News

Sunday of the Word of God: making the Scriptures part of our everyday lives

A press conference in the Vatican details the many aspects of the newly established ‘Sunday of the Word of God’ to be marked on 26 January. Pope Francis will celebrated Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the occasion.   By Linda Bordoni Pope Francis is inviting Catholics across the world to deepen their appreciation, love and faithful witness to God and his Word. That’s why, as...

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Pope writes Apostolic Letter on the significance of the Christmas crèche

Pope Francis has written an Apostolic Letter on the meaning and importance of the nativity scene. He signed the Letter during his visit on Sunday afternoon to the Italian town of Greccio.   By Vatican News Greccio is the mountain village where Saint Francis of Assisi created the first crib scene in 1223 to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Pope Francis returned to the town on Sunday to deliver...

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Pope: We need a free and simple outward looking Church

Pope Francis on Saturday receives those taking part in the International Meeting “Evangelii Gaudium: Reception and Perspectives. The “Church which goes forth"”. Over the last three days participants including Bishops, religious and lay people from all over the world have been gathered in the Vatican to discuss the Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation six years on from its publication.   By...

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Pope visits 100 Presepi exhibition

Pilgrims and tourists got a big surprise on Monday afternoon when Pope Francis made a visit to the 100 Presepi (Nativity Scenes) exhibition which has just got underway in the Vatican. As well as looking at the over 150 Nativity Scenes which come from Italy and more than 40 other countries, the Pope said a prayer and blessed those present. The exhibition is now in its 44th year and is hosted...

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Press Release - Third World Day of the Poor

Third World Day of the Poor The Hope of the Poor Shall Not Perish Forever 10 – 17 November 2019 Press Release       The Third World Day of the Poor instituted by Pope Francis is now approaching its third edition. Also this year various events are scheduled in order to give those who live their lives daily on the margins of society a sign of attention and inclusion. The Field...

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Concert With the Poor and for the Poor

Third World Day of the Poor Concert With the Poor and for the Poor Third Edition with the Academy Award Nicola Piovani in Paul VI HALL(Vatican City)   Maestro Nicola Piovani will direct the Orchestra Italiana del Cinema in the Third Edition of the Concert “With the Poor and for the Poor”, Saturday 9 November at 06:00 pm in the Paul VI Hall together with, as in the first two editions, Mons....

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Pope: need to be the living signs of our encounter with Jesus

Pope Francis on 21 September met some 300 participants in the International Meeting of Academic Centres and Schools of New Evangelization and spoke to them about how to make the hearts of men and women of our times burn like those of the disciples of Emmaus.   By Robin Gomes The international meeting had as its theme, "Is it possible to meet God? The paths of the New...

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30th annual Youth Festival opens in Medjugorje

Cardinal De Donatis celebrates Mass to inaugurate the 30th Youth Festival being held in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.     By Francesca Merlo Over 50,000 young people from all over the world have gathered in Medjugorje to reflect, this year, on the theme “Follow me”. The opening Mass, presided over by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar General of Rome, on August 1st, inaugurated the...

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Pope: The poor save us because they show us the face of Christ

Pope Francis’ message for the Third World Day of the Poor was released on Thursday. The day will be observed on Sunday 17th November.   By Lydia O'Kane The theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor message is “The hope of the poor shall not perish forever”, taken from the Book of Psalms. The Pope writes that these words “express a profound truth that faith impresses above all on...

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Pope names delegate to Lourdes for care of pilgrims

Pope Francis has named Bishop Antoine Hérouard, auxiliary of Lille, France, as his special delegate charged with the pastoral care of pilgrims visiting Lourdes. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the President of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, announced the appointment at the French Marian shrine on Thursday.     By Andrea Tornielli The decision is line with the one already...

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Meet the bishop behind the updated Catholic Catechism

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, baptized Salvatore, is an Italian prelate who has served as the first president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization since 2010 and president of the International Council for Catechesis since 2013. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to the former post as part of the process leading into the Synod for the New Evangelization and the post-synodal...

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Mercy Friday: the Pope visits the Emanuele Village, residence for people with Alzheimer’s

    Pope Francis, as part of the Mercy Friday pastoral initiative that began during the Jubilee of Mercy, paid a visit this afternoon to the Villaggio Emanuele, an institution for people with Alzheimer’s, accompanied by H.E. Msgr. Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization.         The Villaggio is truly organized like...

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Pope: Draw life from the saving encounter with the Lord

Pope Francis presided Friday over a penitential liturgy, opening the traditional "24 hours for the Lord" initiative of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, which takes place annually on the Friday and Saturday preceding the fourth Sunday of Lent.   Please find the full text of Pope Francis’ Homily below:          “The...

