Vatican News

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin denied that during his three recent visits to Pope Francis — who has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14 — they had discussed the possibility of the pope’s resignation.

“No, no, not at all,” the cardinal replied when asked by reporters after the “Iftar: Ramadan Table” event held at the St. Regis Hotel in Rome on Monday.

Parolin addressed the 88-year-old pontiff’s health and his ability to lead the Catholic Church.

“I think we should go by the medical reports, because they’re the ones that tell us exactly what the pope’s condition is,” he said.

The cardinal added that during his last visit to Pope Francis at Gemelli Hospital on March 9, he found him in better condition.

“I saw him a week ago, so I didn’t have the opportunity to see him again. I found him better than the first time,” he related, although he emphasized that this was only his personal observation and that it is necessary to follow the official information provided by the doctors.

Regarding the governance of the Catholic Church and the Holy Father’s role in decision-making, Parolin explained that, although they have been unable to discuss issues in depth during their conversations in the hospital due to his delicate health, the pontiff was presented with several situations that required his decision.

“The pope gives his instructions,” Parolin emphasized.

The Vatican secretary of state also expressed his concern about Europe’s rearmament plan and its possible consequences. “When you rearm, sooner or later you have to use the weapons, right?” he reflected.

He also recalled that the Holy See has always advocated for disarmament.

“This has always been the policy of the Holy See: to insist on controlled and across the board disarmament on the international level. So one cannot be happy with the direction things are taking,” he commented.

Parolin also addressed the situation in Ukraine and expressed his hope that the dialogue process could move forward without obstacles.

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

Hundreds of people in Rome joined celebrations organized by the Parish Basilica of St. Joseph al Trionfale in Rome to celebrate the March 19 solemnity of St. Joseph.

Festivities began March 9 with a vigil Mass at the parish to commence the March 10–18 novena leading up to the feast day dedicated to the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For the jubilee year, the relics of St. Joseph’s cloak and Our Lady’s veil were on display inside St. Joseph al Trionfale for public veneration for four days from March 16–19.

It is believed the relics belonging to the parents of Jesus were hidden in the Basilica of Sant’Anastasia, located near the Circus Maximus, for more than 1,600 years after St. Jerome brought the relics to Rome in the fourth century.

Devotion to the holy cloak of St. Joseph has expanded beyond Rome. For American visitor Gina Pribaz, the holy patron of the universal Church is an important saint for her family.

“When I was expecting my first child and experiencing difficulty, I asked St. Joseph for his intercession — my daughter was born on his feast day,” Pribaz told CNA on Wednesday.

“Being able to venerate the relic of his cloak moved me; it helped me feel close to the real man who guided and protected the Holy Family and can do the same for our families now,” she said.

The 30-day Holy Cloak prayer devotion, which includes the recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph, has spread throughout the world. Each of the 30 days represents a year in the 30 years of Jesus’ hidden life — before he began his public ministry — under the protection of St. Joseph.

Wednesday’s celebrations at St. Joseph al Trionfale included six Masses; an afternoon street procession with the parish’s St. Joseph statue, accompanied by the Lazio region’s band orchestra and state police; food and games for children, including St. Joseph cream puff pastries; and an evening fireworks display.

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican announced on Saturday for the Synod on Synodality’s ongoing implementation — a multiyear “accompaniment and evaluation process” leading to a Church-wide assembly at the Vatican in October 2028.

CNA explains more about the process and why it has been initiated:

Initiated by Pope Francis in October 2021, the Synod on Synodality was a multiyear, worldwide process of the Catholic Church focused on exploring the question “What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our ‘journeying together’?” 

The synod went through diocesan, national, and continental stages in phase one, the “consultation” phase. Two global, monthlong assemblies were held at the Vatican in October 2023 and October 2024 as part of the next “discernment” phase.

The 2024 synod gathering, which included for the first time both bishops and non-bishops as voting members, was largely focused on discussing the question “What processes, structures, and institutions are needed in a missionary synodal Church?”

At the end of the month, Pope Francis rather than write his own postsynodal document, stating that “there are already very concrete indications in the document that can be a guide for the mission of the Churches, on the different continents, in the different contexts.”

The third and final phase of the Synod on Synodality is the implementation phase, underway now.

, based on suggestions from the 2023 assembly, are part of the implementation of the synod. Some of the study groups are expected to deliver their final reports in June.

On March 15, the Vatican’s synod office announced an additional initiative of the implementation of the Synod on Synodality: an over-three-year accompaniment and evaluation process that will begin in churches and dioceses, move to national and international gatherings, and eventually culminate in a global gathering at the Vatican in October 2028.

With the approval of Pope Francis, who signed off on the process from the hospital on March 11, the General Secretariat of the Synod sent a letter to all of the Catholic Church’s Latin-rite bishops and Eastern-rite exarchs as well as to bishops’ conference presidents explaining this next project.

The timeline of the accompaniment and evaluation process is as follows: This May will see the publication of a support document for the implementation phase, with guidelines for its use.

From June 2025 to December 2026 there will be implementation paths in local Churches.

In the first half of 2027 there will be evaluation assemblies in dioceses around the world.

The second of half of 2027 will see evaluation assemblies in national and international bishops’ conferences.

Evaluation assemblies at the continental level will take place in the first half of 2028. 

June 2028 will see publication of the , or guiding document, for the October 2028 assembly.

Finally, in October 2028, the Vatican will host the ecclesial assembly.

According to Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod and the author of the letter about the accompaniment and evaluation process, “synodal teams” made up of priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and laypeople — accompanied by their bishops — will organize and conduct the process in each diocese.

Grech said in his letter the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality should be understood “not as merely the ‘application’ of directives from above but rather as a process of ‘reception’” of the suggestions made in the of the October 2024 synodal assembly.

“It is essential to move forward together as the whole Church,” the cardinal emphasized, noting the importance of “harmonizing” the synod’s reception throughout the Church.

Pope Francis, in his final speech to synod participants on Oct. 26, 2024, said: “There are and there will be decisions to be made.” 

“I, then, will continue to listen to the bishops and the Churches entrusted to them,” he continued. “This is not the classic way of postponing decisions indefinitely. It is what corresponds to the synodal style with which even the Petrine ministry is to be exercised: listening, convening, discerning, deciding, and evaluating.”

“The process,” Grech explained, “will also be an opportunity to evaluate together the choices made at the local level and recognize the progress made in terms of synodality. Thanks to this process, the Holy Father will be able to listen to and confirm the orientations deemed valid for the whole Church.”

, Grech provided more background to the decision to implement an “application and evaluation process” in the Church.

He said it boils down to the need to have a synodal mentality and “simply publishing a ‘document’ is not enough for what emerged in the two phases of the synodal process to be implemented in the Church’s life.”

Because Pope Francis adopted the final document of the 2024 assembly into his ordinary magisterium, the whole Church is “required” to live the third phase, the implementation, of the synod, he continued.

This new process and its steps “constitute a map for the conversion and renewal of the Church in a synodal sense,” Grech said. “All the work that awaits us in these next three years is inspired by the contents of this document, which must be experimented with, in order to verify the possibility of realizing them in the life of the Church.”

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Minecraft, the popular video game known for its blocky, pixelated graphics, has launched a new educational edition that challenges students to explore and restore St. Peter’s Basilica. 

Michelangelo’s dome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s colonnade, and the ancient tomb of the Apostle Peter have been recreated within Minecraft’s iconic digital world of 3D cubes and retro gaming aesthetic. 

Microsoft and the Vatican unveiled the game, “Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage,” at a press event in Rome on March 18. The project is the latest step in their collaboration on an . 

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, placed the educational video game under the patronage of St. Joseph, who was “the educator par excellence of the child of God.” 

“Those who play with St. Peter’s Basilica in Minecraft Education have the opportunity to try their hand at creative architectural interventions, to discover the history of the basilica, to restore it, and to enter into the hidden meanings that it holds,” the cardinal said. 

Designed for students aged 8–18, the game allows players to take on roles of skilled craftsmen and restoration workers responsible for maintaining St. Peter’s Basilica. By completing restoration tasks, they earn golden papal key tokens while learning about the basilica’s history, art, and architecture. 

Eleven-year-old Michael Sterpi was one of the lucky students selected to test out the game.  

“I play Minecraft on Xbox and PC at home,” Sterpi told CNA. “This game is like really, really, cool. With each block, they made the whole Vatican!” 

Sterpi, who has been studying the life of in school, said he thinks that Carlo “would love this game.” 

Yet, the student from Rome’s Jesuit-run Massimiliano Massimo Institute was quick to point out that nothing can replace seeing St. Peter’s Basilica in person. 

“The real thing is much better, obviously,” he said. 

The new Vatican edition is part of Microsoft’s larger effort to bring cultural and religious history to life through digital learning in Minecraft Education. 

“Introducing complex topics to students in an immersive 3D virtual world makes challenging concepts easier to understand,” Allison Matthews, head of Minecraft Education at Microsoft, said at the game’s Rome premiere. 

“We’ve created a lot of classroom-ready resources that educators can download to make it very easy,” she added. 

Minecraft Education also features other religious and cultural sites, such as — an ancient Christian church destroyed by the Islamic State — available in the UNESCO’s History Blocks edition of the game. A different edition lets students explore the monuments of ancient Rome. 

The game’s launch comes at a time when video games are often viewed with skepticism, especially in educational settings.  

Mauro Antonelli, the head of Italy’s technical secretariat for the Ministry of Education and Merit, acknowledged a need to “counter gaming addiction” among young people today but called the initiative an example of how technology can serve educational purposes. 

“It is really a paradigm shift — gaming is often seen with a negative connotation,” he said. 

The Vatican’s involvement reflects a growing interest in artificial intelligence, social media, and digital tools that engage younger generations.  

In April, the Catholic Church is expected to canonize Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old who loved video games, as the first computer-coding saint during a worldwide gathering of teenagers at the Vatican. 

Franciscan Father Enzo Fortunato, the director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica, also suggested that the Minecraft gamecould become the official game of the Vatican’s next World Children’s Day event in September 2026. 

Microsoft has been working with the Vatican on digital preservation projects through its AI for Good Lab. This latest venture builds on previous efforts to create an AI-enhanced digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica, using advanced photogrammetry techniques to map its intricate details. 

“This partnership with St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican is one of Microsoft’s most cherished,” Matthews said. “We are honored to be able to use the power of AI to help preserve St. Peter’s Basilica and make it more accessible to people all around the world.” 

“Peter Is Here” is available in the Minecraft Education lesson library for all licensed users. A trial version can be downloaded for free by logging in with an Office 365 or Microsoft 365 Education account. 

The game offers two distinct modes. In “Restoration Mode,” players work on key sections of the basilica, including restoring the Vatican Obelisk, exploring St. Peter’s Tomb, reinforcing the colonnade, and repairing Bernini’s baldacchino.  

After completing restoration tasks, players can switch to “Exploration Mode,” where they navigate the basilica, interact with historical figures, and uncover the history of its art and architecture. 

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, called the launch “a big step forward” in making the Vatican’s cultural and religious heritage more accessible to young people everywhere. 

“This is the way we take this wonderful institution — the culture, the religion, the heritage — and then put it into the hands of children in every country around the world,” he said. “What could be more special than that?” 

Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani, the undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, said he hopes that millions of young people will use the game to discover one of the world’s greatest heritage sites, especially during the jubilee year. 

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 11:55 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday said doubts and uncertainties are not a reason to fear for those who seek Jesus’ guidance throughout life’s journey. 

In his prepared on “Jesus Our Hope,” published amid his , the Holy Father reflected on Nicodemus’ encounter with the Son of God in St. John’s Gospel.

“Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night: It is an unusual time for a meeting,” the pope shared. “He is a man who finds himself in the darkness of doubt, in that darkness that we experience when we no longer understand what is happening in our lives and do not see clearly the way forward.”

Before turning to Jesus for answers, Nicodemus sensed “that something no longer works in his life,” the pope explained in his catechesis. 

“He feels the need to change, but he does not know where to begin,” he continued. “This happens to all of us in some phases of life.”

Emphasizing the need not to be closed in on ourselves and to accept change, the 88-year-old pontiff said Nicodemus is an example of a man who accepted the light of faith and was “reborn.”

“Changes sometimes frighten us,” the Holy Father said. “On the one hand they attract us, at times we desire them, but on the other we would prefer to remain in comfort.”

By choosing to embrace change and overcome inflexible habits and ways of thinking, the pope said people are able “to find a new way to love” others.

“The Spirit encourages us to face these fears,” he added.

Though Nicodemus was “a teacher of Israel,” the pope noted that he needed to trust Jesus’ authority and deepen his knowledge of Scripture.

“Nicodemus is able to do it: In the end he will be among those who go to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus (cf. Jn 19:39)!” he said. 

“Nicodemus has finally come to the light, he is reborn, and he no longer needs to stay in the night,” he continued. 

Praying for all people to have the ability to face their fears and doubts and be free, the pope concluded: “In him we find the hope to face the changes in our lives and be born again.”

CNA Newsroom, Mar 19, 2025 / 09:25 am (CNA).

Writing from Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis emphasized the role of hope in vocational discernment in his message for the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations released by the Vatican on Wednesday.

“Vocation is a precious gift that God sows in hearts, a call to step outside oneself to undertake a journey of love and service,” wrote Francis in his address on March 19.

The hospitalized pope described how vocations develop through “trust in providence” and said Christian hope goes beyond optimism to become “a certainty rooted in faith in God, who works in the history of every person.”

Francis called on Church leaders to support younger generations in their vocational journeys while encouraging young people to work with “the Holy Spirit” in discovering their life’s purpose.

The pope pointed to young saints as examples of those who found “complete happiness in relationship with the living Christ” through their vocations.

On the solemnity of St. Joseph, Francis explained that vocational paths develop through “daily fidelity to the Gospel, prayer, discernment, and service” and concluded by urging Church communities to foster vocational awareness across various aspects of life.

“The Church is alive and fruitful when it generates new vocations,” he added.

“Our world looks, often unknowingly, for witnesses of hope who proclaim with their lives that following Christ is a source of true joy. Let us never tire, then, of asking the Lord for new laborers for his harvest, certain that with great love he continues to call them.”

In closing, the pope entrusted efforts of the young faithful “to follow the Lord to the intercession of Mary, mother of the Church and mother of vocations. Keep walking as pilgrims of hope on the path of the Gospel! I accompany you with my blessing and I ask you, please, to pray for me.”

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 07:53 am (CNA).

Pope Francis was to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on his health and hospitalization:

Vatican City, Mar 18, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom will make a state visit to the Holy See next month, with plans to hold an audience with Pope Francis on April 8.

