Category: +PopeFrancis

The Weekly Francis – 08 April 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 29 March 2020 to 8 April 2020.

Angelus

General Audiences

Homilies

Messages

Papal Tweets

  • “These days of pain and sadness are bringing many hidden problems in society to the surface. We ask St Teresa of Calcutta to reawaken in us the sense of nearness to so many persons who are hidden in normal life, such as the homeless. #PrayTogether” @Pontifex 2 April 2020
  • “May our Christian existence be like that of our father Abraham: aware of having been chosen, joyful in moving toward a promise, and faithful in fulfilling the covenant. #HomilySantaMarta Santa Marta Mass” @Pontifex 2 April 2020
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for the difficulties that families are encountering in these days with children with #autism, and all persons with disabilities” @Pontifex 2 April 2020
  • “Video” @Pontifex 2 April 2020
  • “There are some who are already thinking about after the epidemic, and all the problems that will arise regarding poverty, work, hunger. Let us #PrayTogether for all the people who are helping today, but who are also thinking about how to help all of us tomorrow.” @Pontifex 3 April 2020
  • “It would be good to stop a moment this Friday to think about the sorrow of Mary,the Sorrowful Mother,and to say ”thank you for accepting to be our Mother“.In the motherhood of Our Lady we see the Church’s maternity which welcomes everyone.#HomilySantaMarta Santa Marta Mass – YouTube” @Pontifex 3 April 2020
  • “Today I would like to thank all new mothers who confront understandable fears. Thank you, as well, to those who affectionately and competently support them. The children born during this time of the #coronavirus are a sign of great hope.” @Pontifex 3 April 2020
  • “Dear friends, good evening! This evening I have the chance to enter your homes in a different way than usual. If you allow me, I would like to have a conversation with you for a few moments Santa Marta Mass – YouTube” @Pontifex 3 April 2020
  • “In these painful times, people think of doing many good things. But others think of how they can take advantage of the situation to profit personally from it. Let us #PrayTogether that the Lord might grant an upright, transparent conscience to all of us.” @Pontifex 4 April 2020
  • “We should adopt the habit of examining the process of temptation in ourselves, which changes our hearts from good to bad: How did the process begin in my soul? How did it grow?… May the Holy Spirit enlighten us to have this interior awareness. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 4 April 2020
  • “By ourselves, we cannot remove the dust that sullies our hearts. Only Jesus, who knows and loves our heart, can heal it. #Lent is a time of healing” @Pontifex 4 April 2020
  • “#PrayTogether Palm Sunday Video Image” @Pontifex 4 April 2020
  • “This astonishes us: God saved us by taking upon himself all the punishment of our sins. Without complaining, but with the humility, patience and obedience of a servant, and purely out of love. #PalmSunday” @Pontifex 5 April 2020
  • “The Father upheld Jesus in his service. He did not take away the evil that crushed him, but rather strengthened him in his suffering so that our evil could be overcome by good, by a love that loves to the very end. #PalmSunday Homily” @Pontifex 5 April 2020
  • “Jesus experienced total abandonment in a situation he had never before experienced in order to be one with us in everything. He did it for me, for you, to say to us: “Do not be afraid, you are not alone. I experienced all your desolation in order to be ever close to you”.” @Pontifex 5 April 2020
  • “God saved us by serving us. We often think we are the ones who serve God. No, he is the one who freely chose to serve us, for he loved us first. It is difficult to love and not be loved in return. And it is even more difficult to serve if we do not let ourselves be served by God.” @Pontifex 5 April 2020
  • “Dear young people, feel called yourselves to put your lives on the line. Do not be afraid to devote your life to God and to others; it pays!For life is a gift we receive only when we give ourselves away, and our deepest joy comes from saying yes to love, without ifs and buts #WYD” @Pontifex 5 April 2020
  • “In those prisons that are overcrowded, there is the danger that this pandemic will end up as a grave tragedy. Let us #PrayTogether for those responsible, for those who must make decisions, so that they might find a correct and creative way to resolve this problem.” @Pontifex 6 April 2020
  • “We will be judged on our relationship with the poor. When Jesus says, ”The poor you will always have with you“, he is saying, ”I will always be with you in the poor; I will be present there“. This is at the center of the Gospel, so much so that we will be judged on it.” @Pontifex 6 April 2020
  • “The tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. For life is measured by love.” @Pontifex 6 April 2020
  • “In these days of #Lent, we’ve been witnessing the persecution that Jesus underwent and how He was judged ferociously, even though He was innocent. Let us #PrayTogether today for all those persons who suffer due to an unjust sentence because of someone had it in for them.” @Pontifex 7 April 2020
  • “There are always times in life when we fall, each one of us is a sinner. But what matters is our attitude before God. We ask for the grace to persevere in service and, when we fall, the grace to weep as Peter wept. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 7 April 2020
  • “In these holy days let us stand before the Crucified One and let us ask for the grace to live in order to serve. May we reach out to those who are suffering and those most in need. May we not be concerned about what we lack, but what good we can do for others.” @Pontifex 7 April 2020
  • “Let us pray today for the people doing business with those in need during this pandemic, who seek to profit from the needs of others and ”sell“ them. May the Lord touch and convert their hearts. #PrayTogether” @Pontifex 8 April 2020
  • “Let’s think of the little Judas that we all have within ourselves. Every one of us is capable of choosing between loyalty and self-interest. We are each capable of betraying, of selling, of making choices based on our own interests. Where are you, Judas? #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 8 April 2020
  • “From the open heart of the Crucified one, God’s love reaches each one of us. Let us allow His gaze to rest on us. We will understand that we are not alone, but loved, for the Lord does not abandon us and He never, ever forgets us. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 8 April 2020

