The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis has decided to move a pre-seminary at the center of an abuse and cover-up trial out of Vatican City. The Holy See press office said May 25 that the pope […]
Pope Francis at his general audience address in the library of the Apostolic Palace May 5, 2021. / Vatican Media.
Rome Newsroom, May 25, 2021 / 05:10 am (CNA).
Pope Francis said on Tuesday that he was praying for the five-year-old survivor of a … […]
Pope Francis greets people at the Paul VI Audience Hall after a screening of the documentary “Francesco”, May 24, 2021. / Vatican Media.
CNA Staff, May 25, 2021 / 04:20 am (CNA).
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A tent camp in Haiti. / arindambanarjee/Shutterstock.
Washington D.C., May 24, 2021 / 19:01 pm (CNA).
The chairs of the US bishops’ committees on migration and international justice and peace on Monday commended the Biden administration’s redesi… […]
Vatican City, May 24, 2021 / 17:43 pm Multiple sources have told CNA that Pope Francis told the Italian bishops that there will soon be a new prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, and […]
Pope Francis speaks to Italian bishops’ conference meeting in Rome on May 24, 2021. / Screenshot
Rome Newsroom, May 24, 2021 / 11:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis met with Italy’s bishops Monday as the national bishops’ conference began a general assembly to “start a synodal journey.”
The pope gave unscripted remarks as he opened the Italian bishops’ spring assembly on May 24, speaking to a conference hall full of bishops for roughly five minutes before the live video feed of his speech was abruptly cut off by Vatican Media.
Before Pope Francis began speaking, he could be heard over the microphone asking those on stage if journalists were present in the room. When the response was negative, the pope replied: “Good, so we can speak freely.”
Earlier in the day, Pope Francis visited the offices of the Vatican Dicastery of Communication and spoke live on Vatican Radio about the importance of Vatican media reaching the people.
The pope said: “There are a lot of reasons to be worried about the Radio, L’Osservatore, but one that touches my heart: How many people listen to the Radio? How many people read L’Osservatore Romano?”
“Because our work is to reach the people: that what we work on here, which is beautiful, it is great, it is laborious, reaches the people, both with translations and also with short waves.”
In the broadcast portion of Pope Francis’ unscripted remarks to the Italian bishops, the pope said that Italy’s synodal journey must “begin from the bottom up” in parish communities.
“This will require patience. It will require work. It will require us to let the people speak so that the wisdom of the people of God may emerge because a synod is not something other than making explicit what Lumen Gentium states,” the pope said.
Pope Francis also told the bishops that he was happy with the steps they had taken regarding diocesan tribunals and stressed the importance of seminary formation.
“There is a very great danger in making mistakes in formation,” he said. “We must use prudence in admitting seminarians.”
The pope returned to Vatican City after his visit to the Italian bishops’ conference meeting at the Ergife Palace Hotel and Conference Center in Rome, where he also prayed evening prayer with the assembled bishops to open their 74th General Assembly.
The theme of the assembly taking place May 24-27 is “Announce the Gospel in a time of rebirth: To start a synodal journey”.
Cardinal Bassetti, the president of the Italian bishops’ conference, told the pope at the start of the assembly that the bishops’ national “synodal path wants to walk in harmony with that of the Synod of Bishops.”
“It is also an opportunity for our churches in Italy. In fact, in every particular church, the holy and Apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and at work.”
Jerusalem, May 24, 2021 / 09:46 am The Patriarch of Jerusalem urged peace, mutual understanding, and cooperation among religious groups in his homily on Saturday, underscoring the unique character of the city of Jerusalem and […]
St. Dominic Guzman / Public Domain
Rome Newsroom, May 24, 2021 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis praised the Dominican charisms of preaching and missionary discipleship in a letter marking the 800th anniversary of the death of the order’s founder, … […]
A 16th-century painting of St. Ignatius in armor. / Public domain.
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Pope Francis delivers his Regina Coeli address at the Vatican, May 23, 2021. / Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.
CNA Staff, May 23, 2021 / 06:40 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for prayers for Christians in China on the eve of the feast of Our Lady o… […]
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