Pope Francis Monday, Nov. 6, opted not to give a planned speech to a delegation of European rabbis, saying he was unwell, but maintained the rest of the day’s various audiences and gave all of his other prepared speeches, including some off-the-cuff remarks.
Pope Francis and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke Nov. 2 over the phone about the latest developments in Gaza, stressing the need to seek avenues for peace and calling for humanitarian corridors to allow aid into the region.
Pope Francis celebrated a memorial Mass for the late Pope Benedict XVI and all cardinals and bishops who have died over the past year Friday, pointing to compassion and humility as virtues par excellence for the Church’s pastors.
In a wide-ranging new interview, Pope Francis confirmed plans to visit Dubai for a U.N. climate summit in early December, addressed current global conflicts, and weighed in on several hot-button issues touched on during last month’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality, including women’s ordination and priestly celibacy.
In response to Pope Francis’s repeated pleas for an end to the war in Gaza and his recent day of prayer for peace, Rome’s chief rabbi has said that while armed conflict is always “an offense against human dignity,” at times it’s necessary to defeat evil.
Pope Francis closed this month’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality on Oct. 29 by telling participants that the process is not yet over, and urging them to prioritize love of God and others, things he said would free them from selfishness and attachment to personal agendas.
Participants in Pope Francis’ Synod of Bishops on Synodality have reiterated that there are no hostile divisions in the process despite differences of opinion, while also calling for a greater participation of women in leadership and for stronger ecumenical efforts to be made.
The power of prayer was on display at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James as the faithful gathered with Bishop Robert Brennan for a Day of Prayer for Peace on Friday, Oct. 27.
As the Israel-Hamas war nears its fourth week, the pastor of Gaza’s only Catholic church urged prayers for peace, the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid, telling OSV News his parishioners are experiencing “a terrible situation, a crazy situation.”
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop in whose diocese a priest organized a “sexual orgy” as Polish media reported. The nunciature did not indicate in an Oct. 24 statement the reasons why Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak of Sosnowiec resigned, but commentators in Poland expressed surprise at the news of what they called a “fast-track” resignation.
