweet
12 December 2022, 17:23

It was 12 December 2012, when Pope Benedict XVI sent his first 'tweet' and imparted his first blessing via social media. Today the account is one of the most followed in the world and has 53 million followers.
Vatican News

Using the handle @Pontifex, Pope Benedict XVI tweeted "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart".

It was 11.30 a.m. on 12 December 2012, ten years ago, that the first papal blessing was imparted via social media. Today the @Pontifex account, opened on 3 December of the same year, is among the most followed Twitter accounts worldwide.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-letter-world-leaders-pardon-prisoners-christmas.html

Pope asks world leaders for clemency for prisoners in the run-up to Christmas
12 December 2022, 18:06

Pope Francis writes a letter to Heads of State asking them to grant a pardon to prison inmates who are "are held to be eligible to benefit from such a provision.".
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Pope Francis has asked for a "gesture of clemency" for prison inmates in the run-up to Christmas.

In a letter addressed to all Heads of State, he invites them to make a symbolic gesture "towards our brothers and sisters who are deprived of their liberty and who are held eligible to benefit from such a provision".

“So that this time marked by tensions, injustice and conflicts may be opened to the grace that comes from the Lord.”

This is the motivation reported in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni.
 

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Full video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-mass-lady-guadalupe-homily-americas.html
Pope at Mass: ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe shows God’s closeness to humanity’
12 December 2022, 19:00

Pope Francis presides over Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and urges people across the Americas to look to her as a model for building a culture that cares for everyone, including migrants seeking a better life.
By Devin Watkins

As the Church celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Monday, Pope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

In his homily, the Pope recalled God’s closeness as shown through the Mother of His Son.

“God never stops watching over our world—needy and wounded—to assist it with His compassion and mercy,” he said. “His way of intervening, of manifesting Himself, always surprises us, and fills us with joy.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2022.index.html
Homilies 2022
Holy Mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (12 December 2022)

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253064/pope-francis-celebrates-53-years-as-a-priest

Pope Francis celebrates 53 years as a priest
By CNA Staff
CNA Newsroom, Dec 13, 2022 / 12:30 pm


Pope Francis | Credit: Compañía de Jesús and ACI Press / Daniel Ibañez

On Dec. 13, 1969, just four days before his 33rd birthday, Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio — who today is Pope Francis — was ordained a priest by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano, archbishop emeritus of Córdoba (Argentina).

That Dec. 13, 53 years ago, was a Saturday, the eve of the Third Sunday of Advent. In the liturgy of the Church this day is known as Gaudete or Joy Sunday, for many the hallmark of Pope Francis’ pontificate, along with mercy.

According to the book “The Jesuit: Conversations with Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio,” Francis discovered his vocation to the priesthood while on his way to celebrate Gaudete Day.

When he passed by a church in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Flores to go to confession, he received special inspiration from the priest who welcomed him.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-12/cardinal-marc-ouellet-lawsuit-defamation-sexsual-abuse.html

Cardinal Ouellet sues for defamation
13 December 2022, 18:40

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, takes legal action for defamation following "unfounded accusations of alleged sexual assault."
By Vatican News

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Cardinal Marc Armand Ouellet, has responded to "unfounded accusations of alleged sexual assault" made against him in August 2022.

In a statement released on Tuesday, he says he has filed a lawsuit for defamation emphasizing that he never committed the acts the plaintiff accuses him of.

The accusations against the Cardinal were part of a collective legal action filed in Québec against the Corporation Archiépiscopale catholique romaine de Québec et l’Archevêque catholique romain de Québec.

Denial of defamatory accusations

The Canadian prelate immediately and firmly denied what he described as “slanderous and defamatory accusations unfairly made against me.”

In his statement, he specifies that “Following a preliminary investigation, Pope Francis determined that there was not sufficient evidence to initiate a canonical investigation against me for sexual assault.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-12/vatican-radio-hosts-g9-of-short-wave-media-missionaries-peace.html

Vatican Radio hosts 'G9' of short wave media as 'missionaries of peace'
13 December 2022, 16:40

Gathered at the historic headquarters of Vatican Radio in the Vatican Gardens, representatives of the nine primary western radio broadcasters meet with Monsignor Lucio Ruiz opening the meeting by recalling the importance of short wave in sending messages of hope and mercy all over the world.
By Michele Raviart

The "G9" group of the primary western radio broadcasters met at the Vatican on Tuesday focusing on a number of issues.

These included the use of short-wave radio in order to render the jamming of international broadcasters less effective through common efforts to coordinate how broadcast frequencies are used and technical cooperation between members.

This marked a key item on the agenda of the meeting which brought together the representatives, including Vatican Radio, in the historic building of the Pope's radio, located in the Vatican Gardens, a place that housed the first radio station built by Guglielmo Marconi.

Reaching the ends of the earth

"You are at home, because the Holy See is everyone's home, because it wants to welcome us in a universal embrace of fraternity to work for the good of humanity."

That is how Monsignor Lucio Adrian Ruiz, Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, opened the meeting.