The English royalty will be in Italy from April 7–10, with the first part of the visit being focused on the Vatican and participation in the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, according to released by Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

The Vatican has not commented on a potential meeting between King Charles and Pope Francis, whose schedule has been suspended while he is recovering from double pneumonia in Gemelli Hospital. Medical staff have declined to give any estimates on a date for the pontiff’s potential discharge, with his stay now having extended over one month.

In addition to their expected meeting with Pope Francis, the king and queen will attend an ecumenical service on the theme of “Care for Creation” in the Sistine Chapel, Buckingham Palace said March 18.

For the first time, the king will also visit the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which, the palace said, had a particular link to English kings before the Reformation.

Members of the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal and the Choir of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, will perform at the basilica and during the service in the Sistine Chapel.

King Charles III will also attend a reception with seminarians from Britain and across the commonwealth, while Queen Camilla will meet with Catholic religious women from the International Union of Superiors General (IUSG) who work to prevent human trafficking and sexual violence against women.

On April 9, the monarchs will make a state visit to Italy, with the program including several ceremonial engagements in addition to meetings with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

King Charles III will be the first British monarch to address a joint session of the Italian Parliament. He and the queen will also attend a state banquet and lay a wreath at the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” a war memorial located at the Altar of the Fatherland.

The Italian Air Force’s aerobatic team, “Frecce Tricolori,” and the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the “Red Arrows,” will also do a joint flyover over the city of Rome to mark the two countries’ common defense interests as NATO allies.

The last day of the trip will be devoted to a visit to Ravenna, a city in the northeastern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, where a festival on April 10 will celebrate the area’s traditional produce and cuisine.

While in Ravenna, the king and queen will attend a reception to mark the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied Forces on April 10, 1945.

Vatican City, Mar 18, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, asked bishops to avoid promoting fundraising events that would duplicate the Pontifical Collection for the Holy Land taken up on Good Friday. 

“Please, avoid our churches promoting similar collections for this same purpose, so that the meaning and effectiveness of your charity, which responds to the universal initiative of the successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome, are not undercut,” the cardinal stated in a letter released Monday.

“Everything you have collected can be sent directly to this dicastery by the commissariats of the Holy Land in your country,” he added in the letter, which was also signed by the secretary of the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Archbishop Michel Jalakh.

The goal of the annual collection is to raise funds to sustain the holy sites and the charitable works carried out there. Ultimately, it aims to alleviate the suffering and needs of those Christians who, despite the difficulties, remain in the Holy Land.

“I feel a great responsibility to address the Catholic bishops, in the name of the Holy Father, to convey to you the call of the Church in response to the cry of those who are suffering terribly,” wrote Gugerotti, who also said he is “encouraged” by the recent truce between Israel and Hamas.

The prelate noted that with the truce there are no new explosions and unconsolable anguish is not being perpetuated. 

The cardinal said the ceasefire, which has allowed the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the West Bank, is “fragile” and “will not suffice to resolve the problems” and “extinguish hatred.”

Gugerotti pointed out that this year the collection has become an “essential resource,” especially after the pandemic, which caused the “almost complete interruption of pilgrimages” and led to many Christians leaving the Holy Land.

“If we want to strengthen the Holy Land and ensure living contact with the holy places, it is necessary to sustain the Christian communities that, in their diversity, offer perennial praise to God-with-us, also in our name. But for this to be realized, we absolutely need the generous gift of your communities,” he urged.

The prelate reiterated that those living in the Holy Land, “beginning with the children, have the right to live in peace” and to once again “have homes and schools, to play together, without the fear of seeing the satanic smile of death again.”

“For us Christians, the holy places have a particular value: They are the incarnation of the Incarnation. They have been protected since the beginning by Christian communities, in the variety of their diverse traditions, and for centuries the Friars Minor of the Custody have cared for them with admirable fidelity,” he pointed out.

After more than a year of conflict, Gugerotti lamented “we have seen tears, despair, and destruction everywhere.”

The prelate said his hope is that “the triumph of inflicted death will not become an eternal victory” but that “the hope will return to us of seeing the Risen One, Jesus Christ Our Lord, who, precisely on that land, showed, alive, the wounds of his passion.”

The cardinal also cited Pope Francis addressed to the Catholics of the Middle East on Oct. 7, 2024, encouraging them not to “let yourselves be engulfed by the darkness that surrounds you. Planted in your sacred lands, become sprouts of hope, because the light of faith leads you to testify to love amid words of hatred, to encounter amid growing confrontation, to unity amid increasing hostility.”

For Gugerotti, helping them is a duty of all Catholics. “Immediately comes to mind our duty — and I use this term with trembling, but decisively — to hasten, as soon as possible in a concrete way, to help life be reborn.” 

“The Holy Land, the holy places, the holy people of God are your family, because they are the heritage of all of us. I ask you to consider the collection as one of your pastoral priorities: The survival of this precious presence of ours, which dates back directly to the time of Jesus, is at stake here,” he explained.

The cardinal praised the work of the Friars Minor of the Custody, who “care with admirable fidelity” for these holy places, and once again emphasized the need to financially support the Christian communities.

“I would like you, brother bishops, remembering the images of destruction and death that have constantly passed before your eyes in these times of a new Calvary, to become persuasive apostles of this commitment,” he said.

CNA Staff, Mar 18, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On March 18, the Catholic Church honors St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth-century bishop and doctor of the Church whose writings are still regarded as masterful expressions of the Christian faith.

St. Cyril is also remembered for his exhaustive biblical knowledge and his endurance in the face of misunderstanding and opposition. Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians, who likewise celebrate him as a saint on March 18, also remember him on May 7 — the date of a miraculous apparition said to have occurred soon after his consecration as a bishop.

Cyril was most likely born in Jerusalem around the year 315, shortly after the legalization of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Although that legalization put a stop to many of the persecutions that threatened the Church for two centuries, it indirectly gave rise to a number of internal controversies — both in regard to theology and to the jurisdiction of bishops — in which Cyril would find himself involved.

Cyril received an excellent education in classical Greek literature as well as in the Bible. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Maximus of Jerusalem and succeeded him as bishop in 348.

During his early years as a bishop, most likely around 350, he delivered a series of lectures to new initiates of the Catholic Church. Twenty-four of the lectures have survived and are studied today.

In a 2007 general audience, Pope Benedict XVI praised the saint for providing an “integral” form of Christian instruction “involving body, soul, and spirit.” St. Cyril’s teaching, the pope said, “remains emblematic for the catechetical formation of Christians today.”

In 351, three years after Cyril became the bishop of Jerusalem, a large cross-shaped light appeared for several hours in the sky over the city — an event that many interpreted as a sign of the Church’s triumph over heresy. It could also, however, be understood as a sign of the suffering the new bishop would undergo in leading his flock.

Unlike many other Eastern bishops and priests of the fourth century, Cyril did not allow his classical learning to lead him away from believing in the full humanity and divinity of Christ.

However, the man who consecrated Cyril as a bishop, Archbishop Acacius of Caesarea, was an ally of the Arians, who claimed that Jesus was a creature and not God. Because of his connection to the archbishop, Cyril himself was unjustly suspected of heresy by many of his brother bishops.

But he also found himself at odds with Acacius, who claimed to have jurisdiction over the birthplace of the Church. Altogether, these disputes led to Cyril being exiled from Jerusalem three times in the course of 20 years, with his longest exile lasting more than a decade.

Eventually, however, the Eastern bishops came to acknowledge Cyril’s orthodoxy and legitimacy as a bishop — both of which they confirmed in a letter to the pope in Rome, in which they also expressed their admiration of his pastoral efforts.

In 381, St. Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council, which condemned two different forms of Arianism and added statements about the Holy Spirit to the Nicene Creed of 325.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem died in 387 and was named a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883.

Rome Newsroom, Mar 17, 2025 / 21:00 pm (CNA).

A group of tango enthusiasts, the emblematic dance of Pope Francis’ homeland, gathered in the plaza in front of Gemelli Hospital on Sunday to express their support and closeness to the Holy Father through dance.

The melody of the bandoneon, the leading instrument in tango, resonated all the way to the 10th floor of the hospital, where the pope has been hospitalized for over a month. The initiative, dubbed “prayer tango,“ was a show of solidarity from Italy’s “tango community.“

Argentine dancer Daiana Guspero was responsible for promoting the event. In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Guspero shared the details of the moving gesture, performed March 16 in front of the statue of St. John Paul II, where many faithful have gathered to pray for Pope Francis.

“I am a true believer and I was sure that with our energy, dancing the tango and praying for him, it would reach him in some way. It was the least I could do for him, and I felt the need to do it, especially knowing that he loves tango, that he danced it when he was young, and that he listened to it at the Vatican,” the Argentine dancer explained.

According to the dancer, fans from different parts of Italy, such as Catania and Sicily, came to the gathering. “I danced with Massimiliano Varrese, an Italian actor with whom I’m also studying. He’s also a believer, and he immediately joined in to convey all our love to the pope,” Guspero added.

Although the initial idea was “a silent dance,” Mariano Navone, a dancer and musician who played the bandoneon live, eventually joined in. “Seeing that the pope was feeling better, we thought maybe he could come over to the window when he heard it. But, if I’m not mistaken, he was informed that we were dancing and praying for him,” he said.

Guspero has been promoting tango in Italy for 13 years and currently has three academies, the Zotto Tango Academy, located in Milan, Venice, and Verona.

She fondly remembers when she was able to greet Pope Francis during an audience at the Vatican in 2018. “I had the honor and privilege of dancing for him, and the truth is [I experienced] a beautiful emotion that I will never forget,” she told ACI Prensa.

“I remember coming up to him and saying, ‘Holy Father, how I would like to give you a tango hug!’ To which he replied, ‘And how I would like to dance the tango with you,’” Guspero recalled with a laugh, stating that the brief exchange was “one of the greatest thrills” of her life. 

In addition, back in 2014 nearly 3,000 dancers congratulated Pope Francis on his 78th birthday with a massive tango performance in St. Peter’s Square.

Lima Newsroom, Mar 16, 2025 / 15:21 pm (CNA).

The Vatican has released the first photo of Pope Francis since he entered Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Feb. 14.

“This morning, Pope Francis concelebrated Holy Mass in the chapel of the 10th-floor apartment at the Gemelli Polyclinic,” according to a statement from the Vatican Press Office.

In the photo, the Holy Father can be seen seated before the altar of the chapel where he concelebrated the Eucharist in what is the first image of the pontiff since he was admitted to the hospital, first suffering from bronchitis and then pneumonia.

The Vatican also reported that “the pope’s condition remains stable” and after concelebrating Sunday Mass, “he is continuing with the prescribed therapies” including respiratory and physical therapy.

Pope Francis did not receive any visitors Sunday, instead dedicating the day to “prayer, rest, and some work.”

The Holy See Press Office further indicated that tomorrow, Monday, “there will also be no medical bulletin. The press office will provide some general information to journalists in the afternoon.”

Vatican City, Mar 16, 2025 / 14:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday prayed for victims of a nightclub fire that left at least 59 people dead and an additional 155 people injured in the town of Kočani in North Macedonia. 

The Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin shared the Holy Father’s condolences for fire victims and their families through a telegram addressed to the country’s Bishop Kiro Stojanov of Skopje.

“His Holiness assures remembrance in prayer for those who lost their lives while invoking heavenly comfort for those who suffer the consequences of such a harsh trial,” the March 16 telegram stated. 

The Holy Father wanted the bishop of Skopje “to convey to the families of the dead, mostly young people, the expression of his deep condolence” along with “spiritual closeness to the wounded.”  

The deadly blaze broke out early Sunday morning when indoor fireworks were lit during a concert by DNK, a local hip hop duo, at Pulse nightclub, according to . 

North Macedonia’s interior minister, Panche Toshkovski, told journalists more than 1,000 young people were at the music establishment when the ceiling caught on fire and “rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke.” 

Kristina Serafimovska, head of Kočani Hospital, said most fire victims being treated are between 14 and 25 years old, many of whom suffered burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. 

On X, North Macedonia’s minister of foreign affairs, Timco Mucunski, said the country is coordinating with institutions and “neighbors to ensure additional medical support if needed” for the fire’s victims. 

Pope Francis was the first pontiff to visit the majority Eastern Orthodox nation in 2019. His historic visit to Skopje — the birthplace of St. Teresa of Calcutta — included a meeting with Catholic communities as well as an ecumenical and interreligious meeting with young people.

Vatican City, Mar 16, 2025 / 09:43 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his gratitude for those who bring God’s love into the world through their dedicated service to those who are sick.

“I would like to invite you, today, to join me in praising the Lord, who never abandons us and who, in times of sorrow, places people beside us who reflect a ray of his love,” the Holy Father shared in his prepared .

In his message, the Holy Father particularly thanked his medical team and all people who, through their dedicated work, shine the light of God’s infinite life in hospitals and places of care.

“How much loving care illuminates the rooms, the corridors, the clinics, the places where the humblest services are performed!” he said in his March 16 message.

While “showing further, gradual improvements,” the Holy Father still requires hospital care, stated the latest Vatican health update. He was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14.

Conveying his special closeness with those who are sick and fragile, the 88-year-old pontiff said they, too, can be witnesses of God’s love for others. 

“I am sharing these thoughts with you while I am facing a period of trial,” the Holy Father said. “Our bodies are weak but, even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope.”

The pope also shared his gratitude to the many children who are praying for him and his health: “Thank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you.”

At the conclusion of his Angelus message, the Holy Father asked Catholics to pray for peace for countries “wounded by war,” including Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“May the Virgin Mary keep you and help you to be, like her, bearers of Christ’s light and peace,” he said.

The pope also asked people to pray for the synodality assembly to take place in October 2028, which will mark the close of the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality.  

“Let us also pray for the Church, required to translate into concrete choices the discernment made in the recent synodal assembly,” the pope said. 

“I thank the general secretariat of the synod, which over the coming three years will accompany the local Churches in this undertaking,” he added.

CNA Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 / 10:15 am (CNA).

The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis has approved a special ecclesial assembly for October 2028 to evaluate how Catholic communities worldwide have implemented the recently concluded Synod on Synodality recommendations.

Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, detailed the plans in a letter to bishops worldwide, emphasizing that this gathering will not constitute a new synod but rather serve as the culmination of a structured three-year implementation process.

“The goal is not to add work upon work but to help Churches walk in a synodal style,” Grech wrote.

The cardinal further said that local Churches would actively receive and apply the synod’s final document, which Pope Francis following the conclusion of the synod in October 2024.

The new implementation timeline begins in May with the publication of detailed guidelines, followed by a “Jubilee of Synodal Teams” in October.

Throughout 2027, evaluation assemblies will take place at diocesan, national, and international levels, with continental gatherings scheduled for early 2028.

Grech highlighted the essential role of local “synodal teams” composed of “priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and laypeople” working alongside their bishops. These teams, he noted, should be “valued” and, where necessary, “renewed, reactivated, and appropriately integrated.”

