December
Thursday 12
Pope meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Pope Francis held a 30-minute long meeting December 12 with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine.
Speaking to Vatican Media’s Roberto Cetera immediately afterwards, President Abbas described the meeting as “fruitful,” adding that “every time I meet the Pope, it’s like meeting an old friend.” It was the pair’s first face-to-face meeting in three years.
“I thanked the Holy Father for his constant words about peace in the Middle East,” President Abbas said, “and for the solidarity he always expresses with the Palestinian civilians who are victims of the war in Gaza.” (Vatican News)
Sunday 15
Pope’s meeting with Macron concludes Corsica visit
“I thank you for this gesture of coming here. It reflects your personality, seeking dialogue. Thank you very much for the time you have dedicated to me,” said French President Emmanuel Macron to Pope Francis (photo) shortly before he departed from Corsica at the end of his visit on December 15.
As in previous audiences, at the Vatican or in Marseille in 2023 and at the G7 Summit, Macron expressed warmth toward the Pope.
He presented Pope Francis with the gift of a large book dedicated to Notre Dame Cathedral, recently restored after the devastating 2019 fire and reopened to the public on December 8. The Pope reciprocated with medals of his pontificate and documents from his magisterium.
Specifically, Francis handed over a copy of Evangelii Gaudium and found the page where Saint Thomas More’s recommendation — often repeated by the Pope in his speeches — is cited: to never lose one’s sense of humour. The Pontiff pointed out the passage for Macron to read. Macron responded with a smile and shook the Pope’s hand. (Vatican News)
Monday 16
Pope to Methodists: reconciliation is a “task of the heart”
Pope Francis met on December 16 with several members of the World Methodist Council, an association of around 80 Churches throughout the world which represent some 80 million faithful.
In his address, the Pope thanked God that Catholics and Methodists have overcome our estrangement and sought to dialogue “in reciprocal knowledge, understanding, and love” for the past 60 years.
“Opening ourselves to one another has brought us closer and made us realize that reconciliation is a task of the heart,” he said. “When the Heart of the Lord Jesus touches our hearts, He transforms us.”
Pope Francis invited Methodists and Catholics to seek to unite our “differing minds and wills” under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“This is a journey that takes time,” he said, “but we must continue along that path, always focused on the Heart of Christ, because it is from that Heart that we learn to relate well to one another and to serve God’s kingdom.” (Vatican News)
Thursday 19
Vatican inaugurates new post office in Saint Peter’s Square
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 19 in Saint Peter’s Square inaugurated the mobile post office donated by Poste Italiane (the Italian Postal Service).
Already operational, the office is designed to offer pilgrims and visitors exclusive postal and philatelic products.
Present were Cardinal President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, the Director of Poste Italiane, Giuseppe Lasco, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate.
The new Vatican Mobile Post Office will not only be for work or official service, but will be a place where it is truly possible to “send, receive, meet and be met by God’s announcements.” (VaticanNews)
Vatican cracks down on illegal entry into its territory
The Vatican City State has toughened sanctions for those who try to enter its territory illegally in areas where free access is not allowed.
In a decree issued December 19 by the Holy See, the monetary sanctions and prison sentences for those who violate the strict security regulations of Vatican City have been considerably increased.
The document, signed by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, provides for monetary fines ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 euros (about $10,200 to $25,700) and prison sentences ranging from one to four years. The decree emphasizes that the penalties can be increased if the crime is committed with firearms, corrosive substances, by a person in disguise, or by sev eral people together. Likewise, if illegal access is made in a vehicle, the penalty can increase by up to two-thirds.
The document also stipulates that unauthorized overflight of Vatican airspace, including through the use of drones, may be punished with prison sentences from six months to three years in addition to a fine that could reach 25,000 euros (about $26,000). (CNA)
January
Monday 13
Parolin meets Middle East nuncios, speaks with Lebanon’s new president
The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, presided over a meeting on January 13 with the Apostolic Nuncios in the Middle Eastern region in Jordan’s capital of Amman, where he traveled for the consecration of the Church of the Baptism of Jesus along the banks of the Jordan River on January 10.
According to a statement by the Holy See Press Office Monday evening, the meeting was attended by papal representatives accredited to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Iraq, the State of Israel, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Lebanon, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Syrian Arab Republic, and the Republic of Yemen. (Vatican News)
Pope praises Buddhist revival in post-Soviet Mongolia
Pope Francis has praised the “profound religious renewal” that has taken place in Mongolia since the 1990s.
In a meeting on January 13 with a delegation of Mongolian Buddhists (photo), Pope Francis said that the country has “reclaimed” its “rich religious heritage” by “reviving traditional spiritual practices and integrating them into the nation’s development.”
From 1921 until the late 1980s, Mongolia was a one-party state with close ties to the Soviet Union, and religion was violently repressed. Buddhism was the main target of the repression, being by far the largest religion in the country, which is also home to small numbers of Muslims, shamanists, and Christians.
The Pope said that the meeting – the first to be held in the Vatican between a Mongolian Buddhist delegation and a Pope – was of “particular significance,” and reflected the “friendly and enduring relations” between the Holy See and the “noble people of Mongolia.”
The Buddhist delegation was accompanied by Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, the Apos tolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar. (Vatican News)
Saturday 18
Pope highlights Swiss Guard’s Jubilee Year service to pilgrims
As millions of pilgrims are expected for the jubilee year in Rome, Pope Francis praised the patient service of the Swiss Guard (photo) and support for their families on January 18.
Speaking at an audience marking the 25th anniversary of the Pontifical Swiss Guard Foundation, the Pope emphasized how the guards’ patient service has become increasingly vital for managing pilgrim visits.
“Over time, the work of the Swiss Guard has changed considerably, but its aim remains always that of protecting the Pope,” Francis said.
“This also involves contributing to the welcome of the many pilgrims from all over the world who wish to meet him. And this takes patience, and the guards have it!”
The foundation, established during the Great Jubilee of 2000, provides crucial support for guard families, particularly in education and professional development.
“I like the fact that the guards get married; I like the fact they have children, they have a family,” the Pope said, noting the growing number of married guards with children. “This is very important, very important.”
Beyond family support, the foundation helps ensure the guards’ operational readiness through training programs and equipment updates. It also maintains contact with former guards who have returned home after Vatican service. (CNA)
Monday 20
China ordains 11th bishop under Sino-Vatican agreement
A newly created Catholic diocese in China’s Shanxi province witnessed the ordination of its first bishop under a recently renewed secretive China–Vatican agreement.
Father Antoine Ji Weizhong, 51, was ordained as the Bishop of Luliang on January 20 in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located in Fenyang.
Bishop Ji will lead Luliang diocese, formed from the now-suppressed Fenyang diocese, which will remain a suffragan of Taiyuan archdiocese.
Pope Francis approved his appointment on October 28, 2024, just days after renewing a provisional China-Vatican agreement on the appointment of bishops, making him the 11th prelate to be ordained under this arrangement. (UCANews)
