Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-may-killing-of-children-touch-hearts-of-who-can-stop-wars.html

Pope: May the killing of children touch the hearts of those who can stop war
15 December 2023, 12:49

Meeting some 70 boys and girls of the Italian Catholic Action Pope Francis turns his thoughts to the children suffering war in Gaza, Ukraine and Yemen and reminds them that the gift of God's love at Christmas invites us to love Him, the others and also His creation.
By Lisa Zengarini

Only by loving God and loving each other “will the world find the light and peace it needs,” Pope Francis said on Friday as he met young members of the Italian Catholic Action (Azione Cattolica Ragazzi) for the exchange the Christmas greetings.

In his prepared remarks to the youths, accompanied by the President and the General Assistant, their leaders and educators, the Pope recalled the many peoples, especially children,  suffering war in the world.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
To the young people from Italian Catholic Action (15 December 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-concert-with-the-poor-shows-meaning-of-christian-message.html

Pope: Concert with the Poor shows true meaning of Christian message
15 December 2023, 16:24

Pope Francis thanks the organizers of the fourth edition of the Christmas “Concert with the Poor and for the Poor” in the Vatican which sees some 3,000 destitute people attending as guests of honour.
By Lisa Zengarini

Some 3,000 poor people, homeless people and migrants living in Rome are gathering in the Paul VI Hall on Friday afternoon to attend a special Christmas concert.

They have been invited as “guests of honour” of the fourth edition of the “Concert with the Poor and for the Poor”, through the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

The event, first launched in 2015 to raise money for Pope Francis' charities, includes a dinner and the distribution of necessary items.
On Friday morning the Pope received the organizers, including the conductors  Msgr. Marco Frisina and Speranza Scappucci, to thank them.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
To the organizers of the Christmas Concert with the Poor and for the Poor (15 December 2023)

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/12/popes-surgeon-faces-charges-of-falsifying-hospital-records

Pope’s surgeon faces charges of falsifying hospital records
By Crux Staff
Dec 15, 2023

ROME – As Pope Francis continues to recover slowly from a bout of severe bronchitis, a new twist on the papal health front has emerged in the form of revelations that the surgeon who twice operated on Francis, in 2021 and again in June, is now under investigation for allegedly falsifying hospital records.

The Italian daily La Stampa reported Dec. 14 that Sergio Alfieri of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital is now facing a probe by Roman prosecutors on the basis of charges that he signed forms in 2022 claiming he had performed surgeries when he was actually not present in the operating room.

Those allegedly false claims, which date to a period between July and December 2022, do not relate to any procedures Alfieri performed on Pope Francis.

In his lone comment on the charges so far, Alfieri has said that he is “very serene.”
 

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Update: Vatican finance trial

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-12/vatican-trial-sloane-avenue-sentences.html
Vatican trial wraps-up after 2 and a half years and 85 hearings
15 December 2023, 21:24

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 16, the Vatican court will conclude the legal proceedings that began in July 2021, focusing on the sale of a property in London and other inquiries. Ten defendants, including a cardinal, 69 witnesses and millions of files and documents are some of the elements that make up the longest and most complex trial ever experienced by the Holy See.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Twenty-nine months, 85 hearings, an average of over 600 hours spent in Court, the testimonies of 69 witnesses, 12,4563 printed and electronic pages and 2,479,062 files presented by the prosecution, 20,150 pages with attachments deposited by the defence, as well as 48,731 presented by civil parties. The trial, defined as the century trial, is the longest and most elaborate ever held within the Vatican walls and has garnered significant media attention, especially from the anglophone press. This attention has persisted throughout the 85 hearings, held, sometimes, five or six times a month - even at the height of summer - and reignited by various plot twists and dramatic turns that marked and even altered the course of events.

Lengthy investigation
The trial was preceded by a lengthy and detailed investigation initiated by the then Promoter of Justice, Gian Piero Milano, and his deputy Alessandro Diddi (subsequently appointed Promoter). It unfolded through the investigations of the Vatican Gendarmerie, with the help of four rescripts by the Pope published in the course of the proceedings, expanding the powers of the prosecutors. The process involved a vast number of documents and seized electronic devices, along with interrogations of witnesses. All of this culminated in a 487-page indictment.