“This process does not diminish the role of each Church in receiving and applying the fruits of the synod in its own unique way,” the cardinal wrote. “Rather, it encourages a great co-responsibility that values local Churches while associating the episcopal college with the pope’s ministry.”

Grech concluded his letter with an invitation for prayers for Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14.

Vatican City, Mar 14, 2025 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has provided the Vatican with a list of names of Ukrainians detained by the Russian military, requesting diplomatic mediation to secure their release.

“The Holy See has received a list of Ukrainians being held in Russian prisons and camps. We are counting on the support for their release,” Zelenskyy said in shared on social media.

The Ukrainian president indicated that he had a telephone conversation with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, in which he also wished Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a month in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, “a speedy recovery.”

“I thanked him for his prayers and moral support for our people, as well as for his efforts in facilitating the return of Ukrainian children illegally deported and displaced by Russia,” Zelenskyy said, expressing his gratitude for the prayers for Ukraine and for peace.

The Holy See’s mediation for the release of Ukrainians detained in Russia is nothing new. Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta were detained in Berdyansk by Russian occupation troops in November 2022 and released almost two years later following Vatican mediation.

“The voice of the Holy See is very important on the path to peace. I am grateful for the readiness to make efforts toward our shared goal,” the Ukrainian president noted.

Zelenskyy also referred to his government’s decision to approve the United States’ proposal for a 30-day temporary ceasefire. This compromise was reached two days ago after a meeting lasting more than eight hours between the two countries’ delegations in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

“The exchange of prisoners and an unconditional 30-day full interim ceasefire are the first quick steps that could significantly bring us closer to a just and lasting peace. Ukraine is ready to take these steps because the Ukrainian people want peace more than anyone,” Zelenskyy said in his post on X.

However, despite the progress in the negotiations, Ukraine launched its largest attack on Russia since the start of the war before the agreement was reached. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it shot down 337 Ukrainian drones over several regions in that attack.

Zelenskyy commented that “meanwhile, the world sees how Russia is deliberately setting conditions that only complicate and drag out the process, as Russia is the only party that wants the war to continue and diplomacy to break down.”

Vatican City, Mar 14, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

Over 30,000 runners will hold 42 seconds of silence for Pope Francis before the start of the Rome Marathon on Sunday morning.

The silence — 42 seconds for the 42 kilometers in a marathon — is a sign of closeness toward the ailing, 88-year-old pope, who has been receiving medical treatment at Gemelli Hospital for a month.

“The greatest moment of recollection and silence in history at a shared sporting event will be dedicated to the Holy Father, a great fan of sports and the Rome Marathon,” the race’s press office said. More than 30,000 people from 126 countries have registered for the March 16 race.

The Rome Marathon, in its 30th year, will start close to the Colosseum and the Imperial Forums and will later cross with many of Rome’s most-visited sites, including Piazza Navona and Castel Sant’Angelo. At around the 10th mile of the 26-mile race, runners will go down Via della Conciliazione, the main thoroughfare to St. Peter’s Basilica, and around Bernini’s colonnade outside St. Peter’s Square.

The marathon’s press office described the gesture as a “huge, collective hug” for Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for bronchitis and double pneumonia since Feb. 14.

“It will be 42 beautiful seconds, one second for each kilometer of the race, where each participant can dedicate a personal, private, and silent thought and greeting,” a press release said.

In past years, Pope Francis has greeted Rome marathon runners during his Sunday Angelus addresses, praising the race’s commitment to helping others through its simultaneous fun run marathon, which raises money for charities in Rome.

The Rome Marathon is one of the official events of the 2025 Jubilee Year.

Vatican City, Mar 13, 2025 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis marked the 12th anniversary of his pontificate on Thursday from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for pneumonia for nearly a month.

Hospital staff commemorated the occasion by presenting the 88-year-old pope with a cake decorated with candles. Additionally, he received hundreds of drawings, messages, and letters from children and well-wishers worldwide.

The Holy See Press Office told journalists that Pope Francis continued his medication regimen, motor physiotherapy, and high-flow oxygen therapy on Thursday morning. He participated in spiritual exercises and prayed in the hospital chapel.

In the afternoon, he followed the Roman Curia’s spiritual exercises via video link to the Paul VI Hall and continued respiratory therapy. His clinical condition remains stable yet complex, according to the Vatican, with ongoing “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” at night and high-flow oxygenation during the day.

Friday will mark one month since the pope’s hospitalization. During his hospital stay, the pope has experienced multiple episodes of acute respiratory failure in which his situation appeared critical. After weeks of treatment, the pope’s doctors indicated on Tuesday that the Holy Father is “no longer in immediate danger from the respiratory infection.”

A chest X-ray earlier this week indicated “a slight improvement” in Pope Francis’ lungs. The Vatican is currently not providing an estimate for when the pope may be discharged from the hospital.

At the age of 76, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th successor of St. Peter on March 13, 2013, taking the name Pope Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. He is the first Latin American pope and the first from the Jesuit order.

To mark the 12th anniversary of Francis’ pontificate, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin will offer a Mass for the pope on Friday morning in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, attended by members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. The liturgy will be broadcast live via Vatican Media at 10:30 a.m. local time.

Catholics are invited to gather in St. Peter’s Square on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. to pray the rosary for the pope’s recovery.

Rome Newsroom, Mar 13, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Media reports say the Vatican may be getting closer to making a decision in the case of Father Marko Rupnik, the artist and former Jesuit who has been accused of the sexual and spiritual abuse of women under his spiritual care.

Pope Francis lifted the statute of limitations on the case on Oct. 27, 2023, allowing it to be tried by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

More than 500 days later, reports say Rupnik continues to travel while reportedly living in a monastery an hour outside of Rome — and will be tried under the canonical crime of “spiritual abuse.”

The head of the DDF, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, at the end of January that the dicastery had finished gathering information in the case, had conducted a first review, and was working to put together an independent tribunal for the penal judicial procedure.

A lawyer for some of Rupnik’s victims released a book in March detailing the accusations of three women against the priest. Laura Sgrò told EWTN News she is looking forward to receiving updates in the case.

Here’s a timeline of known facts about the Rupnik case, including the knowledge and response of the Jesuits and the Vatican: 

Jesuit Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, Rupnik’s superior, receives allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of Rupnik and an allegation that Rupnik gave absolution in confession to an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment. A preliminary investigation is set up.

The 2018 allegations are deemed credible; a file is sent to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

Precautionary restrictions are imposed on Rupnik by his superior, Guerrero. What the specific restrictions were is unknown.

The CDF asks Father Arturo Sosa, the Jesuits’ superior general, to set up a penal administrative process for the Rupnik accusations. Sosa appoints a delegate and two assessors who are not part of the order.

The delegate and assessors assembled by Sosa unanimously find that Rupnik did commit the canonical crime of absolution of an accomplice. The order knows that Rupnik had incurred an automatic excommunication for that crime.

The CDF also formally declares the excommunicable act (the absolution of an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment) happened and that Rupnik is in an excommunicated status. The excommunication is lifted by CDF decree later the same month. Rupnik ceases to be director of the art and theological center he founded in Rome, the Centro Aletti, and administrative restrictions are imposed for three years.

Bishop Daniele Libanori, SJ, an auxiliary bishop of Rome, is appointed  of the Loyola Community following a canonical visit that identified governance problems in the religious institute. 

Libanori, in conversations with current and former members of the Loyola Community in early 2021, uncovers allegations of abuse against Rupnik, who had split from the institute in 1993 after co-founding the community with current head Sister Ivanka Hosta in the late 1980s. Libanori, , urges the women to file their complaints with the Vatican.

The CDF contacts the Jesuit general curia about allegations concerning Rupnik and some members of the Loyola Community.

Sosa asks Father Johan Verschueren, who succeeded Guerrero in January 2020 as Rupnik’s superior, to set up a preliminary investigation into the allegations with a person outside the Jesuits.

An investigation concludes that there was enough evidence for a case; the results are sent to the CDF with a recommendation for a penal process. Pope Francis  at the Vatican on Jan. 3.

Verschueren imposes new, unspecified restrictions on Rupnik’s ministry.

The CDF (now called the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) says the statute of limitations has expired on the alleged criminal acts and there can be no trial. Rupnik’s ministry continues to be under restrictions.

Sometime during this month, Verschueren imposes new restrictions on Rupnik. On Dec. 18, the Jesuits publish  asking anyone who has suffered abuse to contact them to lodge a new complaint or to further discuss any complaints that were already made. The statement also includes a basic timeline of when the Jesuits learned of accusations against Rupnik and what actions were taken.

On Dec. 17, Verschueren , CNA’s sister news partner, that Rupnik’s early restrictions were to “avoid private, in-depth spiritual contacts with persons, forbidden to confess women, and to give spiritual direction to women specifically in the context of Centro Aletti. In 2020, these restrictions were widened geographically to include anywhere.”  on Dec. 20, Verchueren says Rupnik had been able to continue certain public activities while under restrictions because “a few exceptions” were made for him. “The local superior had the right to allow exceptions,” Verschueren said, and “could judge whether they were opportune or not.” He added: “I admit that this did not work well. We made these rules ‘absolute’ after complaints reached my ears.”

In statements to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Verschueren says he asked Rupnik , the Italian region where Rome is located, during ongoing preliminary investigations. 

The Society of Jesus says it will open a new  on Rupnik after receiving 15 abuse accusations with a “very high” degree of credibility.

A more detailed timeline of the developments in the Rupnik case, including notes on his public activities while under restrictions, can be .

Rupnik due to his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.” 

“Faced with Marko Rupnik’s repeated refusal to obey this mandate, we were unfortunately left with only one solution: dismissal from the Society of Jesus,” the order says in a .

Rupnik in the Diocese of Koper in his native Slovenia.

In a statement to CNA on Oct. 25, the Diocese of Koper confirms that Rupnik is now incardinated there and says the local bishop accepted Rupnik’s request to be received into the diocese “on the basis of the decree on Rupnik’s dismissal from the Jesuit order” and “and on the basis of the fact that no judicial sentence had been passed on Rupnik.”

Two days later, on Oct. 27, the Vatican announces that Pope Francis has waived the statute of limitations, allowing the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to open a disciplinary case against Rupnik.

: Two former religious sisters, ex-members of the Loyola Community Rupnik co-founded, share their testimony and identities publicly for the first time in Rome.

: A year after the Vatican case against Rupnik was opened, a person working in the disciplinary section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), who asked not to be named, tells CNA the DDF does not usually comment on open cases but is looking at the merits of Rupnik’s case and examining the procedural steps that can be taken and “the mechanism by which justice can be served.” 

The head of the DDF, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, reveals in an interview that the dicastery had finished gathering information in the case, had conducted a first review, and was working to put together an independent tribunal for the penal judicial procedure.

: A media report says a decision in Rupnik’s case could come “in the not too distant future,” as other reports say he is living in a monastery an hour outside Rome and continuing to travel internationally for his work. Rupnik does not respond to questions from an Italian journalist who confronts him at a Rome airport.

Vatican City, Mar 13, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

A media report says the Vatican’s doctrine office could be close to a decision in the case of the ex-Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik.

According to OSV News, a “sentence is expected in the not too distant future” in the canonical trial of the priest-artist accused of the sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse of dozens of religious sisters under his spiritual care.

OSV News also said Rupnik would be tried for the crime of “spiritual abuse.” Last November, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, said a Vatican working group was studying the possibility of  in Church law rather than merely an aggravating circumstance of other crimes.

The report was published as some of Rupnik’s alleged victims shared their stories on the Italian television program “Le Iene” (“The Hyenas”), which aired on March 9. In the program, Italian journalist Roberta Rei confronted Rupnik at a Rome airport baggage claim but received no response to her questions about whether the abuse claims against him were true.

Bishop Jurij Bizjak, who retired Nov. 29, 2024, from the Diocese of Koper, told OSV News in January that Rupnik  as part of his artistic career. Another  said he is living in a religious convent about an hour’s drive from Rome called the Convent of Montefiolo, with some of his collaborators from the Centro Aletti art and theological center he founded in Rome.

In August 2023, Rupnik was accepted for priestly ministry in the Diocese of Koper, in his native Slovenia, after he was expelled from the Jesuit order for disobedience. In an October 2023 press release the Diocese of Koper stated that “as long as Rev. Rupnik has not been found guilty in a public trial in court, he enjoys all the rights and duties of diocesan priests.”

Regarding Rupnik’s case in the DDF, Fernández  that the dicastery had finished gathering information, had conducted a first review, and was working to put together an independent tribunal for the penal judicial procedure.

CNA contacted officials of the DDF and others close to the case but received no answer by the time of publication.

In October 2024, one year after Pope Francis waived the statute of limitations, thus allowing the Vatican to investigate and try Rupnik’s case, a person working inside the disciplinary section of the DDF told CNA that they were examining the procedural steps that could be taken in the Rupnik case and “the mechanism by which justice can be served.” 

Rupnik, internationally recognized for his religious artistic works, has been accused of abusing adult women who were under his spiritual care as part of a religious community he helped found in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some of these accusations became public through the media in early December 2022, although the priest’s superiors and officials at the Vatican were aware even .

Vatican City, Mar 13, 2025 / 08:30 am (CNA).

The Holy See’s delegation to the United Nations is organizing a March 19 event in conjunction with the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women titled “The Scourge of Pornography in the Digital Age.”

This event will address the social impact resulting from the widespread availability of pornographic content on the internet and will take place at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

The conference will feature experts in law, psychology, and pastoral care who will analyze the social consequences of pornography, especially for women and children.

Speakers will include Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; Julia Dezelski, associate director for marriage and family life at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; Maria Parker, assistant director for the laity at the secretariat; and Eleanor Kennelly Gaetan, vice president and director of public policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

Also participating will be Teresa Gerns Jiménez-Villarejo, representative of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe; and Marissa Eckelkamp, policy adviser on marriage and family at the USCCB.

The event coincides with the 30th anniversary of the publication of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a resolution adopted by the United Nations on Sept. 15, 1995, at the conclusion of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

The document recognized the harmful effects of pornography on women and girls: fostering violence and reinforcing degrading portrayals.

However, the event organizers lamented that despite international efforts, “the proliferation of pornography in the digital age continues to represent a growing challenge, especially with the rise of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and social media.”

In addition to the exploitation of children in the production of pornography, the event will address emerging forms of abuse, such as “sextortion” and “virtual child pornography,” practices that violate human dignity and have serious psychological and social consequences.

Pope Francis has described pornography as a “” that requires urgent attention.

In 2015, the USCCB published the pastoral document “,” a response to raise awareness about the destructive effects of pornography and to help those affected by it to heal.

In this context, the event, organized by the Holy See, seeks to promote a global dialogue on current challenges and discuss effective strategies to counter this form of violence.

CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

March 13 marks the 12th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 265th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:

March 13 — About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the papacy, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is elected pope. He takes the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and proclaims from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another.”

