Bethany beyond the Jordan, 24 May 2014(Pope Francis added personal off-script remarks. Complete text will be updated shortly) Distinguished Authorities, Your Excellencies,Dear Brothers and Sisters, As part of my pilgrimage I have greatly desired to meet with you who have had to leave your homes and your country as a result of violence and conflict. ...read more

On Saturday, May 23 Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the International Stadium in Amman, Jordan. Above is the full video of the Mass.   -Photo Credit: Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Amman International Stadium in Jordan May 24. The pope is making a three-day visit to the Holy Land, spending one day each in Jordan, the ...read more

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus promise the disciples: “I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you forever” (Jn 14:16). The first Paraclete is Jesus himself; the other is the Holy Spirit. We are not far from where the Holy Spirit descended with power on Jesus of ...read more

Pope Francis has arrived in Jordan, the first leg of his three-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He will also visit Palestine and Israel before returning to Rome on Monday evening. Following the arrival ceremony at the airport in the Jordanian capital of Amman, he made his way to the Royal Palace for the meeting ...read more

A Joint Letter on the Meeting of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Jerusalem May 21, 2014   Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, We give thanks to our Lord for the coming meeting of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew which will take place on May 25-26, in the holy city of Jerusalem. ...read more

Image: BETHLEHEM – A work of art of 14 meters long by 6 meters wide. Nothing is too big or too good to welcome the Holy Father. Created by a Palestinian artist, the figurative art piece, full of symbols, will be positioned as a backdrop behind the altar for the Papal Mass. A nativity scene ...read more

  Below is the address given by His Excellency Most Reverend Vincenzo Paglia Archbishop-Bishop Emeritus of Terni-Narni-Amelia President of the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family On the Occasion of the 2014 International Day of Families United Nations Headquarters, New York City May 15, 2014. The Family at the Heart of Human Development The ...read more

Below is the letter that Cardinal Thomas Collins wrote to Liberal MP Justin Trudeau May 14, 2014: Dear Mr. Trudeau, I am deeply concerned about your decision that citizens who, in conscience, seek to assure the protection of the most vulnerable among us are not acceptable as candidates in your party. Just last week Pope Francis ...read more

For pilgrims who set out to attend large-scale Church events such as a World Youth Day or a Papal Inauguration, there’s always the remote possibility that you won’t be able to secure a spot at the venue or you get sick and end up missing the event. For those who have traveled halfway around the ...read more

  Pope Francis met with executives from the United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes on Friday, led by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Speaking to the men and women who manage the UN’s vast network of humanitarian offices, he urged them to challenge “all forms of injustice” and resist the “economy of exclusion”, the “throwaway ...read more