In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace. I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer. All of us want peace. ...read more

Bethlehem, 25 May 2014 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). What a great grace it is to celebrate the Eucharist in the place where Jesus was born! I thank God and I thank all of you who have ...read more

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

On May 24, Pope Francis will become the 4th pope to visit the Holy Land, 50 years after the visit of Pope Paul VI in 1964. It promises to be a historic visit as our beloved Pope goes to Amman in Jordan and then to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Most of us don’t realize that there ...read more

When Pope Francis visits the Holy Land in two weeks, he will have with him representatives of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. Also taking part in the visit will be Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, though not as part of the official Vatican Delegation. Last week the patriarch announced he would accompany the pope on his ...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