Pope Francis celebrates his birthday on Dec. 17, 2023, with children and families who are assisted by the Vatican’s Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary. / Credit: Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Dec 17, 2023 / 13:50 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis celebrated his 87th birthday on Sunday morning ahead of his weekly Angelus by meeting with children and families who are assisted by the Vatican’s Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary.
Addressing the families present — who presented the Holy Father with a cake and a bouquet of sunflowers and sang “Happy Birthday” — the pope used the opportunity to speak on the importance of preparing for Christmas. “We think and remember when Jesus came; he came to be with us,” the pope said to the nearly 200 families gathered in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican.
Pope Francis celebrates his birthday on Dec. 17, 2023, with children and families who are assisted by the Vatican’s Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary. Credit: Vatican Media
Reminding the children that this is a season to “prepare our hearts for Christmas, to receive Jesus,” the pope challenged the children: “What will I ask Jesus? What will I ask Jesus this Christmas? Now each of you think: What will I ask Jesus? In silence, eyes closed, and you think: What will I ask Jesus? Have you thought about it yet? All right.”
“And I wish you a merry Christmas, a merry Christmas to all of you! Always with a smile, and may the Lord give you everything you want,” he added.
Pope Francis celebrates his birthday Dec. 17, 2023, with children and families who are assisted by the Vatican’s Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary. Credit: Vatican Media
It has been the custom of the Argentine pontiff since becoming pope in 2013 to eschew more formal celebrations on his birthday and instead spend time with Rome’s poor and underprivileged.
In 2016, for his 80th birthday, Pope Francis had breakfast with homeless people from around the Vatican at his residence of Casa Santa Marta. In 2017 he held a pizza party for sick children in the Paul VI Audience Hall. On the occasion of his 86th birthday last year, the pope presented an award to three individuals for their charitable work.
Pope Francis receives a hug on his birthday Dec. 17, 2023. The pope in the morning met with children and families who are assisted by the Vatican’s Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary. Credit: Vatican News
The Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary, which provides medical aid to poor families and mothers, was established in 1922 by Pope Pius XI and is run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. It is staffed by volunteers of the Bambino Gesù Hospital, the Vatican’s Association of Sts. Peter and Paul, and an array of lay volunteers from other Roman hospitals.
Originally tasked with providing milk to the poor children around Rome, over the years the association’s mission grew to provide medical visits to children and their mothers and distribute a wide array of medical and alimentary goods.
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Pope Francis boards the papal plane before a visit to Iraq March 5, 2021. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Apr 22, 2022 / 03:45 am (CNA).
A bishop of South Sudan said on Thursday that during this summer’s expected papal visit, Pope Francis wi… […]
Cardinals follow the ceremony during the ordinary public consistory for the creation of new cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Vatican City, Apr 28, 2025 / 11:09 am (CNA).
At the upcoming papal conclave, set to begin May 7, the College of Cardinals will include several notably young members who have traveled to Rome from across the world, from Mongolia to Australia.
Among the 135 cardinals who are eligible to vote in a conclave, 15 of them are under the age of 60.
Historically, the age of cardinals participating in papal conclaves has varied. One of the youngest was Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo di Conza, who attended the 1565–1566 conclave at the age of 25.
In more recent times, during the 2013 conclave, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was the youngest cardinal elector at 53. In the upcoming conclave, there are six cardinals the same age or younger.
Three of the youngest cardinals who will take part in the Conclave: Americo Manuel (51), from Portugal; Cardenal Mykola (45), Ukrainian Greek Catholic cardinal from Australia; and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, (50), from Mongolia. They took a selfie yesterday in St Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/8rNa3vUWwA
The five youngest cardinals lead sees in Australia, Mongolia, Portugal, and Canada as well as a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Two of them are Eastern-rite Catholics. Three were made cardinals in the last consistory before the conclave.
Here are the five youngest cardinals who will help select the next pope:
Cardinal Mykola Bychok, 45
Born on Feb. 13, 1980, in Ternopil, Ukraine, Bychok felt the call to the priesthood at the age of 15. He joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) in 1997, inspired by their missionary zeal. His service has been extensive, including roles as a missionary in Russia, parish priest, and provincial bursar in Ukraine as well as vicar of the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, New Jersey.
