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Message of Pope Francis for World Youth Day 2015
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE THIRTIETH WORLD YOUTH DAY 2015 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Mt 5: 8) Dear Young Friends, We continue our spiritual pilgrimage toward Krakow, where in July 2016 the next international World Youth Day will be held. As our guide for the journey we have chosen the Beatitudes. Last year we reflected on the beatitude of the poor in spirit, within the greater context of the Sermon on the Mount. Together we discovered the revolutionary meaning of the Beatitudes and the powerful summons of Jesus to embark courageously upon the exciting quest for happiness. This year we will reflect on the sixth beatitude: “Blessed are the pure ...

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 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 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 prays for conversion of terrorists who do not even spare children
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has asked for prayers for the victims of the “inhuman terror attacks perpetrated in the past days in Sydney, Australia and in Peshawar, Pakistan”. Concluding his address to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience, the Pope asked those present to join him in his prayers to the Lord to receive the deceased in peace, to bring comfort to their families and to convert the hearts of the violent who do not hold back even before children. ” Taliban militants in Pakistan killed at least 132 children and 9 staff members at a school in Peshawar on Tuesday, whilst an Islamist militant killed 2 people during a siege on a Café in ...

Daughter writes an open letter to her porn-addicted dad
Dear Dad, I want to let you know first of all that I love you and forgive you for what this has done in my life. I also wanted to let you know exactly what your porn use has done to my life. You may think that this effects only you, or even your and mom’s relationships. But it has had a profound impact on me and all of my siblings as well. I found your porn on the computer somewhere around the age of 12 or so, just when I was starting to become a young woman. First of all, it seemed very hypocritical to me that you were trying to teach me the value of what to let into ...

Pope Francis: Everything is a grace, a gift given freely by God
Before the recitation of the Angelus in St Peter’s Square on Monday, Pope Francis devoted his address to the Virgin Mary on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. He said that this feast can be summed up in these words: everything is a grace, everything is a gift given freely by God, because of His love for us. The Holy Father explained that the Angel Gabriel calls Mary “full of grace” because in her there is no room for sin. God, he said, had always chosen her to be the mother of Jesus, and had preserved her from original sin. The Pope went on to say that Mary responds to this grace and abandons herself saying to the angel : “Let ...

First Advent homily by papal preacher Fr Cantalamessa
The preacher of the Pontifical Household, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on Friday gave his first Advent homily in the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Fr Cantalamessa said he has decided to focus all three of his reflections for the Advent season on the theme of peace, since peace is “the loudest cry that is in the heart of billions of people”. While the first meditation explores the theme of peace as gift of God in Christ Jesus, the papal preacher said the second meditation next Friday will focus on peace as a task to work for and the third, on Friday 19th, will look at peace as fruit of the Spirit, namely, of the soul’s ...

Pope at Audience: Fruits of pilgrimage to Turkey
Pope Francis had words of praise and thanks for Turkey and the Salesian fathers of Istanbul, for all the good and “hidden” work they do for countless refugees from the Iraqi and Syrian wars. Retracing the steps of his recent pilgrimage to Turkey during his general audience Wednesday, the Pope also highlighted the constant need for prayer on the journey towards full communion with the Orthodox Church and reiterated the importance of Christians and Muslims working together in solidarity for peace. Rain pounded umbrellas in St. Peter’s Square Wednesday, forcing the audience to be split in two – as the Pope himself noted greeting the ‘brave’ pilgrims before him.  Before heading out among the thousands in the Square the Pope ...
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