The Annunciation by Fra Angelico (public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. / null
ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).
Every March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated in the Catholic Church, but this year Ho… […]
St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. / Shutterstock|maziarz
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2024 / 11:45 am (CNA).
Pope Francis will travel by motorboat along Venice’s canals and offer Mass in St. Mark’s Square during his visit to the “floating city,” the Vatican announced Monday.
The Holy See Press Office has released the schedule for the pope’s upcoming day trip to Venice — the pope’s only scheduled trip so far in 2024.
Pope Francis will preside over a public Mass in St. Mark’s Square at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 28, as he visits the Vatican pavilion at the Venice Biennale art exhibition.
The 87-year-old pope will travel by helicopter from Vatican City to Venice in under two hours and will land on Giudecca Island, home to Venice’s women’s prison.
The pope’s first meeting will be with inmates in the prison, where he will also tour the Vatican art exhibit being displayed there and meet with the featured artists.
Pope Francis will then travel by motorboat from Giudecca Island to Venice’s Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, a place of pilgrimage in the city built in thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for saving Venice from the terrible plague of 1630.
The pope will give a speech to young people from dioceses throughout Italy’s northern Veneto region in the piazza in front of the basilica before crossing a bridge over the Grand Canal to arrive at St. Mark’s Square.
After the Mass, Pope Francis will privately venerate the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist inside the basilica. He will leave St. Mark’s Square via motorboat to arrive at a heliport on Sant’Elena Island, where he will depart by helicopter at 1 p.m. after having spent only five hours in Venice.
Pope Francis will be the first pope to visit the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition, which will be open to the public from April 20 to Nov. 24.
The Vatican has participated in the Art Biennale since 2013. The first Holy See Pavilion was commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI, who also visited Venice in 2011 and traveled across the Grand Canal in the same gondola as Pope John Paul II did in 1985.
Ultrasound of baby at 12 weeks / arhendrix/Shutterstock
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 10:30 am (CNA).
Norway’s Council of Catholic Bishops is warning that a proposal to liberalize the country’s abortion laws “represents a step away … […]
Pope Francis meets with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 09:30 am (CNA).
Pope Francis gave thanks on Monday for the many young Nigerians who have answered God’s call to the priest… […]
Pope Francis addresses approximately 7,000 children from around the world in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Nov. 6, 2023, at an event sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education dedicated to the theme “Let us learn from boys and girls.” … […]
Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist will be shown in theaters June 4, 5, and 6, 2024. / Credit: Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist
CNA Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).
A new film focusing on the transformative power of the… […]
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey held a news conference to sign school choice legislation on March 7, 2024, in Montgomery, Alabama. / Credit: Governor’s Office /Hal Yeager
CNA Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The school choice debate continues to res… […]
Mother Angelica. / Credit: Eternal Word Television Network
ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 24, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).
Mother Angelica, foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), CNA’s parent company, once offered helpful advice for Holy Wee… […]
Pope Francis at Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square on March 24, 2024. / Vatican Media
Vatican City, Mar 24, 2024 / 11:52 am (CNA).
Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the “vile terrorist attack” in Moscow at the end of his Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican.
At least 130 people died after gunmen opened fire at a musical performance in a Moscow concert hall on Friday night, according to the Associated Press.
The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack in Russia — a claim that U.S. intelligence officials have confirmed.
Speaking in St. Peter’s Square on March 24, Pope Francis prayed for the families of the victims as well as for the conversion of the perpetrators of the attack.
“May the Lord receive them in his peace and comfort their families. May he convert the hearts of those who plan, organize, and carry out these inhuman actions, which offend God, who commanded, ‘You shall not kill,’” the pope said.
After offering prayers for the victims in Moscow, Pope Francis made a long appeal for peace in Ukraine, asking people to pray in particular for those in Ukraine who do not have electricity.
“Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war,” the pope said.
“In a special way, I am thinking of martyred Ukraine, where so many people find themselves without electricity because of the intense attacks against infrastructure that, in addition to causing death and suffering, carry the risk of an even larger humanitarian catastrophe.”
Pope Francis added: “Please, do not forget the tormented Ukraine. And let us think about Gaza, which suffers so much, and so many other places of war.”
The pope gave his peace appeal at the end of Palm Sunday Mass, where he opted not to give a homily at the last minute without explanation.
Before praying the Angelus with the crowd at the end of Mass, Francis gave a brief reflection on the Gospel account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
“Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble and peaceful King. Let us open our hearts to Him. Only He can deliver us from enmity, hatred, violence, for He is the mercy and forgiveness of sins,” Pope Francis said.
The 87-year-old pope, who arrived at the Mass in a wheelchair, has a busy week ahead as he is scheduled to preside over liturgies each day of the Easter Triduum.
“And now we turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary. Let us learn from her to stay close to Jesus during the days of Holy Week, in order to arrive at the joy of the Resurrection,” Pope Francis said.
On Palm Sunday, hundreds of priests, bishops, cardinals, and lay people solemnly carried large palm branches in procession through St. Peter Square. / Vatican Media
Vatican City, Mar 24, 2024 / 09:45 am (CNA).
On Palm Sunday, hundreds of priest… […]
© Catholic World Report