Pope Francis at the Church of St. Anselm on Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2017. / Credit: L’Osservatore Romano
ACI Prensa Staff, Feb 8, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis will preside at the Mass and the traditional Ash Wednesday procession on Feb. 14 on Aventine Hill in Rome.
The Office of Liturgical Celebrations announced Feb. 6 that before the Eucharist, the Holy Father will preside at the first Lenten station at St. Anselm Church, also situated on the Aventine, at 4:30 p.m. local time.
Later, Pope Francis will participate in the penitential procession to St. Sabina Basilica, where he will celebrate Mass at 5 p.m. and bless the ashes that will be distributed to the faithful.
The Lenten stations are one of the most deeply rooted traditions for the beginning of Lent in Rome. It is an ancient custom in which the faithful stopped at different churches to meditate on the Passion of the Lord.
Every day of Lent, the Roman faithful stopped in front of one of the churches in the historic city center erected in memory of the martyrs. Subsequently, the procession took place in which the litanies were usually sung and finally Mass was celebrated.
Pope Francis will be making his personal Lenten spiritual retreat from the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 18, to Friday, Feb. 23.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 6, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).
A group of 90 Catholic priests, scholars, and authors are asking bishops and cardinals to reject a Vatican declaration that approved the pastoral, n… […]
Shortly after the publication of Fiducia Supplicans, a friend asked me how she could reconcile the content of this statement with her conscience. As she is certainly not alone with this question, I have decided […]
Pope Francis delivers his Sunday Angelus address at St. Peter’s on Feb. 4, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Feb 4, 2024 / 09:22 am (CNA).
Pope Francis reminded the faithful during the Sunday Angelus that Jesus’ example of being “on the move,” in his preaching and in performing miracles, is a reminder that God is never distant, but “always close to us.”
Reflecting on today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1:29-39, the pope observed in his exegesis that Jesus, “after teaching in the synagogue, comes out so that the Word he preached can reach, touch and heal people.”
While acknowledging that the idea of a God that “is distant, cold, indifferent to our fate” is prevalent, the pope underscored that today’s reading dispels this notion, revealing to us instead that Jesus shows “to us that God is not a detached master who speaks to us from on high.”
“On the contrary, he is a Father filled with love who makes himself close to us, who visits our homes, who wants to save and liberate, heal from every ill of the body and spirit,” the pope said to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Feb. 4.
Summarizing God’s attitude in three key words, “closeness, compassion, and tenderness,” the Holy Father reiterated that God is made known to us and comes “close to accompany us, tenderly, and to forgive us.”
The pope then called upon the faithful to undertake an interior reflection by asking the following questions: “Does faith instill in us the restlessness of journeying or is it an intimist consolation, that calms us? Do we pray just to feel at peace, or does the Word we listen to and preach make us go out, like Jesus, towards others, to spread God’s consolation?”
Though acknowledging that this literal and metaphorical walking of Jesus “challenges us,” it is our “spiritual task” to answer these questions, which, in turn, will lead us to “convert every day to the God Jesus presents to us in the Gospel, the Father of love and compassion.”
“When we discover the true face of the Father, our faith matures, we no longer remain ‘sacristy Christians, or ‘parlor Christians,’ but rather we feel called to become bearers of God’s hope and healing,” the pope added.
Following the recitation of the papal blessing, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to all those in China, Southeast Asia, and around the world who are celebrating the Lunar New Year, observing that “this celebration be an opportunity to experience relationships of affection and gestures of attention, which contribute to creating a supportive and fraternal society, where every person is recognized and welcomed in their inalienable dignity.”
The Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, is a celebration of the new year according to the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The holiday commences on the new moon that falls between the end of January and early February and concludes on the subsequent full moon. This year the celebration runs from Feb. 10 to Feb. 15 and ushers in the year of the Dragon.
On Friday, Feb. 2 Pope Francis received a Delegation of the Italy-China National Federation in the Apostolic Palace, where the pontiff was greeted by a folkloric dance by the Chinese Martial Arts Academy of Vercelli.
The pope congratulated the group for their work in spearheading “a number of initiatives aimed at fostering dialogue between Italy and China, and seeking to respond to the challenges posed by cultural integration, education and the promotion of shared social values.”
Pope Francis speaks at a Mass on the World Day of Consecrated Life, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, on Feb. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Feb 2, 2024 / 13:55 pm (CNA).
On the 28th World Day of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of cultivating “an intense spiritual life” that is nourished by Eucharistic adoration, intercessory prayer, and silence.
Pope Francis presided over Mass on Feb. 2 for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, a feast that coincides each year with a day of prayer established by John Paul II for men and women with consecrated vocations in the Church.
“Ours is a world that often runs at great speed, that exalts ‘everything and now,’” Francis said.
“In such a context, where silence is banished and lost, waiting is not easy, for it requires … the courage to slow our pace, to not be overwhelmed by activities, to make room within ourselves for God’s action.”
Pope Francis greets a woman religious at a Mass on the World Day of Consecrated Life, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, on Feb. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
The pope underlined that modern society has “lost the ability to wait,” which he said poses a problem because “waiting for God” is an important part of the journey of faith.
“It is necessary then to recover the lost grace: to return, through an intense interior life, to the spirit of joyful humility, of silent gratitude,” he said.
“This is nourished by adoration, by the work of the knees and the heart, by concrete prayer that struggles and intercedes, capable of reawakening a longing for God, that initial love, that amazement of the first day, that taste of waiting.”
Francis reflected on the importance of cultivating an interior life on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which is also called Candlemas. On this day, many Christians bring candles to church to be blessed. They can then light these candles at home during prayer or difficult times as a symbol of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.
The Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica began in candlelight with priests, bishops, and cardinals carrying lit candles in procession through the darkened church. Men and women present in the congregation also held small candles.
Pope Francis celebrates Mass on the World Day of Consecrated Life, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, on Feb. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Addressing consecrated men and women, Pope Francis warned against “turning even religious and Christian life into having ‘many things to do’ and neglecting the daily search for the Lord.”
“Let us be careful, then, that the spirit of the world does not enter our religious communities, ecclesial life, and our individual journey, otherwise we will not bear fruit,” Pope Francis said.
Brazilian Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, was the celebrant of the Mass at the basilica’s main altar.
More than 300 consecrated men and women from over 60 countries met in Rome this week for a conference organized by the dicastery to coordinate their preparations for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee.
“The Christian life and apostolic mission need the experience of waiting. Matured in prayer and daily fidelity, waiting frees us from the myth of efficiency, from the obsession with performance and, above all, from the pretense of pigeonholing God, because he always comes in unpredictable ways, at times that we do not choose and in ways that we do not expect,” Pope Francis told men and women religious.
“Every day the Lord visits us, speaks to us, reveals himself in unexpected ways and, at the end of life and time, he will come,” he said.
Rome Newsroom, Feb 1, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis has centered his Lenten message for 2024 on the Book of Exodus, choosing “Through the Desert God Leads Us to Freedom” as its main theme to encoura… […]
A priest administers anointing of the sick. / Credit: Kristina Ismulyani/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Feb 1, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of February is for the terminally ill. “When some people talk about… […]
Pope Francis at the Church of St. Anselm on Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2017. / Credit: L’Osservatore Romano
