Pope Speaks

‘A Church that hears the cry of the world’

Pope Francis closed the global Synod on Sy-nodality’s final assem-bly on October 27 with a call for a Church that “hears the cry of the world” without being “blind” to the urgent issues facing our time. At the synod’s closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis said that a synodal Church must be “on […]

A journey toward harmony, not uniformity

In his homily prepared for an ecumenical vigil on 11th October marking the anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the start of a new ecumenical era, Pope Francis reflected on Christian unity and martyrdom, centring his thoughts on the words of Jesus: “The glory that you have given me I have given them” (Jn […]

‘Do not cover up abuse’

The Holy Mass at Brussel’s King Baudo-uin Stadium on 29th September was the final public event of Pope Francis’ 4-day Apostolic Journey to Luxembourg and Bel-gium. In his homily, speaking off-the-cuff, Pope Francis spoke about his encounter on 27 September in Bru-ssels with people who had suffered abuse by clergy members. “I heard their su-ffering […]

For the cry of the Earth

Pope Francis’ linked his prayer intention for the month of September to the Season of Crea-tion, running until the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on 4 October. In a short video released on 30 August announcing his intention – “For the cry of the Earth” – the Pope said: “If we took the planet’s […]

Young people need God

“The young people do not need us, they need God!” stressed Pope Francis to parti-cipants in the XVIII General Chapter of the Congregation of the Oblates of St. Joseph on August 26 in the Vatican. Pope Francis underscored, saying, “The more we live in His presence, the more we are capable of help-ing them encounter Him.” […]

With God, nothing is impossible

At General Audience on August 7, the Holy Father took up the theme of the Holy Spirit in the Incarnation of the Word, beginning with the affirmation of the Creed that Jesus “by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.” Pope Francis concluded his catechesis by reflecting on Mary’s question […]

Solitude and Abandonment

In his message for the Fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly (28 July 2024) Pope Francis says that “Solitude and abandonment have be-come recurrent elements in today’s social landscape. They have multiple roots. In some cases, they are the result of calculated exclusion, a sort of deplorable “social conspiracy”; in others, tragically, a […]

The tragedy of abuse

Pope Francis writes the preface for a book entitled “Women and Ministries in the Synodal Church,” authored by two cardinals and three female theologians. The Pope emphasizes that the abuse crisis has highlighted the need to confront clericalism, which affects not only ordained ministers but also represents a broader issue of power misuse within the […]

Salesians elect Maltese priest Fabio Attard as Don Bosco’s 11th successor

Pope Francis does not accept Cardinal Koch’s resignation: could continue at least until anniversary of Council of Nicea