During a meeting with interreligious leaders Aug. 4 in Lisbon, Pope Francis spoke to a Russian Orthodox bishop who voiced regret for the Ukraine war and thanked the pontiff for his repeated efforts and words on behalf of the Ukrainian people.
Pope Francis
Vatican Denies Pope Struggling With Eyesight in Portugal
After Pope Francis set aside a prepared speech in Lisbon Friday morning, citing problems with his eyesight amid poor lighting, concern over the pontiff’s vision has grown after he largely ignored two other prepared texts, including a highly anticipated message Saturday morning in Fatima.
Pope Hears Young People’s Confessions in WYD ‘Reconciliation Park’
Young people were going to confession on street corners and park benches throughout Lisbon during World Youth Day, but in the 150 plywood confessionals set up in Vasco da Gama Garden three of them found themselves face to face with Pope Francis.
Pope Meets WYD Pilgrims From Ukraine, Hears Their Stories
Fifteen World Youth Day pilgrims from Ukraine, most of whom had lost a father or other close relative in the war, had a private meeting with Pope Francis Aug. 3.
Pope in Lisbon Calls on Youth to Be ‘Teachers of Hope’
Pope Francis kicked off the second day of his Aug. 2-6 visit to Lisbon meeting with Catholic university students, telling them to maintain a restless search for a better future and to work toward a more inclusive and just world.
Pope Francis Meets Sexual Abuse Survivors in Portugal
On the first day of an Aug. 2-6 trip to Portugal, a country that recently has been embroiled in a clerical sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis met with a group of abuse survivors.
Pope in Lisbon To Celebrate World Youth Day Festival
When Pope Francis arrives in Portugal for World Youth Day, he’ll be met by the colorful fanfare and palpable excitement characteristic of these gatherings, yet he’ll also have the task of wading through the aftermath of a recent report on clerical abuse in the country.
Pope Heads to WYD to Meet Faithful, but Adviser Says Youth Will Also Help Him
As Pope Francis heads to Lisbon Aug. 2 for World Youth Day, an event often dubbed the “Catholic Woodstock” due to the large and celebratory crowds it always draws, he faces the unique challenge of revitalizing the faith amid growing European secularism and progressively empty pews in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pope to Russia: Destroying Grain, Creating Hunger is ‘Grave Offense to God’
Destroying grain is a “grave offense to God,” Pope Francis said, appealing to authorities in Russia as “my brothers” and urging them to resume cooperating with a United Nations’ initiative to guarantee the safe transport of grain out of Ukraine.
‘God Isn’t Finished’: After Retirement, Older Catholics Still Have Much to Give
When Barbara Lee retired as a U.S. magistrate judge, she didn’t start playing bingo and she definitely didn’t get bored. The former judge and attorney, who lives in Manhattan, spent the first 16 years of her retirement teaching English primarily to Chinese immigrants at Cabrini Immigration Services, currently in Washington Heights.