The communion of holy persons who grow through participation in spiritual goods, and above all the Sacraments, the charisms and charity, was the theme of Pope Francis’ catechesis during today’s general audience. In the Sacraments, each one of us is “incorporated in Christ and united with the entire community of believers. Therefore, if one the […]
“The communion of the holy”, one of the most beautiful aspects of our faith, as it was defined by Pope Francis, was the theme of the catechesis of this Wednesday’s general audience, which took place in St. Peter’s Square and was attended by more than 80,000 people. The communion of the holy consists of two […]
The readings this Sunday invite us to reflect on some basic features of the Christian family. 1. First: the family prays. The Gospel passage speaks about two ways of praying, one is false – that of the Pharisee – and the other is authentic – that of the tax collector. The Pharisee embodies an attitude […]
“The family is a community of life with its own consistency. It is not the sum of the persons by whom it is constituted, but rather a ‘community of persons’”, said Pope Francis, quoting Blessed John Paul II’s encyclical “Familiaris consortio,” in an address to participants in the twenty-first plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council […]
Mary as a model of the Church “in the order of faith, charity and the perfect union with Christ”, according to the definition offered by the Vatican Council II, was the theme of Pope Francis’ catechesis during this Wednesday’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, attended by over ninety thousand people. Mary is a model […]
At midday on Sunday the Pope appeared at the window of his study to recite the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square and, before the Marian prayer, he commented on today’s Gospel reading in which Jesus tells a parable on the need to pray, always and incessantly. “The protagonist is a widow […]
After considering the unity, holiness and catholicity of the Church, as defined by the Creed, the Holy Father today addressed her apostolic nature. During the catechesis of the Pope’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, he stated that “to profess that the Church is apostolic means underlining her constitutive bond with the Apostles, with that […]
The Pope celebrated mass in St Peter’s square this morning in honour of the Marian Day, an event organized as part of the Year of Faith on the anniversary of the final apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (13th of October 1917). He also consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the Creed, we confess our faith that the Church is “holy”. But how can we say that the Church is holy when she is all too evidently made up of sinners? Saint Paul helps us to see things aright when he tells us that “Christ loved the Church and gave […]
The Pope commented on Sunday’s Gospel reading which contained the three parables of mercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the story of the prodigal son. “All these three parables,” he said, “speak of the joy of God. God is joyful! The joy of God is the joy of forgiveness. … It is the […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I wish to continue our catechesis on the Church by reflecting on an image used by the early Fathers and the Second Vatican Council: the Church as our Mother. By reflecting on the human experience of maternity, we understand that the Church is like our own Mothers. First, like our […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Morning! In the Gospel for today, Jesus reiterates the conditions for being his disciples: not putting anything before your love for Him, carrying your cross, and following Him. Many people came up to Jesus, wanted to be one of His followers; and this would happen especially in the wake of […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Hello! Today, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to add my voice to the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family which is humanity: it is the cry for peace! It […]
INTRODUCTION 1. In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with some frequency by Pope John Paul II and by the relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See.(1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to greater […]
Madam President, Distinguished National, State and Local Authorities, Dear Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, Dear Cardinals and Brother Bishops, Dear Friends, I am about to leave your country to return to Rome. I depart with many happy memories which I know will nourish my prayers. Already I am beginning to miss Brazil, […]
Dear Young Friends, We have come here today to accompany Jesus on his journey of sorrow and love, the Way of the Cross, which is one of the most intense moments of World Youth Day. At the end of the Holy Year of Redemption, Blessed John Paul II chose to entrust the Cross to you, […]
My Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters, What joy I feel as I come to the house of the Mother of every Brazilian, the Shrine of our Lady of Aparecida! The day after my election as Bishop of Rome, I visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, in order to entrust […]
The Holy Father’s Sunday meditation before praying the Angelus this morning was dedicated to Jesus’ visit to the house of Martha and Mary in Bethany in the Gospel of St. Luke, and the two key themes of Christian life: contemplation, listening to the Word of God and the concrete service of our neighbor. These are […]
Angelus message from July 7, 2013. “Jesus is not an isolated missionary”, Pope Francis said; “he does not want to fulfill his mission alone, but involves his disciples. Today we see that, in addition to the Twelve Apostles, He calls seventy-two others, and sends them into the villages, two by two, to announce that the […]
“Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of us Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs?” – Benjamin Franklin, 1751 “Immigration is about more than immigration. It is about renewing the soul of America.” – +Jose […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like briefly to refer to one more picture that helps us to illustrate the mystery of the Church: that of the temple (cf. Lumen Gentium, 6). What does the word, ‘temple’ call to mind? It makes us think of a building, a construction. In particular, it recalls to […]
The U.S. Supreme Court decisions June 26 striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and refusing to rule on the merits of a challenge to California’s Proposition 8 mark a “tragic day for marriage and our nation,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and […]
The Pope was speaking to a 30 strong delegation from the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) who gathered in the Apostolic Palace’s Hall of the Popes for a private audience Monday. The IJCIC is committed to developing relations with the Vatican’s Commission on Religious Relations with the Jews, the Orthodox Christian Church, the […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This celebration has a very beautiful name: the Gospel of Life. In this Eucharist, in the Year of Faith, let us thank the Lord for the gift of life in all its forms, and at the same time let us proclaim the Gospel of Life. On the basis of the word […]