Space and Listening
The trial truly began seven months and one day later, on March 1, 2022, leaving ample room for preliminary motions that dominated the first eight hearings according to instructions by the Vatican Court, which never rejected procedural disputes, rebuttals, or nullities. This trial, characterized by the "space and listening" granted to all, seems to echo the words engraved in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates its 75th anniversary: "Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him."

Verdict
The trial concludes on the afternoon of Saturday, December 16. Between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. local time, as announced in the last hearing on Tuesday, by the President of the Court, Giuseppe Pignatone, who will read the verdict. It will thus be revealed whether the ten defendants will be convicted or acquitted.
 

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Update: Vatican finance trial verdict

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-12/vatican-trial-defendants-sentenced-total-37-years-prison.html
Vatican trial defendants sentenced to total of 37 years in prison
16 December 2023, 17:09

Cardinal Angelo Becciu is sentenced by the Vatican court to five years and six months imprisonment, perpetual disqualification from public office, and an eight thousand euro fine. Penalty fines also given to defendants Di Ruzza and Brülhart, while Monsignor Carlino is acquitted. Penalties given to defendants Tirabassi, Torzi, Crasso and Marogna.
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Five years and six months imprisonment, plus perpetual interdiction from public office and an eight thousand euro fine marked the penalties handed down in the sentence imposed on Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu by the Vatican Tribunal at the conclusion of the trial regarding the management of funds of the Secretariat of State, focused on the purchase and sale of a building in London. Cardinal Becciu was found guilty of three counts of embezzlement, according to the sentence pronounced Saturday afternoon at 4:07 p.m. by the Tribunal's president, Giuseppe Pignatone, in the Vatican Museums' multifunctional hall.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256302/vatican-court-convicts-cardinal-becciu-sentences-him-to-5-years-in-jail-for-embezzling-funds
BREAKING: Vatican court convicts Cardinal Becciu, sentences him to 5 years in jail for embezzling funds
By Courtney Mares
CNA Staff, Dec 16, 2023 / 11:49 am

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/12/cardinal-sentenced-to-five-and-a-half-years-in-jail-in-vatican-trial-of-the-century
Cardinal sentenced to five and a half years in jail in Vatican ‘trial of the century’
By John L. Allen Jr.
Dec 16, 2023

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-christmas-concert-vatican-dicastery-holy-land-wars.html

Holy Land war in thoughts of Christmas Concert singers
16 December 2023, 12:49

Pope Francis meets with participants in a Christmas Concert sponsored by the Gravissimum Educationis Pontifical Foundation held in the Vatican on Saturday 16 December, and invites them to sing “from the heart” and to not forget the people suffering in the Land of Jesus that is shattered by war.
By Linda Bordoni

Thanking Bishop Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Gravissimum Educationis Pontifical Foundation for organizing and promoting the annual Christmas Concert, Pope Francis upheld the value of popular Christmas songs “that evoke a powerful blend of emotions and associations.”

Noting that “Christmas is perhaps the holiday richest in popular songs,” he reflected on “the theology and harmony” contained in some of them, and expressed gratitude to those who continue to breathe life into this tradition.

“You lend your voices to these celebrated Christmas melodies, and each of you brings to them your own individuality, your own timbre,” he said.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
To the Artists of the Christmas Concert in the Vatican (16 December 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-at-christmas-let-us-think-about-the-holy-land.html

Pope: 'At Christmas let us think about the Holy Land'
16 December 2023, 12:52

Meeting a group of actors performing a Living Nativity Scene at the Roman Basilica of St. Mary Major, Pope Francis again turns his thoughts to the war ravaging the Holy Land.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis has once again reiterated his closeness to all the people suffering the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.

During an audience on Saturday with a group of actors featuring in a Living Nativity Scene at the  Patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, he called on Christians to turn their thoughts and prayers this Christmas to the Holy Land.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
To the figure performers and operators of the living Nativity scene in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (16 December 2023)

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Happy 87th Birthday, Pope Francis!

