Vatican

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2020 / 05:18 am (CNA).- Pope Francis’ daily morning Mass, offered in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he lives, is being livestreamed this week so people from around the world may join in prayer for those sick with coronavirus.

The livestream this week is “to allow those who wish to follow the celebrations in union of prayer with the Bishop of Rome,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

Video recordings of the pope’s 7:30 am Masses are usually made available for use by broadcasters, but not livestreamed. The livestreams can be found on the Vatican Media website and on YouTube.

At the start of Mass March 9, Pope Francis said he was offering Mass this week “for those who are sick from the coronavirus epidemic, for the doctors, nurses, volunteers who are helping them, for their families, for the elderly in nursing homes, for prisoners.”

He also asked everyone to pray together the entrance antiphon: “Redeem me, O Lord, and have mercy on me. My foot stands on level ground; I will bless the Lord in the assembly.”

Pope Francis was suffering from a cold last week, but from the video stream appears to be doing better. He carried out a normal schedule Monday, including an ad limina meeting with bishops of France.

The Vatican has taken measures to avoid large gatherings of people to help slow the spread of coronavirus in Rome, including the closing of the Vatican Museums.

As well, the pope’s weekly general audience will be conducted by video livestreamed to discourage people from gathering in St. Peter’s Square.

In his homily March 9, Pope Francis reflected on the day’s first reading, which is from the Book of Daniel.

The prophet’s letter is a “confession of sins,” the pope said. “The people recognized that they had sinned.”

They recognize that the Lord is faithful with them, “but we have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws. We have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land,” Francis read.

“This is a confession of sin,” he said, adding that Catholics should do this, an examination of conscience, when preparing to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. “Understand what we have done before God: I sinned.”

Francis warned Catholics that to acknowledge one’s sins is not just making a mental list, however.

He compared making a list of one’s sins to writing a to-do list or a shopping list, things which remain “in the head.”

“A true confession should remain in the heart,” be felt in the heart, he urged.

Recognizing the sins we have committed, that we have not prayed well, “we get this feeling of shame. I am ashamed that I did this,” he said. “Shame for our sins is a grace. We have to ask for it.”

He advised people, when they go to confession, not only to name their sins, but to acknowledge also their feelings of confusion and shame about what they “have done to a God who is so good, so compassionate, so righteous.”

“Today, let us ask for the grace of feeling ashamed, of feeling ashamed for our sins. May the Lord grant this grace to all of us,” he prayed.
 

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Rome, Italy, Mar 8, 2020 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- The Diocese of Rome has canceled all public Masses until April 3 in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement by the vicar general of the diocese, published Sunday evening, follows a decree by th… […]

Vatican City, Mar 8, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis issued a plea to the international community to halt the violence and mounting death toll in the Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year.

Speaking on Sunday during the recitation of the Angelus, the pope said that he had “great apprehension for the inhumane situation of these defenseless people, among whom so many are children whose lives are at risk.”

Since December, Russian and government forces have launched a series of sustained attacks on opposition towns and cities, bringing a new spike in the violence and accompanying humanitarian crisis.

The pope called on the faithful to “come together to express their solidarity with the Syrian people,” especially “those who live in Idlib, and in Northwest Syria.”

The northwestern city of Idlib has been the focus of sustained attacked from forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad. Fighting in the region has displaced nearly 1 million people from their homes since December last year.

Turkish-backed rebels have opposed the Syrian government’s offensive in the province, which is the country’s last rebel-held territory. A cease-fire in the province signed by the leaders of Russia and Turkey went into effect March 6.

On Sunday, Francis asked the international community to make the suffering of the Syrian people a “priority in respect to every other interest,” and insisted the world cannot “look away from this humanitarian crisis.” 

The pope led the Sunday Angelus prayer from the library of the Apostolic Palace, via video link, instead from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The decision for the pope not to appear in person was taken as Italy and Vatican City worked to respond to the spread of the coronavirus.

Despite the decision, pilgrims still gathered in the square for the prayers, including some holding signs and banners in support of the victims of violence in Syria.

On Saturday, the Vatican also announced that the pope would be saying his daily Mass in the Domus Santa Marta in private, without members of the faithful attending as guests, for at least the next week, and the Wednesday general audience would also be given via video.

The Italian government imposed a strict quarantine March 8 for northern and central regions of Italy, including Milan and Venice.

Most of the 5,883 people who have contracted Covid-19 in Italy have been in the northern regions of the country. The Italian Ministry of Health reported 76 confirmed cases in Rome’s Lazio region on the evening of March 7.

With 233 coronavirus-related deaths in Italy in two weeks — 85 of which have occurred in the past two days — Italy has had the most Covid-19 mortalities outside of China.

Italy’s museums, archaeological sites, concerts, and  movie theaters have all been closed until April 3, the Italian Minister of Tourism said March 8. All schools and universities will also remain closed throughout the country until March 15.

Pope Francis also said Sunday that he is “close in prayer to people suffering from the current coronavirus epidemic.”

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Vatican City, Mar 8, 2020 / 09:30 am (CNA).- The Vatican Museums will be closed until April 3 as a precautionary measure to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Italy.

The Holy See Press Office put out a statement March 8 announcing the closu… […]

Vatican City, Mar 8, 2020 / 07:30 am (CNA).- In a video streamed live to St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis prayed for those suffering from the “coronavirus epidemic” and encouraged Catholics to live through this trial with the strength of faith.

