Pope Francis shared a free lunch with nearly 1,500 poor people invited to dine at the Vatican for the 3rd annual World Day of the Poor on Nov. 17, 2019 / / Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Vatican City, Mar 26, 2022 / 06:00 am (CNA).
When you give material he… […]
Pope Francis goes to confession during a penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica on March 25, 2022. / Vatican Media.
Vatican City, Mar 26, 2022 / 05:30 am (CNA).
Pope Francis told hundreds of priests and seminarians on Friday that when they are hearing confessions, they should strive to accompany penitents along the path to greater holiness.
“The confessor always has as his goal the universal call to holiness, and to accompany discreetly to it,” the pope said on March 25, speaking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, when a penitent Catholic discloses his or her sins to a priest or bishop, who acts in persona Christi, Latin for “in the person of Christ,” to grant God’s pardon and forgiveness.
“To accompany means to take care of the other person, walking together with him or her,” he continued. “It is not enough to indicate a goal, if you are not willing to walk even a stretch of road together.”
“However brief the confessional interview may be, from a few details you can understand the needs of the brother or sister: we are called to respond to them, accompanying them above all to the understanding and acceptance of God’s will, which is always the way of the greatest good, the way of joy and peace,” the pope stated.
Francis addressed around 800 priests and seminarians at the end of an annual course on the seal of confession and the internal forum, which is an extra-sacramental form of secrecy, or confidentiality, applied to spiritual direction.
The course, in its 32nd edition, was held in person and online. It was organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the office of the Roman Curia responsible for issues related to the sacrament of confession, indulgences, and the internal forum.
“Dear brothers, I thank the Lord with you for the ministry which you carry out, or which will soon be entrusted to you — for there are [transitional] deacons here — a ministry at the service of the sanctification of the faithful People of God,” Pope Francis said.
He reminded priests that though they are ministers of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, they should also receive the graces of the sacrament themselves.
“You go to ask forgiveness for your sins, do you not? This is very healthy. It is good for us confessors to do so,” he said.
Francis also advised priests to “inhabit” the confessional, always being ready to welcome, listen, and accompany those who come to seek God’s forgiveness. Everyone needs forgiveness, he said, “that is, to feel that they are loved as children by God the Father.”
“The words we say: ‘I absolve you of your sins’ also mean ‘you, brother, sister, are precious, you are precious to God; it is good that you are there.’ And this is a most powerful medicine for the soul, and also for the psyche of everyone,” he said.
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2022 / 16:41 pm (CNA). On March 25 Pope Francis led a celebration of the sacrament of penance and the act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in St. […]
Pope Francis reads the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in St. Peter’s Basilica, March 25, 2022. / Vatican Media.
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2022 / 12:30 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis on Friday consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immac… […]
An image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at St. Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria. / Diana Ringo via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0 at).
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2022 / 09:55 am (CNA).
11:04 a.m.
Pope Francis goes to confession, then hears confessions
After Pope Francis preached his homily, there was a moment of total silence in the basilica. Following the recitation of the Confiteor, the prayer beginning “I confess to almighty God…”, the pope walked across the basilica to the area with the confessionals. There, he made his confession while standing. He then walked over to a confessional and began to hear confessions himself.
10:54 a.m.
An act followed in Russia and Ukraine
Catholics in the Russian capital Moscow are gathering today to pray and follow the live feed of the act of consecration. They are meeting at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, a building with a turbulent history.
Ukrainian Catholics will also be praying the act of consecration, which has been shared on the website of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, based in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Andrii Yurash, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, has tweeted this:
PopeFrancis leading Mass with rank of dedication🇺🇦&🇷🇺 to ImmaculateHeart of VirginMary according to Revelation in Fatima in 1917, when She asked to consecrate🇷🇺 in intention to convert it&prevent from doing bad things. So today’s rank is another attempt🇻🇦defend🇺🇦from devil’s🇷🇺war pic.twitter.com/sO32IhB1k2
— Andrii Yurash (@AndriiYurash) March 25, 2022
10:44 a.m.
The ‘sacrament of joy’
The penitential service includes the opportunity for individual confession. Here are the confessors arriving in the basilica.
In his homily, Pope Francis spoke about confession, describing it as “the sacrament of joy.”
10:34 a.m.
The meaning of the act of consecration
The act of consecration is long and theologically rich. Here are five things to know about it.
