Diocese of Brooklyn pilgrims at a Lenten Pilgrimage stop in Astoria, Queens encountered a joyful surprise as the Jornada Movement’s procession passed by St. Francis of Assisi Parish, where the faithful also took part in special Jubilee opportunities, including a chance to receive a plenary indulgence.
The mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi are being exposed for an extended period of public veneration.
Following St. Francis of Assisi, bishops are called to be close to the people in their dioceses, Pope Leo XIV told the bishops of Italy.
On the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi setting up the first Nativity scene, the creche in St. Peter’s Square in 2023 will come from the Diocese of Rieti, Italy, and pay tribute to the scene set up in the diocese in 1223.
In his opening Mass for the keenly anticipated Synod of Bishops on Synodality, Pope Francis said modern global challenges require the Church to be a warm and welcoming presence, free of the politicking, ideology, and “rigidity” that he said have divided much of the world.
In a bipartisan effort showing shared concern for animal welfare, Reps. Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., and Ken Calvert, R-Calif., reintroduced the Companion Animal Release from Experiments (CARE) Act of 2023 in the U.S. House April 26.
Pope Francis plans to prepare for his celebration of the World Day of the Poor by meeting with and listening to some 500 poor people making a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, Nov. 12.
Calling all people of goodwill to care for one another as brothers and sisters, Pope Francis urged people not to despair of making the world a better place, but to start creating the world they want through personal action and political lobbying.
Pope Francis will travel to Assisi Oct. 3 to sign an encyclical on the social, political and economic obligations that flow from a belief that all people are children of God and therefore brothers and sisters to one another.
For history’s first pope named for Francis of Assisi, the saint’s Oct. 4 feast is bound to be a big deal, and this year is no exception, as several major Vatican events are already on the calendar.
