Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi address in St. Peter's Square, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 (Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA)
Vatican City, Dec 25, 2024 / 12:54 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis on Christmas Day delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi address and blessing in Vatican City, inviting all individuals and nations to “silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions.”
Delivering his Christmas Day message overlooking crowds of thousands of international pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square from the Central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope insisted that a “just and lasting peace” can only be achieved in our world if people first turn to the “Father of Mercies.”
Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi address in St. Peter’s Square, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
“Let us be reconciled with God,” he said. “Then we will be reconciled with ourselves and able to be reconciled with one another, even our enemies.”
“God’s mercy can do all things. It unties every knot. It tears down every wall of division.”
“Let’s open to him the doors of our hearts as he has opened to us the doors of his heart,” he said during his Dec. 25 message.
‘Boldness’ needed to negotiate peace in Ukraine and the Middle East
The Holy Father used the address to call on country leaders to “open the door” to dialogue and encounter, voicing his particular concern for vulnerable communities daily impacted by war, violence, and political unrest.
“May the sound of weapons be silenced in Ukraine,” the pope urged. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation, and to gestures of dialogue and encounter.”
The Holy Father also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and his spiritual closeness with Christian communities spread across Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Libya.
“May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region devastated by conflict!” he said.
Calls for end to ‘scourge of terrorism’ in Africa
The Pope also prayed for a “new season of hope” for populations in the Horn of Africa, Congo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Mozambique and Sudan.
“The humanitarian crisis that affects them is caused mainly by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change,” he said.
For Sudan, the Holy Father prayed especially that God “sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population” and for renewed negotiations towards a ceasefire between warring factions.
Respecting the rights and dignity of each person
Drawing upon the theme of “hope,” Francis prayed for political authorities in Myanmar, Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Cyprus, to bring back peace in their countries.
“May they work, especially in this jubilee year, to advance the common good and respect the dignity of each person overcoming political divisions,” he said.
“May this jubilee be an opportunity to tear down walls of separation and the ideological walls that so often mark political life,” he added.
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Pope Francis greets thousands of children and their families as he makes his way through St. Peter’s Square during the first World Children’s Day, Saturday, May 26, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Vatican City, May 26, 2024 / 13:15 pm (CNA).
After an exuberant kick-off event on Saturday for the first World Children’s Day, Pope Francis gathered together with tens of thousands of children in St. Peter’s Square for Mass on this feast of the Holy Trinity. A piercing early summer sun moved everyone — from nuns to the boys’ choir — to shade their heads with colorful hats.
Thousands gather in St. Peter’s Square in Rome on Saturday, May 26, 2024, for the first World Children’s Day with Pope Francis. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The creation of a World Children’s Day was announced by the pope on December 8, 2023, at the midday Angelus. The idea for it was suggested to the pope by a 9-year-old boy in an exchange shortly before World Youth Day in Lisbon.
Among the special guests at the Mass was Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who together with her daughter Ginevra, met the Pope briefly before the Mass.
With this first event complete, Francis announced at the end of the festivities today that the next World Children’s Day will be held in September 2026.
Among the special guests at the Mass for the first World Children’s Day was Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who together with her daughter Ginevra, met the pope briefly before the Mass on Saturday, May 26, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The One who accompanies us
The Holy Father, smiling and clearly happy to be surrounded by children, completely improvised his homily, making it a brief and memorable lesson on the Holy Trinity.
“Dear boys and girls, we are here to pray together to God,” he began. But then counting on his fingers and enumerating, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he asked, “But how many gods are there?”As the crowd answered “one,” the pope praised them and started talking of each of the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
He began with God the Father — “who created us all, who loves us so much” — asking the children how we pray to him. They quickly answered with the “Our Father.”
Pope Francis went on to speak of the second person of the Trinity, after the children called out his name — Jesus — as the one who forgives all of our sins.
When he got to the Holy Spirit, the pope admitted that envisioning this person of the Trinity is more difficult.
“Who is the Holy Spirit? Eh, it is not easy …,” he said.
“Because the Holy Spirit is God, He is within us. We receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism, we receive Him in the Sacraments. The Holy Spirit is the one who accompanies us in life.”
