On Saturday, June 25, 2016, following the conclusion of Mass, Pope Francis attended an Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Peace in Yerevan. Below, find the full text of his address: Venerable and Dear Brother, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians, Mr President, Dear Brothers and Sisters, God’s blessing and peace be with all of you! I have greatly ...read more

On Saturday, June 25, 2016, Pope Francis continued his first Aposotlic Visit to Armenia with the celebration Holy Mass in Gyumri. Below, find the full text of his homily: “They shall build up the ancient ruins… they shall repair the ruined cities” (Is 61:4). In this place, dear brothers and sisters, we can say that ...read more

Pope Francis participated in a prayer service at the Tzitzernakaberd Memorial to the Metz Yeghern, or ‘Great Evil’, in Armenia on Saturday morning, offering an intercessory prayer and extensive silent prayer for the dead. The ecumenical prayer service, held in memory of those fallen in the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in 1915, ...read more

Pope Francis landed in Armenia this Friday for a weekend visit that includes a stop at the Armenian Genocide Memorial, his participation in a Divine Liturgy in the Armenian rite, and a visit to the Khor Virap monastery not far from the Turkish border. The first item on the papal itinerary was a visit to ...read more

On Friday, June 24, following his visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral, Pope Francis met with the President of Armenia in Yerevan. After his private meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan, the Holy Father gave the follow address to the civil authorities and the diplomatic corps. Mr President, Honourable Authorities, Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Dear ...read more

On Friday, June 24, Pope Francis arrived in Armenia for his 14th Apostolic Visit, the first one to Armenia. Below, find the official translation of Pope Francis’ speech in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral: Address of His Holiness Pope Francis Visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral Etchmiadzin, 24 June 2016 Venerable Brother, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians, Dear ...read more

By the express wish of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published a new Decree on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 3 June 2016, in which the celebration of Saint Mary Magdalene was elevated and inscribed in the General Roman Calendar with the rank ...read more

The significance of today’s announcement from the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments decrees that the liturgical memory of Mary Magdalene becomes a feast, like that of the other apostles. In the Mass and in the Divine Office to be celebrated on July 22, Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the ...read more

At 10:30 am on the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Pope Francis celebrated mass in St. Peter’s Square and presided over the rite of canonization of Blesseds Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad (1870-1957) and Stanislaus Papczyński (1631-1701). Below you will find the homily given by Pope Francis following the Gospel of the day. Also included are two brief ...read more

Reflecting on the First Chapter of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family Pope Francis’ recent Apostolic Exhortation on love in the family, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), is a treasure trove reflecting the beauty of family life. In his introductory paragraphs the Holy Father uses the image of a “multifaceted gem” ...read more