Pope Francis

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Interview with Pope Francis: An interview he gave to the Argentine news site Infobae

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-interview-i-want-to-go-to-argentina-infobae.html
Pope Francis: I want to go to Argentina
10 March 2023, 13:11

Pope Francis is interviewed by the Argentinean website Infobae, on the 10th anniversary of his pontificate. He discusses his hopes for change in Venezuela, an end to the war in Ukraine, the situation in Nicaragua, the "discipline" of celibacy, "evil resistances" in the Church, and his vow to Our Lady not to watch television.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Above all, Pope Francis focuses on Central and South America in an interview he gave to the Argentine news site Infobae, a few days before the celebration of the tenth anniversary of his pontificate. He discusses his desire for a trip to Argentina, his hope for change in Venezuela and the denunciation of a "crude dictatorship" in Nicaragua. In the interview at Santa Marta with portal owner Daniel Hadad, the Pontiff ranges from geopolitical issues, such as the war in Ukraine, to ecclesial issues, such as his approach towards homosexual people and the role of women, to more personal topics ("Why don't you watch TV anymore?").
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253834/pope-francis-discusses-revising-priestly-celibacy-in-new-interview
Pope Francis discusses revising priestly celibacy in new interview
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2023 / 05:45 am

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253835/pope-francis-says-imprisonment-of-nicaraguan-bishop-reminds-him-of-hitler-s-dictatorship
Pope Francis says imprisonment of Nicaraguan bishop reminds him of Hitler’s dictatorship
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2023 / 08:00 am

Spanish transcript--
https://www.infobae.com/america/mundo/2023/03/10/el-papa-francisco-opino-sobre-nicaragua-es-como-las-dictaduras-comunistas-o-hitlerianas-grosera/

Edited to add article--
https://cruxnow.com/10th-anniversary-pope-francis-election/2023/03/in-new-interview-pope-touches-on-priestly-celibacy-situation-in-latin-america
In new interview, pope touches on priestly celibacy, situation in Latin America
By Elise Ann Allen
Mar 10, 2023

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Interview with Pope Francis: It was conducted by Paolo Rodari for Italian Swiss Radio and Television

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-10-anniversary-interview-swiss-radio-tv-pontificate.html
Pope: The Church is not a home for some, it’s a home for all
10 March 2023, 06:00

Excerpts of an interview with Pope Francis conducted by Paolo Rodari for Italian Swiss Radio and Television, and scheduled for broadcast on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the pontificate. The need to nurture a culture of welcome, the war in Ukraine and other conflicts, relations with his predecessor, the afterlife, are among the topics addressed.
Paolo Rodari

Pope Francis opened the doors of Casa Santa Marta, his residence in the Vatican, to RSI - Italian Swiss Radio and Television - for an interview dedicated to ten years of his pontificate. It is set to be broadcast on the evening of Sunday, 12 March, at www.rsi.ch. In it, the Pope says he is not thinking of resigning, but explains what would eventually drive him to do so: "A tiredness that does not make you see things clearly. A lack of clarity, of knowing how to evaluate situations”. He speaks about what he misses most from his life in Buenos Aires, and that is “walking, going down the street”. But he is adamant that he is fine in Rome, “a unique city”, even if there is no shortage of worries. We are “in a world war”, he says. “It started in bits and pieces and now no one can say it is not worldwide. Because the great powers are all entangled. And the battlefield is Ukraine. Everyone is fighting there”. The Pope says that Putin knows that he would like to meet him, “but there are imperial interests there, not only of the Russian empire, but of empires elsewhere”.
 

Transcript--
https://www.rsi.ch/news/mondo/Papa-Francesco-si-racconta-alla-RSI-16079938.html
Papa Francesco si racconta alla RSI

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Update: Vatican finance trial

https://religionnews.com/2023/03/09/vatican-prosecutors-reveal-extraordinary-exchange-between-pope-and-accused-cardinal/
Vatican prosecutors reveal extraordinary exchange between pope and accused cardinal
March 9, 2023
By Junno Arocho Esteves

ROME (RNS) — At a session of the Vatican’s corruption trial on Thursday (March 9), the Vatican’s chief prosecutor, Alessandro Diddi, presented the court with an extraordinary exchange of letters between Pope Francis and Cardinal Angelo Becciu, one of the trial’s 10 defendants, in which the cardinal pleaded with the pontiff to back his version of events and drop charges of financial malfeasance against him.