March 14 — The day after he begins his pontificate, Pope Francis returns to his hotel to personally pay his hotel bill and collect his luggage.

July 8 — Pope Francis visits Italy’s island of Lampedusa and meets with a group of 50 migrants, most of whom are young men from Somalia and Eritrea. The island, which is about 200 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is a common entry point for migrants who flee parts of Africa and the Middle East to enter Europe. This is the pope’s first pastoral visit outside of Rome and sets the stage for making reaching out to the peripheries a significant focus.

July 23-28 — Pope Francis visits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in World Youth Day 2013. More than 3 million people from around the world attend the event.

July 29 — On the return flight from Brazil, Pope Francis gives his first papal news conference and sparks controversy by saying “if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” The phrase is prompted by a reporter asking the pope a question about priests who have homosexual attraction.

Nov. 24 — Pope Francis publishes his first apostolic exhortation (The Joy of the Gospel). The document illustrates the pope’s vision for how to approach evangelization in the modern world.

Feb. 22 — Pope Francis holds his first papal consistory to appoint 19 new cardinals, including ones from countries in the developing world that have never previously been represented in the College of Cardinals, such as Haiti.

March 22 — Pope Francis creates the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission works to protect the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, such as the victims of sexual abuse.

Oct. 5 — The Synod on the Family begins. The bishops discuss a variety of concerns, including single-parent homes, cohabitation, homosexual adoption of children, and interreligious marriages.

Dec. 6 — After facing some pushback for his efforts to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis discusses his opinion in an interview with La Nacion, an Argentine news outlet: “Resistance is now evident. And that is a good sign for me, getting the resistance out into the open, no stealthy mumbling when there is disagreement. It’s healthy to get things out into the open, it’s very healthy.”

Jan. 18 — To conclude a trip to Asia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manila, Philippines. Approximately 6 million to 7 million people attend the record-setting Mass, despite heavy rain.

March 23 — Pope Francis visits Naples, Italy, to show the Church’s commitment to helping the fight against corruption and organized crime in the city.

May 24 — To emphasize the Church’s mission to combat global warming and care for the environment, Pope Francis publishes the encyclical , which urges people to take care of the environment and encourages political action to address climate problems.

Sept. 19-22 — Pope Francis visits Cuba and meets with Fidel Castro in the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II in 1998. During his homily, Francis discusses the dignity of the human person: “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it.”

Sept. 22-27 — After departing from Cuba, Pope Francis makes his first papal visit to the United States. In Washington, D.C., he speaks to a joint session of Congress, in which he urges lawmakers to work toward promoting the common good, and canonizes the Franciscan missionary St. Junípero Serra. He also attends the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which focuses on celebrating the gift of the family.

Oct. 4 — Pope Francis begins the second Synod on the Family to address issues within the modern family, such as single-parent homes, cohabitation, poverty, and abuse.

Oct. 18 — The pope canonizes St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azélie “Zelie” Guérin. The married couple were parents to five nuns, including St. Therese of Lisieux. They are the first married couple to be canonized together.

Dec. 8 — Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy begins. The year focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness and people’s redemption from sin. The pope delegates certain priests in each diocese to be Missionaries of Mercy who have the authority to forgive sins that are usually reserved for the Holy See.

March 19 — Pope Francis publishes the apostolic exhortation , which discusses a wide variety of issues facing the modern family based on discussions from the two synods on the family. The pope garners significant controversy from within the Church for comments he makes in Chapter 8 about Communion for the divorced and remarried.

April 16 — After visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis allows three Muslim refugee families to join him on his flight back to Rome. He says the move was not a political statement.

July 26-31 — Pope Francis visits Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day festivities. About 3 million young Catholic pilgrims from around the world attend.

Sept. 4 — The pope canonizes St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is also known as Mother Teresa. The saint, a nun from Albania, dedicated her life to missionary and charity work, primarily in India.

Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — Pope Francis visits Georgia and Azerbaijan on his 16th trip outside of Rome since the start of his papacy. His trip focuses on Catholic relations with Orthodox Christians and Muslims.

Oct. 4 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to Amatrice, Italy, to pray for the victims of an earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.

May 12-13 — In another papal trip, Francis travels to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Marian apparition to three children in the city.

July 11 — Pope Francis adds another category of Christian life suitable for the consideration of sainthood: “offering of life.” The category is distinct from martyrdom, which only applies to someone who is killed for his or her faith. The new category applies to those who died prematurely through an offering of their life to God and neighbor.

Nov. 19 — On the first-ever World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis eats lunch with 4,000 poor and people in need in Rome.

Nov. 27-Dec. 2 — In another trip to Asia, Pope Francis travels to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He visits landmarks and meets with government officials, Catholic clergy, and Buddhist monks. He also preaches the Gospel and promotes peace in the region.

Jan. 15-21 — The pope takes another trip to Latin America, this time visiting Chile and Peru. The pontiff meets with government officials and members of the clergy while urging the faithful to remain close to the clergy and reject secularism. The Chilean visit leads to controversy over Chilean clergy sex abuse scandals.

Aug. 2 — The Vatican formally revises No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concerns the death penalty. The previous text suggested the death penalty could be permissible in certain circumstances, but the revision states that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”

Aug. 25 — Archbishop Carlo Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, publishes an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and accusing him and other Vatican officials of covering up sexual abuse including allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The pope initially does not directly respond to the letter, but nine months after its publication he denies having prior knowledge about McCarrick’s conduct.

Aug. 25-26 — Pope Francis visits Dublin, Ireland, to attend the World Meeting of Families. The theme is “the Gospel of family, joy for the world.”

Oct. 3-28 — The Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment takes place. The synod focuses on best practices to teach the faith to young people and to help them discern God’s will.

Jan. 22-27 — The third World Youth Day during Pope Francis’ pontificate takes place during these six days in Panama City, Panama. Young Catholics from around the world gather for the event, with approximately 3 million people in attendance.

Feb. 4 — Pope Francis signs a joint document in with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, titled the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The document focuses on people of different faiths uniting together to live peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.

Feb. 21-24 — The Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, which is labeled the Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit, takes place. The meeting focuses on sexual abuse scandals in the Church and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and transparency.

Oct. 6-27 — The Church holds the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which is also known as the Amazon Synod. The synod is meant to present ways in which the Church can better evangelize the Amazon region but leads to controversy when carved images of a pregnant Amazonian woman, referred to by the pope as Pachamama, are used in several events and displayed in a basilica near the Vatican.

Oct. 13 — St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism and a cardinal, is canonized by Pope Francis. Newman’s writings inspired Catholic student associations at nonreligious colleges and universities in the United States and other countries.

March 15 — Pope Francis takes a walking pilgrimage in Rome to the chapel of the crucifix and prays for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crucifix was carried through Rome during the plague of 1522.

March 27 — Pope Francis gives an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing in an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

March 5-8 — In his first papal trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis becomes the first pope to visit Iraq. On his trip, he signs a joint statement with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemning extremism and promoting peace.

July 3 — Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, is indicted in a Vatican court for embezzlement, money laundering, and other crimes. The pope gives approval for the indictment.

July 4 — Pope Francis undergoes colon surgery for diverticulitis, a common condition in older people. The Vatican releases a statement that assures the pope “reacted well” to the surgery. Francis is released from the hospital after 10 days.

July 16 — Pope Francis issues a motu proprio titled . The document imposes heavy restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Dec. 2-6 — The pope travels to Cyprus and Greece. The trip includes another visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet with migrants.

Jan. 11 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to a record store in Rome called StereoSound. The pope, who has an affinity for classical music, blesses the newly renovated store.

March 19 — The pope promulgates , which reforms the Roman Curia. The reforms emphasize evangelization and establish more opportunities for the laity to be in leadership positions.

May 5 — Pope Francis is seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public and begins to use one more frequently. The pope has been suffering from knee problems for months.

July 24-30 — In his first papal visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologizes for the harsh treatment of the indigenous Canadians, saying many Christians and members of the Catholic Church were complicit.

Jan. 31-Feb. 5 — Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During his visit, the pope condemns political violence in the countries and promotes peace. He also participates in an ecumenical prayer service with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.

March 29-April 1 — Pope Francis is hospitalized for a respiratory infection. During his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, he visits the pediatric cancer ward and baptizes a newborn baby.  

April 5 — The pope appears in the Disney documentary “The Pope: Answers,” which is in Spanish, answering six “hot-button” issues from members of Gen Z from various backgrounds. The group discusses immigration, depression, abortion, clergy sexual and psychological abuse, transgenderism, pornography, and loss of faith.

April 28-30 — Pope Francis visits Hungary to meet with government officials, civil society members, bishops, priests, seminarians, Jesuits, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. He celebrates Mass on the final day of the trip in Kossuth Lajos Square.

June 7 — The Vatican announces that Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery that afternoon under general anesthesia due to a hernia that is causing painful, recurring, and worsening symptoms. In his general audience that morning before the surgery, Francis says he intends to publish an apostolic letter on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “patroness of the missions,” to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.

June 15 — After successful surgery and a week of recovery, Pope Francis is released from Gemelli Hospital.

Aug. 2-6 — Pope Francis travels to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023, taking place from Aug. 1-6. He meets with Church and civil leaders ahead of presiding at the welcoming Mass and Stations of the Cross. He also hears the confessions of several pilgrims. On Aug. 5, he visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, where he prays the rosary with young people with disabilities. That evening he presides over the vigil and on Sunday, Aug. 6, he celebrates the closing Mass, where he urges the 1.5 million young people present to “be not afraid,” echoing the words of the founder of World Youth Days, St. John Paul II.

Aug. 31-Sept. 4 — Pope Francis travels to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. The trip makes Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner. Mongolia has a population of about 1,300 Catholics in a country of more than 3 million people.

Sept. 22-23 — On a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Pope Francis meets with local civil and religious leaders and participates in the Mediterranean Encounter, a gathering of some 120 young people of various creeds with bishops from 30 countries.

Oct. 4-29 — The Vatican hosts the first of two monthlong global assemblies of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the synod at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29. The second and final global assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2024.

Nov. 25 — Pope Francis visits the hospital briefly for precautionary testing after coming down with the flu earlier in the day. Although he still participates in scheduled activities, other officials read his prepared remarks. The Vatican on Nov. 28 cancels the pope’s planned Dec. 1–3 trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, due to his illness.

Dec. 18 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues the declaration , which authorizes nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations.” Various bishops from around the world voice both support for and criticism of the document.

Jan. 14 — Pope Francis for the first time responds publicly to questions about in an interview on an Italian television show. The pope underlines that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation “to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them.”

Feb. 11 — In a ceremony attended by Argentine president Javier Milei, Pope Francis canonizes María Antonia of St. Joseph — known affectionately in the pope’s home country as “Mama Antula” — in a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The president and the former archbishop of Buenos Aires embrace after the ceremony. Pope Francis, who has not returned to his homeland since becoming pope in 2013, has said he wants to visit Argentina in the second half of this year.

March 13 — Pope Francis celebrates 11 years as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

April 8 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith releases (“Infinite Dignity”), a document that reaffirms the Church’s perennial opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and gender ideology. 

May 19 — Pope Francis appears on CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview with Norah O’Donnell, where he states categorically that women’s ordination to the priesthood and the diaconate is off the table.

June 14 — Pope Francis becomes the first pope to address the G7 Summit in the southern Italian region of Puglia. In his remarks, he stresses that human dignity requires that the decisions of artificial intelligence (AI) be under the control of human beings. During the three-day event, the pope also meets with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Sept. 2-13 — Pope Francis embarks on a 12-day trip of more than 20,000 miles over seven flights through Asia and Oceania. The trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore is his most ambitious international trip yet and the longest of his 11-year pontificate. In East Timor, 600,000 Catholics attend Mass with the Holy Father.

Oct. 2-27 — The three-year Synod on Synodality concludes with the final session in Rome and the adoption of the final report, which in a surprise move Pope Francis signs immediately, stating he will not issue a separate postsynodal document.

Dec. 7 — Pope Francis holds a consistory at the Vatican in which he creates 21 new cardinals, including Archbishop Frank Leo of Toronto; Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran-Isfahan, Iran; and Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, reflecting the pope’s emphasis on the Church’s global mission.

Dec. 24 — On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica to officially launch the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

Jan. 14 — “Hope,” Pope Francis’ autobiography, is released. The book marks the first time a pope has provided a first-person narration of the episodes that have marked his entire life, in this case from his childhood in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants to becoming the successor of St. Peter.

Feb. 14 — Pope Francis is hospitalized with bronchitis and later develops double pneumonia.

March 13 — While still in Gemelli Hosptial in Rome for treatment for respiratory illnesses, Pope Francis celebrates the 12th anniversay of his election to the papacy.

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 17:55 pm (CNA).

The Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, said with emotion that most of the Iraqi population has been distressed by Pope Francis’ extended hospitalization and that even “Muslims are praying for his recovery.”

Sako revealed that both the current Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudan, and Mustafa Abdellatif Mshatat, a politician who was in office when the pope traveled to the country in March 2021, have personally called him to inquire about the Holy Father’s health.

“They were very concerned and asked me to convey their closeness to him; I did so through the secretariat of state,” the cardinal explained in a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Sako said with emotion that all the Chaldean churches and convents pray for Pope Francis every day. “He is also our father, not only of the Latin Church, and every day we await the medical report,” he explained.

The cardinal emphasized that Muslims, too, have wanted to show their closeness to him.

“Many Muslims contact me every day to find out how he is,” he continued, adding that they hold dear the memory of the Holy Father’s visit to this country four years ago, in March 2021.

“No one forgets it. Those were three days when we were like in paradise, without attacks, bombs, or deaths from war,” he recalled.

The prelate also noted that Al-Kadhimi went all out for Pope Francis’ visit, having “the streets decorated and music played to create a festive atmosphere.”

“Everywhere there were pictures of the Holy Father and the Vatican flag,” he added.

Sako was on a pilgrimage last week to Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, the common father of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This town in southern Iraq is considered one of the most important sacred sites for Christianity in ancient Mesopotamia.

“We made the Stations of the Cross for Pope Francis, all the priests from Baghdad together with about 20 nuns, and there were also some Muslims with us. It was truly a beautiful moment,” he related.

South Sudan is another country that fondly remembers Pope Francis’ visit in early 2023 and continues to pray for him during these difficult times.

The bishop of the Diocese of Bentiu, Christian Carlassare, who was in charge of some of the preparations and organized with the country’s youth to prepare for the pope’s arrival, assured that the South Sudanese “love him very much.”

“They didn’t just warmly embrace him when he visited them two years ago. They know that the pope’s heart is in South Sudan and all the peripheries of the world,” he noted.

Likewise, no one will forget the gesture of peace Pope Francis made in April 2019 when he organized a spiritual retreat at the Vatican with the then-president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and his opponent, Riek Machar.