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Penitential Celebration - Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis

PENITENTIAL CELEBRATION HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS Vatican Basilica Venerdì, 29 marzo 2019 [Multimedia]       “The two of them alone remained: mercy with misery” (In Joh 33, 5). In this way Saint Augustine sums up the end of the Gospel we have just heard. Those who came to cast stones at the woman or to accuse Jesus with regard to the Law have gone away, having lost...

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“24 hours for the Lord”

On Friday, March 29, 2019, at 17:00, in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis will preside at a Penitential Celebration opening the traditional 24 Hours for the Lord, an initiative of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization which takes place annually on the Friday and Saturday preceding the Fourth Sunday of Lent.     Now into its sixth edition, the motto for this...

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The international exhibition "100 Cribs" moves to the Vatican

The traditional "100 Cribs" International Exhibition, now in its 43rd edition, is moving from Piazza del Popolo to Via della Conciliazione in Vatican this year. The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, since last August, has announced this important artistic and cultural review. This transfer was decided by Dr. Mariacarla Menaglia, director of the...

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Pope to Rectors of Shrines: Keeping popular piety alive

Pope Francis meets Rectors and Pastoral Workers of Shrines, encouraging them to make pilgrims feel “at home” and to help them enrich their popular piety.   By Seàn-Patrick Lovett A Shrine is a church, or other sacred place, which is visited by people who come as pilgrims to pray, or to seek grace and consolation. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of such locations all over the world....

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Pope to Choirs: ‘Help community sing, don't replace its voice'

Pope Francis invites choirs and singers around the world to promote the Church community’s participation and prayer during liturgical celebrations, rather than replacing its voice.   By Devin Watkins “You have awoken the Vatican!” With those joyful words, Pope Francis expressed his appreciation for the musical art shown by participants in the 3rd International Meeting of Choirs, during...

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Pope Francis’ lunch with the poor

By Linda Bordoni Pope Francis on Sunday joined about 1,500 poor people and a group of volunteers for lunch to mark the World Day of the Poor. After Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which he urged believers to heed the cry of the poor and said that “the cry of the poor daily becomes stronger but heard less, drowned out by the din of the rich few, who grow ever fewer...

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Pope at Mass: go up to God to go down to others

On the World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis reflects on the Gospel for the Dedication of the Basilica of St Peter, saying that like Jesus, Christians must go down to meet the needs of others after having gone up to meet God in prayer.   By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp “This is the road Jesus tells us to take”, Pope Francis said in his homily on Sunday, during Mass on the Second...

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Pope pays surprise visit to First Aid Station in St Peter's Square

Pope Francis surprises patients and medical assistants with an unannounced visit to St Peter’s Square’s First Aid Station ahead of the Second World Day for the poor.     By Francesca Merlo Pope Francis visited St Peter’s Square on Friday 16th of November where, upon his request, a First Aid Station has been installed. This initiative, supported by the Pontifical Council for...

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International Exhibition 100 Cribs at the Vatican

The international exhibition "100 Cribs" moves to the Vatican and will be organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.   The traditional "100 Cribs" International Exhibition, now in its 43rd edition, is moving from Piazza del Popolo to Via della Conciliazione in Vatican this year. The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New...

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Video message of Pope Francis to Catechists

  In a video message recorded before his departure to the Baltic countries, Pope Francis exhorts 1500 catechists gathered in Paul VI Hall for the Second International Congress of Catechists, that we cannot presume to impose a truth of faith without considering the call to freedom that this entails. Pope Francis in his messages to Catechists representing 48 countries of the world, emphasizes...

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The routes of martyrdom in Seoul become an official pilgrimage destination

  Seoul (AsiaNews) – The Vatican has decided that Seoul, with its history and martyrs, is an official international pilgrimage site, a first for Asia. A proclamation ceremony will be held this Friday at the Seosomun Martyrs shrine, the largest monument to the martyrs of Korea. For the occasion, the historical park of Seosomun will be open to the public in advance of the official opening,...

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Abp Fisichella reflects on 25 years of Veritatis splendor

Twenty-five years have passed since the publication of the encyclical Veritatis splendor, addressed by Pope St John Paul II to the Bishops of the Catholic Church. In an interview with Vatican News, Archbishop Rino Fisichella says he fears that those who appeal to Veritatis splendor to criticize Pope Francis are not being faithful to the tradition of the Church.     By Amedeo...

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Ab. Fisichella: ‘Death penalty against human dignity’

Following Pope Francis’ decision to revise the CCC to say the death penalty is inadmissible, Archbishop Rino Fisichella says the move clarifies a content of the faith and safeguards the dignity of the person. By Devin Watkins Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, says Pope Francis’ change to the Catechism regarding the death penalty...

