Pope Francis kicked off the first Saturday jubilee audience of 2025 by urging pilgrims to embrace hope as a divine strength that enables new beginnings, drawing inspiration from St. John the Baptist. Speaking to pilgrims gathered in the Vatican’s audience hall on Jan. 11, the pontiff emphasized that hope is not merely a character trait but rather a theological virtue that represents “strength to be asked for” from God. “Many of you are here in Rome as ‘pilgrims of hope,’” Pope Francis said. “Indeed, the jubilee is a new beginning, the possibility for everyone to start anew from God. With the jubilee we start a new life, a new phase.”
The pope highlighted how the Latin word “virtus” means strength, explaining that hope, therefore, comes as a gift from God rather than existing as a mere habit or personality characteristic. The Catholic Church teaches that hope is one of the three theological virtues – along with faith and charity – which God pours into the hearts of the faithful. Drawing connections to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Francis reflected on John the Baptist as a “great prophet of hope,” noting how people flocked to him “longing for a new beginning.”
“Just as we today pass through the Holy Door, so John proposed to cross the river Jordan, entering the Promised Land as Joshua had done the first time,” the pope said, connecting the biblical narrative to the current jubilee year.
The jubilee audience marked the beginning of regular Saturday gatherings that will welcome pilgrims from around the world throughout the 2025 Jubilee Year. The first major calendar event of the 2025 holy year is the Jubilee of the World of Communications, scheduled for Jan. 24–26. The Vatican expects thousands of journalists and media professionals from around the world to come to Rome for the occasion.

Pope Francis has named for the first time a woman, Sister Simona Brambilla, to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia, continuing to add to the number of women in leadership roles at the Vatican, a hallmark of his pontificate.
The 59-year-old Brambilla, a member and former superior general of the Consolata Missio-nary Sisters, has been secretary of the Vatican department for religious and consecrated life since October 2023.
Sr Brambilla will lead the Dicastery for Institutes of Con-secrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life together with Card-inal Ángel Fernández Artime, who was named pro-prefect on Jan. 6. A Spaniard, the 64-year-old Fernández concluded a decade as rector major of the Salesians last year. The appointment of an ordained bishop as pro-prefect of the same dicastery was necessary because Church law calls for ordi-nation in order to carry out certain governing powers.
Brambilla, who trained as a nurse before entering religious life, was a missionary in Mozam-bique in the late 1990s. She then returned to Italy, where, with her advanced degree in psychology, she taught at the Pontifical Gre-gorian University in its Institute of Psychology. She was head of the institute of Consolata Missio-nary Sisters from 2011 until May 2023.
Brambilla joins several other religious and non-religious lay-women appointed by Pope Francis to important posts in the Vatican, including Franciscan Sister Ra-ffaella Petrini, the first woman to hold the second-ranking post in the government of the Vatican City State.

The new year has seen the Nicaraguan dictatorship cancel the legal personhood of 15 non-profit organizations, adding to the more than 5,400 nongovernmental organizations shut down since 2018 by the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and “co-president,” Rosario Murillo.
The official government newspaper La Gaceta announced on Jan. 8 the “voluntary dissolution” of 11 of these organizations, including Save the Children and the Dominican Nuns Foundation of Nicaragua. According to its website, Save the Children has been working in the Central American country since 1986. “Save the Children’s work in Nicaragua centres on four program areas: education, health and nutrition, child rights governance, and child protection in addition to having the ability to respond to potential humanitarian situations,” the organization indicated, adding that it had 46 people working in Managua and Matagalpa.