Bishop Mykola Bychok, CSSR, speaks to journalists ahead of being made a cardinal on Dec. 6, 2024. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate has served as eparch of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia, since 2020. Credit: EWTN News
In January 2020, Pope Francis appointed him as the eparchial bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul in Melbourne, Australia. His episcopal consecration took place on June 7, 2020. Bychok has worked to foster community among the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia and to increase youth engagement within the Church.
On Dec. 7, 2024, Pope Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals, making him the current world’s youngest cardinal.
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, 50
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, born on June 7, 1974, in Cuneo, Italy, has been a Consolata missionary in Mongolia since 2003. He was ordained a priest in 2001 and appointed apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar in 2020.
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo was one of the first to welcome Pope Francis to Mongolia on Sept. 1, 2023. Marengo is an Italian cardinal who has served as a missionary in Mongolia for nearly 20 years. He is the current apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis created him a cardinal on Aug. 27, 2022, making him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals at the time at age 48. He welcomed Pope Francis to Mongolia in 2023 as the first pope to ever visit the country. Marengo is fluent in Mongolian, Italian, and English.
Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, 51
Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, born on Dec. 12, 1973, is the bishop of Setúbal, Portugal. Before entering the priesthood, Aguiar had a brief political career, serving as a town councilor under the Socialist Party. He was ordained a priest at the age of 27 in 2001 and went on to serve in roles such as vicar general and communication director for the Diocese of Porto. He became the auxiliary bishop of Lisbon in 2019 and gained recognition for his leadership in organizing the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, which drew over 1.5 million attendees.
Pope Francis made him a cardinal in late 2023.
Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, 51
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, born on Aug. 11, 1973, in Kerala, India, is a Vatican diplomat and Syro-Malabar archbishop. His diplomatic career included assignments in various countries, including Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. In July 2020, Koovakad returned to Rome to work as an official in the Secretariat of State. He was responsible for organizing Pope Francis’ international travels from 2021 to 2024.
Indian Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad of the Syro-Malabar Church, official of the Secretariat of State and organizer of papal trips, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The pope elevated Koovakad to cardinal on Dec. 7, 2024, and appointed him as prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in January.
Cardinal Francis Leo, 53
Cardinal Francis “Frank” Leo, born on June 30, 1971, in Montreal to Italian immigrant parents, is the current archbishop of Toronto. He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Montreal in 1996. Leo holds a doctorate in systematic theology with a specialization in Mariology from the University of Dayton. He served as the general secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2015 to 2021 and was appointed archbishop of Toronto in 2023, an archdiocese with a population of about 2 million Catholics.
Pope Francis made Leo a cardinal in December 2024.
Cardinal Francis Leo of Toronto was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Paul Eckloff, a 23-year veteran of the Secret Service who served in the Presidential Protective Division during the George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, speaks with “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol on July 15, 2024. / Credit:… […]
4 Comments
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I searched everywhere for a proof of reality, when all the while I understood quite well that the standard of reality had changed.
~Algernon Blackwood
*************************
Does anyone worry that a day or so later we’ll see another photo of another pope, glowering, and pushing away the children trying to hug or touch him?
Children – they are the present and future of Planet Earth, our common home. May each child be blessed with a happy present and a bright future. 3 cheers to Pope Francis.
Obtaining a forex license in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is a strategic choice for companies seeking to enter the global foreign exchange trading market with a high level of confidence and competitiveness. SVG forex license provides a flexible regulatory environment and attractive business development opportunities. The process of obtaining a forex license at SVG includes compliance with a number of standards and requirements aimed at ensuring transparency, security and effective risk management. Regulators are committed to creating a favorable environment for companies by ensuring high standards in the financial services industry. SVG also provides companies with access to the international market and can serve as a bridge to attract clients from different regions. The SVG forex license becomes a kind of quality mark, emphasizing professionalism and adherence to high standards in the forex broker’s activities. For companies seeking a global presence in currency trading, SVG is an attractive jurisdiction for obtaining a forex license https://gofaizen-sherle.com/forex-license/svg .
I searched everywhere for a proof of reality, when all the while I understood quite well that the standard of reality had changed.
~Algernon Blackwood
*************************
Does anyone worry that a day or so later we’ll see another photo of another pope, glowering, and pushing away the children trying to hug or touch him?
Children – they are the present and future of Planet Earth, our common home. May each child be blessed with a happy present and a bright future. 3 cheers to Pope Francis.
3 cheers to Pope Francis.