During his trip to the country, the second stop on his journey to Central Africa after spending three days in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the pope vehemently criticized the violence, which has been seared into that society’s conscience.

“These are years of wars and conflicts that seem to have no end. Violent clashes have even recently been recorded, while reconciliation processes and promises of peace remain unfulfilled,” Pope Francis said upon landing in Juba.

All the parishes in the country are praying for his recovery. “All the churches are praying the rosary, remembering the Holy Father especially in this time of fatigue and illness,” he said.

Carlassare said the people feel the pope’s “strong presence despite the weakness of his body.”

“It is the light of a person who is spontaneous, who is present, who loves Christ and loves his Church,” he concluded.

In addition, young Indonesians of different faiths have also wanted to join the prayers arriving from around the world to the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where the pontiff remains hospitalized with double pneumonia.

“In a gesture of unity and hope, young people and leaders of different religions gathered at Hati Indonesia, the geodesic dome of the Scholas Occurrentes center created by young people from the movement, to offer interfaith prayers for the health of Pope Francis,” the movement said in a statement.

This space, inaugurated by the Holy Father in September 2024 during his apostolic visit to Indonesia, has become a symbol of the encounter between cultures and religions.

On this occasion, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists gathered to pray together for the Holy Father’s “speedy recovery.”

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, reflected Tuesday on the great challenge of illness and suffering for Pope Francis as he approaches a month’s hospital stay amid a series of health crises.

Before leading Tuesday evening’s recitation of rosary, held inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, Koch drew parallels in the lives of Pope Francis and St. Peter.

“Truly, truly, I say to you when you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go,” Koch said, citing John 21:18.   

Commenting on the Gospel account when the resurrected Jesus asked Peter, the first pope, to follow him until the end, Koch asked: “How can we not recognize in these words, in fact, what our Holy Father — the successor of Peter — is also experiencing and struggling with?”

“Of course the situations are different, but also the suffering of a serious illness is a great challenge,” he said before starting Tuesday’s contemplation of the rosary’s sorrowful mysteries.  

Since Feb. 24, a cardinal has presided over the daily recitation of the rosary for the pope’s health. Hundreds of local Catholic faithful and jubilee pilgrims from around the world have come to St. Peter’s Square to join the evening prayers open to the public.

“We ask for the intercession of Mary, the mother of hope, for the health of Pope Francis,” Koch prayed.

The 88-year-old pontiff has undergone various medical therapies to treat bronchitis and bilateral pneumonia as well as mild kidney problems since being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital almost one month ago on Feb. 14.

Over the weeks, several Catholic faithful from Rome and abroad have also gathered outside Gemelli Hospital to pray for the Holy Father and have left behind written notes with well wishes, candles, and flowers before the St. John Paul II statue outside the facility.

Wednesday evening’s rosary at the Vatican was held at 6 p.m. local time and led by Cardinal ​​George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 11, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis decided to open for the first time in history a Holy Door during the Jubilee of Hope, a gesture that the prisoners welcomed as a sign of mercy, closeness, and hope.

His visit to Rebibbia set an example of what he called for in the bull : to be “tangible signs of hope for so many brothers and sisters who live in conditions of hardship.”

Father Raffaele Grimaldi, inspector general of chaplains in Italian prisons, emphasized during a meeting with journalists organized by the ISCOM Association near the Vatican that the Holy Father knows “that those who have made mistakes need us to give them a hand so that they can get back on track.”

Grimaldi left the chaplaincy in the Secondigliano prison in Naples — where he served prisoners for 23 years — to coordinate the 230 priests who care for the nearly 62,000 prisoners throughout Italy, of whom 20,000 are foreigners.

From his years as a chaplain, he noted that there were not only ordinary prisoners there “but also those in maximum security, people with a very extensive criminal history.”

The priest emphasized that his service “was for everyone” and that “it did not matter what crime the person had committed, because we should not identify the man who is in prison with his mistakes.”

“My experience in the Secondigliano prison was very intense; it formed me both humanly and spiritually. I always say that by being a chaplain, I learned to be a priest, because I met the weakest, the excluded, and above all, I realized there has to be mercy and forgiveness.”

The priest also emphasized that this has been the “most beautiful experience I have ever had: being with them for 23 years, with their families, trying to be a sign of hope for them.”

“We chaplains are truly convinced that if we help the prisoners, they can regain confidence in themselves,” he said. Grimaldi also noted that the prisoners pray every day for the speedy recovery of Pope Francis and that they were able to listen to he sent on March 6 from Gemelli Hospital, which they welcomed with hope.

Regarding the Holy Father’s call to carry out acts of clemency toward prisoners during the holy year, as took place in Cuba in January with following mediation by the Vatican, Grimaldi commented that when the pope issues a call, “it sets people free.”

“The pope’s appeal is based on the Gospel, an appeal to the conscience and responsibility of others. The pardon and act of clemency that the pope asks for is a call to mercy. We know well that the prisoners are there for reasons of justice, but we must never separate mercy from justice. Otherwise, justice becomes revenge,” he added.

Grimaldi noted that Rebibbia has become a “symbol of all the prisons in the world,” a place that the Holy Father chose “to say to the whole world: Let’s try to take a look at our prisons.”

However, he pointed out that Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to prisoners since the beginning of his pontificate by washing their feet on Holy Thursday and by his continuous appeals for mercy.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the priest emphasized that “the role of the laity is fundamental” since it is necessary to “convey a message of acceptance.” 

“The prison door has been opened so that one can cross over and enter the prison. But we must not forget that this door is also open for others to leave. It is not only an entrance but also an exit,” he pointed out.

The priest said his greatest concern is that “when these prisoners leave, they don’t find acceptance or openness. There are still many prejudices and, to be frank, society is afraid to accept those who leave prison.”

The priest emphasized the need to “educate the community and society to be more welcoming and not indifferent to so many problems,” creating a new culture and ending indifference.

He also noted that on April 9, members of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, led by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, will pass through the Holy Door at the Rebibbia prison to celebrate the jubilee.

Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

Since being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14, Pope Francis has dedicated time to work and pray while being treated for bilateral pneumonia and other medical conditions. And as the world continues to pray for him throughout his prolonged hospitalization, the 88-year-old pontiff has asked people to remember to pray for God’s “gift of peace” for those suffering in the following countries:

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022, Pope Francis has never failed to ask people to pray for “martyred Ukraine” and the millions of victims of war who have been killed, injured, or left homeless as a result of the ongoing conflict.

In January, the pope said his “wish for the year 2025” was for the entire international community to end the Russia-Ukraine war that has “caused so much bloodshed in war-torn Ukraine.” Since the outbreak of the war, the Holy Father has called for the release of all prisoners and accessible humanitarian assistance for those in need.

Though official numbers of Ukrainian and Russian war casualties are unknown, the reported in September 2024 that an estimated 1 million people have died or been injured since the large-scale Russian invasion. The has verified that at least 12,600 civilians have been killed and an additional 29,390 civilians injured since February 2022.

“A painful and shameful occasion for the whole of humanity!” the pope shared in his Feb. 23 Angelus message from Gemelli Hospital. “I reiterate my closeness to the suffering people of Ukraine.”

The Congo’s complex humanitarian situation — exacerbated by natural disasters, armed conflicts, and epidemics — has not gone unnoticed for the pontiff who visited the central African nation in 2023.

The Holy Father has often addressed the plight of the Congolese to pilgrims who come to the Vatican to attend his general audiences or to pray the Sunday Angelus with him in St. Peter’s Square.

On Feb. 14, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs more than 21.2 million people in the Congo are in need of aid.

Amid the country’s worsening humanitarian situation after the fall of Goma, in North Kivu, and Bukavu, in South Kivu, to M23 forces backed by Rwandan fighters, Aid to the Church in Need reported Christians have been targeted by armed groups after in a Protestant church and an additional 100 people taken hostage by terrorists in North Kivu last month.

Pope Francis is the first pontiff to visit the majority-Buddhist southeast Asian nation that has been afflicted by heightened political unrest and violence since a 2021 military coup that thwarted the country’s transition toward democratic rule.

Appealing to warring parties to lay down their arms, the pope has asked the international community to remember the country’s elderly, children, sick, and the Rohingya ethnic minority.

More than 18.6 million people, 6 million of whom are children, are in need of humanitarian aid, according to a published by United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

Pope Francis said “the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, is causing the , with dramatic consequences in South Sudan too” and during his Jan. 26 Angelus address renewed his appeal to those who are at war in Sudan to negotiate peace and end the hostilities.

In a , the World Health Organization (WHO) said the conflict in Sudan has “caused the world’s largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis, with 12.8 million forcibly displaced.” WHO reported the country’s malnutrition rates are “among the highest globally,” with 4.9 million children under 5 and pregnant women “acutely malnourished.”  

Attacks on health care facilities also contributed to the August 2024 outbreak of cholera in the north African nation that has led to out of the 55,000 cases reported, according to UNICEF.  

The impact of the decades-long political instability and violence in Gaza and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) — two Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967 —  is a concern close to the heart of the 88-year-old pope. 

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, declaration of the Israel-Hamas war, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ states more than 100,000 people have been injured in the conflict. According to the report at least 34,399 Palestinians — the majority of them women and children — were killed in Gaza between Nov. 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024.

While undergoing complex medical treatment at Gemelli Hospital, the Holy Father to check in on their welfare as approximately 600 people are still seeking shelter at the parish.

During a Dec. 6, 2024, Aid to the Church in Need , Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, told journalists the pope’s calls are “a very big support” for the community of Gaza.

Unable to read his to the diplomatic corp earlier this year due to a persistent cold, in his prepared speech the pontiff nevertheless stressed his great desire for peace in the country, a permanent cease-fire, and the release of Israeli hostages detained in Gaza.

More than 250 Israelis were taken hostage following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. At least 1,200 Israelis were killed on the same day, according to a . The attack, which sparked Israel’s declaration of war against the extreme Islamic terrorist group, was strongly condemned by the Holy Father.

​​”My prayerful hope is that Israelis and Palestinians can rebuild the bridges of dialogue and mutual trust,” the Holy Father expressed in his 2025 speech. “So that future generations can live side by side in the two states, in peace and security.”

Praying for harmony and mutual respect among Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Holy Land has been a daily prayer of the pope since the early years of his pontificate. Following his , the Holy See invited former President of Israel Shimon Peres, President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, and Patriarch Bartholomew I to the Vatican for the . 

Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

Since 2020, a pandemic and then an active war have caused untold tragedy for Ukrainians, but these circumstances have also allowed the country to confront death and grief in a way it never did before, according to a religious sister who offers palliative care to unborn children and their families.

In Ukraine, “one couldn’t and wouldn’t talk about death before the COVID pandemic,” Sister Giustina Olha Holubets, SSMI, told CNA earlier this month.

The more open a society is about death and loss and grief, she said, the easier it is to know how to respond to a family going through the pain of losing a child in the womb or shortly after birth.

Holubets traveled to Rome to attend a workshop organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life on March 3–4. The scientific academy chose Holubets as the recipient of its . 

A Byzantine Catholic and member of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, Holubets has degrees in bioethics, psychology, biology, and genetics. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit organization “Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of Life” in Lviv, Ukraine, which she currently leads.

Holubets’ work in perinatal care began by chance in 2013. She was back in Ukraine after studying for a master’s degree in Rome, and while working in a medical genetics clinic, she met a pregnant mother whose unborn child had received a fatal prenatal diagnosis. The woman did not want to abort her baby, but she had nowhere to turn to for support in her decision to carry her child to term.

“It has always touched me,” the sister said, “that the Church says, ‘Do not abort,’ but the woman who keeps that child [with a prenatal diagnosis], in reality, feels alone. It’s not enough to say do not abort, but we must give support to the end.”

Holubets noted that when parents receive a life-limiting diagnosis for their unborn child, “society doesn’t understand, and doctors don’t understand what to do either.”

“So, we started, very slowly, to become closer to mothers in this situation,” she explained.

By 2017, Holubets and her collaborators — largely families who have also experienced loss and want to help others in similar situations — realized the question of palliative care in the perinatal period (before and up to a year post-birth) needed a change of mentality on a societal level.

At the Lord’s prompting, the sister and those serving with her started “to speak up about perinatal grief, because no one wants to speak up about this.” They founded the nonprofit and started to commemorate on Oct. 15 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, inviting families to light candles in the churches and squares.

Some countries also celebrate preborn life on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, established as the by St. John Paul II.

The hospice association does not have a physical center but can be found “where the baby is during the pregnancy: in the womb of the mother,” the sister said. “So we are close to the mother.”

Some of what the organization does includes phone consultations and being present at medical visits and at births if asked. If a priest cannot arrive in time during an emergency situation, Holubets will baptize the baby at the parents’ request.

After birth, volunteers help the family create positive memories about their child by dressing the baby, taking photos, and making prints of their tiny feet. They also continue to walk with the parents in their grief.

“We have discovered that our mothers are prepared to give birth, but we must also prepare them for the death. This is why, then, we enjoy every moment with that baby. So that when there is the death too, the moms can feel more calm because they have done everything they can for their baby,” Holubets said.

In society today, women receive a lot of pressure to abort children with fatal or life-limiting diagnoses. Holubets said in her experience, this is often due to selfishness on the part of doctors, who are unsure how to accompany families in a difficult journey of perinatal loss and grief. Plainly speaking, an abortion is also not registered as a fetal demise.

But women, the religious sister underlined, deserve to have all of the information with all of the options presented to them so they can make the decision. “Because ultimately, she should also take responsibility for the consequences of either an abortion or birth,” Holubets said.

Neither path is easy, she emphasized: “There is always the memory, there is always death — death after an abortion, death after a birth.”

But what happens next changes everything, she added. For one, an abortion does not erase the memory of the child, but for the mother it can lead to depression, difficulty conceiving again, and conflict in her relationships. Women can feel anger toward their husbands or other family members for allowing them to go through with an abortion, casting blame on others for the decision.

On the other hand, if a woman makes the decision to continue the pregnancy and to care for the child for as long as he or she lives, “here too there is the memory, there is death, but the parents remained parents, not those who kill,” Holubets said.

“Moreover, the parents have given all of their love to that baby who existed for that brief period,” she added. Even if the baby dies, “their maternity and paternity continue until the end of life. If another child enters the family, they can speak to him or her about their older sister or older brother, they can show them the photo, there is the spot to visit at the cemetery.”

Grief is always there, but these things help, Holubets said. “Life always has losses; how can we experience them well?” is the question we must ask ourselves.