Becciu asked the pope to confirm that he had endorsed the 2014 purchase and later sale of a London real estate property that resulted in the Vatican losing millions of euros.

In a letter dated July 21, 2021, Francis expressed “surprise,” writing that Becciu’s request “immediately seemed strange to me because of the content, forms and timing.”

Since “I had no other elements of evaluation, I suggested that we proceed to a preliminary consultation with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and with Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, prefect of the (Vatican Secretariat for the Economy).”
 

https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2023/03/dramatic-week-for-financial-reform-answers-old-questions-raises-new-ones
Dramatic week for financial reform answers old questions, raises new ones
By John L. Allen Jr.
Mar 10, 2023

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253840/i-regret-to-inform-you-pope-francis-rebuffs-cardinal-becciu-in-letters-read-during-ongoing-finance-trial
‘I regret to inform you’: Pope Francis rebuffs Cardinal Becciu in letters read during ongoing finance trial
By Andrea Gagliarducci
Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2023 / 14:15 pm

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Update: German Synodal Way

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253842/german-synodal-way-approves-same-sex-blessings-lay-preaching-and-reexamination-of-priestly-celibacy
German Synodal Way approves same-sex blessings, lay preaching, and reexamination of priestly celibacy
By Jonathan Liedl
Frankfurt, Germany, Mar 10, 2023 / 15:36 pm

The German Synodal Way has voted to adopt “implementation texts” related to same-sex blessings, lay preaching during Mass, and a request for Pope Francis to reexamine the discipline of priestly celibacy in the Latin-rite Catholic Church.

The votes took place during the first two days of the fifth synodal assembly in Frankfurt, Germany. The assembly, which has one day remaining, will conclude a three-year process March 11 that many observers have said is advancing heterodoxical ideas and may prompt a schism between most German dioceses and the universal Church.

Delegates to the Synodal Way also voted on Friday evening to delay addressing perhaps the most controversial topic: establishing synodal councils at the parish and diocesan level. Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, a supporter of the Synodal Way, introduced the motion to delay.

While the Vatican has not explicitly condemned the Synodal Way’s promotion of heterodox proposals related to same-sex blessings and women’s ordination, the Holy See has been increasingly clear about its rejection of this form of ecclesial governance, which involves bishops and laity “sharing responsibility.” In the German proposal, laity could even overrule a bishop (or bishops at the national level) with a two-thirds majority.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-centesimus-annus-sacru-womens-leadership-pro-pontif.html

Pope praises women and decries violence against them
11 March 2023, 13:20
By Paolo Ondarza

Pope Francis appeals for giving a voice to women, against violence, and for equality during his meeting in the Vatican with participants from the 'Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities', SACRU, and the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation

Pope Francis has praised women, called for treating them as equals, and has decried violence and abuse against them.

He made these observations when meeting with participants from the 'Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities', SACRU, and the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, in the Vatican on Saturday morning.

The Holy Father received them after he had written the preface to their joint research "More Women’s Leadership for a Better World: Care as a Driver for our Common Home."

The Pope recalled frequent discrimination at work, often due to maternity, of the pay gap between the two sexes, but also of the heroic work of so many anonymous women next door, "the silent force of our days."

"Diversity," he warned, recalling the importance of greater inclusiveness, "must never result in inequality," but rather in a grateful and reciprocal welcome.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/march.index.html
Speeches 2023 March
To Participants in the meeting promoted by the "Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities" (SACRU) and the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation (11 March 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-encourages-church-s-mission-outreach-efforts.html

Pope encourages Church's mission outreach efforts
11 March 2023, 15:09

Pope Francis meets with members of the Spanish Bishops' Conference working for its Commission for Mission and Cooperation with the Churches, together with leadership of the Spanish NGO "Misión América". He offers words of encouragement as they bring the Gospel message to the Americas and Africa.
By Amedeo Lomonaco

On Saturday morning, Pope Francis met with members of the Spanish NGO Misión América, an organization celebrating 30 years of existence now in promoting the dignity and development of peoples in Latina America and Africa in their social, cultural and religious spheres. The audience took place together with the presence of members of the Spanish Bishops' Conference Commission for Mission and Cooperation with the Churches.