Video at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-87th-birthday-wishes-santa-marta-dispensary.html
Pope celebrates 87th birthday, asks Christians to celebrate Jesus’ birth
17 December 2023, 11:25

As well-wishes pour in for his birthday, Pope Francis encourages Christians to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis turned 87 years old on Sunday, 17 December.

As he often does ahead of Christmas, the Pope spent a few moments with children and families assisted by the Santa Marta Dispensary, who presented him with a birthday cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’.

The Santa Marta Dispensary has provided medical assistance to children and families in need for over 90 years, and is based just a stone’s throw away from the Pope’s residence inside the Vatican. It was established in 1922 by Pope Pius XI.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256300/pope-francis-turns-87-one-of-the-oldest-popes-in-church-history
Pope Francis turns 87: one of the oldest popes in Church history
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 17, 2023 / 06:00 am

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-at-angelus-only-in-god-do-we-find-the-light-of-life.html
Pope at Angelus: Only in God do we find the light of life
17 December 2023, 12:16

On the Third Sunday of Advent Pope Francis explains how John the Baptist gives testimony to the light of Christ who "redeems, frees, heals and enlightens" as we are called to welcome and reflect His light through our own lives of worship and service to others.
By Thaddeus Jones

Addressing the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the Angelus, Pope Francis offered reflections on what it means to "testify to the light," as recounted in the Gospel reading on this Third Sunday of Advent about John the Baptist sent by God to bear witness to Jesus coming into the world .

Looking at the nature of John's testimony and the light to which he refers, the Pope explained that John the Baptist's testimony came "through his frank language, his sincere behaviour, his austerity of life."
 
Following the recitation of the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis greeted the many families with their children present who brought little statuettes of the Child Jesus to be blessed on this day, known as "Bambinelli Sunday," a tradition started by Saint Pope Paul VI over fifty years ago.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-holy-family-parish-gaza-appeal-civilians.html
Pope condemns attacks on civilians in Gaza: ‘It is war; it is terrorism’
17 December 2023, 12:26

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Angelus, 17 December 2023

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Re:  Vatican finance trial

https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2023/12/is-the-vatican-trial-finally-over-in-a-phrase-not-so-fast
Is the Vatican trial finally over? In a phrase, ‘Not so fast’
By John L. Allen Jr.
Dec 17, 2023

ROME – After a staggering total of 30 months, 85 hearings stretching over some 600 courtroom hours, 69 witnesses and almost 150,000 pages of documentation, the Vatican’s “Trial of the Century” reached a crescendo Saturday night with guilty verdicts against Cardinal Angelo Becciu and eight of the other nine defendants.

In a sense, the results marked an early birthday present for Pope Francis, who today turns 87, and who set this whole thing in motion in April 2021 by amending the law of the Vatican City State to allow its civil tribunal to judge the cases of cardinals and bishops who work in the Vatican.

So, this long day’s journey into night is finally over, right?

As the saying goes, “Not so fast.” In fact, there’s not just one but multiple shoes left to drop, suggesting that the aftermath may take even longer to play out than the trial itself.

To begin with, there’s the appeals process to consider. An attorney representing Becciu has already announced plans for an appeal, and it’s likely that at least some of the other defendants who were convicted on Saturday may follow suit.

We won’t have to wait long to find out: Under Vatican rules of procedure, someone convicted of a crime by the civil tribunal has just three days to decide whether to file an appeal, and Sunday counts, so the deadline is Tuesday. (As one ******* quipped, Sunday may be the Lord’s Day everywhere else in Christendom, but apparently not in the Vatican legal system.)
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-italy-bari-miulli-hospital-audience.html

Pope Francis: Healthcare must put human person at the centre
18 December 2023, 11:22

Pope Francis meets with hospital staff from the Italian city of Bari, and praises their efforts to provide healthcare for migrants and training for medical students.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis held an audience on Monday with a delegation from the F. Miulli Hospital in the southern Italian city of Bari.

