Pope Francis to ask heads of state to pardon prisoners as Christmas gesture

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa preaches at the Good Friday liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, April 15, 2022. / Screenshot from Vatican News YouTube channel.

Vatican City, Apr 15, 2022 / 10:32 am (CNA).
On Good Friday, Pope Francis celebrated the … […]

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2020 / 07:03 am (CNA).- Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Vatican City State offices and dicasteries of the Holy See will remain open and working, with additional precautions and the possibility to work from home in some cases, the Vatican said Thursday.

A March 12 statement said “it has been established that the dicasteries and entities of the Holy See and of the Vatican City State remain open to ensure essential services to the Universal Church.”

With the permission of their superior, certain employees may work remotely. Those whose work regards materials or information protected by the pontifical secret may not work from home, according to provisions distributed by the Secretariat of State, which is coordinating the Vatican’s measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to continue work was made during a special March 12 meeting of the heads of dicasteries, chaired by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The Secretariat of State’s provisions asked that offices adopt flexible hours and have employees and officials work varying shifts to avoid having many people present in the office at the same time.

“The activities of the dicasteries, of the entities of the Holy See or connected to it and of the Governorate of the Vatican City State must continue to be guaranteed,” the document states, with consideration for what are the most essential services.

The temporary provisions are in effect from March 11.

Pope Francis had a normal schedule of several one-on-one meetings in the morning March 12, including with Fr. Roberto Dotta, the abbot of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major.

He also met with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, deacon of the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

The ambassador of Japan to the Holy See, Yoshio Matthew Nakamura, also had a courtesy visit with Pope Francis March 12.

Several Vatican officials told CNA earlier this week that work inside Vatican offices continues despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Employees and officials have been asked to remain one meter away from each other at all times, to restrict visits from guests, and to not gather for meetings or around the coffee machine, one official said.

Italian police closed the border with the Vatican at St. Peter’s Square March 10. St. Peter’s Basilica was also closed to tourists.

The Italian government has put Italy on a nationwide lockdown through April 3 to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, which has caused the death of more than 800 people in the country.

The quarantine prevents movement within the country and limits other travel. People are required to stay at home except to go to work, the supermarket, or the pharmacy.

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Vatican City, Apr 27, 2020 / 06:00 am (CNA).- The homeless “risk paying the heaviest price” amid the coronavirus crisis, Pope Francis has said in a message to street newspapers.

In a statement dated April 21 but released by the Holy See press office April 27, the pope noted that the pandemic posed a dire threat to the more than 100 publications sold by the homeless worldwide.

Thousands of people depend for their livelihoods on the sale of street newspapers, he said. 

“For many weeks the street newspapers have not been sold and their sellers cannot work,” he observed. “I want to express my closeness to journalists, volunteers, people who live thanks to these projects and who in these times are working with many innovative ideas.”

The pope expressed confidence that, despite the present difficulties, “the great network of street newspapers in the world will come back stronger than before.”

“Looking at the poorest people, in these days, can help us all to become aware of what is really happening to us and of our true condition,” he said. 

“To all of you, [I offer] my message of encouragement and fraternal friendship. Thank you for the work you do, for the information you give and for the stories of hope you tell.”

This is not the first time that Pope Francis has shown his support for street newspapers. In 2015, he gave an interview to a representative of the Dutch paper Straatnieuws. 

Straatnieuws is currently appealing for donations. A message on its website says: “The corona crisis has forced us to stop the distribution of Straatnieuws. So sellers are out of newspapers, out of income. We want to support them. For that, your donation is very much needed.”

The Big Issue, a street newspaper founded in the U.K. in 1991, has launched an appeal to support vendors and to ensure that the magazine weathers the pandemic. 

StreetWise, a street magazine sold in Chicago since 1992, is seeking $300,000 to “sustain and subsidize” its vendors. 

A statement on its website says: “With declining sales, our vendors need support now so they don’t lose their hotel rooms, single room occupancies or apartments and end up on the streets or in a shelter. And because many of them are in immunosuppressed conditions they could get very sick or even die.”

The website quoted Pete Kadens, StreetWise’s chairman emeritus, as saying: “This is literally the difference between life and death for our vendors and fellow Chicagoans — I cannot stress that enough.” 

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