Papal Instagram

Pope Francis, the Coronavirus, and Nature

Put a sock in it, Rick Moran.

Rick Moran is PJ Media’s Chicago editor, and he recently opened a column titled Pope Says Virus Is Nature’s Response to the Climate Crisis by telling Pope Francis to “put a sock in it,” writing:

Oh, put a sock in it, Francis.

Pope Francis is certainly not letting a planetary crisis go to waste. He is trying to piggyback the religion of climate change on the back of the coronavirus pandemic.

He then quoted an MSNNews story which made the claim that:

Pope Francis has said the coronavirus pandemic is one of “nature’s responses” to humans ignoring the current ecological crisis.

As it source, MSNNews cited an interview by Austen Ivereigh published in Commonweal and The Tablet on Wednesday, April 8th.

Setting aside the crass way in which Moran addresses a major world religious leader, as a PJ Media editor, he ought to know better.

He ought to be familiar with the way our hyper-partisan, clickbait-driven press—including MSN—regularly manipulates quotations to achieve whatever effect they’re after at the moment.

In short, he ought to know better than to take MSN at its word and check the original interview to see what was actually said.

I did. And guess what? Pope Francis didn’t say that the virus is nature’s response to the climate crisis.

Read the interview for yourself. Here it is.

As evidence of the pope linking the coronavirus to climate change, Moran cited the following passage from the interview:

“We did not respond to the partial catastrophes. Who now speaks of the fires in Australia, or remembers that 18 months ago a boat could cross the North Pole because the glaciers had all melted? Who speaks now of the floods?” the Pope said.

“I don’t know if these are the revenge of nature, but they are certainly nature’s responses,” he added.

Notice anything about that? It doesn’t mention the coronavirus.

That means—Mr. Moran—that we need to look at the context to see what he was being asked. So, here’s the quotation from the original interview with the relevant context:

I [the interviewer] was curious to know if the pope saw the [coronavirus] crisis and the economic devastation it is wreaking as a chance for an ecological conversion, for reassessing priorities and lifestyles. I asked him concretely whether it was possible that we might see in the future an economy that—to use his words—was more “human” and less “liquid.”

Pope Francis: There is an expression in Spanish: “God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but nature never forgives.” We did not respond to the partial catastrophes. Who now speaks of the fires in Australia, or remembers that eighteen months ago a boat could cross the North Pole because the glaciers had all melted? Who speaks now of the floods? I don’t know if these are the revenge of nature, but they are certainly nature’s responses.

Got that? The pope was asked whether the current pandemic and its economic fallout presents the world with “a chance for an ecological conversion, for reassessing priorities and lifestyles.”

