Vatican News

Pope Francis on marriage: It's not about the dress or photos. It's about the mission.

Vatican City, May 6, 2015 / 10:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Marriage is more than the wedding ceremony, the flowers, the dress, the photos, Pope Francis said in his weekly general audience: it is a participation in the Church's mission.

“Men and women, courageous enough to carry this treasure in the 'earthen vessels' of our humanity... are an essential resource for the Church, as well as for the whole world!”

Will Cardinal Tagle be the next president of international Caritas?

Vatican City, May 5, 2015 / 06:02 pm (CNA).- Two sources who work in Vatican charities told CNA on Tuesday that Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila will likely be elected next week as head of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of worldwide Catholic charities.

Caritas is due to elect a new president and a secretary general during its 20th general assembly, being held May 12-17 in Rome. The assembly is to include a Mass with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica on its opening day.

Pope to Lutherans: In Christian unity, don't be afraid of the tough issues

Vatican City, May 5, 2015 / 02:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians in pursuit of unity should not be afraid to broach potential areas of disagreement such as marriage, family, and sexuality, Pope Francis said in a meeting with the head of Sweden's Lutheran church.

“All Catholic faithful” are invited “to take up, recognize the signs of the times, the way of unity for overcoming divisions among Christians,” the pontiff said during the private audience with Lutheran archbishop Uppsala Antje Jackelen.

Pope Francis: A Bishop of Rome with a heart for Argentina

Vatican City, May 5, 2015 / 12:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Vicar of Christ to the entire world, yet still a son of his homeland: Pope Francis continues to be attentive to Argentina, as shown by the news that the Vatican may open its fileson the country's military dictatorship, as well as the possible advancement of the cause of beatification of an Argentine entrepreneur.

Want to help families? Evangelize them, Pope says

Vatican City, May 4, 2015 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaking to the bishops from the Republic of the Congo on Monday, Pope Francis encouraged them in their ministry to families, urging the need for evangelization of peoples and cultures alongside inculturation.

Mentioning the importance of forming the laity for their apostolate in the socio-political sphere, Pope Francis said May 4 in the Vatican that “family pastoral ministry is an integral part of this accompaniment.”

How do you remain in Jesus? Do what he did, Pope says

Vatican City, May 3, 2015 / 11:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis paid a visit to a parish on the southern outskirts of Rome, where he told parishioners that in order to be a good Christian they must always be attached to Jesus, who gives life.

“To remain in Jesus, and this is the hardest of all, means to do what Jesus did. To have the same attitude as Jesus,” the Pope told parishioners at Mary Queen of Peace in Ostia Lido, in the south of the diocese of Rome, May 3.

Unity with Christ will transform your life, Pope says

Vatican City, May 3, 2015 / 06:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his Sunday Regina Coeli address Pope Francis focused on the parable of the vine and the branches, saying that it reveals the importance of uniting oneself to Jesus, who changes how we live.

“Jesus is the life, and through him – like sap in a tree – the love of the same God, of the Holy Spirit, passes to the branches,” the Pope told attendees of his May 3 Regina Coeli address.

Who's on the guest list for a Vatican concert? Rome's homeless community

Vatican City, Apr 30, 2015 / 05:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Next month the Vatican will invite Rome's poor and homeless to a concert intended to raise money for Pope Francis’ charities, which last year boasted over one and a half million in charitable giving.

“The most beautiful note, harmony, symphony of the pentagram is that of charity, because it's everywhere and always touches the chords of each heart, of whoever makes them feel it and whoever hears it,” Mons. Diego Giovanni Ravelli told journalists April 30.

Pope: Is the fear of failure causing young people to avoid marriage?

Vatican City, Apr 29, 2015 / 02:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With the number of children raised in brokenness on the rise, young people view marriage as a path to failure – so Pope Francis says it’s time for Christians to restore faith in the family.

“The most persuasive witness of the blessing of Christian marriage is the good life of Christian spouses, and the family,” the Pope said to some 60,000 people in Saint Peter's Square April 29. “There is no better way of expressing the beauty of the sacrament!”

Pope Francis donates 100,000 dollars to Nepal relief efforts

Vatican City, Apr 29, 2015 / 07:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After Saturday’s massive earthquake devastated the Southeast Asian country of Nepal, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum has offered financial assistance to the local community as a sign of solidarity.

In an April 28 communique, it was emphasized that the donation is “a first and immediate concrete expression of spiritual closeness and paternal encouragement for the people and the affected areas” on behalf of the Pope.

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