Holy Spirit creates harmony, pope tells ecumenical dialogue commission
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Seeing young people involved in ecumenical initiatives is a sign of the Holy Spirit at work, Pope Francis said. The Holy Spirit is the one “who rejuvenates the church in harmony, inspires paths of communion and grants wisdom to the young and prophecy to the old,” he told members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
Pope praises priest who restored dignity of the poor through education
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis praised the legacy of an Italian priest who looked for ways the Catholic Church could make sure the poor were not left further behind in the world.” And with wisdom and love,” the late Father Lorenzo Milani found “the answer in education, through his model of schooling, which is putting knowledge at the service of those who are considered the last by others, but first for the Gospel and for him,” the pope said.
Wine, working the land, selling its fruits are gifts from God, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The skills of winegrowers — respect, perseverance and knowing how to prune to produce fruit — are also valuable messages for the soul, Pope Francis said.” Wine, the land, farming skills and entrepreneurial activity are gifts from God,” the pope told winegrowers, winemakers and others taking part in an event organized by Vinitaly — an international wine and spirits exhibition held in Verona, Italy, every year for industry professionals. The event was dedicated to Italian wine and “the economy of Francesco,” an economy inspired by St. Francis of Assisi that respects the earth and promotes peace and justice.
Citing bronchitis, pope cuts speech short: ‘I can’t speak well’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis declined to read his prepared remarks during an audience with Catholic communicators from France, saying he has bronchitis and “can’t speak well.” “I would like to read the whole speech, but I have a problem; I have a bit of bronchitis, and I can’t speak well,” the pope told communications representatives of dioceses, religious congregations, parishes and other Catholic groups in France during a meeting at the Vatican Jan. 12.
Sharing stories of faith draws Christians closer to one another, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A key step in the search for Christian unity is getting to know people of other churches and denominations and coming to appreciate their faith and spirituality, Pope Francis told a group of Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox students studying at Catholic universities in Rome. The students are among hundreds who, since 1964, have received scholarships from the Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration to pursue degrees in Rome while living at Catholic seminaries and religious residences.
Faith is a gift to celebrate, pope says as he baptizes babies
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the Sistine Chapel, where popes are elected, Pope Francis baptized 16 infants, who, he said, “give us the witness of how to receive the faith: with innocence and with an open heart. “Celebrating the feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jan. 7, the pope baptized seven girls and nine boys, including one set of twins, during a morning Mass with fewer than 300 people in the chapel. Afterward, he led the recitation of the Angelus prayer with about 12,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Pope tells young people to sow peace in the peripheries
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A person does not have to travel far from home to find people living on the margins of society and in need hearing the message of the Gospel, Pope Francis said. “Do not be afraid to leave your securities to be able to share the everyday life of your brothers and sisters,” the pope told the France-based Missionary Fraternity of the Cities during an audience at the Vatican Jan. 4. “Many have open hearts and are waiting, without knowing it, for the good news” of the Gospel, he said.
Music touches the hearts of young ‘prisoners of anxiety,’ pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Song and music are gifts capable of touching the hearts of young people, drawing them out of spirals of anxiety and bringing them closer to God, Pope Francis said. Greeted with song Dec. 30 by young people from the International Foundation of Pueri Cantores — an organization that promotes sacred music and the formation of children in choirs for liturgical singing — the pope praised the young vocalists for helping others pray and open their hearts to God, which is “fundamental for the life of the church.”
Bring Mary’s gratitude and hope into the new year, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On New Year’s Eve, believers and non-believers alike give thanks for all they have received in the last 12 months and express their hopes for the coming year, but Christians are called to cultivate their gratitude and hope following the example of Mary, Pope Francis said. “Faith enables us to live this hour in a way different than that of a worldly mindset,” the pope said during an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 31. “Faith in Jesus Christ, the incarnated God, born of the Virgin Mary, gives a new way of feeling time and life.”
Welcome Jesus into the manger of your heart, papal preacher says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The first step toward keeping Christ in Christmas is for Christians to make room for him in their hearts, the preacher of the papal household told Pope Francis and top Vatican officials. “We must do everything we can to keep him obstinately present. Not in order to hide behind him and remain silent about our failures, but because he is ‘the light of the nations,’ the ‘name that is above every other name,’ ‘the cornerstone’ of the world and of history,” Cardinal Cantalamessa said Dec. 22, offering his final Advent meditation of 2023.
