VATICAN CITY — Hope lives, Pope Francis said in his homily for Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican as he reflected on the incredible fact that the infinite God became a small Child. “God is Emmanuel, he is God-with-us,” the pope said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24. “The infinitely great has become small; […]
MADRID, Spain — Did you know Pope Francis was a nightclub bouncer, his favorite movie is “La Strada” by Federico Fellini, and that he doesn’t watch television? On the occasion of his 88th birthday, these and other interesting facts about Pope Francis are highlighted below. 1. How did he discover his vocation? On the feast […]
Pope Francis called on musicians and artists to serve as “angels of peace” during his address to participants of the 2024 Vatican Christmas concert on Saturday. Speaking in the Clementine Hall, the pope emphasized the unique power of music to foster unity and communion, drawing parallels to the first Christmas. “It is moving to think, […]
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has called on all nations to eliminate the death penalty, to divert a fixed percentage of arms spending to a global fund to fight hunger and climate change, and to cancel the international debt of developing nations as concrete ways to usher in a new era of hope. “Sporadic […]
Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, Dec. 7, urging them to resist the “seduction of power” and instead follow “the path of Jesus.” “In spiritual life as in pastoral life, we risk focusing on what is incidental and forgetting what is essential,” the pope cautioned. “Too often, secondary things […]
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of December is for pilgrims of hope. “Christian hope is a gift from God that fills our lives with joy. And today, we need it a lot. The world really needs it a lot,” the Holy Father said in a video released Dec. 3. Pope Francis pointed out […]
WASHINGTON — Pope Francis on Monday clarified that the final Synod on Synodality document – which calls for structural changes, including more lay and women participation in the Church – is part of the Church’s ordinary magisterium and should be implemented by dioceses and churches. “(The final document) participates in the ordinary magisterium of the […]
ROME — In a significant departure from previous synods, Pope Francis adopted the final document of the Synod on Synodality on Saturday, forgoing the traditional apostolic exhortation in favor of direct implementation of the assembly’s conclusions. The 52-page document, approved by 355 synod members in attendance, outlines substantial proposals for Church renewal. The proposals include […]
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis canonized 14 new saints on Sunday, including a father of eight and Franciscan friars killed in Syria for refusing to renounce their faith and convert to Islam. In a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 20, the pope declared three 19th-century founders of religious orders and the 11 “Martyrs […]
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis opened the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday with a Mass concelebrated by over 400 priests, bishops and cardinals in St. Peter’s Square in which he warned synod delegates against imposing their own “agendas” during the nearly monthlong discussions. “Let us be careful not to see our […]
