On Friday, September 8, 2017 Pope Francis began his second full day in Colombia with the Celebration of Mass in Villavicencio. The Mass was both a celebration of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and a Beatification Mass for Jesus Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Bishop of Arauca and Pedro Maria Ramirez Ramos, Diocesan priest. Below, find ...read more

Pope Francis concluded his first full day in Colombia with the celebration of Mass at Simon Bolivar Park in Bogota. Below, find the full text of his prepared homily: The Gospel writer tells us that the calling of the first disciples happened along the shore of Lake Gennesaret, where the people came together to hear ...read more

On Thursday, September 7, 2017, Pope Francis met with the Latin American Bishop’s Council (CELAM) during his first apostolic visit to Colombia. Read the full text of his prepared remarks below: Dear Brothers, I thank you for our meeting and for the warm words of welcome by the President of the Latin American Episcopal Council. ...read more

Following a short address to the youth of Colombia, Pope Francis met with all the Bishops of Colombia in the Cardinals residence. Find the full text of his address below: Peace be with you This was the greeting of the Risen Lord to his little flock after he triumphed over death. Let it be my ...read more

Pope Francis began his first visit to Colombia on Thursday morning with a visit with the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, and the Civil Authorities of Bogota. He then traveled through Bogota to the Cathedral of Bogota for a visit of the Cathedral and the Cardinal’s residence. Find the full text of his prepared ...read more

Pope Francis arrived in Colombia on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 to begin his first apostolic visit to Colombia. His first meeting in the country of Colombia was with the civil authorities in bogota. Below, find the full text of his address: Mr President, Members of the Government and of the Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished Authorities, Representatives ...read more

Pope Francis is in Colombia! Salt + Light will provide you full and live coverage (more information here) plus, you can follow along with the official Missal for his Apostolic Journey to Colombia! Download here. ...read more

“I invite all Colombians, without distinction, to joyfully welcome the visit of Pope Francis. He comes to bring us a message of peace, that peace that we are all called to build from hearts open to forgiveness, to reconciliation and solidarity.” These were the words of Cardinal Rubén Salazar, Archbishop of Bogotá, upon the announcement ...read more

What’s behind the frame? When Pope Francis is photographed during a papal trip, it’s more than just a simple snapshot. Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Journalism wanted to know what we’re actually seeing in these photographs. By looking at Pope Francis’s apostolic visit to Cuba, they found the cultural background of photojournalists ...read more

The Pontifical Swiss Guard is one of the smallest armies in the world, and one of the oldest still in operation. Its main responsibility is to protect the Pope and the Apostolic Palace. Although they have mostly held a ceremonial role in recent years, their training now includes unarmed combat and firearms. Not surprisingly, to ...read more