Mr President,  Dear Friends,  I thank President Mahmoud Abbas for his kind welcome and I offer cordial greetings to the representatives of the government and the entire Palestinian people.  I thank the Lord for the opportunity to be here with you today in the birthplace of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.  I thank all of ...read more

Bethany beyond the Jordan, 24 May 2014(Pope Francis added personal off-script remarks. Complete text will be updated shortly) Distinguished Authorities, Your Excellencies,Dear Brothers and Sisters, As part of my pilgrimage I have greatly desired to meet with you who have had to leave your homes and your country as a result of violence and conflict. ...read more

On Saturday, May 23 Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the International Stadium in Amman, Jordan. Above is the full video of the Mass.   -Photo Credit: Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Amman International Stadium in Jordan May 24. The pope is making a three-day visit to the Holy Land, spending one day each in Jordan, the ...read more

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus promise the disciples: “I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you forever” (Jn 14:16). The first Paraclete is Jesus himself; the other is the Holy Spirit. We are not far from where the Holy Spirit descended with power on Jesus of ...read more

Pope Francis has arrived in Jordan, the first leg of his three-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He will also visit Palestine and Israel before returning to Rome on Monday evening. Following the arrival ceremony at the airport in the Jordanian capital of Amman, he made his way to the Royal Palace for the meeting ...read more

  Pope Francis met with executives from the United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes on Friday, led by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Speaking to the men and women who manage the UN’s vast network of humanitarian offices, he urged them to challenge “all forms of injustice” and resist the “economy of exclusion”, the “throwaway ...read more

Father Molinari, longtime promoter of saints’ causes, dies at 90 in Rome. Below is the story by Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service ROME (CNS) — Italian Jesuit Father Paolo Molinari, official promoter of sainthood causes great and small, died at the age of 90 at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome May 2. From 1957 to 2010, ...read more

On Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis declared Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II saints. In an unprecedented ceremony, approximately 800,000 people filled St. Peter’s Square, the streets around the Vatican, bridges over the Tiber and many squares in Rome. The ceremony was also attended by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Retired Pope Benedict XVI ...read more

The canonization of popes John XXIII and John Paul II together in one, historic ceremony was a moment of great joy and thanksgiving for the universal Church. But it was also an opportunity to reflect on the history of the past fifty years, namely, the Second Vatican Council and its ongoing implementation. In this extended ...read more

Here below is the full text in English of Pope Francis’ homily at the mass of Canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII: At the heart of this Sunday, which concludes the Octave of Easter and which John Paul II wished to dedicate to Divine Mercy, are the glorious wounds of the risen Jesus. ...read more