The Pope highlighted four key words that identify their mission of service: visibility, respect, volunteerism, and collaboration.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/march.index.html
Speeches 2023 March
To the Members of the organization "Misión América" (11 March 2023)

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Interview with Pope Francis: An interview with the Argentinean daily “La Nación”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-i-dream-of-a-more-pastoral-more-open-church.html
Pope Francis: I dream of a more pastoral, more open Church
11 March 2023, 14:20

In an interview with the Argentinean daily “La Nación,” the Pope says the Church is following the path laid out by the Second Vatican Council so that it can become ever more a home for all. He also discusses the ongoing Synod, as well as the Holy See’s work for peace in Ukraine.
By Vatican News

There is one thing that has made the Pope particularly happy in recent years: “Everything that concerns the pastoral line of forgiveness and understanding people. Giving everyone a place in the Church.” That is what Pope Francis told Elisabetta Piqué, a journalist for the Argentine daily La Nación, in a new interview given at Casa Santa Marta for the 10th anniversary of his election on 13 March.

A church with open doors
His dream is to open doors.

“Open doors, that's what I really want. To open doors and walk paths.”

And the Church he envisions for the coming years is a Church that is “more pastoral, more just, more open” along the lines traced out by the Second Vatican Council.

“We must travel this path. Now, the concreteness of this is difficult.”

The interviewer underlined the fact that Pope Francis is concerned especially for the “lost sheep” and that this attitude has troubled some Catholics, as happened with the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son: “It always happens,” said the Pope. “A keyword of Jesus is ‘all.’ For me, this is the key to pastoral openness. Everybody inside the house. There’s a bit of commotion, but everyone inside the house.”

Of course, he emphasized, there is resistance and opposition to change. Jesus, too, “faced a lot of opposition.” But it is necessary to act in the “freedom of the Holy Spirit” and to seek God’s will. Pope Francis spoke of the formation of future priests and indicated the need for a review of seminaries.
 

Transcript--
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/el-mundo/entrevista-de-la-nacion-con-el-papa-francisco-la-ideologia-del-genero-es-de-las-colonizaciones-nid10032023/
Entrevista de LA NACION con el papa Francisco: “La ideología del género es de las colonizaciones ideológicas más peligrosas”
Elisabetta Piqué
CORRESPONSAL EN ITALIA
10 de marzo de 2023  19:57

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Update: German Synodal Way

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253846/germany-synodal-way-womens-ordination-transgender-ideology
Women’s ordination, transgender ideology move forward at German Synodal Way
By Jonathan Liedl
Frankfurt, Germany, Mar 11, 2023 / 07:30 am

Delegates of the German Synodal Way on Saturday overwhelmingly passed measures to change Church practices based on transgender ideology and to push the universal Church to ordain women to the sacramental diaconate.

The votes took place on the final day of the process’ concluding assembly, held in Frankfurt March 9-11. On previous days, delegates voted overwhelmingly to adopt same-sex blessings, normalize lay preaching, and ask Rome to “reexamine” the discipline of priestly celibacy.

While the Germans pushed forward with these controversial measures, the assembly held back from crossing a line laid down by the Vatican concerning the establishing synodal councils at the national, diocesan, and parochial levels. The Vatican has said the synodal council model, which involves shared governance between bishops and the laity, is not consistent with Catholic ecclesiology.

The synodal assembly decided to delay voting on the proposal. Instead, it will be considered by a newly established synodal committee over the next three years, while Synodal Way leadership attempts to change the minds of Vatican officials and garner more widespread approval in the universal Church.

At the concluding press conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, president of the bishops’ conference, said that the results give a mandate to the bishops to make some changes in Germany now while pushing for broader reform.

“The Church is visibly changing, and that is important,” Bätzing said.
 