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Pope tells Missionaries of Mercy their service is precious for the Church

During an audience with some 550 Missionaries of Mercy in the Vatican, Pope Francis reaffirmed them in their mission saying they provide a much needed service to the Church and warned them that the Christian path is an ardous one, "with stones upon which to stumble and banana peels on which to slip".   By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp The Missionaries of Mercy are meeting...

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Divine Mercy Sunday - God's love encounters our misery

On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church calls us to celebrate the mercy of God, to trust in the divine mercy, and to renew our commitment to showing mercy to others   By Christopher Wells Each year on the Octave Day of Easter, the Church observes Divine Mercy Sunday. The title “of Divine Mercy” to the Second Sunday of Easter in the year 2000, when Pope St John Paul...

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Meeting on the Spirituality of Mercy

“Mercy: giving and forgiving”  April 6-8, 2018   “Mercy is a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon” (Pope Francis). On the occasion of the Divine Mercy Sunday and as it happened during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Meeting aims to gather together all the different movements and groups that adhere to the...

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Pope Francis to open ‘24 Hours for the Lord’ initiative

The annual ’24 Hours for the Lord’ initiative will be kicked off on Friday with a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica presided over by Pope Francis. Pope Francis on Friday is to preside over the opening of the ‘24 Hours for the Lord’ with a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica. The annual event is organized and promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New...

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Mercy Friday: Pope visits women in semi-detention with young children

Today Pope Francis continues his Mercy Friday tradition, surprising mothers, their children, and the staff of “Casa di Leda” in Rome’s EUR district.   By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp Pope Francis continues expressing his closeness to those who find themselves living in difficult situations. Today, he visited “Casa di Leda," home to 5 mothers and their children. His visit was a complete...

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Meeting on the Spirituality of Mercy

“Mercy: forgiving and giving”   On the occasion of the Sunday of Divine Mercy, the Meeting aims to gather together all the different movements and groups that adhere to the Spirituality of Mercy and all those who want to immerse in this profound spirituality. The catechesis held by Cardinal Camillo Ruini will focus on the importance of the two “columns”...

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MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR LENT 2018

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS  FOR LENT 2018   “Because of the increase of inquity, the love of many will grow cold” (Mt 24:12)   Dear Brothers and Sisters, Once again, the Pasch of the Lord draws near! In our preparation for Easter, God in his providence offers us each year the season of Lent as a “sacramental sign of our conversion”.[1] Lent summons us, and...

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Pope Francis Meets the Missionaries of Mercy

Pope Francis wishes to invite all the Missionaries of Mercy to Rome for a few days of sharing and formation, the highpoint of which will be concelebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square and a special audience with the Holy Father. The Holy Father’s invitation is open to all those Missionaries of Mercy who have indicated their wish to continue in this service subsequent to the conclusion of the...

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Holy Mass

WORLD DAY OF THE POOR HOLY MASS HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS Vatican Basilica  33th Sunday of Ordinary Time, 19 November 2017 [Multimedia]     We have the joy of breaking the bread of God’s word, and shortly, we will have the joy of breaking and receiving the Bread of the Eucharist, food for life’s journey. All of us, none excluded, need this, for all of us...

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World Day of the Poor: A day for giving and receiving

This Sunday parishes in Rome and around the world will mark the first World Day of the Poor which is just one of the fruits of the Jubilee of Mercy. The Pontifical Council for the Promotion for the New Evangelization has been tasked with the organization of the initiative called by Pope Francis. “The Holy Father announced this initiative, occasion, this opportunity for grace during the Jubilee...

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Pope Francis makes surprise visit field hospital in St. Peter's Square

Pope Francis made a surprise visit on Thursday afternoon to a small "field hospital" set up in front of St. Peter's Square to provide medical care for Rome's poor. During the short visit, the Pope greeted volunteers and poor people waiting to receive care ahead of the first World Day of the Poor, taking place on Sunday, November 19. He was accompanied by Archbishop Rino...

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Rome and Buenos Aires prepare for Francis’s World Day of the Poor

Pope Francis hugs a faithful during an audience with the participants of homeless jubilee in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Friday, Nov. 11, 2016. (Credit: Alessandra Tarantino/AP.) As the Church prepares to celebrate the first World Day for the Poor - instituted by Pope Francis at the end of the Jubilee for Mercy - we take a look at the activities planned in the two dioceses most associated...

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Catechesis must encounter the disabled with love, archbishop says

Rome, Italy, Oct 21, 2017 / 02:01 am (CNA).- The Church must learn “how to encounter disabled people today, how to allow them to have an encounter with Christ in the silence of their own interior and in the signs that indicate his presence in brothers; how to foster their commitment to witness and to be protagonists in the community as catechists, and therefore believers who transmit the faith,...

