On Thursday evening, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, communicated that earlier in the afternoon, Pope Francis went to visit the Basilica of St Augustine in Campo Marzio.
Pope Francis made a surprise visit to Saint Mary Major on Wednesday, the feast of the dedication of the papal basilica.
Why is Pope Francis keeping quiet on the Hagia Sophia mosque conversion? That’s the question being asked above all by Orthodox Christians after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed a decree Friday handing control of the 6th-century basilica turned neutral museum in 1935 over to the Diyanet, the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs.
In a homily at Mass today to mark the seventh anniversary of his visit to the migrant hotspot of Lampedusa, Pope Francis deplored the conditions in Libyan migrant detention camps, warning his congregation: “You cannot imagine the hell that people are living there”.
Today the Church recalls the 7th anniversary of Pope Francis’ historic and moving visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a journey he undertook just four months after being elected Pope and where he denounced that the Mediterranean migrant tragedy was “a painful thorn in my heart”.
Pope Francis spent his afternoon on the Third Sunday of Lent seeking to underline his closeness to those who suffer by imploring the special protection of Our Lady.
Coronavirus fears have claimed the March and May running of education and economy events planned by Pope Francis, even though the pontiff himself has reportedly tested negative for the virus while still maintaining a limited agenda as he recovers from a cold.
The ‘Economy of Francesco’ event in Assisi could be the next coronavirus domino to fall as organisers and Vatican authorities study the possibility of postponing the conference planned for March 26-28.
In the face of hatred, fear, and division, Pope Francis called Sunday on the Christian communities of the Mediterranean to recognise the inherent unity of the region’s multiculturalism.
At the invitation of the Italian Episcopal Conference, various leaders of the Churches of the Mediterranean region have been meeting in Bari, Italy this past week. Pope Francis joined them on Sunday morning and offered words of encouragement and vision.
Newly-announced papal trips will denounce the dumping of toxic waste in Italy and the plight of migrants in Malta.
Pope Francis has sent a video message to participants in the Arab Media Convention for Human Fraternity, which is taking place in Abu Dhabi.