At 12 o’clock noon today, Solemnity of the Lord’s Birth, from the Central Loggia of the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father Francis, before imparting the “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing, addresses the traditional Christmas message to the faithful present in St. Peter’s Square and to those who listen to him through radio and television. This is ...read more

  Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Lk 2:7). In these plain and clear words, Luke brings us to the heart of that holy night: Mary gave birth; she gave us ...read more

In this short video, S+L’s Matteo Ciofi interviews Cindy Wooden and Joshua J. McElwee, editors of A Pope Francis Lexicon; a novel scheduled for release on February 15, 2018. The interview gives us a sneak peek of what the novel will be focusing on, and provides us with a better understanding of its different elements. ...read more

? Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For December 2017, we join the Holy Father in praying for: The Elderly – That the elderly, sustained by families and Christian communities, may apply their wisdom and experience to spreading the faith and forming the new generations. Daily Offering Prayer God, ...read more

At 17.30 this afternoon, at the Altar of the Cathedral of the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father Francis will preside at a Prayer Celebration for Peace in South Sudan and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The following is the homily pronounced by the Pope during the celebration: ...read more

The following is the text of the video message sent by the Holy Father Francis ahead of his upcoming Apostolic Trip to Bangladesh, from 30 November to 2 December 2017: ...read more

A quick read through the Old Testament may make you think that God is all for war and destruction. Just read Deuteronomy 20:10-18 and you would conclude that war is perfectly OK with God. A read through Genesis 19 about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and you could conclude that even nuclear destruction is ...read more

The following is the text of the video message sent by the Holy Father Francis ahead of his upcoming Apostolic Trip to Myanmar, from 26 to 30 November 2017: ...read more

In Rome, in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis will canonize the following: Blessed Angelo da Acri, Italian Capuchin priest (1669-1739); Blessed Faustino Miguez Gonzalez, Spanish Piarist priest, founder of the Calasanzian Institute (1831-1925); Blessed Cristobal, Blessed Antonio, Blessed Juan, Martyrs of Tlaxcala: 3 children killed for having embraced the Christian faith in Mexico, in 1527 ...read more

Pope Francis greets victims of violence outside the Vatican nunciature in Bogota, Colombia, Sept. 8. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano) Some of the most moving encounters that the Holy Father had in Colombia went mostly under-reported. Some of these took place each evening at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bogotá, where he was staying. At the gathering with ...read more