“I join my brother bishops in encouraging the faithful to live this difficult moment with the strength of faith, the certainty of hope and the fervor of charity,” Pope Francis said March 8.

“The season of Lent helps us all to give an evangelical sense also to this moment of trial and pain,” he added.

The pope led the Sunday Angelus prayer via video filmed in the library of the Apostolic Palace in response to ongoing concerns about the spread of coronavirus in Italy and Vatican City. Traditionally, the pope leads the Angelus from the palace balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

“Today’s Angelus prayer is a little strange with the pope ‘caged’ in the library, but I see you, I am close to you,” Pope Francis told the smaller than usual crowd in St. Peter’s Square at the beginning of the video broadcast.

“This way of praying the Angelus today is done to carry out preventive measures, so as to avoid crowds of people, which can favor the transmission of the virus,” he said.

The Italian government imposed a strict quarantine on March 8 for northern and central regions of Italy, including Milan and Venice.

Most of the 5,883 people who have contracted Covid-19 in Italy have been in the northern regions of the country. The Italian Ministry of Health reported 76 confirmed cases in Rome’s Lazio region on the evening of March 7.

With 233 coronavirus-related deaths in Italy in two weeks — 85 of which have occurred in the past two days — Italy has had the most Covid-19 mortalities outside of China.

Italy’s museums, archaeological sites, concerts, and  movie theaters have all been closed until April 3, the Italian Minister of Tourism said March 8. All schools and universities will also remain closed throughout the country until March 15.

Pope Francis said March 8 that he is “close in prayer to people suffering from the current coronavirus epidemic.”

Vatican City confirmed its first case of coronavirus on March 5, and later announced that both the pope’s Angelus address and Wednesday general audience would take place over live video.

“The love of Jesus has no measure,” Pope Francis said in the video message. “It is a free, unconditional choice, a free initiative, a divine friendship that asks for nothing in return.”

“Being witnesses of Jesus is a gift that we have not deserved: we feel inadequate, but we cannot hold back with the excuse of our inability,” the pope said.

After the Angelus, Pope Francis appeared in the window of the Apostolic Palace to give a blessing to the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.

“Jesus says to us too: ‘Stand up and do not be afraid’ … we must not forget that the baptism that we received made us witnesses,” Pope Francis said.

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Vatican City, Mar 7, 2020 / 12:30 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis will lead the Sunday Angelus prayer via video link, the Vatican has announced. The pope will also hold this week’s Wednesday general audience in the same way. The decision was taken in res… […]

South Bend, Ind., Mar 7, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Catholic clergy and laity have a shared responsibility to proclaim the Gospel, speakers at a conference sponsored by the University of Notre Dame have said.
 
“We’re all in the same boat… […]

Vatican City, Mar 7, 2020 / 05:00 am (CNA).- The next ordinary Synod of Bishops will be a synod on synodality, the Vatican announced March 7.

In October 2022, bishops from around the world will meet in Rome to discuss the theme: “For a synodal C… […]

Vatican City, Mar 6, 2020 / 10:41 am (CNA).- Rolls Royce and Italian Luxury Living are no longer offering an exclusive meeting and Mass with Pope Francis to Rolls Royce owners who donate over $100,000 to the Catholic Church.

“The offer does not exist anymore,” Ananda Gari of Italian Luxury Living told CNA by phone March 6.

Religion News Service reported March 5 that Rolls-Royce was offering its luxury car owners a chance to meet privately with Pope Francis, receive the Eucharist from the pope during a private Mass, and take an “exclusive” tour of the Vatican. The cost of the trip was reportedly $155,000, in addition to a suggested donation of 100,000 euros to the Holy See.

The RNS report said the offer was facilitated through tour operator Italian Luxury Living.

Gari said his company and Rolls-Royce decided mutually to cancel the offer to meet Pope Francis.

Gari said that he did not want to cause a “scandal,” which is why the offer was “canceled.” He declined to elaborate.

Gari also declined several times to answer questions about whether some Vatican official was to be the facilitator of the exclusive meeting, insisting only that “the offer no longer exists.”

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNA March 6 he has “heard nothing of this offer.”

Italian Luxury Living is registered as a Texas limited liability corporation. The company was registered with the Texas Secretary of State in April 2018; its registered agent is Jonathan Henley, an attorney in the 16,000-person town of Gainesville, Texas. The company’s official address is the office of Henley’s law firm.

“I set up the company a long time ago and have not heard from the guy,” Henley told CNA March 6.

“That sounds fishy to me,” Henley added, asking if the offer was “some sort of scam.”

“If there is something going on like that, I will be resigning as a registered agent.”

As of March 6, the company’s website says it has been taken down temporarily, “for maintenance.” Gari told CNA he took the site down after the publication of the RNS story, which he said could be “damaging” to hims professionally.

On the company’s LinkedIn page, Gari is listed both as Italian Luxury Living’s “Founder and Director,” and as the company’s “President and Co-Founder.”

According to British registries, Gari is also director of two UK companies: ALG Ventures, founded in October 2019, and Journey of a Lifetime Entertainment Limited, founded in November 2019.

Gari insisted to CNA that his company has never before offered an opportunity to meet the pope. He also equated the offer to other typical Italian tour offers and said “competitors have done similar things.”

JD Flynn contributed to this report.

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