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2023/03/church-in-africa-wont-follow-german-synodal-path-priest-says
Church in Africa won’t follow German synodal path, priest says
By Ngala Killian Chimtom
Mar 11, 2023

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Looking back at 10 years of Pope Francis...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253838/photos-a-look-back-at-pope-francis-participation-in-world-youth-days
PHOTOS: A look back at 10 years of Pope Francis’ participation in World Youth Days
By Joe Bukuras
Boston, Mass., Mar 11, 2023 / 06:00 am

https://cruxnow.com/10th-anniversary-pope-francis-election/2023/03/after-a-decade-popes-story-one-of-triumph-tragedy-and-unanswered-questions
After a decade, Pope’s story one of triumph, tragedy and unanswered questions
By Elise Ann Allen
Mar 11, 2023

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/pope-francis-cast-of-consequential-characters
Pope Francis’ Cast of Consequential Characters: 10 Figures Who Have Been Prominent Over the Last 10 Years
Father Raymond J. de Souza
Commentaries
March 7, 2023

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/pope-francis-significant-trips
Pope Francis’ 10 Significant Trips — Including 3 That Didn’t Happen — in 10 Years
Father Raymond J. de Souza
Commentaries
March 10, 2023

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/pope-francis-hidden-gems-10-year-anniversary
Pope Francis’ Inexhaustible Font of Words: 10 Gems From the Heart Over 10 Years
Father Raymond J. de Souza
Commentaries
March 3, 2023

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/praying-for-pope-francis
Praying for Pope Francis
Father Roger Landry
Commentaries
March 10, 2023

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-angelus-the-lord-promises-the-living-water-of-eternal-life.html
Pope at Angelus: The Lord promises us the living water of eternal life
12 March 2023, 12:16

At the midday Angelus on the Third Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis speaks about Jesus who is thirsty and the Samaritan woman at the well who gives Him water. The Pope explains how the Lord is also thirsty for our love as He promises to give us living water that makes eternal life overflow within us.
By Thaddeus Jones

Speaking to pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square for the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis reflected on the day's Gospel reading, which recounts what he described as "one of the most beautiful and fascinating encounters" of Jesus when He meets the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus asks her to give Him a drink, as He is thirsty and tired, with the hot, midday sun beating down.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/at-angelus-pope-calls-for-solidarity-with-all-afflicted-by-war.html
At Angelus, Pope calls for solidarity with all afflicted by war
12 March 2023, 12:53

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Angelus, 12 March 2023

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Interview with Pope Francis: He spoke to the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253848/not-an-easy-job-pope-francis-asks-for-prayers-on-10th-anniversary-as-pope
‘Not an easy job’: Pope Francis asks for prayers on 10th anniversary as pope
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Mar 12, 2023 / 11:00 am

Pope Francis asked for prayers as he spoke about the future of the Church and his pontificate so far in an interview published in the early hours of Sunday.

Speaking to the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, Francis declined to evaluate his pontificate so far, saying the Lord will judge his life one day based on whether he practiced the Corporal Works of Mercy as taught by Jesus.

“The Church is not a business, or an NGO, and the pope is not an administrator who has been commissioned to balance the numbers at the end of the year,” he said, according to an English transcript published on Il Fatto Quotidiano March 12.

The interview, one in a slew of recent papal interviews to be published, marks the March 13 anniversary of Pope Francis’ election to the papacy.
 

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Looking back at 10 years of Pope Francis...continued

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-10th-anniversary-jewish-rabbi-abraham-skorka.html
On the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ papacy: A Jewish Perspective
12 March 2023, 16:00

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/ahmad-al-tayyib-grand-imam-of-al-azhar-pope-anniversary-message.html
Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayyeb sends anniversary wishes to Pope Francis
12 March 2023, 16:00

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/bartholomew-i-patriarch-constantinople-message-pope-anniversary.html
Patriarch Bartholomew I sends anniversary wishes to Pope Francis
12 March 2023, 16:00

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/isabella-piro-tribute-for-pope-francis-10-year-anniversary.html
Pope Francis: 10 years of missionary zeal along paths of mercy and peace
12 March 2023, 16:00

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-03/archbishop-canterbury-welby-pope-10th-anniversary-pontificate.html
Justin Welby: Pope Francis unlocks hardened hearts
12 March 2023, 16:00

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253839/pope-francis-10-years-of-diplomacy
Pope Francis as diplomat: the principles that have guided his 10-year-old pontificate
By Andrea Gagliarducci
Vatican City, Mar 12, 2023 / 06:00 am

https://www.hjnews.com/world/argentinas-initial-fervor-for-pope-francis-has-faded/article_833a56e9-f350-50ab-81dd-82681a913cc7.html
Argentina's initial fervor for Pope Francis has faded
By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA and DÉBORA REY - Associated Press Mar 11, 2023 Updated 15 hrs ago

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253850/report-nicaragua-to-close-vatican-embassy-in-managua-nicaraguan-embassy-to-holy-see

Report: Nicaragua to close Vatican embassy in Managua, Nicaraguan embassy to Holy See
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Mar 13, 2023 / 04:15 am

The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has ordered the closing of the Vatican embassy in Managua and the Nicaraguan embassy to the Holy See in Rome, according to Reuters.