He’s not being asked “Is the coronavirus a product of climate change?” He’s being asked whether this situation gives us an opportunity to rethink our lifestyles and the impact they have on the climate.

It is in that context that the pope starts talking about how similar climate-related situations haven’t prompted such a re-examination. In other words, don’t hold your breath that this one will prompt such a thing, though of course he ends by being hopeful and saying:

What we are living now is a place of metanoia (conversion), and we have the chance to begin. So let’s not let it slip from us, and let’s move ahead.

This is not the first time Francis has been accused of saying that the virus may be connected with climate change. However, on that occasion—at least in the English-language press—we were also presented with partial quotations that didn’t mention the coronavirus. So the same lesson applies: Don’t go jumping to conclusions until you’ve checked the original source (which is in Spanish and behind a paywall).

In his article, Mr. Moran picks on Pope Francis’s reference to a boat sailing to the North Pole, but there certainly were accounts of this in the popular press, as a few moments on Google will reveal.

I don’t know what the truth of the matter was, but in light of these reports, I’m inclined to cut the pope some slack.

Yet perhaps Mr. Moran would fault Francis for not investigating the press accounts carefully to see whether this actually happened.

If so, Moran ought to heed that very advice: Check out the facts before you start spouting off.

If you want to make criticisms, fine, but do so on the basis of the facts.

In other words, until you’ve looked up the original source and read it in context, put a sock in it, Mr. Moran.

The Weekly Francis – 01 April 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 25 March 2020 to 1 April 2020.

General Audiences

Messages

Papal Tweets

  • “If you find it hard to pray, don’t give up. Be still; make space for God to come in; let Him look at you, and He will fill you with His peace. #Lent” @Pontifex 26 March 2020
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for the many people who are concerned for others – families that don’t have enough to eat, elderly people who are alone, the sick in hospital – and who pray and seek to help them. We thank the Lord for stirring these sentiments in the hearts of the faithful.” @Pontifex 27 March 2020
  • “Let us ask the Lord for the grace to fight against the evil spirit, to dialogue when we need to dialogue but, in the face of the spirit of fury, to have the courage to remain silent. #HomilySantaMarta Santa Marta Mass Vudei” @Pontifex 27 March 2020
  • “Statio Orbis #PrayTogether Image” @Pontifex 27 March 2020
  • “From this colonnade that embraces Rome and the whole world, may God’s blessing come down upon you as a consoling embrace. Image” @Pontifex 27 March 2020
  • “But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:5). And we, together with Peter, “cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us” (cf. 1 Pet 5:7). Homily” @Pontifex 27 March 2020
  • “In these days we are beginning to see other consequences of the pandemic. One is hunger. We’re beginning to see the aftermath. Let us #PrayTogether for the families who find themselves in need and are already facing hunger due to the pandemic. Santa Marta Mass – YouTube” @Pontifex 28 March 2020
  • “The people of God have a sense of knowing where the Spirit is, of knowing the paths of salvation. The people of God follow Jesus. They can’t explain why, but they follow Him. And they never tire. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 28 March 2020
  • “It is not the time of your judgement, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others. [Video]” @Pontifex 28 March 2020
  • “During #Lent I invite you to halt in contemplation before the crucified Lord and repeat: “Jesus, you love me, transform me…”. Image” @Pontifex 28 March 2020
  • “I am thinking of the many people who are weeping. We, too, accompany them from our hearts. It wouldn’t do us any harm to weep a bit as our Lord wept for all of His people. #PrayTogether Santa Marta Mass – YouTube” @Pontifex 29 March 2020
  • “Profoundly moved and troubled, He weeps (Jn 11:35). We ask the Lord for the grace of weeping today before all the people who are suffering the consequences of this pandemic. May today be for everyone like a Sunday of tears. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 29 March 2020
  • “We are one human family. Let us bring all hostilities to a halt. May our joint fight against the #COVID–19 pandemic bring everyone to recognize the great need to reinforce brotherly and sisterly bonds. #globalceasefire @antonioguterres @UN” @Pontifex 29 March 2020
  • “#PrayTogether for the many people who are not succeeding in coping and remain in fear because of this pandemic. May the Lord help them to have the strength to cope for the good the entire community. Santa Marta Mass – YouTube” @Pontifex 30 March 2020
  • “The Lord does justice for the innocent woman, forgives the sinner, condemns the corrupt ones, helps the hypocrites convert themselves. Each of us has our own story, our own sins. Let us look at the Lord who does justice, but who is also extremely merciful. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 30 March 2020
  • “When we stand before the crucified Jesus, we see the depth of His love, which restores our dignity and sustains us. #Lent” @Pontifex 30 March 2020
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for those who are homeless. In this moment when everyone is supposed to be at home, may society help them and may the Church welcome them. Santa Marta Mass – YouTube” @Pontifex 31 March 2020
  • “Jesus took our sins upon Himself to the point of making Himself sin. It’s not easy to understand this; we will never fully comprehend it. We can only contemplate, pray, and give thanks. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 31 March 2020
  • “The Lord frees and heals the heart, if we call on Him with humility and trust. #Lent” @Pontifex 31 March 2020
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for all who work in the media, who work to communicate, to inform us, so that people are not so isolated, and to educate children. We pray for all those who are helping us bear this time of isolation.” @Pontifex 1 April 2020
  • ““If you remain in my Word, you will indeed be my disciples” (Jn 8:31). The disciple is someone who is free because he or she remains in the Lord. To remain in the Lord means allowing oneself to be guided by the Holy Spirit. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 1 April 2020
  • “What does it mean to have a “pure” heart? A purified heart is the result of a process that implies a liberation and a renunciation. The pure of heart is not born thus, it has lived an interior simplification, learning to renounce evil in itself. #Beatitudes #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 1 April 2020

