Recognizing St. Mary Magdalene’s role as the first to witness Christ’s resurrection and as a “true and authentic evangelizer,” Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to a feast on the Church’s liturgical calendar, the Vatican announced.
Even in the midst of suffering and death, Christians can become witnesses of the resurrection and the power of God’s compassion, Pope Francis said as he proclaimed two new saints. In the Sunday Gospel reading, Jesus’ raising of a young widow’s child was not a magical performance but rather a reminder that he takes death upon himself to restore the suffering to new life, the pope said June 5.
In a talk to Italian bishops, Pope Francis suggested that they, before setting out a plan for the permanent formation of their priests, spend time in silence thinking about their priests and how they give of themselves and why they do it.
Help wipe out bullying and aggression by being better listeners and offering concrete gestures of tolerance and patience, Pope Francis told a group of top YouTubers from around the world.
After five years of tension and top-level silence, Pope Francis and the grand imam of one of the most important Sunni Muslim universities in the world embraced at the Vatican May 23.
Pope Francis “did not say he intends to introduce a diaconal ordination for women,” and he certainly did not speak about the ordination of women priests, the Vatican spokesman said.
Moral and ethical concerns must guide medical research so it will always be at the service of protecting human life and dignity, Pope Francis said. In that way, education and research can strive “to serve higher values, such as solidarity, generosity, magnanimity, sharing of knowledge, respect for human life, and fraternal and selfless love,” he said April 29, during an audience with people taking part in a conference on adult stem-cell research.
“That in every country of the world, women may be honored and respected and that families, communities, and groups may pray the Holy Rosary for evangelization and peace.”
Pope Francis will welcome several thousand homeless and vulnerable people from all over Europe when they make a pilgrimage to Rome in November.
Sharing and celebrating the joy of faith with thousands of Catholic teenagers from around the globe was a rare moment that not many people are able to experience, a U.S. teen said during an April 23 youth rally at Rome’s Olympic Stadium.