Some commentators have raised questions about a phrase found in some non-English versions of the text. The phrase, “Earth of Heaven,” is present in the Spanish text (“tierra del Cielo”) and the Italian translation (“terra del Cielo”).
The Vatican has issued an explanation of the phrase. You can find it here.
10:24 a.m.
The statue of Mary inside St. Peter’s Basilica
Pope Francis is expected to stand before this statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he reads the act of consecration. The act is available on the Vatican website in an impressive 36 languages, including Ukrainian and Russian. The pope is expected to make the act of consecration in Italian.
10:14 a.m.
A guide to the penitential service
Here is the booklet for the penitential service and act of consecration given to members of the congregation inside St. Peter’s Basilica. You can see the contents here.
10:12 a.m.
How to watch live
If you’d like to watch the consecration live, we encourage you to tune in via EWTN.
The pope is expected to recite the act of consecration at around 6:30 p.m. local time.
When is 6:30 p.m. Rome time for you? There’s a handy cheat sheet here.
10:08 a.m.
Inside the basilica
This was the scene inside the basilica ahead of the penitential service and act of consecration.
Here are the preparations, as seen by our reporters at the basilica:
St. Peter’s Basilica is preparing for the penance service and consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate 🤍 of Mary. pic.twitter.com/HPu3roaESi
— Hannah Brockhaus (@HannahBrockhaus) March 25, 2022
The crowd in St Peter’s Basilica is waiting in eager anticipation of Pope Francis’ consecration of the world, especially Russia and Ukraine, to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. pic.twitter.com/iqcGzPsFSN
— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) March 25, 2022
09:55 a.m.
Welcome to readers
Welcome to CNA’s live coverage of the momentous global act of consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our reporters are inside St. Peter’s Basilica, where a penitential service will begin shortly, followed by the consecration.
Immaculate Heart of Mary. / Zvonimir Atletic via www.shutterstock.com.
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2022 / 09:10 am (CNA).
An official at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication has offered an explanation of the “Earth of Heaven” reference in some n… […]
Pope Francis venerates the Cross on Good Friday in St. Peter’s Basilica. / Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2022 / 08:44 am (CNA).
The Vatican’s liturgy office said on Friday that it would not be issuing COVID-19 guidelines for Holy Wee… […]
Pope Francis in front of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 2015. / Vatican Media.
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2022 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis has asked Catholics around the world to join him on Friday in consecrating… […]
Cardinal Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, celebrates Mass Nov. 1, 2020, at Rome’s Shrine of Our Lady of the Third Millennium at Tre Fontane. / null
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2022 / 04:40 am (CNA).
The Catholic Church’s consecration of … […]
An image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at St. Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria. | Pope Francis / Diana Ringo via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0 at) | Vatican Media
Denver Newsroom, Mar 24, 2022 / 15:25 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the evening of Friday, March 25, entrusting the nations to Mary’s help and protection amid the ongoing conflict there. The pope has asked everyone in the world to join him.
The consecration itself will take the form of a prayer that Pope Francis will recite during a penitential service in Rome.
Here’s the prayer. Your diocese or parish is likely organizing a gathering to pray it together.
If you want to join the pope at the beginning of the penitential service, the service will start at 5 p.m. Rome time. EWTN will broadcast the service on cable and online. CNA will also be carrying the livestream on our Facebook page.
If you want to join in praying with Pope Francis at the exact moment he is praying the prayer of consecration, that will likely happen closer to 6:30 p.m. Rome time, according to the pope.
When is 6:30 p.m. Rome time for you? Here’s a handy cheat sheet:
6:30 p.m. Rome
6:30 p.m. — West Africa Standard Time (Nigeria)
5:30 p.m. — GMT (London)
1:30 p.m. — Eastern Time (New York, Washington, Miami)
12:30 p.m. — Central Time (Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas)
11:30 a.m. — Mountain Time (Denver, Salt Lake City)
10:30 a.m. — Pacific Time (Los Angeles, Seattle)
9:30 a.m. — Alaska Daylight Time (Anchorage, Juneau)
7:30 a.m. — Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (Honolulu)
04:30 a.m. (Saturday) — Sydney, Melbourne
02:30 a.m. (Saturday) — Japan
01:30 a.m. (Saturday) — Perth; China
8:30 p.m. — Moscow
7:30 p.m. — Helsinki, Kyiv
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