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 25 March 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 4 February 2020 to 25 March 2020.

Angelus

Daily Homilies (fervorinos)

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “On this Feast of #StJoseph let us ask the Lord for the grace to live in the concreteness of everyday life and also in the ‘concreteness’ of the mystery. Entering into the mystery is not about dreaming; entering into the mystery means to adore. Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.19” @Pontifex 19 March 2020
  • “Dear Brothers and Sisters, this evening let us join together spiritually in the prayer of the Holy Rosary. May Mary, Health of the sick, and St Joseph, man of faith, intercede for us! #PrayTogether” @Pontifex 19 March 2020
  • “#PrayTogether, entrusting ourselves to the intercession of St. Joseph, who knew precariousness and bitterness. Though he worried about the future, he knew how to walk through the darkness of certain moments, always letting himself be guided by God’s will without reservation. Image” @Pontifex 19 March 2020
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for doctors, hospital staff, and volunteers who are giving their own lives to save others. And for civil leaders, for those who have to make decisions at this time. All these people are the pillars defending us in this crisis.” @Pontifex 20 March 2020
  • “The God of tenderness will heal us of all life’s wounds and of all the bad things we have done. Returning to God means returning to an embrace, the embrace of the Father. #HomilySantaMarta Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.20” @Pontifex 20 March 2020
  • “The fire of God’s love consumes the ashes of our sin. The embrace of the Father renews us from inside and purifies our heart. #Lent” @Pontifex 20 March 2020
  • “Today we remember the families who cannot leave their homes: may they know how to find a way of communicating well, and conquer the anguish of this moment together. Let us #PrayTogether for peace in families today during this crisis, and for creativity.” @Pontifex 21 March 2020
  • “The Lord forgives all our sins, but He needs me to show them to Him. The #GospelOfToday teaches us how to pray, how to draw near to the Lord: humbly, with our ”souls exposed“, without make-up, or dressing ourselves up with our own virtue. #HomilySantaMarta Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.21” @Pontifex 21 March 2020
  • “#Lent invites us to reflect on the meaning of life, sure in the knowledge that only in and with Christ will we find the answer to the mystery of suffering and death. We were not created for death, but for life in abundance: eternal life.” @Pontifex 21 March 2020
  • “Let us pray for the many people who are dying alone, without being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Let us pray also for the families who cannot accompany their loved ones on that journey. #PrayTogether Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.22” @Pontifex 22 March 2020
  • “In Jesus’ presence, the true sentiments of the heart come forth. Let us read the #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 9:1–41) to understand what happens when Jesus passes by. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 22 March 2020
  • “The #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 9:1–41) teaches us that sin is like a dark veil covering our face and keeping us from seeing ourselves and the world clearly. The Lord’s forgiveness removes this cloak of darkness and gives us new light.” @Pontifex 22 March 2020
  • “We want to respond to the virus pandemic with the universality of prayer, compassion and tenderness. Let us stay united. I invite all Christians to direct their voices together toward Heaven, reciting the Our Father on Wednesday, 25 March, at noon. #PrayTogether” @Pontifex 22 March 2020
  • “Let us pray today for those persons who are beginning to experience economic problems due to the pandemic, because they cannot work. All of this affects the family. #PrayTogether Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.23” @Pontifex 23 March 2020
  • “The first requirement for prayer is faith, the second is perseverance, and the third is courage. In these days when we need to pray more, let us ask ourselves if we pray like this. The Lord never deludes! He makes us wait, but He never deludes. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 23 March 2020
  • “Today Jesus speaks those same words to you: “Take heart, I am here with you, allow me to enter and your life will change!” #Lent” @Pontifex 23 March 2020
  • “In these days a number of doctors and priests have died. Many nurses were infected because they were serving the sick. I thank God for the example of heroism they give us in caring for the sick. Let us #PrayTogether for them and their families.” @Pontifex 24 March 2020
  • “The #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 5:1–16) tells of a paralytic ailing from pessimism, sadness, tepidity: a poisonous fog surrounding the soul that doesn’t allow it to live. Then there is the symbol of our new life: the water that Jesus used to regenerate us in Baptism. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 24 March 2020
  • “Let us stay united. I invite all Christians to direct their voices together toward Heaven, reciting the Our Father tomorrow, 25 March, at noon. #PrayTogether #PrayForTheWorld [Video]” @Pontifex 24 March 2020
  • “#PrayTogether Image” @Pontifex 25 March 2020
  • “With her ”yes“ given to the Angel, the Virgin welcomed the Word made flesh and accepted to become the mother of the Son of God. So, in Mary, the encounter between God and man becomes reality. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 25 March 2020
  • “In the context of the pandemic that threatens human life and the global economy, today we reiterate the teaching of #EvangeliumVitae to transmit the culture of life to future generations: an attitude of solidarity, care, and welcome. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 25 March 2020