In his address, the Pope highlighted two important aspects of which the healthcare facility should always be aware: “putting the person at the center and promoting scientific research”.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
To the Delegation of the "Miulli" Hospital of Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari) (18 December 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-praises-global-commitment-in-message-global-refugee-forum.html

Pope praises global commitment in message to Refugee Forum
18 December 2023, 15:47

Pope Francis encourages international leaders present at the Second Global Refugee Forum in Geneva to persevere in their efforts to build a better world marked by fraternity.
By Thaddeus Jones

In his message to the Second Global Refugee Forum that took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 13-15 December, Pope Francis said this second meeting "shows our clear commitment to resolving the plight of refugees as a shared responsibility" and marks "a sign of hope." Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, delivered the Pope's message to the meeting participants on 13 December.

The Forum is held every four years and is the world’s largest international gathering on refugees. The Forum aims to support the practical implementation of objectives set out in the Global Compact on Refugees, which include easing pressure on host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance, increasing access to third-country solutions, and improving living conditions in countries of origin. Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan, and Uganda convened this second meeting co-hosted by the Government of Switzerland and UNHCR.
 
The Pope said he sees "many positive signs" in our world, with countries and local communities keeping their borders and hearts open to refugees, saving lives at sea, and offering solidarity in reception centers.

He recalled the importance of "cooperation as the key solution to global problems" and the benefits from assisting migrants who "want to change their lives and contribute to the societies to which they move."
 

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Hmmm...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-12/fiducia-supplicans-doctrine-faith-blessing-irregular-couples.html
Doctrinal declaration opens possibility to bless couples in irregular situations
18 December 2023, 14:17

With the Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, approved by Pope Francis, it will be possible to bless same-sex couples but without any type of ritualization or offering the impression of a marriage. The doctrine regarding marriage does not change, and the blessing does not signify approval of the union.
By Vatican News

When two people request a blessing, even if their situation as a couple is “irregular,” it will be possible for the ordained minister to consent. However, this gesture of pastoral closeness must avoid any elements that remotely resemble a marriage rite.

This is what is stated the Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” on the pastoral meaning of blessings, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis.

The document explores the theme of blessings, distinguishing between ritual and liturgical ones, and spontaneous ones more akin to signs of popular devotion. It is precisely in this second category there is now consideration of the possibility of welcoming even those who do not live according to the norms of Christian moral doctrine but humbly request to be blessed. 23 years have passed since the former “Holy Office” published a Declaration (the last one was in August 2000 with “Dominus Jesus”), a document of such doctrinal importance.

“Fiducia supplicans” begins with the introduction by the prefect, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, who explains that the Declaration considers the “pastoral meaning of blessings,” allowing “a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding” through a theological reflection “based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis.”
 
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2023/12/18/0901/01963.html#en
Declaration
Fiducia Supplicans
On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/12/vaticans-doctrinal-czar-offers-method-for-giving-same-sex-blessings
Vatican’s doctrinal czar offers method for giving same-sex blessings
By Elise Ann Allen
Dec 18, 2023

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256308/vatican-says-priests-can-bless-same-sex-couples-without-condoning-their-lifestyles
Vatican says priests can bless same-sex couples without condoning their lifestyles
By Jonathan Liedl
Rome Newsroom, Dec 18, 2023 / 15:22 pm

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/nativity-scene-teaches-simplicity-and-joy-pope-says-at-audience.html
Nativity scene teaches simplicity and joy, Pope says at Audience
20 December 2023, 10:13

At his General Audience, Pope Francis reflects on the first Nativity scene, created 800 years ago by St Francis in the Italian town of Greccio.
By Christopher Wells

In his final General Audience before Christmas, Pope Francis returned to the image of the creche, and specifically, the first Nativity scene inaugurated 800 years ago by St Francis of Assisi.

What was the saint’s intention in organizing a living Nativity in the small Umbrian town of Greccio? the Pope asked. St Francis, he explained, wasn’t trying “to create a beautiful work of art, but, through the Nativity scene, to provoke amazement at the extreme humility of the Lord, at the hardships He suffered, for love of us, in the poor grotto of Bethlehem.”

