After the “unspeakable tragedy” of the shooting rampage that left 18 victims dead and another dozen people injured in Lewiston, Maine, Pope Francis prayed that God would give the entire United States his “blessings of strength and peace.”
Since the Gospel message touches every aspect of a person’s life, it must be proclaimed in a way people can understand, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience Oct. 25
Pope Francis will celebrate a memorial Mass Nov. 3 for Pope Benedict XVI and cardinals and bishops who have died in the past year. The Mass will take place at the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica at 11 a.m., the Vatican announced.
Speaking to thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 8 for the recitation of the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis said he is following events in Israel and Gaza “with apprehension and sorrow.”
Pope Francis released his new apostolic exhortation “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”) Oct. 4 as a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home.” The exhortation’s publication coincided with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, whose famous canticle inspired the title of “Laudato Si’.”
Hope and fraternity must be kept alive, organized and coordinated into concrete action so every crisis can be read as an opportunity and dealt with positively, Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis said the title of his new letter on the environment will be “Laudate Deum,” (Praise God), a frequent refrain in several psalms, including Psalm 148, which tells the heavens and the angels and the sun and moon to praise the Lord.
Pope Francis said he knows people wonder why he traveled close to 6,000 miles to Mongolia to visit a Catholic community of only 1,450 people.
In a land bordering both Russia and China, and having deep ties with both, Pope Francis told Mongolian leaders their country can play “a significant role in the heart of the great Asian continent and on the international scene,” particularly in peacemaking.
In a world suffering from an “epidemic of enmity,” Christians can offer healing by recognizing each person as a child of God and reaching out in friendship, said a top Vatican official, writing on behalf of Pope Francis.
