FILE MIGRANTS LESBOS GREECE

Pope, Diplomats Point to Migration as Key Theme of Greece-Cyprus Trip

Just days ahead of Pope Francis’ Dec. 2-6 visit to Greece and Cyprus, both he and the Cypriot ambassador to the Holy See have issued statements highlighting, among other things, the urgency of the migration issue for the island nation and the broader Mediterranean region.

POPE WORLD DAY POOR MASS

At World Day of the Poor Mass, Pope Francis Says Take a Close Look at Most Vulnerable

In his homily at a Mass for the World Day of the Poor Nov. 14, the pontiff said that true Christian hope is not “the naive, even adolescent optimism of those who hope things may change” but is instead built daily through concrete gestures that manifest “the kingdom of love, justice and fraternity that Jesus inaugurated.”

Assisi Pilgrimage With the Poor: Pope Calls for Open Hands, Open Hearts

With a pilgrim’s staff and mantle, Pope Francis entered Assisi’s Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels with 500 economically or socially disadvantaged people and the volunteers who walk alongside them. The pontiff’s pilgrimage to Assisi Nov. 12 was dedicated totally to the poor in preparation for the celebration Nov. 14 of the World Day of the Poor.