“So, if experiencing loss in our life is something normal, given to us by the Lord, we must not just resist it but experience it,” she said. “Sometimes you must also seek counsel, give meaning to [loss], provide resources, change the mentality of the society [to show] that it’s normal, it’s not shameful.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 10, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

The mission of the Swiss Guard, the oldest military corps in the world, is to ensure the security of the pope and protect the cardinals when the chair of Peter is vacant. But what happens when the Holy Father is outside the Vatican walls, as is the case now with Pope Francis in the hospital?

Currently, the Swiss Guard is led by Col. Christoph Graf, and its members are responsible for guarding access to Vatican territory, accompanying the pope on his apostolic journeys, and maintaining order and protocol during papal ceremonies and state receptions.

March 10 marks 25 days since Pope Francis was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome. On Feb. 14, he left St. Martha’s House where he normally resides, suffering from bronchitis that later developed into double pneumonia.

During these weeks, despite the absence of the pope, the Swiss Guards have not left their posts. Eliah Cinotti, the head of press office of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, confirmed to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that “there are no changes in the ordinary service.”

However, he pointed out that because Pope Francis “is not physically present” in the Vatican, “we have a decrease in extraordinary services, such as general audiences, receptions for presidents or ambassadors, or Masses.”

“Despite this, we support some events in the Vatican when necessary, such as [on Sunday] when we were present at the Mass for the Jubilee of Volunteers, even though the Holy Father was unable to participate,” he explained.

During his latest meeting with the Swiss Guard at the Vatican, Pope Francis highlighted the value of its members marrying, having a family and children, emphasizing the importance of family life in their service.

“I like the fact that the guards get married; I like that they have children, that they have a family. This is very important, very important. This aspect has become very important, since the number of guards married with children has increased, and the well-being of families is of fundamental importance for the Church and society,” he said on Jan. 18 at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

Cinotti emphasized that the Swiss Guard “prays and trusts that our Holy Father will recover soon so he can return to the Vatican as soon as possible.”

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday thanked volunteers for the closeness and tenderness they show others in need of their care.

As the Holy Father continues medical treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican released his March 9 and dedicated to the approximately 25,000 men and women participating in the March 8–9 Jubilee of the World of Volunteering. 

At the conclusion of his homily, the pope thanked volunteers associated with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations for following Jesus by serving others.

“On the streets and in homes, in the company of the sick, the suffering, and the imprisoned, with the young and the elderly, your generosity and commitment offer hope to our entire society,” the pontiff shared in his prepared homily. 

“In the deserts of poverty and loneliness, all those small gestures are helping to make a new humanity blossom in the garden that is God’s dream, always and everywhere, for all of us,” he continued.

In his Angelus message, the 88-year-old pontiff said volunteers bear witness to the “primacy of gratuitousness, solidarity, and service to those most in need.” 

“In our societies, too enslaved to market logic, where everything risks being subject to the criterion of interest and the quest for profit, volunteering is prophecy and a sign of hope,” the pope said.

“I express my gratitude to those who are engaged in this field: Thank you for offering your time and abilities; thank you for the closeness and tenderness with which you care for others, reawakening hope in them!”

Calling those who care for the sick “a sign of Lord’s presence,” the Holy Father expressed particular gratitude toward the doctors and medical staff caring for him at Gemelli Hospital.

“Brothers and sisters, during my prolonged hospitalization here, I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care,” he said. “We need this, the ‘miracle of tenderness’ that accompanies those who are in adversity, bringing a little light into the night of pain.”

The pope on Sunday also thanked those who have and continue to pray for his health and healing since being admitted to the hospital more than three weeks ago on Feb. 14: “Heartfelt thanks to you all! I pray for you too.”

In a March 9 statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican said it will hold the Roman Curia’s annual spiritual exercises from March 10–14 this year.

“In accordance with tradition, this time of contemplation and prayer represents a moment of silence and discernment for the Holy Father’s collaborators, who will gather in a spirit of reflection and listening to the Word of God, continuing to pray for his health,” the Vatican statement said.

The pope in his Angelus message said he will “join spiritually” those participating in this month’s spiritual exercises.

During the March 10–14 spiritual exercises, the Vatican said the recitation of the holy rosary for the Holy Father’s health will be held at 5 p.m. local time inside the Paul VI Audience Hall instead of 9 p.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square.

Since Feb. 24, cardinals of the Roman Curia have led daily prayer evenings, open to the public, in St. Peter’s Square for the pope’s recovery.

At the end of his Sunday Angelus message, the pope asked people to pray for the “gift of peace” for Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria.

“I entrust you all to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary,” he said. “Happy Sunday, and arrivederci [goodbye]!”

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday said defeats are not definitive for those who believe in Jesus Christ and trust in God’s love and forgiveness.

In his prepared for the first Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father said difficulties and trials do not “end in failure” for Christians who embrace their relationship with God our redeemer.

“In the face of temptation, we sometimes fall; we are all sinners,” the papal text said. “Our defeat, however, is not definitive, because following our every fall, God lifts us up by his infinite love and forgiveness.”

The Holy Father was unable to preside over the Mass for the first Sunday of Lent, which coincided with the last day of the Jubilee for the World of Volunteering, due to ongoing medical treatment in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. 

In his place, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presided over the Sunday Mass, attended by thousands of uniformed volunteers belonging to nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations. 

“Let us consider three aspects of Jesus’ temptation and of our own: its beginning, the way it takes place, and its result,” Czerny said, reading the pope’s homily. “In this way, we will find inspiration for our journey of conversion.”

Reflecting on the different Gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the pope said Christians should not feel afraid or threatened by the “beginning” of temptation. 

“Whenever we ask God not to lead us into temptation (cf. Mt 6:13), we need to remember that he has already answered that prayer through Jesus, his incarnate word, who remains with us always,” the pope shared in his written homily. 

“The Lord is close to us and cares for us, especially in times of trial and uncertainty, when the tempter makes his voice heard,” he continued. 

According to the Holy Father, “the way” the devil tries to tempt Jesus and his followers is to doubt and reject the “filial relationship” with God our Father.

“In his perversion, the devil wants to destroy that bond,” the pontiff explained. “Jesus’ relationship with the Father is not something to be grasped at (cf. Phil 2:6) or boasted of in order to achieve success and attract followers but rather a gift that he shares with the world for our salvation.”

“The devil whispers into our ear that God is not really our Father, that he has in fact abandoned us,” the Holy Father said. “Yet just when the devil would have us believe that the Lord is far from us and would tempt us to despair, God draws all the closer to us, giving his life for the redemption of the world.”

For Christians, the pope stressed that the “result” of temptations — when faced with the help of Jesus, the “Anointed One” — is the eventual defeat of Satan, “the tempter.” 

“Our testing does not end in failure, because, in Christ, we are redeemed from evil,” he said.  “Jesus himself opens up before us this new path of liberation and redemption.” 

The 88-year-old pontiff concluded his Sunday homily by greeting Jubilee for the World of Volunteering participants and asking the Holy Spirit to sustain Christians throughout their Lenten journey toward Holy Week and Easter — “the central mystery of our faith” in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Rome Newsroom, Mar 8, 2025 / 06:45 am (CNA).

As Pope Francis continues to receive treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and his condition remains stable, the pontiff remains involved with Church affairs.

On Saturday, Pope Francis addressed pilgrims of the Movement for Life in a statement issued from his hospital room, which Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, delivered during a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on March 8.

In , the 88-year-old pontiff thanked the pro-life pilgrims on their organization’s 50th anniversary, praising their concrete support for mothers experiencing difficult pregnancies.

Pope Francis encouraged the Movement for Life to continue its mission, noting that “there is still and more than ever a need for people of all ages who concretely dedicate themselves to the service of human life, especially when it is most fragile and vulnerable; because it is sacred, created by God for a great and beautiful destiny.”

Medical staff continue to provide Pope Francis with “high-flow oxygenation” via nasal cannulas during daytime hours while he uses “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” overnight to support his breathing. “The night passed quietly; the pope is resting,” read the brief Vatican update issued on Saturday morning.

Vatican officials confirmed the pope will again not publicly appear for the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer. Instead, as has been done in recent weeks, his reflection’s text will be published.

Similarly, the homily for the pope at Sunday’s will be read by Cardinal Michael Czerny, who will also lead the rosary in St. Peter’s Square at 9 p.m. local time on Saturday, gathering the faithful to pray for the Holy Father.

After a heartfelt  in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday evening, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni explained it was Francis’ desire to record and play the greeting to thank everyone who is praying for him.

Vatican City, Mar 7, 2025 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican has expressed its solidarity with Muslims participating in the Ramadan fast, noting that Catholics also fast and do penance during the season of Lent and inviting greater dialogue and friendship between people of the two religions.

“Our world is thirsting for fraternity and genuine dialogue,” a March 7 message from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue said. “Together, Muslims and Christians can bear witness to this hope in the conviction that friendship is possible despite the burden of history and ideologies that promote exclusion.”

“Hope,” it continued, “is no mere optimism: It is a virtue rooted in faith in God, the Merciful, our Creator.”

In 2025, Ramadan runs from approximately Feb. 28 to March 29. It concludes with the three-day celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

The Christian season of Lent began on March 5 and will end on April 17 with the three days known as the Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday — followed by Easter Sunday.

“This year, Ramadan largely coincides with Lent, which for Christians is a period of fasting, supplication, and conversion to Christ,” the dicastery said. “This proximity in the spiritual calendar offers us a unique opportunity to walk side by side, Christians and Muslims, in a common process of purification, prayer, and charity.”

The Vatican’s annual message for Ramadan was signed by the dicastery’s new prefect, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, and its secretary, Father Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage.

Pope Francis appointed Koovakad prefect of the dicastery at the end of January, filling the vacancy left by Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, who died in late 2024.

An Indian from the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Koovakad was previously responsible for the organization of papal trips.

In its message, the interreligious dicastery noted similarities between the Muslim observance of Ramadan and the Catholic observance of Lent.

“By abstaining from food and drink, Muslims learn to control their desires and turn to what is essential. This time of spiritual discipline is an invitation to cultivate piety, the virtue that brings one closer to God and opens the heart to others,” it said. 

“In the Christian tradition, the holy season of Lent invites us to follow a similar path: Through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving we seek to purify our hearts and refocus on the One who guides and directs our lives,” it went on. “These spiritual practices, though expressed differently, remind us that faith is not merely about outward expressions but a path of inner conversion.”

The dicastery said it wanted to reflect on how Christians and Muslims can become “genuine brothers and sisters, bearing common witness to God’s friendship with all humanity.”

“Our trust in God,” Koovakad’s message underlined, “is a treasure that unites us, far beyond our differences. It reminds us that we are all spiritual, incarnate, beloved creatures, called to live in dignity and mutual respect.”

“What is more, we desire to become guardians of this sacred dignity by rejecting all forms of violence, discrimination, and exclusion,” the dicastery continued. “This year, as our two spiritual traditions converge in celebrating Ramadan and Lent, we have a unique opportunity to show the world that faith transforms people and societies and that it is a force for unity and reconciliation.”

CNA Staff, Mar 6, 2025 / 15:50 pm (CNA).

In a prerecorded message, Pope Francis thanked those gathered for the rosary prayer service in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday night.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square; I accompany you from here,” the Holy Father said in Spanish. “May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.” 

The Holy Father’s voice was hoarse, and he was noticeably out of breath in the brief audio message, which the Holy See Press Office said was recorded today. 

The message marks the first time Francis’ voice has been heard publicly since his hospitalization 21 days ago. It was met with applause by those gathered in the square. 

Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, led Thursday night’s rosary. 

“We gather in prayer for the health of the Holy Father Francis with Mary, Mother of the Church and of Good Counsel,” he said in his opening prayer.

“The Lord filled Mary of Nazareth with gifts so that she might become a worthy mother of the Redeemer. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she sought in everything and always the will of the Lord, and magnifying his mercy she adhered intimately to Christ. To her, constituted the mother of believers, we turn to a sure refuge,” he continued.

The Vatican announced on Feb. 24 that  with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin presiding over the inaugural gathering. The nightly rosary has been broadcast across EWTN’s television networks and digital platforms. 

“Starting this evening, the cardinals residing in Rome, along with all collaborators of the Roman Curia and the Diocese of Rome, responding to the sentiments of the people of God, will gather in St. Peter’s Square at 9 p.m. to recite the holy rosary for the health of the Holy Father,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement at the time. 

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 14:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis said the Lenten journey reminds the Church that hope in Jesus Christ ultimately overcomes fears of fragility, weakness, and the brevity of life.

“Made of ashes and earth, we experience fragility through illness, poverty, and the hardships that can suddenly befall us and our families,” the pope said in his  prepared for Ash Wednesday. 

“Lent, however, is also an invitation to rekindle our hope,” he said. “We are invited to lift our eyes to the One who rises from the depths of death and brings us from the ashes of sin and death to the glory of eternal life.”

The pope is continuing his medical treatment at Gemelli Hospital and was unable to attend the Mass held inside the Basilica of Santa Sabina located on Rome’s Aventine Hill.

“The ashes remind us that we are dust, but they also set us on a journey toward the hope to which we are called,” Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said, reading the papal text. “Jesus descended to the dust of the earth and, by his resurrection, has drawn us with himself into the Father’s heart.”

Focusing on Easter as the reason for undertaking the journey of Lent, the pope in his homily told the congregation of cardinals, bishops, and religious brothers and sisters of Benedictine and Dominican orders that the risen Lord is waiting for us “at the end of the road.”

“The hope of Easter that we journey toward reassures us of God’s forgiveness,” the Holy Father said, quoting his predecessor Benedict XVI. “Even while submerged in the ashes of sin, hope opens us up to the joyful acknowledgment of life.”

Acknowledging the “social and political realities of our time” — including war, ideological opposition, abuse of power, and exploitation — the 88-year-old head of the Church said the world’s problems should spur people to walk together, be open with one another, and turn to our God who wants peace and reconciliation.

“Let us turn back to God, let us return to him with all our hearts,” the pope said. “Let us learn from almsgiving to go beyond ourselves, sharing each other’s needs and nurturing the hope of a fairer world.” 

In his homily, the Holy Father also said accepting the fragility of our human condition “is good for us” as it reminds us who we really are “despite the masks we wear” and of our need for God.    

“It reshapes us, reduces the severity of our narcissism, brings us back to reality, and makes us more humble and open to one another: None of us is God; we are all on a journey,” he said.

“With this hope in our hearts, let us begin our journey. Let us be reconciled with God,” the pope reiterated at the end of his March 5 homily.

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

A high-level gathering of judges, legal scholars, and artificial intelligence (AI) experts convened in Vatican City this week to explore the impact of AI on justice, democracy, and human dignity. 

The two-day workshop, titled was hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in collaboration with the Argentina-based and its academic branch, the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Institute for Legal Research (IFBC).

The conference, held March 4–5, brought together over 60 participants, including American policymakers such as Joseph Kennedy III, U.S. Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, and Congressman Richard E. Neal. 