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 18 March 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 8 March 2020 to 18 March 2020.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Prayers

Papal Tweets

  • “We are called to rediscover what truly matters, what we really need, what helps us to live well and, at the same time, to identify what is secondary and that which we can easily do without. #GeneralAudience #Beatitudes” @Pontifex 11 March 2020
  • “We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Prayer Image” @Pontifex 11 March 2020
  • “We ask the Lord today for the grace of not falling into indifference, the grace that all the information we have about human suffering might penetrate our hearts and move us to do something for others. #HomilySantaMarta Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.12 – YouTube” @Pontifex 12 March 2020
  • “I would like to pray today for pastors who need to accompany the people of God during this crisis. May the Lord grant them the strength and the ability to choose the best ways to help. Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.13 – YouTube” @Pontifex 12 March 2020
  • “Today let us ask the Lord for the grace to not forget the gratuitous nature of revelation. God manifests Himself as a gift, He made a gift of Himself for us, and we must give it, helping others see it as a gift, not as our possession. #SantaMarta” @Pontifex 13 March 2020
  • “#Prayer is an expression of our need to respond to God’s love, which always precedes and sustains us. Christians pray in the knowledge that, although unworthy, we are still loved.” @Pontifex 13 March 2020
  • “We pray today for families who need to manage a difficult situation, especially those families with a disabled person among them. Let us pray they do not lose their peace in this moment and that they succeed in moving forward with strength and joy. Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.14 – YouTube” @Pontifex 14 March 2020
  • “Through the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:1–32) the Lord helps us understand the problem: living at home but not feeling at home, because there’s no paternal or fraternal relationship. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 14 March 2020
  • “Even before we set out to seek Him, we know that the Lord is seeking us and comes to meet and call us. We set out joyfully, for we know He is waiting for us! #Lent” @Pontifex 14 March 2020
  • “#PrayTogether today for those who are working to guarantee public services: those working in pharmacies, supermarkets, transportation, police officers, and for all those working to allow social and civil life to go ahead.” @Pontifex 15 March 2020
  • “The #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 4:5–42) tells us about Jesus’ encounter with a woman, with a sinner who had the courage to tell Him the truth. May the Lord grant us the grace of praying always in truth. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 15 March 2020
  • “Let us ask for the grace to cultivate a desire for Christ, source of living water, the only one who can satisfy the thirst for life and love which we bear in our hearts. #Angelus” @Pontifex 15 March 2020
  • “May the Lord help families discover new expressions of love in this situation. It’s a beautiful opportunity to creatively rediscover affection in the family. #PrayTogether that relationships within the family might flourish always for the good. Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.16 – YouTube” @Pontifex 16 March 2020
  • “God always acts through the simple things: the simplicity of everyday work, the simplicity of prayer. But the worldly spirit moves us toward vanity, toward appearances that end in violence. #HomilySantaMarta Pope Francis at Mass: May families find new ways of showing love – Vatican News” @Pontifex 16 March 2020
