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Pope Francis Opens 37th National Convocation Of The “Renewal In The Spirit”

June 2, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope Francis Opens 37th National Convocation Of The “Renewal In The Spirit”

(Vatican Radio) Evangelization, spiritual ecumenism, care of the poor and those in need, welcome for the marginalized: these are all founded upon the renewal of adoration of God. This was one of the central points made by Pope Francis on Sunday during his address to the 37th National Convocation of the “Renewal of the Spirit” which was held at Rome’s Olympic Stadium. More than 50,000 people had gathered for the event which, in addition to an encounter with the Holy Father, included praise and worship music, testimonies, and a flash mob. During his main discourse, Pope Francis said members of the charismatic renewal had “received a great gift from the Lord.” He said that when he thinks of members of the…Continue Reading

Pope Recalls Holy Land Visit During Audience

May 31, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope Recalls Holy Land Visit During Audience

2014-05-29 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday spoke about his recent visit to the Holy Land. He said his journey was meant to renew a commitment to work for Christian unity but also to encourage efforts to work for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. Below are the Pope’s words read out at the General Audience. Dear Brothers and Sisters: My apostolic journey to the Holy Land in these days was a great grace for me and for the whole Church.  It commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the meeting of Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, which marked a milestone along the path to Christian unity.  Patriarch Bartholomaios and I prayed…Continue Reading

Joy In Hope

May 30, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Joy In Hope

2014-05-30 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta was a hymn to Christian joy, which we cannot buy because it is a gift from God.  The Pope likened this joy gifted by God to the joy of a mother embracing her baby after childbirth, because it is a joy “purified” by the suffering of labor.  The joy of the Christians, he said is a “joy in hope”. Pope Francis based his homily on the observation that St. Paul “was very brave”, “because he had strength in the Lord”.   Of course, he noted, sometimes even the Apostle to the Gentiles was afraid. “It happens to all of us in life, to have some ‘fear’ he added.…Continue Reading

Pope’s Prayer Intentions For June Focus On Europe And Jobs Crisis

May 29, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope’s Prayer Intentions For June Focus On Europe And Jobs Crisis

2014-05-28 Vatican Radio   (Vatican Radio) Europe’s Christian identity and the suffering caused by the current jobs crisis which is particularly affecting the old continent are the focus of the Pope’s prayer intentions for June. The Holy Father’s Universal prayer intention for June is: “That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity”. His missionary prayer intention is “that Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers”. Both intentions underscore the Pope’s awareness of the malaise currently sweeping the old continent where austerity measures and rising unemployment figures were dominant factors across the board in EU and local elections this weekend. In fact, one of the questions he was asked during…Continue Reading

Pope Recalls Holy Land Visit During Audience

May 28, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope Recalls Holy Land Visit During Audience

2014-05-28 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday spoke about his recent visit to the Holy Land. He said his journey was meant to renew a commitment to work for Christian unity but also to encourage efforts to work for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. Below are the Pope’s words read out at the General Audience. Dear Brothers and Sisters: My apostolic journey to the Holy Land in these days was a great grace for me and for the whole Church.  It commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the meeting of Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, which marked a milestone along the path to Christian unity.  Patriarch Bartholomaios and I prayed…Continue Reading

Homily In The Upper Room

May 27, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Homily In The Upper Room

2014-05-27 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the Upper Room – the cenacle – in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon, on the final day of the three-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below, please find the full text of the Holy Father’s homily. Address of His Holiness Pope Francis Meeting with Ordinaries of the Holy Land Upper Room, Jerusalem, 26 May 2014 Dear Brothers, It is a great gift that the Lord has given us by bringing us together here in the Upper Room for the celebration of the Eucharist.  Here, where Jesus shared the Last Supper with the apostles; where, after his resurrection, he appeared in their midst; where the Holy Spirit descended with power upon Mary…Continue Reading

Pope To Israeli President Peres: Jerusalem Must Be City Of Peace

May 26, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope To Israeli President Peres: Jerusalem Must Be City Of Peace

2014-05-26 Vatican Radio   (Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis paid a visit to Israeli President Shimon Peres on the last day of his three day pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  In an encounter with the press ahead of a private meeting, Mr. Peres told the Holy Father peace requires “creativity and inspiration” and observed that Pope Francis possessed both.  For his part, Pope Francis thanked the President for his warm words of welcome and said their encounter had inspired him to create “a new Beatitude: ‘Blessed is he who enters the home of a wise and good man.’  And I feel blessed,” he added. At the entrance of the Presidential Palace, Mr. Peres introduced the Pope to a number of terminally…Continue Reading

Pope’s Homily At Bethlehem’s Church Of The Nativity

May 25, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope’s Homily At Bethlehem’s Church Of The Nativity

2014-05-25 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Sunday, beside the Church of the Nativity which is dedicated to the Child Jesus. He focused his homily on the Child Jesus and on children who are “a sign of hope, a sign of life, but also a “diagnostic” sign, a marker indicating the health of families, society and the entire world”.   Please find below the full text of the Pope’s homily: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). What a great grace it is to celebrate the Eucharist in the place where Jesus was born! I thank God and…Continue Reading

Pope Francis Arrives In Jordan At Start Of His Holy Land Visit

May 24, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope Francis Arrives In Jordan At Start Of His Holy Land Visit

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has arrived in Jordan, the first leg of his three-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He will also visit Palestine and Israel before returning to Rome on Monday evening.

Pope Francis To Lunch With Poor Christian Families In Bethlehem

May 23, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off on Pope Francis To Lunch With Poor Christian Families In Bethlehem

2014-05-23 Vatican Radio Pope Francis will have lunch with local Christian families after celebrating holy Mass at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity this Sunday. The Pope will visit the town of Jesus’ birth on the second day of his May 24-26 journey to the Holy Land.   In an interview published on the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s website, Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali says the Pope wanted to share his lunchtime meal with poor families. “Pope Francis wants to spend a little time with the poor families in the Bethlehem and their children to listen to them, permitting them to feel his closeness and tenderness. He did not want to have lunch with the cardinals, bishops and politicians, but with poor families,” the Bishop says. Bishop Shomali…Continue Reading