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Vatican hosts conference on Disability and Catechesis

(Vatican Radio) A global conference will open in Rome on Friday looking at best practices to help people with disabilities fully engage in the life of the Church. The event entitled "Catechesis and Persons with Disabilities: A Necessary Engagement in the Daily Pastoral Life of the Church", is being sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New...

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Pope Francis: The dynamic word of God cannot be moth-balled

Pope Francis on Wednesday evening addressed participants attending a meeting celebrating the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. In his prepared remarks to those gathered  the Pope said that, it is in the very nature of the Church to “guard” the...

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Meeting of Consultors

The Meeting of the Consultors of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization was held on September 25-26, 2017. Following the Presidents’ opening prayer and greeting, Archbishop Octavio Ruiz Arenas, Secretary of the Dicastery, then gave the introduction to the work and served as the moderator of the meeting of the Consultors. Particular attention was given to the theme of...

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IV Plenary Meeting of Cardinal and Bishop Members

The IV Plenary Meeting of the Cardinal and Bishop Members of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization was held on September 27-29, 2017, in the Sala Bologna of the Apostolic Palace. Following the opening prayer and greeting, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the President of the Dicastery, outlined the activities held during the past two years and discussed the new...

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The Relationship between Catechesis and the New Evangelization

Archbishop Rino Fisichella spoke on the theme of the Relationship between New Evangelization and Catechesis at an event sponsored by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, which was held in Chicago on September 17, 2017. On Monday, September 18, Archbishop Rino Fisichella celebrated a Solemn Mass on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Saint Frances Cabrini. Present...

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Archbishop Rino Fisichella celebrates Mass for Ventura crew

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation in the Vatican, made a pastoral visit to the ship’s company on board P&O ship Ventura when it docked at Civitavecchia, Rome on Friday, September 8th.  The captain and senior officers welcomed the Archbishop to the ship, who then went on a tour of the ship including crew areas, and met a large...

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Defending life crucial to new evangelization - Vatican official

Sacredness of human life A Vatican official has told a major Philippine Catholic conference that promoting and defending the dignity of human life cannot be separated from the new evangelization.  Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization, said the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a...

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Pope Francis: The poor not a problem but a resource

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ Message for the first World Day of the Poor, to be observed on November 19th, was presented to journalists on Tuesday at the Holy See press office. In the message entitled, “Let us love, not with words but with deeds”, Pope Francis explains that at the conclusion of the Jubilee of Mercy, he wanted to offer the Church a World Day of the Poor, “so that throughout...

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Notice of Press Conference

Tomorrow, Tuesday 13 June 2017, at 11.00, in the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, a press conference will be held for the presentation of the Message for the first World Day of the Poor, instituted by Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Jubilee of Mercy on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (this year, 19 November 2017). The speakers will be: - His Excellency Msgr. Rino...

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New Evangelization to care for shrines

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter motu proprio on Saturday, in which he transfers general responsibility for the creation, discipline and administration of Catholic shrines and sanctuaries throughout the world, to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. The new arrangement leaves in place the special laws granting other authorities...

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Pope makes surprise visit to Pontifical Council for New Evangelization

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis made a surprise visit to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization on Tuesday, thanking them for their efforts during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Holy Father was welcomed to the Vatican dicastery by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, its President, and spoke with those present for around 15 minutes. Archbishop Fisichella later told the...

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Pope thanks all involved in organising the year of mercy

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Monday with religious and civil authorities who organised the recently concluded jubilee year of mercy. They included members of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation, headed by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, but also police chiefs and Italian officials in charge of local and regional security. Pope Francis spoke of the origin of his idea for a year of...

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Conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy - Press Conference

     With the closure of the Holy Door in Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy has concluded.  To understand the significance it has had in the life of the Church, the goals proposed for it, and its continuing effects for Christian communities, it is necessary to have its two programmatic documents in hand: the Bull of Indiction for the Holy...

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Apostolic letter "Misericordia et Misera"

FRANCIS TO ALL WHO READ THIS APOSTOLIC LETTER MERCY AND PEACE     MISERICORDIA ET MISERA is a phrase used by Saint Augustine in recounting the story of Jesus’ meeting with the woman taken in adultery (cf. Jn 8:1-11). It would be difficult to imagine a more beautiful or apt way of expressing the mystery of God’s love when it touches the sinner: “the two of them alone...

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Pope Francis visit to Pontifical Council for New Evangelization

Letter of Pope Francis

To My Venerable Brother Archbishop Rino Fisichella President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization            With the approach of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy I would like to focus on several points which I believe require attention to enable the celebration of the Holy Year to be for all believers a true...

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Pope Francis: Evangelize with a language of Merciful Love

Pope Francis on Friday received members of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization at the end of their Plenary session. During the course of their Plenary session the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization has been discussing the relationship between evangelization and catechesis and it was on that theme that Pope Francis addressed members of the...

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