Using this last phrase, the Pope invited the children to repeat the idea a number of times: “He is the one accompanies us in life.”
“He is the one who tells us in our hearts the good things we need to do,” the Pope said, having the kids repeat the phrase again: “He is the one who when we do something wrong rebukes us inside.”
The pope speaks to thousands of children and many others who gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday for the first World Children’s Day on the feast of the Holy Trinity. May 26, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The pope ended the homily thanking the children and also reminding them that “we also have a mother,” asking them how we pray to her. They answered “with the Hail Mary.” The pope encouraged them to pray for parents, for grandparents, and for sick children.
“There are so many sick children beside me” he said, as he indicated the children in wheelchairs near the altar. “Always pray, and especially pray for peace, for there to be no wars.”
Applauding the grandparents
The pope frequently urges young people to seek out their grandparents, and the give-and-take of his homily gave the impression of a beloved grandpa surrounded by his grandkids. He insisted that the kids quiet down for the time of prayer.
When the Mass concluded, and after praying the midday Angelus, the pope summarized the lessons of the homily: “Dear children, Mass is over. And today, we’ve talked about God: God the Father who created the world, God the Son, who redeemed us, and God the Holy Spirit … what did we say about the Holy Spirit? I don’t remember!”
The children needed no further invitation to answer loudly that “the Holy Spirit accompanies us in life.” Joking that he couldn’t hear well, the Pope had them say it again even louder, and then prayed the Glory Be with them.
Pope Francis speaks with a group of children in St. Peter’s Square in Rome during the first World Day of Children on Saturday, May 26, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The pope also asked for a round of applause for all the grandparents, noting that at the Presentation of the Gifts, a grandfather had accompanied a group of children who brought forward the bread and wine.
Dreaming and dragons
After the closing procession, Italian actor Roberto Benigni took the stage for a lively and inspirational monologue that combined good humor and life lessons.
While Benigni is known especially to the English-speaking world for his role in Oscar-winning Life is Beautiful, in Italy he’s also known for his commentaries on important issues, combined with his exuberant humor.
“When I was a boy, I wanted to be pope,” he told the audience.
Urging the children to read — “Kids need to read everything!” — he paraphrased G.K. Chesterton who insisted that fairy tales are important: “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed,” Chesterton said.
Italian actor Roberto Benigni speaks at the World Children’s Day in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. He took the stage for a lively and inspirational monologue that combined good humor with a call for children to read and to dream. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
“Dream!” Benigni urged the children. “It’s the most beautiful thing in the world. But I want to tell you a secret. You’ll tell me you know how to dream; you’ll say you just have to close your eyes, sleep, and dream. … No, no. I’ll tell you a secret — to dream, you don’t have to close your eyes. You have to open them! You have to open your eyes, read, write, invent.”
The actor emphasized the need to be peacemakers, saying that the Sermon on the Mount contains “the only good idea” that’s ever been expressed. War is the “most stupid sin,” he lamented.
“War must end,” Benigni insisted, going on to quote a famous author of children’s literature. “You will tell me: That is a dream, it is a fairy tale. Yes, it is, but as Gianni Rodari said, ‘Fairy tales can become reality, they can become true!’”
Vatican City, May 7, 2017 / 03:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis ordained 10 men to the priesthood, telling them to imitate Jesus in every aspect of their ministry, so as to avoid hypocrisy and draw near to their people, always serving wit… […]
Vatican City, Jun 13, 2020 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis said Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic has revealed poverty that Catholics cannot ignore.
“The word of God allows for no complacency; it constantly impels us to acts of love,” Pope Francis wrote in his message for the 2020 World Day of the Poor.
“This pandemic arrived suddenly and caught us unprepared, sparking a powerful sense of bewilderment and helplessness,” the pope said. “This has made us all the more aware of the presence of the poor in our midst and their need for help.”
Pope Francis said that “time devoted to prayer can never become an alibi for neglecting our neighbor in need.”
“Prayer to God and solidarity with the poor and suffering are inseparable,” he said.
