Pope Francis presided at Vespers for the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As is traditional, Pope Francis presided over an ecumenical Vespers service at the Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls for the conclusion of the annual Week of Prayer for [...]
Pope Francis’ Angelus address focused on the words of Jesus from Sunday’s Gospel, including the Lord’s “severe criticisms” of the scribes and Pharisees, and His directions to Christians “of all times,” including our own. Christ’s saying that “the scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses” and His command to “do [...]
On the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Pope Francis reflected on the “mystery of the identity of God” during the midday recitation of the Angelus in St Peter’s Square. The Holy Father took as his starting point the greeting of St Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians: “The grace of the Lord Jesus [...]
Pope Francis on Tuesday told Christians not to wear the crucifix merely as a symbol of belonging, but to look to Jesus on the Cross as He who died for our salvation. Three times, Pope Francis said, in today’s liturgical reading Jesus says to the Pharisees: “You will die in your sins”. That’s because their hearts [...]
Beware of following fantasies and false idols, for only God loves us and waits for us like a father. That was Pope Francis’ message at Mass on Thursday morning in the Casa Santa Marta. Commenting on the First Letter from the Book of Exodus, the Holy Father focused on God’s love for His people, despite their [...]
· A journey of hope · Lent should be lived as a “journey of hope” which leads Christians “from slavery to freedom”. This reminder was at the heart of the Holy Father’s reflection for the General Audience on Ash Wednesday, 1 March, in Saint Peter’s Square. The following is a translation of the catechesis, which Pope [...]
In the journey of the Christian, truth is not negotiable; rather, a Christian must be just in mercy, as Jesus teaches us. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Holy Father warned against hypocrisy and the deception of a faith reduced to a “casuistic logic.” “Is [...]
Starting with Abraham, culminating with Jesus to the Father and continuing until today, one finds many instances in which these words are spoken: “here I am”. As Pope Francis said on Tuesday, 24 January, during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Christians are called everyday “to do the Lord’s will”, becoming part of God’s providential plan [...]
“There are eight couples present at today’s Mass who are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary – a true testimony in this time of the culture of the provisional – and one couple who are celebrating their twenty-fifth”. Pope Francis offered Mass for them on Friday morning, 20 May, in the Chapel of Santa Marta, and offered [...]
Pope Francis says that to ignore the poor is to despise God and that the Lord’s mercy for us is tightly connected to our own mercy for others. Speaking on Wednesday morning at the weekly General Audience in St. Peter's Square the Pope also decried the inequality and contradictions in the world as he reflected on [...]