Discussions centered on the ethical challenges posed by AI, its influence on judicial decision-making, and its potential to shape democratic institutions.

“As with all other aspects of technical life that need an ethical framework, Church authorities leave to the experts in a particular field the burden and the honor of identifying what are the key emerging ethical problems in that field and then work with them to indicate the solutions that can be proposed to governments and to the wider public,” Sister Helen Alford, president of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences, in her opening address to the conference.

“In this way, the Church is present in the debate both placing confidence in those responsible for these technologies and for their uses, and in making herself available to participate in and support the moral, ethical, and political efforts of all people of goodwill to direct these technologies appropriately.”

One of the major focuses of the conference was AI’s influence on democratic institutions. Experts discussed the potential for AI to increase citizen participation and improve access to information.  

However, they also warned of AI’s capacity to spread misinformation, manipulate public opinion, and undermine democratic processes. 

“We’ve heard a lot about the potential benefits to democracy, about greater gains and efficiency and the delivery of human services,” Kennedy at the conference.  

“I will say however from my perspective as a person who had to run multiple campaigns and as someone who sees the challenge at this moment of disinformation and misinformation and the challenges that we are seeing throughout this platform in the United States, I have real concerns.” 

“What happens when voices being heard in the midst of a campaign … when those voices aren’t actually people, but deep fakes that have been programmed? … What happens when campaigns can create these videos … depicting scandalous or outrageous activity days before an election to swing a few votes to tip the election in a certain way?” he asked. 

Discussions also addressed AI’s role in enhancing civic engagement. AI-driven platforms could help facilitate direct feedback from citizens to their representatives, making leaders more accessible. However, there are also concerns about privacy risks and the potential misuse of AI-powered surveillance tools. 

Another important theme of the conference was AI’s role in the justice system. Participants examined how AI can both perpetuate and mitigate biases in areas such as criminal justice, employment, and housing. 

“Justice and democracy could be reduced to their lowest level if new technologies lack proper state control, opening the doors to a historic period of techno-authoritarianism,” Roberto Andrés Gallardo, president of COPAJU and IFBC, the conference. 

“The great question of the present is whether the corporations are controlled by the governments or whether the governments end up co-opted by the IT corporations,” he said. 

The for the conference, published by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, highlighted both the opportunities and risks associated with AI. While AI has the potential to advance research, improve work conditions, democratize access to knowledge, and aid medical advances, it also poses significant potential threats, including disinformation, economic inequality, and AI-driven surveillance technologies. 

“We must endeavor to understand how AI is reshaping the economy, society, work, and family,” the note stated. “Yet Pope Francis highlights AI’s duality, showing promise and concern. AI offers multiple possibilities and poses risks, including increased inequality, misinformation, the displacement of workers, the reinforcement of biases, and the corrosion of democracy, justice, and human dignity.” 

The pope has been vocal about the ethical challenges posed by AI. In his to the 2025 World Economic Forum, he warned against the dangers of a “technocratic paradigm,” which prioritizes efficiency over human dignity. 

“Technological developments that do not improve life for everyone, but instead create or worsen inequalities and conflicts, cannot be called true progress,” Pope Francis said. 

On the second day of the conference, participants explored AI’s implications for developing nations and underserved communities. The discussions focused on the digital divide, the role of AI in sustainable development, and strategies for ensuring equitable access to AI-driven technologies. 

Throughout the conference, participants echoed Pope Francis’ call for an ethical framework for AI development that prioritizes human dignity and social responsibility. The pope has repeatedly warned against allowing machines to make decisions that should remain under human control, particularly in areas such as automated weapons systems. 

“We emphasize the importance of prioritizing human dignity, agency, and decision-making in the face of AI advancements,” the conference organizers stated in the conference booklet. “We warn against delegating decisions to machines when said decisions undermine human freedom and responsibility and are detached from ethical considerations.” 

The Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences highlighted a quote from Geoffrey Hinton, the 2024 Nobel Laureate in Physics known as the “Godfather of AI,” who said: “We’re entering a period of great uncertainty where we’re dealing with things we’ve never dealt with before.” 

“And normally, the first time you deal with something totally novel, you get it wrong. And we can’t afford to get it wrong with these things,” he said. 

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis asked Christians on Ash Wednesday to set out in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, full of hope, throughout the season of Lent.

In his prepared , the Holy Father, for treatment of double pneumonia, spoke about the 12-year-old Jesus’ desire to live his mission as the Son of God.

“Jesus wants to live his vocation as the son of the Father who is at his service and lives immersed in his word,” he said. “Jesus’ first words [in the Bible] recognize that this paternity traces his origins from that of his heavenly Father, whose undisputed primacy he acknowledges.” 

In his catechesis, the Holy Father also reflected on how Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, had to mature in their own understanding of their growing son’s vocation and mission.

Reflecting on St. Luke’s Gospel account when the 12-year-old Jesus stayed back at the Temple of Jerusalem, the pope said Mary and Joseph felt the pain of parents with a missing child.   

“Upon returning to the Temple,” the pope said, “they discover that he who, in their eyes, until a short time before, was still a child to protect, suddenly seems grown up, capable now of getting involved in discussions on the Scriptures, of holding his own with the teachers of the law.”

While having a “unique communion with the Word of God” as the mother of God, the Holy Father said Mary was not spared a demanding “apprenticeship” in learning God’s will at each moment of her life.

“Throughout this journey, the Virgin is a pilgrim of hope, in the strong sense that she becomes the ‘daughter of her Son,’ the first of his disciples,” the pope shared in his catechesis. 

“Mary brought into the world Jesus, hope of humanity,” he continued. “She nourished him, made him grow, followed him, letting herself be the first to be shaped by the Word of God.”

By allowing themselves to be led by Jesus, the pope said Christians can imitate the “response of love” of Mary and Joseph during the season of Lent. 

“Let us also set out in the footsteps of the Lord,” the pope said in his Ash Wednesday catechesis.

CNA Staff, Mar 4, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of March is for families in crisis.

“We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family but there’s no such thing as a perfect family,” Pope Francis said in a video released March 4. “Every family has its own problems as well as its tremendous joys.”

He pointed out that “every member of the family is important because each member is different than the others, each person is unique. But these differences can also cause conflict and painful wounds.” 

“And the best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness,” the pope added. “Forgiveness means giving another chance; God does this with us all the time. God’s patience is infinite. He forgives us, lifts us up, gives us a new start.”

The Holy Father reminded the faithful that “forgiveness always renews the family, making it look forward with hope. Even when there’s no possibility of the happy ending we’d like, God’s grace gives us the strength to forgive, and it brings peace, because it frees us from sadness and, above all, from resentment.”

He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.”

Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the , which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

Vatican City, Mar 4, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The pope’s annual Lenten retreat will take place in the Vatican next week in “spiritual communion” with Pope Francis as he continues to receive treatment for respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

The theme of the retreat, which will take place from the evening of March 9 through the morning of March 14, is “The Hope of Eternal Life,” the Vatican announced Tuesday. During the week, the papal preacher, , will give 10 spiritual reflections on this theme to cardinals and other employees of the Roman Curia and Vatican.

It is the sixth consecutive year that Pope Francis has not participated in a joint Lenten retreat with the cardinals of the Roman Curia.

Since 2020, the pope has opted to do the spiritual exercises in an individual capacity. All of Francis’ appointments are usually canceled during the retreat, which is held during the first full week of Lent, a 40-day penitential season. 

The Vatican said cardinals, bishops, members of the Pontifical Family, priests, and laity working in the Vatican are all invited to attend the March 9–14 retreat, which will begin with vespers, or evening prayer, on Sunday, and have twice-daily meditations Monday through Thursday, concluding with a final reflection on Friday morning.

The custom of an annual papal retreat at the Vatican began during the pontificate of Pius XI. While it was first held during Advent, St. Paul VI changed the retreat’s dates to Lent in 1964.

Starting in Lent 2014, Pope Francis chose to hold the spiritual exercises at a retreat house in the town of Ariccia, about 20 miles southeast of Rome in the Alban Hills. The cardinal prefects of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia would also cancel work activities to join the pontiff for the week.

In 2020 the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis had withdrawn from the retreat due to a lingering cold. In 2021 and 2022 the retreat for the pope and curial officials was held on an individual basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The retreat was also private in 2023 and 2024.

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Since Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14, the world has focused its attention on Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

As people from different countries continue to arrive in the Eternal City to experience this year’s Jubilee of Hope, the hospital where Pope Francis is staying has also now become a part of their pilgrimage.

Just outside the hospital, hundreds of the faithful with their own stories stop to pray every day at the feet of the statue of St. John Paul II. Their gaze rises to heaven and, with special devotion, to the top floor of the hospital, where the pontiff continues to recover.

This past weekend, Father Enzo del Brocco, a Passionist priest, took a moment to pray with devotion before the statue of St. John Paul II for his mother, who was scheduled for surgery on March 1. 

“Knowing that she is in the same hospital with Pope Francis is very moving. He always says that the shepherd must have the smell of his sheep, and I think that he has it now in a special way with those who are here,” del Brocco said, his voice full of emotion.

“If my mother could, she would definitely try to get through security to see him. I’m sure she would! She’s very happy. It’s incredible, because she has been praying for him,” he told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, with a smile.

The priest from Pittsburgh emphasized how special this place is for him. “It’s not just a hospital. It’s a place where suffering is intertwined with hope, and people find a lot of consolation.”

“Many people who have been praying here tell me the same thing, they feel as if they are at a general audience with the pope, even when he cannot speak to them. And I think that’s the most beautiful thing.”

Sister Mary Jane traveled to Rome from Stockton, California, for the Jubilee of Hope. As another stop on her pilgrimage, she came to Gemelli with other women from St. Luke Church to show their closeness to the Holy Father.

“I think the most important thing we can do for the pope is to show how much we care and how much we love him as our father figure; praying for him and showing him that we care is the least we can do. He has always been there for us, so now is the time to be here for him,” she said.

The pilgrims expressed their faith that Jesus is the “supreme healer” and emphasized that prayer “strengthens, not only physically but spiritually. I think that is where the pope also draws strength,” Sister Mary Jane added.  

Before resuming their journey back to the center of Rome by train, Monica and Zoltan prayed silently before the lit candles bearing the face of Pope Francis. The couple travelled from Bucharest, Romania, on the occasion of their honeymoon 18 years ago in the Eternal City.

Stopping at Gemelli Hospital was a must for them. “It’s important to pray for his situation, although you always have to pray, no matter what the situation is,” Zoltan emphasized.

Both fondly remember the Holy Father’s apostolic journey to their country in 2019 and now wished to express to him the same closeness. “We pray every day, but only God knows what is best for him.”

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Monday had two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency, according to the latest health update from the Vatican.

The Holy Father was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and has since been treated for respiratory infections, double pneumonia, and mild kidney insufficiency, alongside his other chronic illnesses.

“The Holy Father presented two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency, caused by significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm,” the Holy See Press Office shared on Monday.

Gemelli Hospital medical staff performed two bronchoscopies March 3 to “remove large secretions” from the 88-year-old pontiff’s airways.

Though the pope’s medical condition remained stable, though complex, over the weekend, the Holy Father previously experienced a bronchospasm last Friday, which had led to an episode of “vomiting with inhalation.”

The Vatican said the Holy Father was “alert, oriented, and cooperative” during the procedures and resumed “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” Monday afternoon.

After more than two weeks of hospitalization, Gemelli medical staff said the pope’s prognosis “remains guarded.” 

Since the pope’s admission into the hospital, hundreds of jubilee pilgrims from around the world have come to Gemelli Hospital to stop and pray for the Holy Father’s recovery as part of their pilgrimage in the Eternal City.

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 12:50 pm (CNA).

The Vatican’s Academy for Life has awarded a Ukrainian religious sister the 2025 “Guardian of Life” award for her work leading a perinatal hospice for parents who receive a life-ending or life-limiting diagnosis for their preborn children.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia awarded Sister Giustina Olha Holubets, SSMI, during a March 3 press conference at the Vatican. A member of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, Holubets is a bioethicist, biologist, psychologist, and president of the nonprofit organization “Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of Life” in Lyiv, Ukraine.

Holubets said at the press conference that she was honored to receive the award “for our children and parents.” Life is always precious, she added, “even if it is very, very small, and even if it is very short.”

“Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of Life” was established in Lyiv in 2017 to accompany parents who face severe diagnoses while their child is still in the womb. 

The psychologist explained that the development of medicine and technology, when it overlaps with the prevention of hereditary diseases, leads to the abortion of children with prenatal diagnoses.

Her organization helps couples cope with the difficulty of a prenatal diagnosis so they can embrace life, even with its challenges, and accompanies parents who have experienced perinatal or postnatal death. It is the first perinatal hospice in Ukraine.

“In these situations we emphasize that we recognize life, taking care of it, and at the same time, considering death as an intrinsic part of human life,” Holubets said. “This care of life strengthens parents in continuing the pregnancy, appreciating every moment, even brief ones, to be with their child.”

The “Guardian of Life” Award, awarded by the Pontifical Academy for Life, is for people “who have distinguished themselves in their private and professional lives for significant actions in support of the protection and promotion of human life.”

“Any threat to the life and dignity of the person strikes the Church deeply in its heart,” Holubets said, noting that the organization’s motto is “I cannot give days to your life, however, I can give life to your days.”

“We are convinced that there is no foot too tiny to not leave its mark on this world,” she said.

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 12:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Monday announced the theme for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees: “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope.”

This year, the Church will mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees from Oct. 4-5 to coincide with the two-day celebration of the Jubilee of Migrants and the Missionary World. 

In 2018, Pope Francis moved the Church’s annual observance day dedicated to people on the move from January to the last Sunday of September.

In the released by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Holy Father chose this year’s theme to highlight the “courage and tenacity” of migrants and refugees, “who daily bear witness to their hope for the future despite the difficulties.”

“Migrants and refugees become ‘missionaries of hope’ in the communities where they are welcomed, often helping to revitalize their faith and promoting interreligious dialogue based on common values,” the Vatican statement said.

“They remind the Church of the ultimate goal of the earthly pilgrimage, that is, reaching the future homeland,” the statement continued. 

On Monday, the Vatican shared on Pope Francis’ X account: “Many migrants and refugees bear witness to hope through their trust in God.”

The first World Day of Migrants and Refugees was instituted by Pope Pius X in 1914, a few months before the outbreak of World War I, asking Catholics worldwide to pray and care for those leaving their homelands. 

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

Pope Francis addressed what he called a “planetary crisis” that is adversely affecting the world in multiple ways in a message Monday to the general assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

“The term ‘polycrisis’ evokes the dramatic nature of the historical juncture we are currently witnessing, in which wars, climate changes, energy problems, epidemics, the migratory phenomenon, and technological innovation converge,” the pope said , dated Feb. 26 from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

“The intertwining of these critical issues, which currently touch on various dimensions of life, lead us to ask ourselves about the destiny of the world and our understanding of it,” the pope said.