Archbishop José Manuel Imba-mba of the Archdiocese of Saurimo in Angola has revealed that he was once on a list of people targeted for assassination for defending truth and justice.In an interview with Radio Ecclesia on Jan. 7, the day he turned 60, Imbamba recalled the dangers he faced in 2003 following Angola’s post-election conflict.
“My priestly life has been full of misunder-standings. I was ordained during a time of intense war in Luena, and I faced many difficulties,” the archbishop recounted. “In 2003, during the post-electoral conflict, I was on a list of people to be eliminated,” he said.
Angola’s first elections in 1992 were marred by violence, leading to a civil conflict that ended in 2002. “I have been threatened face to face by people due to my for-thright discussions. These threats aim to intimidate and tarnish my image and that of the Church. However, I take full responsibility for everything I say. I am not anyone’s mouthpiece,” said Imbamba, who also serves as the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe. He emphasized his mission to advocate for the rights of the marginalized and uphold human dig-nity, saying: “For the poor, marginalized, and those deprived of their rights, I will continue to fight in the name of the Gospel, of which I am a servant.” Despite the sacrifices and challenges he faced in his 33 years of priesthood, Imbamba described the ministry as a “beautiful and rewarding vocation.”

Pope Francis kicked off the first Saturday jubilee audience of 2025 by urging pilgrims to embrace hope as a divine strength that enables new beginnings, drawing inspiration from St. John the Baptist. Speaking to pilgrims gathered in the Vatican’s audience hall on Jan. 11, the pontiff emphasized that hope is not merely a character trait but rather a theological virtue that represents “strength to be asked for” from God. “Many of you are here in Rome as ‘pilgrims of hope,’” Pope Francis said. “Indeed, the jubilee is a new beginning, the possibility for everyone to start anew from God. With the jubilee we start a new life, a new phase.”
The pope highlighted how the Latin word “virtus” means strength, explaining that hope, therefore, comes as a gift from God rather than existing as a mere habit or personality characteristic. The Catholic Church teaches that hope is one of the three theological virtues – along with faith and charity – which God pours into the hearts of the faithful. Drawing connections to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Francis reflected on John the Baptist as a “great prophet of hope,” noting how people flocked to him “longing for a new beginning.”
“Just as we today pass through the Holy Door, so John proposed to cross the river Jordan, entering the Promised Land as Joshua had done the first time,” the pope said, connecting the biblical narrative to the current jubilee year.
The jubilee audience marked the beginning of regular Saturday gatherings that will welcome pilgrims from around the world throughout the 2025 Jubilee Year. The first major calendar event of the 2025 holy year is the Jubilee of the World of Communications, scheduled for Jan. 24–26. The Vatican expects thousands of journalists and media professionals from around the world to come to Rome for the occasion.

Pope Francis has tapped Cardinal Robert McElroy as the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., appointing one of his top U.S. allies, one of the American church’s most forceful defenders of migrants and a sharp critic of Donald Trump’s first administration just days before Trump takes office a second time.
McElroy of San Diego will succeed retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 77, who has led the Washington Archdiocese since 2019, where he became the city’s first African American archbishop. In 2020, Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals, making him the first Black U.S. cardinal. 
Over the last decade, McElroy has become one of the most vocal champions of Pope Francis’ pastoral agenda among the U.S. hierarchy. He has frequently echoed the pope’s prioritization of migrants and refugees, environmental concerns and a more welcoming approach to LGBTQ people.
The pope’s selection of a prelate who has not shied from implicit criticism of Trump comes just after Trump announced his selection of a sharp critic of Francis to be the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See – which also marks a contrast to the warm relations the pontiff has enjoyed with President Joe Biden.
McElroy, 70, was first made an auxiliary bishop of San Francisco in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI and then named bishop of San Diego by Francis in 2015. In 2022, the pope made him a cardinal. He has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, and a master’s in U.S. history and a doctorate in political science from Stanford University, among other degrees.
In the U.S. church, McElroy has struck a contrast to many of the more traditionalist bishops in the U.S. and has become one of the leading proponents of Francis’ push for synodality, which focuses on greater lay involvement in the life of the church.

The Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera” releases several passages from Pope Francis’ autobiographical book entitled “Life. My Story in History,” written with Vatican journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona, set to be released on March 19 by HarperCollins.
In the passages released, the Pope clarified that were he to resign, he would not choose to be called “Pope Emeritus” but simply “Bishop Emeritus of Rome.” In that case, he would live in the Basilica of St. Mary Major “to return to being a confessor and bring communion to the sick.”
The Pope clarified this possible scenario in case of his resignation, which, however, he emphasized, “is a distant hypothesis” because there are no “so serious reasons” to consider this possibility, which he said he never considers, “despite moments of difficulty.” There are no “conditions for a resignation,” according to Pope Francis, unless “a serious physical impediment” arose, in which case a “letter of resignation” deposited in the Secretariat of State signed by Bergoglio at the beginning of his pontificate would apply. He added that the possibility remains remote, since the Pope “is in good health and, God willing, there are many projects still to be realized.”

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, presided over a meeting on Jan-uary 13 with the Apostolic Nun-cios in the Middle Eastern region in Jordan’s capital of Amman, where he travelled for the conse-cration of the Church of the Baptism of Jesus along the banks of the Jordan River.
According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office, the meeting was attended by the papal representatives accredited to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Iraq, the State of Israel, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Lebanon, the Sulta-nate of Oman, the State of Pale-stine, the State of Qatar, the Syrian Arab Republic, and the Republic of Yemen.
In an interview with Vatican News in Jordan following the Church’s consecration, the Vati-can Secretary of State expressed his hopes for positive develop-ments in Syria and with the ele-ction of the new president of Lebanon.
During the meeting, the statement explained, “the ongoing crises in the region, the political and ecclesial situation in each country, signs of hope in some areas, and the severe humani-tarian conditions affecting popu-lations most impacted by conflicts were discussed.”
The statement continued, “It is hoped that the ceasefire on every front will come soon and that the Middle East can become a land of peace, where Christians remain an essential component for fraternal coexistence among religions and for the progress of their respective countries.”

In a historic announcement on January 11, President Joe Biden awarded Pope Francis the Presi-dential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the highest civilian honour in the United States. This marks the first time President Biden has bestowed this exce-ptional level of recognition since taking office, emphasizing the profound impact of Pope Francis on global peace, humanitarian values, and the promotion of unity across cultures and religions. Biden telephoned the Pope on Saturday, January 11, and inform-ed him of this recognition.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom honours individuals who have made extraordinary contri-butions to society, whether throu-gh enhancing prosperity, safe-guarding security, or fostering world peace. The “with Distinct-ion” designation, an exceptionally rare honour, underscores the unparalleled influence of Pope Francis in addressing issues such as poverty, climate change, and the need for compassion in a divided world. President Biden praised the Pontiff’s relentless efforts to champion the dignity of all individuals, saying, His Holi-ness Pope Francis embodies the moral clarity and humility that inspire not only Catholics but people of all faiths around the world. He is a beacon of hope and a reminder of the transforma-tive power of love and service.”

Pope Francis has assigned the Under Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Eastern Churches, Mons. Filippo Ciampanelli, the Titular See of Aquae in the Northwestern African nation of Mauritania. The assigning of Mons. Ciampanelli the Maurita-nian Titular See was published by the Holy See Press office on Sunday, January 12. Born in July 1978 in the Catholic Diocese of Novara in Italy, the Under Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Eastern Churches was ordained a Priest for the same Diocese in June 2003.
A participant in the Synod on Synodality, the multi-year XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which Pope Francis officially inaugurated in 2021 and later extended to 2024, Mons. Ciampanelli was a member of the Synod on Synodality Study Groups.
The Vatican official, who read Pope Francis’ spiritual reflection on “the passion for evangeli-zation,” when the Pontiff was having health complications in November 2023 has been assigned the Titular See that was esta-blished in 1933.
Titular Sees are Episcopal Sees that once existed but no longer function as such due to historical circumstances, such as Catholic and Christian population shifts or suppression.
The Catholic Culture, describes Titular Sees as “some two thousand ancient Catholic dioceses and archdioceses whose titles are now given to those bishops who do not occupy residential sees” including Auxiliary Bishops, Coadjutor Bishops, Vicars Apostolic, as well as “officials of the Roman Curia.”
Often located in Asia Minor, North Africa, the Balkans, and parts of Europe such as Greece, these territories became extinct “after the Moslems had destroyed the Church in these lands”, the Catholic Culture has explained.