On Monday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Pope Francis at the Vatican for a wide-ranging discussion that hit on major topics such as Christian persecution, the status of Jerusalem and a two-state solution for the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Christians can turn Christmas into a “pagan” or “mundane” holiday by focusing on the gifts and the tree rather than on the birth of Jesus and his promise to come again, Pope Francis said.
The Catholic Church has been slow to recognize the presence of homosexual men in the priesthood, which is why superiors must exercise care in helping gay candidates prepare for a life of celibacy or leave the seminary, Pope Francis said.
Everyone must help in the fight against drugs, particularly governments which are called to confront the “traffickers of death” who produce, distribute or sell addictive substances, Pope Francis said.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Pope Francis visits Panama for World Youth Day in January, he will meet with young people not able to attend the festivities: some in jail and with some living with HIV.
The desire to spend vast amounts on shopping and needless extravagances can prevent Christians from being generous with others, Pope Francis said.
To mark the UN’s International Day against Violence against Women and Girls on Sunday, a personal note from Pope Francis has been made public by a well-known Italian woman whose face was permanently disfigured in 2012 after her husband showered it with acid.
A clerical sexual abuse survivor calls a summit on child protection that will take place at the Vatican Feb. 21-24, involving presidents of all bishops’ conferences around the world as well as the pope’s own top aides, a “last chance” for the Vatican to be taken seriously.
As the rich get richer, the increasing misery and cries of the poor are ignored every day, Pope Francis said.
So far, Pope Francis’ agenda on immigration has not proved powerful enough to withstand Europe’s new political reality, where opinion and votes are more easily driven by buzzwords such as “crisis” and “invasion.”
