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

I am grateful to Monsignor Pasotto for his kind words offered on behalf of the Latin, Armenian and Syro-Chaldean communities. I greet Patriarch Sako and the Chaldean Bishops, Monsignor Minassian and also those from neighbouring Armenia, and all of you, the beloved faithful from the various regions of Georgia. I thank the Authorities, the beloved friends of the ...read more

Among the many treasures of this magnificent country, one that stands out is the importance of women. As Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, whom we commemorate today, wrote: “they love God in much larger numbers than men do” (Autobiography, Manuscript A, VI). Here in Georgia there are a great number of grandmothers and mothers who unceasingly defend ...read more

A year has passed since Pope Francis trip to Cuba and the United States. In the 4 days spent on the island, the pontiff visited several cities: Havana, Holguin and Santiago, leaving a message of hope everywhere. The contribution the Holy Father made to the re-establishment of relations between Cuba and the United States after 50 ...read more

At the end of the afternoon the Holy Father Francis traveled by car to the Church of St. Simon Bar Sabbae Tbilisi for the meeting with the Assyrian-Chaldean community. It is the first time that a Pope visited a place of the Assyrian-Chaldean worship. Upon arrival, at 18.00, Pope Francis was welcomed by the Patriarch ...read more