Pope Francis now has his own special edition Atlanta Hawks basketball jersey, celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The team will also wear the 2021 MLK Nike City Edition jerseys for Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of their commitment to those values.
Pope Francis told Uruguay’s new ambassador to the Holy See that a future visit to the country as well as to his native Argentina is still very much on the table.
The head of the Chaldean Catholic Church issued a petition on Jan.14 calling on Iraqi Catholics to pray at Sunday Masses that Pope Francis will be able to visit their country for the upcoming papal trip in March.
Both Pope Francis and retired Pope Benedict XVI have received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 after the Vatican started vaccinating its employees and residents Jan. 13.
The Vatican began vaccinating its employees and residents against COVID-19 Jan. 13, giving priority to its health care workers, security personnel, employees who deal with the public and older residents, employees and retirees.
The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments asked priests to take special anti-COVID-19 precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, including sprinkling ashes on the top of people’s heads rather than using them to make a cross on people’s foreheads.
Pope Francis offered prayers for the people of the United States “shaken by the recent siege on Congress” and prayed for the five people who lost their lives “in those dramatic moments” when protesters stormed the Capitol Jan. 6.
Recognizing “the gifts of each baptized person” — women and men — Pope Francis ordered a change to canon law and liturgical norms so that women could be formally installed as lectors and acolytes.
Pope Francis during a Mass for the feast of the Epiphany advocated what he called an attitude of “theological realism,” which, he said, fosters trust in God and looks for deeper meaning rather than getting caught up in one’s own problems.
After the recent death of his Argentine countryman Diego Maradona, arguably the greatest soccer player of all time but also a man who spent much of his life battling personal demons, Pope Francis has addressed the superstar’s legacy.
