At the canonization mass for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, Pope Francis spoke of the latter with these words: “In his own service to the People of God, John Paul II was the pope of the family. We are now in the process of journeying with families towards the Synod on the family. ...read more

After announcing 13 new cardinals two weeks ago, the Pope presided over the canonization mass of seven blessed on Sunday, October 16, 2016, in front of 80,000 people, who filled St. Peter’s Square for the occasion. Speaking of the new saints, during his homily, the pontiff said the saints are men and women who enter fully into the ...read more

Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Square, before a crowd of nearly 80,000 people, Pope Francis presided over Holy Mass for the canonization of seven new Saints. José Sánchez del Río (Mexico); Salomon Leclercq(France); José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (Argentina); Manuel González García (Spain); Lodovico Pavoni (Italy); Alfonso Maria Fusco (Italy) and Elizabeth of the Trinity (France). Below ...read more

Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism. Airing on Salt+Light! ...read more

At 17:30, Pope Francis traveled by car to the “Heydar Aliyev” Mosque in Baku for the private meeting with the Sheikh of Caucasus Muslims, Allahshukur Pashazadeh. Upon arrival at 17.45, the Pope was greeted at the entrance of the Mosque by the Sheikh who accompanied him into the building. At the “Mihrab” (semicircular niche in ...read more

This afternoon, the Holy Father Francis traveled by car to the Presidential Palace at Ganjlik for the official protocol ceremony of welcome. Upon arrival at 15.30, the Pope was welcomed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Heydar Aliyev at the entrance of the courtyard of the palace. After playing of the ...read more

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Sunday at the Salesian centre in Baku, the central event of his 10-hour visit to Azerbaijan. The Pope’s homily, delivered to the congregation gathered in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, centred on the Lord’s call for Christian’s to live in faith and in service. Below, please find the official ...read more

At 17:45, the Holy Father Francis traveled by car to Mtskheta for the visit to the Patriarchal Cathedral Svetitskhoveli, the spiritual center of the Orthodox Church of Georgia. Upon arrival, at 18.15, the Pope was greeted by His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia, who accompanies the shrine of St. Sidonia ...read more

Pope Francis met Catholic charity workers in the Georgian capital and encouraged them in their work, saying “the poor and the weak are the ‘flesh of Christ’ who call upon Christians of every confession, urging them to act without personal interests, following only the prompting of the Holy Spirit.” The meeting took place in the ...read more

Pope Francis’ first engagement on Saturday afternoon in the Georgian capital was a meeting with priests, religious and seminarians in Tbilisi’s Church of the Assumption. In an off-the-cuff address to the gathering, the Pope warned against what he termed “a global war to destroy marriage” in contemporary society, saying the great enemy of marriage nowadays ...read more