The government of Nicaragua said March 12 that it had proposed “a suspension of relations” with the Holy See, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, Vatican sources confirmed there had been a request from Nicaragua to shut down the two embassies.

The proposal to suspend relations between the Vatican and Nicaragua follows just days after Pope Francis likened Nicaragua’s Sandinista government to Nazi Germany in an interview. He also called Ortega “unstable.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-03/nicaragua-asks-the-holy-see-to-close-its-diplomatic-missions.html
Nicaragua asks the Holy See to close respective diplomatic missions
13 March 2023, 09:08

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Looking back at 10 years of Pope Francis...continued

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/archbishop-kurtz-remembers-pope-francis-apostolic-journey-us.html
Former US Bishops' President Archbishop Kurtz recalls Pope Francis' visit to US
13 March 2023, 11:16

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/european-bishops-armenian-patriarch-congratulate-pope-ten-years.html
European bishops, Armenian Patriarch congratulate Pope on anniversary
13 March 2023, 14:40

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-03/archbishop-lviv-pope-francis-gratitude-appeals-war-suffering.html
Church in Ukraine grateful for Pope's frequent appeals and considerations
13 March 2023, 10:35

https://cruxnow.com/10th-anniversary-pope-francis-election/2023/03/pope-francis-at-10-years-a-reformers-learning-curve-plans
Pope Francis at 10 years: A reformer’s learning curve, plans
By Nicole Winfield Mar 13, 2023 | Associated Press

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253837/by-the-numbers-how-the-catholic-church-has-changed-during-pope-francis-pontificate
By the numbers: How the Catholic Church has changed during Pope Francis’ pontificate
By Jonah McKeown
St. Louis, Mo., Mar 13, 2023 / 03:00 am

https://cruxnow.com/10th-anniversary-pope-francis-election/2023/03/iconic-images-from-a-decade-of-pope-francis
Iconic images from a decade of Pope Francis
By Elise Ann Allen
Mar 13, 2023

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Timeline/highlights: Looking back at 10 years of Pope Francis...continued

Videos, with highlights, at the links--

(2013-2017)   https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope.html#2
(2018-2023)   https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope.html#1


Article, with timeline, at the link--

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253852/a-timeline-of-pope-francis-10-years-as-pope
A timeline of Pope Francis’ 10 years as pope
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 13, 2023 / 13:15 pm

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 265th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:
 

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Happy 10th Anniversary, Pope Francis! 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/popecast-pope-francis-10-year-anniversary-peace.html
Pope Francis: ‘For my anniversary I would like peace‘
13 March 2023, 12:26

The "Popecast is a podcast produced by the Vatican media on the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate. In it, he tells of how he never imagined he would be “the Pope at the time of the Third World War", he speaks of the most beautiful memory as being that the meeting with the elderly people in St Peter's Square and says: “What I didn't want to see were the boys who died in wars".
By Salvatore Cernuzio

“The first word that comes to me is that it seems like yesterday...”

Santa Marta, late afternoon. It is not an interview, there are already so many about this event. Thoughts that follow the thread of an intense ecclesial period, his pontificate. Ten years: lived in "tension", he says, in a time that is greater than space and that has seen a succession of meetings, journeys, faces.

Pope Francis waits standing at the door, holding on to his cane. As always... He smiles at the microphone with the Vatican media logo and asks: 'A podcast? What is it?" "Nice, let's do it," is the reaction after the explanation. Then the question: what does he feel he is sharing with the world on the occasion of this milestone for his life and ministry?

“Time flies… it's in a hurry. When you want to grasp today, it is already yesterday. To live like this is something new. These ten years have been like this: living in tension.”

Of the thousands of audiences, the hundreds of visits to dioceses and parishes, the forty apostolic journeys to every corner of the globe, the Pope has a clear memory.
 