In his message published June 13, the pope wrote that “generosity that supports the weak, consoles the afflicted, relieves suffering and restores dignity to those stripped of it, is a condition for a fully human life.”
He stressed that the time given in support of the poor cannot be put second to one’s personal interests.
“The decision to care for the poor, for their many different needs, cannot be conditioned by the time available or by private interests, or by impersonal pastoral or social projects,” he said.
“The power of God’s grace cannot be restrained by the selfish tendency to put ourselves always first,” he added.
The pope recognized that the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic has left many people feeling “poorer and less self- sufficient.”
“The present experience has challenged many of our assumptions,” he said. “The loss of employment, and of opportunities to be close to our loved ones and our regular acquaintances, suddenly opened our eyes to horizons that we had long since taken for granted. Our spiritual and material resources were called into question and we found ourselves experiencing fear.”
Francis pointed to the wisdom found in the Old Testament Book of Sirach. “In page after page, we discover a precious compendium of advice on how to act in the light of a close relationship with God, creator and lover of creation, just and provident towards all his children,” he said.
Quoting Sirach chapter two, the pope said: “‘Do not be alarmed when disaster comes. Cling to him and do not leave him, so that you may be honored at the end of your days. Whatever happens to you, accept it, and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient, since gold is tested in the fire, and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation. Trust him and he will uphold you, follow a straight path and hope in him. You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not turn aside in case you fall.’”
Pope Francis said: “The Church certainly has no comprehensive solutions to propose, but by the grace of Christ she can offer her witness and her gestures of charity.”
“She likewise feels compelled to speak out on behalf of those who lack life’s basic necessities. For the Christian people, to remind everyone of the great value of the common good is a vital commitment, expressed in the effort to ensure that no one whose human dignity is violated in its basic needs will be forgotten,” he added.
The theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor comes from a line in chapter six of the Book of Sirach: “Stretch forth your hand to the poor.”
“This year’s theme – ‘Stretch forth your hand to the poor’ – is thus a summons to responsibility and commitment as men and women who are part of our one human family. It encourages us to bear the burdens of the weakest, in accord with the words of Saint Paul: ‘Through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’” he said.
Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor at the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016. It is celebrated each year on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, one week before the Feast of Christ the King. The 2020 World Day of the Poor will take place on November 15.
“Each year, on the World Day of the Poor, I reiterate this basic truth in the life of the Church, for the poor are and always will be with us to help us welcome Christ’s presence into our daily lives,” the pope said.
“The ‘end’ of all our actions can only be love. This is the ultimate goal of our journey, and nothing should distract us from it.”
Pope Francis encourages world leaders to pursue “dialogue.” Would this be in the sàme way as Pope Francis pursued dialogue with Cardinal Burke? Would it be the same dialogue he pursued with Bishop Strickland? Would it be the same dialogue he pursued with those he called backwardists? Would it be the same dialogue he pursued with those who preferred to worship God in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass?
Today is the Feast of St. Stephen. Francis would do well to remember the words of the bishop at his own diaconal ordination upon receiving the Book of the Gospels: Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.
And I feel yours Gerald, directed presumptuously towards someone asking perfectly reasonable questions towards a Pope who has demonstrated a great deal of public hatred, towards Catholics no less.
Are you unaware of the silly usages of the word???? “Dialogue” among billions of people does not exist, cannot exist, and does not mean a thing!! It is a rather juvenile euphemism to excuse the abandonment of non-compromising principles that remain absolute because their truths are divinely endowed.
A tyrannical monologue has been promoted from this pontificate that refuses to listen to objections to heresy from Catholics who are Catholic while exercising a complete absence of irony by taking refuge in proclaiming “dialogue.”
William: The left-wing, anti-Christian vacuum chamber cannot grasp that even when Trump and other soft conservatives lose sight of “right wing” Christian principles of innate truth, divinely endowed natural law, and rights as divine endowments and not political inventions, there are still Christian “right wingers” to whom they might listen, unlike “cult of inevitable progress” left-wingers who relativize truth, oblivious to such realities like sinfulness actually does have victims, as they pursue the deconstruction of moral absolutes reveling in a false compassion that only cares about avoiding guilt.
