Pope Francis in Sri Lanka: encounter, encouragement, prayer
Pope Francis arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday morning, at the beginning of a week-long visit to Asia that will see him in both Sri Lanka and the Philippines. The Holy Father arrived to pomp and circumstance: traditional dancers, a children’s choir performing an especially composed hymn to mark the visit, as well as the execution of the anthems of the Holy See and Sri Lanka by the military band, along with a 21-gun salute. The newly-elected and installed President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, offered official words of greeting to Pope Francis, thanking him for the visit and asking his blessing upon himself and his whole nation and people: It is indeed significant ...

Pope: religion must never be abused in the cause of war
Pope Francis underlined the significance and urgency of interreligious and ecumenical dialogue in a nation, like Sri Lanka, that is undergoing a process of reconciliation after civil war. Speaking on the first full day of his apostolic journey to Sri Lanka, Pope Francis addressed an interreligious and ecumenical gathering and reaffirmed the Church’s deep and abiding respect for other religions. To the spiritual leaders present at the gathering, the Pope said “at this moment of your nation’s history (…)  May the growing spirit of cooperation between the leaders of the various religious communities find expression in a commitment to put reconciliation among all Sri Lankans at the heart of every effort to renew society and its institutions”. “For the sake ...

Pope: “Int’l community must take concrete steps for peace
Pope Francis has called on the international community to take concrete steps to bring about peace and to protect all those who are victims of war and persecution. In  a wide-ranging discourse to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, the Pope focused on a series of urgent issues which – he said – derive from a culture of rejection “which severs the deepest and most authentic human bonds, leading to a breakdown of society and spawning violence and death”. Speaking in Italian to the representatives of the 180 States which have diplomatic relations with the Holy See,  the Pope said we see painful evidence of the consequences of this culture of rejection “in the events reported daily ...

Pope Francis’ message for 2015 World Day of the Sick
The theme of Pope Francis’s message for the World Day of Sick being celebrated on 11 February 2015 is “I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame,” taken from the book of Job. Please find below the English translation of the full text of the Pope’s message:  Sapientia Cordis “I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame” (Job 29:15) Dear Brothers and Sisters, On this, the twenty-third World Day of the Sick, begun by Saint John Paul II, I turn to all of you who are burdened by illness and are united in various ways to the flesh of the suffering Christ, as well as to you, professionals and volunteers in the field of ...

Pope Francis to visit Pompeii, Naples in March
Pope Francis will make a pastoral visit to Naples in the southern Italian region of Campania in March 2015.  The Archbishop and pontifical delegate to the Virgin of the Rosary sanctuary in Pompeii, Tommaso Caputo says the Pope will begin his journey with a visit to the Marian shrine on March 21st. The Pope’s apostolic visit to the region of Campania will be his second in less than a year.  The Holy Father made a pastoral trip to the city of Caserta, just north of Naples, in July 2014. In a note, Archbishop Caputo described Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Pompeii’s Marian shrine as “an event of extraordinary ecclesial importance.” “The filial and tender Marian devotion that the Pope continues ...

Pope Francis sends message to Taizé ecumenical event in Prague
Pope Francis says he is praying for the success of the Taizé Community’s ecumenical meeting from 29 December to 2 January in Prague. In a message to young people from around the globe gathered in the capital of the Czech Republic, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin says that through prayer and reciprocal dialogue, they are attempting to be “the salt of the earth” and the Pope encourages them in their efforts towards greater communion. He reassures them that as they strive for this goal, they should not be overwhelmed by their “limitations and their poverty.” Pope Francis recalls that the Czech Republic is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its “return to democracy” and invites young people in Prague ...

Pope at Angelus: my thoughts with those from missing plane
Pope Francis said on Sunday that “his thoughts are with those on board the missing AirAsia plane that disappeared during a flight between Indonesia and Singapore.”  He added he was also thinking of two separate accidents involving two merchant ships and a ferry in the Adriatic Sea.  “I am close with my affection and prayer,” the Pope said, to the families and loved ones who are undergoing “these difficult situations with apprehension and suffering” and also to those involved in the rescue operations. His words of solidarity came at the end of his Angelus address on the feast of the Holy Family in which he spoke about how the light coming from the Holy Family encourages us to offer human ...

Pope meets Italy’s National Olympic Committee
“Sports are at home in the Church” – that’s what Pope Francis told managers and athletes of Italy’s National Olympic Committee Friday.  In a meeting in the Vatican, the Pope congratulated them on Rome’s candidacy as a possible venue for the 2024 Olympics, but quipped; “I won’t be here!” He observed that Italy’s National Olympic Committee celebrates its first centenary this year and recalled that it draws inspiration from the fundamental values laid out in the Olympic Charter, which places at the forefront the “centrality of the person and the harmonious development of humankind, the defence of human dignity.”  He remarked that the Charter stipulates that sport can contribute to the building of a better world, without wars and tensions, ...

Pope Francis: The Church is not an entrepreneur but a mother
Pope Francis said on Friday that there is much sterility within the Church and the people of God, a sterility that comes from power and egoism.  The Church, he stressed, is a mother and not an entrepreneur. His remarks came during his homily at morning Mass celebrated at the Santa Marta residence. The Pope’s reflections on the themes of sterility and motherhood were taken from the biblical account of two miraculous births, those of Samson and John the Baptist, both born to women who were formerly sterile. He said this symbol of sterility as recounted in the Bible is seen as the sign of a human person incapable of moving forward. Therefore the Church, he said, wants to make us ...

Obama: Pope Francis instrumental in Cuba deal
After more than a half-century of hostility, the United States and Cuba are to work toward the establishment of full diplomatic relations – and US President Barack Obama says that Pope Francis played an instrumental role in creating the conditions for the development. The Secretariat of State of the Holy See issued a statement offering Pope Francis’ expressions of  “warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history.” The announcement of efforts to normalize relations came in the context of the release of US aid ...