The Pope focused on the word “amazement,” saying that in the face of the mystery of the incarnation of the Word, of the birth of Jesus, we need this religious attitude of amazement. 
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-earthquake-china-gansu-qinghai-prayer-closeness.html
Pope prays for victims of earthquake in China
20 December 2023, 10:15

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-christmas-prayer-peace-ukraine-palestine-israel.html
Pope asks for prayers for Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel
20 December 2023, 10:55

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 20 December 2023 - Catechesis. The Greccio Nativity, school of simplicity and joy

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Re:  The Declaration “Fiducia supplicans”

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2023/12/vatican-note-on-blessing-same-sex-unions-draws-mixed-us-reaction
Vatican note on blessing same-sex unions draws mixed US reaction
By John Lavenburg
Dec 19, 2023

NEW YORK – In the hours that followed release of a Vatican note outlining the pastoral grounds for same-sex blessings, reactions among American Catholics seemed to run the gamut from styling it as a major step forward to insisting on hitting the brakes, on the grounds that not much has really changed.

Reaction to the note from LGBTQ Catholics and advocates was largely enthusiastic, hailing the new document, Fiducia supplicans, as a milestone. Commentary from some theologians, meanwhile, cautioned that it’s misleading to frame the declaration as a monumental shift in either teaching or practice.

A statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops appeared to fall into that second category.

“The declaration issued today by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) articulated a distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings, and pastoral blessings, which may be given to persons who desire God’s loving grace in their lives,” the USCCB said in a Dec. 18 statement, through spokesperson Chieko Noguchi.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256333/bishops-around-the-world-are-divided-over-vaticans-same-sex-blessing-declaration
Bishops around the world are divided over Vatican’s same-sex blessing declaration 
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 20, 2023 / 18:10 pm

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Re:  The Declaration “Fiducia supplicans”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-muller-tells-pope-francis-blessing-homosexual-couples-is-impossible-and-blasphemy/
Cardinal Müller tells Pope Francis: Blessing homosexual couples is ‘impossible’ and ‘blasphemy’
Thu Dec 21, 2023 - 10:30 am EST

(LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Gerhard Müller has published a response to the controversial Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans (FS), stating that “blessings” of homosexual couples constitute “blasphemy” and that the document is “self-contradictory.”

In a lengthy rebuttal that was published today by multiple outlets in four languages, Müller explained that “[t]he difficulty of blessing a union or couple is especially evident in the case of homosexuality.”

“For in the Bible, a blessing has to do with the order that God has created and that He has declared to be good. This order is based on the sexual difference of male and female, called to be one flesh.”

“Blessing a reality that is contrary to creation is not only impossible, it is blasphemy.”

“In light of this, can a faithful Catholic accept the teaching of FS?” Müller asked.

“Given the unity of deeds and words in the Christian faith, one can only accept that it is good to bless these unions, even in a pastoral way, if one believes that such unions are not objectively contrary to the law of God.”

“It follows that as long as Pope Francis continues to affirm that homosexual unions are always contrary to God’s law, he is implicitly affirming that such blessings cannot be given. The teaching of FS is therefore self-contradictory and thus requires further clarification.”

“The Church cannot celebrate one thing and teach another because, as St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote, Christ was the Teacher ‘who spoke and it was done’ (Ephesians 15:1), and one cannot separate His flesh from His word.”
 

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/hundreds-of-uk-priests-reject-same-sex-blessings-as-inadmissible/
Hundreds of UK priests reject same-sex blessings as ‘inadmissible’
The British Confraternity of Catholic Clergy stated that its text had been issued as a response to 'widespread confusion over Catholic doctrine on same-sex unions and sexual behaviour outside of marriage.'
Michael Haynes
Thu Dec 21, 2023 - 8:10 am EST

---and from the Vatican: An editorial

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-12/blessings-pastoral-conversion-and-the-risk-of-codification.html
Blessings, pastoral conversion, and the risk of wanting to codify everything
21 December 2023, 14:37

A reading of the doctrinal declaration on the significance of blessings in the light of “epochal change” and the necessary “pastoral conversion” that Pope Francis has insisted on from the beginning of his pontificate.
By Andrea Tornielli