I pray that this pope starts listening and acting in accordance with what he says. Although the word “dialog” is in his vocabulary and he utters it frequently, he does not practice it, as we all know.
Instead of listening to what God has to say to us through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, he leads his flock into the weeds of synodally synodal synods on synodality, whatever that is.
Be assured the path through such briar will not lead to Christ, who is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life, and not just one of an infinite number of paths that lead to the same destination..
The flock that God has entrusted to this pope remains in grave danger, not only from this bad shepherd, but also from the wolves he has brought in to assist him in his efforts.
Pope Francis encourages world leaders to pursue “dialogue.” Would this be in the sàme way as Pope Francis pursued dialogue with Cardinal Burke? Would it be the same dialogue he pursued with Bishop Strickland? Would it be the same dialogue he pursued with those he called backwardists? Would it be the same dialogue he pursued with those who preferred to worship God in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass?
Today is the Feast of St. Stephen. Francis would do well to remember the words of the bishop at his own diaconal ordination upon receiving the Book of the Gospels: Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.
I feel your hate.
Gerald, spoken like a true leftist. Congratulations.
And I feel yours Gerald, directed presumptuously towards someone asking perfectly reasonable questions towards a Pope who has demonstrated a great deal of public hatred, towards Catholics no less.
Am I reading this right?
Is Bergoglio apologizing for making the Catholic Mass as it was said for nearly two thousand years an offense?
Dialogue is the way forward. Human beings are made for dialogue. Monologue takes us nowhere.
On the other hand, does a fireman negotiate with the fire?
Glad to see, Dr. Coehlo, that you concur that Pope Francis has been monologueing the Church of Jesus Christ into thousands of little categories.
Are you unaware of the silly usages of the word???? “Dialogue” among billions of people does not exist, cannot exist, and does not mean a thing!! It is a rather juvenile euphemism to excuse the abandonment of non-compromising principles that remain absolute because their truths are divinely endowed.
A tyrannical monologue has been promoted from this pontificate that refuses to listen to objections to heresy from Catholics who are Catholic while exercising a complete absence of irony by taking refuge in proclaiming “dialogue.”
At last, Dr. Cajetan, we agree!
Your ringing admonition of our divisive and hubristic Bergoglio absolutely rings true!
Imagine! He’s been quoted as condemning fellow Christians almost off-handedly as:
“Creed-reciting parrot Christian,” and “asker for certainty in all things,” and “pagan Christian,” and even “little monster.”
In fact there’s an entire website that lists thousands of the insults he’s issued since becoming pope, with attribution for each and every one.
Google “pope’s insults” to find it.
Peace. That’s why we voted for Trump. Bet Bergoglio loves that notion! LOL!
Pope Francis is Pope, yet the author and right wing echo chamber of comments seem to respect Trump more than the Pope. Incredible.
The author of the CNA piece? It makes no mention of or allusion to Trump.
William: The left-wing, anti-Christian vacuum chamber cannot grasp that even when Trump and other soft conservatives lose sight of “right wing” Christian principles of innate truth, divinely endowed natural law, and rights as divine endowments and not political inventions, there are still Christian “right wingers” to whom they might listen, unlike “cult of inevitable progress” left-wingers who relativize truth, oblivious to such realities like sinfulness actually does have victims, as they pursue the deconstruction of moral absolutes reveling in a false compassion that only cares about avoiding guilt.
I pray that this pope starts listening and acting in accordance with what he says. Although the word “dialog” is in his vocabulary and he utters it frequently, he does not practice it, as we all know.
Instead of listening to what God has to say to us through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, he leads his flock into the weeds of synodally synodal synods on synodality, whatever that is.
Be assured the path through such briar will not lead to Christ, who is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life, and not just one of an infinite number of paths that lead to the same destination..
The flock that God has entrusted to this pope remains in grave danger, not only from this bad shepherd, but also from the wolves he has brought in to assist him in his efforts.
Bergoglio’s Cultural Totalitarianism, evidenced in his War on Sacred Tradition, leaves no room for dialogue and peace.
Bergoglio has sown only discord during his occupation of the See of Peter; he is in no position to preach that others do as he says, not as he does!