With increased violence unfolding in Afghanistan, Pope Francis appealed to all Christians to fast and intensify their prayers.
With increased violence unfolding in Afghanistan, Pope Francis appealed to all Christians to fast and intensify their prayers.
Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Hungary and Slovakia, while seemingly standard as papal visits go, could prove to be among his most challenging visits at a time when distrust in government authorities and the looming threat of the delta variant are leading the headlines.
Pope Francis held a private audience with Nadia Murad, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and survivor of the Islamic State-led genocide in Iraq, Aug. 26 at the Vatican.
Just as he did when the Olympic games began last July, Pope Francis on Wednesday referred to the opening of the Paralympic games the day before. The pontiff’s words had a particular significance for a “small yet loud” group of Paralympic athletes who were present in the Paul VI Hall when the Holy Father delivered his remarks.
Pope Francis will be sending nearly a quarter of a million dollars to help people in Haiti, who are struggling in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake during a global pandemic.
After a 57-year stretch of loyalty to the same company, papal travel is set to change this fall with the closure of Italy’s national airline Alitalia, which has taken four popes to a total of 171 countries on all continents.
While Pope Francis, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, and other prelates emphasize the Catholic Church’s pro-COVID-19 vaccination stance, what remains murky is its position on vaccination mandates and religious exemptions.
On the Solemnity of Christ the King in 2013, Pope Francis completed the work of the 2012 Synod of Bishops with the apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), issuing a ringing call for the entire Church to “embark on a new chapter of evangelization.” Catholicism, the Pope urged, must move from maintenance to mission: “from a pastoral ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral ministry.”
When each individual makes a small act of charity, like getting the COVID-19 vaccine, every gesture added together can transform the world, Pope Francis said in a global ad campaign.
Two Catholic nuns were shot and killed along a highway in South Sudan Aug. 16 as they were returning home to Juba. Seven other sisters survived the attack.