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Pope Francis’s Christmas greetings to the Roman Curia and to Vatican employees ---

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-christmas-greetings-roman-curia-listen-discern-journey.html
Pope to Roman Curia: ‘Only those who love go forward’
21 December 2023, 10:40

In his annual address to the Roman Curia for the exchange of Christmas Greetings, Pope Francis issues an invitation to listen, discern, and journey, never losing sight of Christ's call to be merciful, loving, and courageous.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis’s Christmas greetings to the Curia resonated with the spirit of the ongoing Synodal process, which asks the Church to listen, discern, and walk together with the faithful so that everyone can participate in the dynamism of missionary communion.

Addressing members of the Roman Curia in the Vatican on Thursday morning, the Pope began his address highlighting the importance of listening.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
Christmas Greetings of the Holy Father to the Roman Curia (21 December 2023)
-------

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-vatican-employees-christmas-greetings.html
Pope to Vatican employees: Serve Church in hiddenness and littleness
21 December 2023, 10:59

Pope Francis holds his customary exchange of Christmas greetings with Vatican employees, and encourages them to bear Christian witness in the workplace.
By Devin Watkins

“God hides Himself in the littleness of a Child being born”.

Pope Francis took the twin words of “hiddenness and littleness” as the focal point of his Christmas greetings to employees of the Vatican on Thursday.

As he does every year, the Pope exchanged festive greetings with Vatican employees and their families ahead of the celebration of the Lord’s birth.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december.index.html
Speeches 2023 December
To the employees of Vatican City State for the exchange of Christmas greetings (21 December 2023)

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-mass-shooting-prague-czech-republic-prayer.html

Pope “deeply saddened” by shooting at Prague university
22 December 2023, 12:01

Pope Francis expresses his “spiritual closeness” to the victims of a mass shooting in the Czech capital of Prague, and entrusts “those who have died to the loving mercy of Almighty God.”
By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Francis has said he is “deeply saddened” by the recent mass shooting in the Czech Republic.

In a telegram sent following the attack, which took place at Charles University in Prague, the Pope expressed his “spiritual closeness to all affected by this tragedy.”

Signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Pope's message entrusted "those who have died to the loving mercy of Almighty God" and invokes "divine strength and consolation upon their grieving families and friends."

Pope Francis also assured the nation of "his prayers at this difficult time.”
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-holy-land-konrad-krajewski-papal-almoner.html

Pope sends Cardinal Krajewski to Holy Land in sign of solidarity
22 December 2023, 09:02

Pope Francis sends the papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to the Holy Land as a sign of his solidarity amid the tragedy of war, and invites everyone to pray for peace.
By Devin Watkins

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski has set out on a papal mission to accompany the people of the Holy Land through the celebration of Christmas.

The Dicastery for the Service of Charity announced the news in a communiqué released on Friday.
 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-12/papal-almoner-cardinal-krajewski-holy-land-christmas-day-one.html
Cardinal Krajewski in Holy Land: 'They told me about the hell in Gaza'
22 December 2023, 19:14

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256348/israeli-ambassador-accuses-latin-patriarch-of-jerusalem-of-blood-libel

Israeli ambassador accuses Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem of ‘blood libel’
By Peter Pinedo
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 22, 2023 / 10:41 am

The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See accused the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem of “blood libel” for saying that two Christian women in Gaza had been intentionally killed “in cold blood” by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

In an interview with Crux, published Dec. 22, the ambassador, Raphael Schutz, denied that IDF soldiers targeted the women.

Schutz said: “I find it very annoying that the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem very fast, a few hours after the incident, without an inquiry, lashed into publishing a text naming Israel as a country of murder, the IDF as murderers in ‘cold blood,’ which is basically a blood libel. Nobody in Israel does that intentionally.”
 

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-middle-east/2023/12/israeli-envoy-says-latin-patriarchate-guilty-of-blood-libel-for-accusations-on-gaza-parish
Israeli envoy says Latin Patriarchate guilty of ‘blood libel’ for accusations on Gaza parish
By Elise Ann Allen
Dec 22, 2023