Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Our meeting today is a welcome tradition that allows me, in the enduring joy of the Christmas season, to offer you my personal best wishes for the New Year just begun, and to express my closeness and affection to the peoples you represent. I thank the Dean of the Diplomatic ...read more

Pope Francis’ Homily on the Solemnity of the Epiphany at the Vatican – January 6, 2018 Three actions of the Magi guide our journey towards the Lord, who today is revealed as light and salvation for all peoples. The Magi see the star, they set out and they bring gifts. Seeing the star. This is ...read more

It’s that time of year again! The S+L team ranks the top 10 stories of interest to the Catholic Church in 2017. From the Pope’s trip to Myanmar amidst the Rhohingya refugee crisis, to the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we look back at the events and underlying issues that drew the attention of ...read more

Pope Francis at Angelus – January 1, 2018 A “horizon of peace” for migrants and refugees During his midday Angelus prayer on New Year’s Day, Pope Francis urged that refugees, migrants and everyone be ensured a future of peace, saying it is everyone’s right. Pope Francis on New Year’s Day raised his voice on behalf ...read more

Pope Francis’ homily: The Mother of God is starting point for New Year: The year opens in the name of the Mother of God. Mother of God is the most important title of Our Lady. But we might ask why we say Mother of God, and not Mother of Jesus. In the past some wanted ...read more

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