The Vatican academy is holding a meeting of scientists, theologians, and historians March 3-4 at the Augustinianum Conference Center near the Vatican on the theme “The End of the World? Crises, Responsibilities, Hopes.”

Academics from across the scientific and theological fields, including Nobel laureates, planetologists, physicists, biologists, paleoanthropologists, theologians, and historians, are attending the Pontifical Academy for Life’s plenary meeting this week.

In a presentation of the conference to journalists March 3, academy president Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia explained that “we felt the urgency to save the common human.”

“The frontier before us is a planetary frontier,” it affects all people, he said. With the meeting, the archbishop added, they desire “to design a future of hope for all without leaving anyone behind.”

“It’s obvious we cannot be indifferent,” Paglia said.

Pope Francis in his message said the first step in the face of the world’s “polycrisis” is to examine “with greater attention our representation of the world and the cosmos.”

“If we do not do this, and we do not seriously analyze our profound resistance to change, both as people and as a society, we will continue to do what we have always done with other crises,” he said, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said was “squandered” as an opportunity to transform consciences and social practices.

The pope also warned against “endorsing utilitarian deregulation and global neoliberalism means imposing the law of the strongest as the only rule; and it is a law that dehumanizes.”

Francis also lamented the “progressive irrelevance of international bodies, which are also undermined by shortsighted attitudes, concerned with protecting particular and national interests.”

He said people of goodwill must continue to be committed to more effective world organizations so that “a multilateralism is promoted that does not depend on changing political circumstances or the interests of the few.”

The pope said hope is of fundamental importance. “It does not consist of waiting with resignation but of striving with zeal toward true life, which leads well beyond the narrow individual perimeter,” he said.

Hope, Francis said, quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s , “is linked to a lived union with a ‘people,’ and for each individual it can only be attained within this ‘we.’”

CNA Newsroom, Mar 3, 2025 / 06:44 am (CNA).

Pope Francis spent a restful night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and has begun his daily treatments after waking Monday morning, having breakfast with coffee and reading newspapers as part of his normal routine, according to Vatican sources.

The pope’s condition remains stable, with Vatican sources reporting that his bilateral pneumonia is neither worsening nor causing immediate concern. No special examinations beyond routine daily tests are currently scheduled.

Recovery for the 88-year-old Holy Father “will certainly not be imminent,” Vatican officials cautioned, indicating a potentially extended hospital stay as the pope continues to receive medical care.

Regarding the upcoming spiritual exercises scheduled for next Sunday, Vatican sources stated that no decisions have been made about how the pope might participate in these Lenten observances.

The faithful will gather in St. Peter’s Square this evening to pray for the pope’s recovery. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, will lead the recitation of the holy rosary at 9 p.m.

Rome Newsroom, Mar 2, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, LC, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State and president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, celebrated his 80th birthday on Saturday, March 1, marking his departure from these crucial Vatican positions.

Sister Raffaella Petrini now succeeds him in both roles, continuing a path of Vatican governance that has seen significant developments under Pope Francis.

Vérgez, a member of the Legion of Christ, was ordained a priest in Rome on Nov. 26, 1969. He holds advanced degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a diploma in archival studies.

His Vatican service began in 1972 when he entered the Curia as secretary to prefect Cardinal Eduardo Francisco Pironio at the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes. He remained there until the cardinal’s death. He later worked with Pironio at the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

In 2004, Vérgez moved to the administration of the patrimony of the Apostolic See, and in 2008 became director of Vatican City State’s telecommunications department.

Pope Francis appointed him secretary-general of the Vatican City State Governorate on Aug. 30, 2013. Following his episcopal consecration by Pope Francis on Oct. 15, 2013, as titular bishop of Villamagna di Proconsolare, he continued his rise through Vatican administration.

On Sept. 8, 2021, Francis named him president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and the Governorate of Vatican City State. He formally assumed positions on Oct. 1, 2021, succeeding Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello.

Pope Francis created him a cardinal of the holy Roman Church during the consistory of Aug. 27, 2022, assigning him the deaconry of Santa Maria della Mercede and Sant’Adriano at Villa Albani. On March 7, 2023, the pontiff appointed him to the Council of Cardinals.

The cardinal departs from his leadership roles on his 80th birthday, following the Vatican tradition of leadership transitions at this milestone age.

CNA Newsroom, Mar 2, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis expressed heartfelt gratitude on Sunday for the prayers and support he has received during his hospitalization while offering his own prayers for those suffering around the world.

Vatican sources reported that the 88-year-old pontiff met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the morning of March 2, in his hospital room. The secretary of state was accompanied by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State.

The Vatican officials visited the pope following his restful night, during which he reportedly slept well. According to the same sources, Pope Francis woke up Sunday morning, had coffee, read the newspapers, and continued his prescribed treatments.

In his released by the Vatican’s press office, Pope Francis said: “I would like to thank you for the prayers, which rise up to the Lord from the hearts of so many faithful from many parts of the world.”

The pontiff continued: “I feel all your affection and closeness and, at this particular time, I feel as if I am ‘carried’ and supported by all God’s people.”

The message accompanied the text for the Angelus prayer, which the pope was unable to deliver publicly for the third consecutive time due to his ongoing health issues. Francis has been receiving treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14.

In his Sunday message, Francis reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (), particularly Jesus’ words about removing the “wooden beam from your eye” before attempting to remove the “splinter in your brother’s eye.”

The pope emphasized the importance of fraternal correction rooted in charity rather than condemnation. “I feel in my heart the ‘blessing’ that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord,” the pope wrote. “At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people.”

The pontiff also turned his thoughts to areas of conflict around the world, saying: “I pray for you too. And I pray above all for peace. From here, war appears even more absurd. Let us pray for tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and Kivu.”

A medical update on the pope’s condition is expected Sunday evening. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, will lead a rosary for the pope’s health Sunday evening at 9 p.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square.

Rome Newsroom, Mar 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Though many Catholics may associate the liturgical season of Lent more with the practice of fasting and abstaining from food, many families around the world use the 40-day season to prepare specific homemade delicacies to remind them of the life of Jesus Christ as he made his way to the cross.  

Capirotada, which is similar to a bread pudding, is a treat served by many Mexican families on the Fridays of Lent. Though recipes may vary from one family to the next, the traditional sweet and savory ingredients carry rich religious symbolism linked to Jesus’ crucifixion.

Bread rolls used in the dish represent the body of Christ; honey or piloncillo syrup, made from cane sugar, is meant to symbolize the blood of Christ; whole cloves are used to represent the nails of the crucifixion; cinnamon sticks are used to symbolize the wooden cross of Christ; and the melted cheese coating the pudding represents the shroud used for Jesus’ burial.

Aguas fresca — a drink made with still water, fresh fruits of your choice, sugar, oats, and other cereals, seeds, and floral teas —are prepared and served by families to passersby in Oaxaca on Good Friday. Though not solely a Lenten beverage, this Good Friday tradition is an opportunity for Oaxaca families to quench the thirst of Jesus on his way to Jerusalem — just like the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (cf. Jn 4:4-42) — by serving a fellow neighbor.

Fanesca, a soup eaten during Lent and Holy Week made with cod and 12 kinds of beans and legumes, is said to represent Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles at the Last Supper.  

The dish’s religious significance dates back to the 16th century and is believed to be connected to a monastery in Quito, Ecuador, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Some families take advantage to make this lunch dish together — preparing the fish and shelling the many beans and legumes — with a spirit of prayer, contemplating the Last Supper in the upper room just hours before Jesus began his passion in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Kwareżimal, which derives its name from the Latin word “Quadragesima,” meaning the “40 days of Lent,” are sweet cakes made with almond paste, honey, and orange rind.

This Lenten sweet treat is also given to children who want to embark upon a one-day, 14-church pilgrimage to remember Jesus’ 14 Stations of the Cross.

Qaghaq tal-appostli or “Apostles’ Rings” are sweet, savory, unleavened circular bread loaves topped with almonds and sesame seeds eaten on Holy Thursday. 

The treat is associated with the events of Holy Thursday when Jesus made his apostles priests and instituted the Eucharist and the celebration of the Mass. 

Zenkoul, a dish of bulgur wheat balls (or pumpkin balls) combined with chickpeas, rice, garlic, onion, and pomegranate molasses, is eaten by Lebanese families during Lent and Good Friday.  

Some families add vinegar to their Zenkoul instead of lemon juice to remind them when Jesus told the Roman soldiers “I thirst” (cf. Jn 19:28) before dying on the cross and fulfilling the prophecy “for my thirst they gave me vinegar” (cf. Ps 69:22).

Christ’s Feast is a traditional dish shared and eaten together in Iraqi villages on Good Friday. Made with habbiyeh wheat, several types of grains, and a variety of beans and legumes, the most distinctive ingredient of the dish is “akoub,” a prickly plant that grows abundantly during spring.

By combining all the ingredients with a little water, Christ’s Feast is turned into a soup and cooked slowly until it is ready to be mashed and served to families on Good Friday.  

For some Iraqi Christians, the difficulty in preparing the dish — particularly removing the thorns of the akoub — is a form of participating in Jesus’ passion. The prickly plant is also said to symbolize the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head before he was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate.

Pretzels, the iconic bread twist simply made with salt, yeast, flour, and water linked to several parts of Europe, are believed to have been invented specifically as a Lenten food by an Italian monk in the early Middle Ages, according to a Vatican Library document.

With the purpose of helping Catholics to live the penitential season with prayer and simplicity, the treat’s shape resembles hands in prayer, forming three holes representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Hot cross buns are believed to have first been distributed to poor English Catholics on a Good Friday between the 12th and 14th centuries. Today, the sweet-spiced buns are eaten in England and in Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand during Lent and Holy Week.

While some historic accounts suggest the buns — traditionally made with flour, eggs, yeast, currents, and cardamom — have ancient pagan origins, other records hint that medieval monks Christianized the recipe by baking the buns with distinct crosses to represent the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and using different spices to symbolize his burial.

CNA Newsroom, Mar 1, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis’ clinical condition remains stable after Friday’s that caused vomiting and sudden respiratory deterioration, according to a Holy See Press Office statement released Saturday evening.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been alternating between noninvasive mechanical ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy, the Vatican communiqué stated.

Medical updates indicate the Holy Father remains fever-free with no signs of infection in his blood work. His vital signs, including blood pressure and heart rate, continue to be stable. The statement also highlighted that Pope Francis has maintained a healthy appetite and is actively participating in breathing exercises prescribed by his medical team.

Vatican officials confirmed the pope has not experienced further bronchospasm episodes. He remains “alert and oriented” and received the Eucharist Saturday afternoon, after which he dedicated time to prayer.

The statement concluded by noting that “the prognosis remains reserved,” suggesting doctors are still cautious about the pope’s recovery timeline.

The Holy See Press Office confirmed earlier today that, as with the previous two Sundays, the text of the Angelus will be distributed in written form tomorrow rather than delivered by the pope in person.

According to Vatican sources, the pontiff’s breathing is improving, though his overall condition remains complex. The situation regarding his pneumonia is described as stable.

Francis prayed for approximately 20 minutes in the chapel near his room on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he is receiving treatment. The pope reportedly remains in good spirits and has been informed of the many prayers being offered for him.

Further medical details may become available tomorrow, Vatican sources indicated.

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 1, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

On the occasion of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, scheduled for Oct. 11–12, the original statue of Our Lady of Fátima will be taken to Rome.

The famous image of Our Lady, known to the faithful throughout the world and a symbol of “hope that does not disappoint,” will be present among the pilgrims who participate in the Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 10:30 a.m. local time to “further enrich this moment of prayer and reflection.”

This will be the fourth time the statue has left the shrine at Fátima to be taken to Rome, as it only happens at the express request of the pope. The first time was in 1984, on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of the Redemption, when on March 25 Pope John Paul II consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The second was during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 and the third was in October 2013 on the occasion of the Year of Faith with Pope Francis.

The Dicastery for Evangelization said in a statement that access to St. Peter’s Square for the Eucharistic celebration will be free and no ticket will be required. Registration to participate in the jubilee event is already open on the and will end on Aug. 10.

“The presence of the beloved original statue of Our Lady of Fátima will allow everyone to experience the closeness of the Virgin Mary,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

“It is one of the most significant Marian images for Christians throughout the world, who, as the Holy Father points out in the bull of indiction of the jubilee , venerate her as ‘the most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children.’ At Fátima, Our Lady told the three little shepherds the same thing that she continues to assure each of us: ‘I will never leave you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the path that will lead you to God,’” the prelate said.

“This statue leaves the shrine at Cova da Iria in a totally exceptional manner and only at the request of the popes,” said Father Carlos Cabecinhas, the rector of Fátima shrine.

“In this time of the jubilee, Our Lady of Fátima is the woman of Easter joy, even in the painful times that the world is experiencing. Once again, the ‘lady dressed in white’ will be a pilgrim of hope and, in Rome, she will be with the ‘bishop dressed in white,’ as the little shepherds of Fátima affectionately called the Holy Father,” he said.

The sculpture, a work of the Portuguese artist José Ferreira Thedim, was made in 1920 and is normally located in the Chapel of the Apparitions of the Fátima Shrine.

There, between May and October 1917, the Virgin appeared six times to the shepherd children Lucia dos Santos, 10, Jacinta Marto, 7, and Francisco Marto, 9.

The statue is 41 inches tall and was carved from Brazilian cedar following the descriptions given by the three shepherd children. It was solemnly crowned on May 13, 1946, and the bullet that wounded St. John Paul II in the 1981 assassination attempt on his life in St. Peter’s Square was later embedded in the crown.

Vatican City, Feb 28, 2025 / 14:58 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis began noninvasive ventilation on Friday after experiencing a respiratory crisis that led to a “sudden worsening” of his condition, the Vatican said.

According to a Feb. 28 medical bulletin from the Holy See, after a morning spent in prayer, receiving the Eucharist, and doing respiratory physiotherapy, Pope Francis experienced in the early afternoon “an isolated crisis of bronchospasm” — a tightening of the muscles that line the airways in the lungs, causing wheezing and coughing.

The incident led to “an episode of vomiting with inhalation” aggravating his breathing, the Holy See said.

After his airways were suctioned, the pope was put on a noninvasive mechanical ventilator “with a good response on gas exchange,” the communication said, adding that Pope Francis remained “alert and oriented” and cooperative throughout the procedures.

Friday marked who is suffering from double pneumonia, bronchitis, and other chronic respiratory conditions.

In the two weeks since Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14, doctors have continuously refrained from giving a prognosis, emphasizing that the situation is “complex.”

The Holy See Press Office had said on Thursday that the pope’s health was “improving” under oxygen and respiratory physiotherapy treatment. He continues to do work from the hospital.