Baghdad, Iraq, Feb 8, 2021 / 05:48 pm (CNA).- As Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq becomes more likely, the Holy See Press Office released Feb. 8 the logo for the first papal trip since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
The logo represent the map of Iraq with its historic emblems: the rivers Euphrates and Tigris –which according to an Iraqi tradition, was the original place of the Garden of Eden- and the palm tree. A white dove symbolizing peace flies with an olive branch over the Iraqi and Vatican flags, intertwined as a symbol of friendship.
Over the image, the motto of the visit, “You are all brothers and sisters”, appears in Arabic, Kurdish (or Sorani), and Chaldean (or Chaldean Neo-Aramaic). Arabic is Iraq’s official language, Sorani is spoken among the northern Kurdish minority, and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is spoken by Christians in the Nineveh plains.
On Feb. 8 the Vatican announced the schedule of the pope’s trip to Iraq, which will take place March 5 to 8 and will include stops in Najaf, Baghdad, Erbil, Mosul, and Bakhdida.
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Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the lead surgeon for Pope Francis’ abdominal surgery, speaks at a press conference at Gemelli Hospital on June 7, 2023. / Andreas Thonhauser/EWTN
Rome Newsroom, Jun 7, 2023 / 13:15 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis is awake after reacting well to both surgery and general anesthetic, an Italian surgeon said Wednesday afternoon.
Pope Francis “is well, awake, alert, and already made his first joke 10 minutes ago,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri said June 7 during a brief press conference at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is recovering following abdominal surgery.
Alfieri, director of the hospital’s abdominal surgery department, is the same surgeon who removed part of Pope Francis’ colon during an operation to treat diverticulitis in July 2021.
The surgeon told journalists that from a medical point of view, there would be nothing preventing the pope from continuing with his planned travels to Portugal and Mongolia in August after his recovery.
The conditions treated by the surgery on June 7 and the prior operation of July 2021 were both benign and have been resolved, the surgeon said in response to questions.
“The pope does not have other illnesses,” he underlined.
Alfieri noted that Francis had been experiencing pain for several months due to an incisional hernia and decided June 6 to undergo the surgery to correct it.
An incisional hernia is a type of abdominal wall hernia at the site of a previous surgical incision. The surgeon said the hernia may have come about following past operations Francis underwent in Argentina, including for peritonitis, a redness or swelling of the lining of the abdomen often caused by appendicitis.
Alfieri said Francis was already cracking jokes and had asked him when the next surgery would be.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said “Pope Francis is alert and conscious and thankful for the many messages of closeness and prayer that have immediately reached him.”
Alfieri was assisted by Drs. Valerio Papa, Roberta Menghi, Antonio Tortorelli, and Giuseppe Quero. The anesthetist was Dr. Massimo Antonelli, who was assisted by Drs. Teresa Sacco, Paola Aceto, Maurizio Soave, and Giuseppina Annetta.
The head physician of the Vatican’s health and hygiene office, Dr. Luigi Carbone, was also present in the operating room.
Pope Francis left for the hospital immediately after greeting pilgrims at his Wednesday general audience June 7.
At the start of the audience, he had prayed before a relic of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
The pope was taken to Gemelli Hospital in a white Fiat 500 with tinted windows with a police escort.
The operation took place in the early afternoon and lasted three hours, the Vatican said.
Rome, Italy, Oct 7, 2021 / 15:08 pm (CNA).
In 2015, Pope Francis, like some of his predecessors, visited the ancient city of Pompeii in Southern Italy: not to visit the ruins buried by the ashes of Mount Vesuvius, … […]
Pope Francis praying in St. Peter’s Basilica on All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2, 2022. / Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Nov 2, 2022 / 06:53 am (CNA).
On All Souls’ Day, Pope Francis urged Christians not to “compromise with the Gospel” but to take Jesus’ words seriously when he says we will be judged by how we treat the poor.
“Often, out of convenience or comfort, we tend to tone down Jesus’ message, to water down his words. Let’s face it, we have gotten pretty good at compromising with the Gospel,” the pope said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 2.
“From simple disciples of the Master we become masters of complexity, who argue a lot and do little, who seek answers more in front of the computer than in front of the Crucifix, on the internet rather than in the eyes of our brothers and sisters; Christians who comment, debate, and expound theories but do not know even a poor person by name, have not visited a sick person for months, have never fed or dressed someone, have never made friends with someone in need,’” he said.
On All Souls’ Day, Nov. 3, 2022, Pope Francis urged Christians not to “compromise with the Gospel,” but to take Jesus’ words seriously when he says we will be judged by how we treat the poor. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA
Pope Francis offered Mass on All Souls’ Day for the repose of the souls of more than 150 deceased bishops and cardinals who died in the past year.
In his homily, the pope reflected on Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
All Souls’ Day Mass at the Vatican
“May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.” pic.twitter.com/BVZCChYK5w
The pope said that these words in the Gospel help prepare for death and the final judgment. He said God is “waiting for us among the poor and wounded of the world.” Pope Francis warned that there is a continual risk to “put the expectations of the world before the expectation of God” and to end up “losing sight of what matters.”
“The best careers, the greatest achievements, the most prestigious titles and awards, the accumulated wealth and earthly gains, all will vanish in an instant, everything,” he said.
The pope said that All Souls’ Day is a good occasion to ask “if our desires have anything to do with heaven.”
Pope Francis offered Mass on All Souls’ Day for the repose of the souls of more than 150 deceased bishops and cardinals who died in the past year. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA
The Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica was offered for the 9 cardinals and 148 bishops and archbishops who died between Oct. 30, 2021, and Oct. 17, 2022.
Among the deceased cardinals listed in a booklet accompanying the Mass were Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the former Vatican secretary of state; Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the former archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil, who had a significant role in the 2019 Amazon Synod; and Cardinal Antonios Naguib, the former patriarch of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Catholic Church.
Bishops who died in the past year included Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Anthony Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, Texas; Archbishop Emeritus Stanislaw Nowak of Czestochowa, Poland; Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Cheng Tsai-Fa of Taipei, Taiwan; and Bishop Emeritus Lawrence Donald Soens of Sioux City, Iowa.
Pope Francis blessing graves at the Vatican’s Teutonic Cemetery on All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2, 2022. Vatican Media
After the Mass, Pope Francis made a private visit to a cemetery inside Vatican City. The Teutonic Cemetery, located next to St. Peter’s Basilica, is the burial place of people of German, Austrian, and Swiss descent, as well as for people from other German-speaking nations, particularly members of the Archconfraternity of Our Lady.
The cemetery is built on the historic site of Nero’s Circus, where early Christians in Rome were martyred, including St. Peter.
On All Souls’ Day and throughout the month of November, the Church makes a special effort to remember, honor, and pray for the dead. There are many different cultural traditions around this period, but one of the most consistently honored is the practice of visiting cemeteries.
Last year, Pope Francis visited a military cemetery in Rome on All Souls’ Day. In 2018, Pope Francis offered Mass in a cemetery for deceased children and unborn babies called the Garden of Angels, located in the Laurentino Cemetery on the outskirts of Rome.
May people in Iraq enjoy peace, security, solidarity, and harmony.