Listen to the Popecast in Italian here.

https://www.vaticannews.va/it/podcast/rvi-programmi/popecast/2023/03/popecast.html
Popecast

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253851/pope-francis-celebrates-mass-records-popecast-for-10th-anniversary
Pope Francis celebrates Mass, records ‘popecast’ for 10th anniversary
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Mar 13, 2023 / 10:20 am

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-ayatollah-al-sistani-message-anniversary-visit-iraq.html

Pope: Chistians and Muslims must be witnesses of truth and love in world scarred by war
14 March 2023, 13:38

Pope Francis sends a letter to the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, spiritual leader of Iraqi Shiites in which he recalls their fruitful meeting two years ago during the papal visit to Iraq and encourages him to promote fraternity among believers as a concrete response to today's challenges.
By Linda Bordoni

Addressing the Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani as his “dear brother”, Pope Francis noted that it is incumbent on religious leaders of all faiths to encourage those with responsibilities in civil society to promote political actions that protect the fundamental rights of each person and promote fraternity and mutual acceptance, as a concrete response to today's challenges.

In a letter to the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shiites, the Pope recalled their meeting two years ago in Najaf  describing it as “a milestone on the path of interreligious dialogue and understanding between peoples.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-sends-message-latin-american-congress-on-abuse-prevention.html

Pope sends message to Latin American congress on abuse prevention
14 March 2023, 15:07

In a message to participants at the Second Latin American Congress on the prevention of abuse, a meeting taking place in Asuncion, Paraguay, Pope Francis encourages them in their efforts to prevent sexual abuse in the Church and to ensure measures are followed so children and vulnerable adults are always safe.
By Vatican News staff writer

In a message dated 8 March, Pope Francis offered words of encouragement to participants taking part in the Second Latin American Congress on the prevention of abuse, focusing on effective handling of sexual abuse cases. The meeting is taking place in Asuncion, Paraguay until 16 March, a gathering jointly sponsored by the Bishops' Conference of Paraguay and the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Cardinal Sean O'Malley, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, read the Pope's message and offered his own wide-ranging reflection on the topic. Participants at the congress come from across Latin America and Europe.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/pope-francis-public-session-pontifical-academies.html

Pope: Design of sacred architecture must flow from Church’s liturgy
14 March 2023, 19:00

Pope Francis sends a message to the 26th Public Session of the Pontifical Academies, and urges architects to design sacred spaces that draw inspiration from the Church’s liturgy.
By Devin Watkins

As the Pontifical Academies held their 26th Public Session on Tuesday, Pope Francis reflected on the importance of sacred architecture, which formed the theme for this edition of the Public Session.

He recalled his 2022 Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, which was dedicated to the liturgical formation of the people of God.

Rediscovering symbolic language

Sacred architecture, said Pope Francis, must seek to rediscover “symbolic language and be able to interpret it.”

“To have lost the capacity to grasp the symbolic value of the body and of every creature renders the symbolic language of the Liturgy almost inaccessible to the modern mentality,” he said, citing his Apostolic Letter. “And yet there can be no question of renouncing such language. It cannot be renounced because it is how the Holy Trinity chose to reach us through the flesh of the Word. It is rather a question of recovering the capacity to use and understand the symbols of the Liturgy.”
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253860/vatican-china-deal-not-the-best-deal-possible-top-holy-see-diplomat-says

Vatican-China deal ‘not the best deal possible,’ top Holy See diplomat says
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Mar 14, 2023 / 08:54 am

The Vatican’s foreign minister has said that the Vatican-China deal was “not the best deal possible” and that negotiations are underway to make the deal “work better.”

In an interview with Colm Flynn for EWTN News, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for Relations with States, said that Holy See diplomats are “negotiating improvements” to the Holy See’s provisional agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops, first signed in 2018.

“Obviously, the objective is to get the best deal possible, which certainly this agreement is not the best deal possible because of the other party: They were only prepared to go so far and to agree to certain things. But that was what was possible at the time,” Gallagher said.

“It wasn’t really a great time to sign the deal, for various reasons. It was always going to be difficult; it was always going to be used by the Chinese party to bring greater pressure on the Catholic community, particularly on the so-called underground Church. So we just go forward.”