The theme for the Church’s 2017 World Day for Social Communications is: “Fear not, for I am with you” (Is 43.5). Communicating hope and trust in our time. The message is released on January 24 each year, feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists and communicators. The day is usually commemorated on ...read more

This week on Vatican Connections, the Church marks the Week of prayer for Christian Unity. In Rome, the Holy Father kicks it off with an ecumenical delegation from Finland and Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, shares with Vatican Radio what ecumenism looked like last year. The ...read more

The quest for the unity of all Christians depends above all on God’s grace. Peace, reconciliation, mutual understanding and forgiveness, communion in faith and love–are all gifts from the Father in the Son through the Holy Spirit. There is also the question of overcoming the theological controversies that divided the Churches in the first place. ...read more

This week Vatican Connections takes a look at Vatican diplomacy once again after Pope Francis delivered a traditional New Year’s address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. The Church gears up for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The Papal charities open their doors to the homeless as temperatures dropped in Rome and ...read more

Pope Francis has written a letter to young people as the Church prepares for a Synod of Bishops on the theme: “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment”. The Pope’s letter was published on Friday ahead of a press conference at the Holy See Press Office to present the preparatory document for the Synod which ...read more

Pope Francis on Monday appealed to all religious authorities to join in “reaffirming unequivocally that one can never kill in God’s name,” saying the world is “dealing with a homicidal madness which misuses God’s name in order to disseminate death, in a play for domination and power.” The full speech by Pope Francis to the ...read more

Yesterday, as our Eastern Catholic brothers and Sisters celebrated Christmas, I was reminded of one of the most meaningful messages of Christmas: Emmanuel – God with us. Since I was a little child, I’ve known this. I always knew the meaning of the name Emmanuel, because that is my middle name: Pedro Emmanuel Guevara-Mann. At ...read more

At 10:00 am this morning, Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis presided over the Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica. Below are the texts of Proclamation of Easter, celebrated this year on April 16, and the Pope’s homily after the proclamation of the Holy Gospel: The Proclamation of Easter Know, dear brethren, that as we ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For January 2017, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Christian Unity – That all Christians may be faithful to the Lord’s teaching by striving with prayer and fraternal charity to restore ecclesial communion and by collaborating to meet the challenges facing humanity.  ...read more

The letter of Pope Francis sent to the Bishops of the world on December 28, 2016, Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs Dear Brother, Today, on the feast of the Holy Innocents, as the words of the angel to the shepherds still resound in our hearts – “I bring you good news of a great ...read more