  • ““Repent”, in other words, “Change your life” (Mt 4:17), for a new way of living has begun. The time when you lived for yourself is over; now is the time for living with and for God, with and for others, with and for love. #Lent” @Pontifex 16 March 2020
  • “#PrayTogether for the elderly who are suffering in a particular way at this moment from great interior solitude, many times with a lot of fear. They gave us wisdom, life, our story… May we be near them with our prayer. Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.17 – YouTube” @Pontifex 17 March 2020
  • “The parable Jesus tells us (Mt 18:23–35) is very clear: asking forgiveness means forgiving. Both go together and cannot be separated. Forgiving is a condition for going to heaven. #HomilySantaMarta Pope at Mass prays for the elderly – Vatican News” @Pontifex 17 March 2020
  • “Let us allow ourselves to be loved by God, so that we can give love in return. Let us allow ourselves to stand up and walk towards Easter. #Lent” @Pontifex 17 March 2020
  • “Our God is near and asks us to be near to one another. Perhaps right now we cannot draw near physically to others for fear of contagion, but we can reawaken in ourselves a habit of drawing near to others through prayer and mutual help. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 18 March 2020
  • “#PrayTogether for the deceased, those who have died because of the virus. Let us pray especially for healthcare providers who have given their life in service of the sick. Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.18 – YouTube” @Pontifex 18 March 2020
  • “God’s mercy is our liberation and our happiness. We need to forgive, because we ourselves need to be forgiven. #GeneralAudience #Beatitudes” @Pontifex 18 March 2020

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 11 March 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 11 February 2020 to 11 March 2020.

Angelus

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “I wish to express again my closeness to those who are ill with the #coronavirus and to healthcare workers who are caring for them, as well as to civil authorities and all those involved in assisting patients and in containing the spread of the virus.” @Pontifex 6 March 2020
  • “#Lent is the perfect time to allow ourselves to contemplate the pain of those who suffer without anyone to help them. It is the time to turn compassion into concrete acts of solidarity and care.” @Pontifex 6 March 2020
  • “I wish to express again my closeness to those who are ill with the #coronavirus and to healthcare workers who are caring for them, as well as to civil authorities and all those involved in assisting patients and in containing the spread of the virus.” @Pontifex 6 March 2020
  • “In this favorable time of #Lent, may we listen to the voice of the Lord. The more we are fully engaged with His Word, the more we will experience the mercy He freely gives us.” @Pontifex 7 March 2020
  • “The wondrous event of the Transfiguration, recounted in the #GospelOfTheDay (Mt 17:1–9), opens us to a fuller understanding of the mystery of Christ, who must suffer, die and then rise again.” @Pontifex 8 March 2020
  • “It is specifically women who welcome life within them. Women demonstrate that living does not consist in continually producing things, but in embracing things as they are. #InternationalWomensDay” @Pontifex 8 March 2020
  • “To follow the Santa Marta Mass live Vatican Media Live – YouTube” @Pontifex 9 March 2020
  • “When we recall that we have sinned and have a sense of shame, this touches God’s heart, and He responds with mercy. Today let us ask for the grace of a sense of shame. #HomilySantaMarta Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta 2020.03.09 – YouTube” @Pontifex 9 March 2020
  • “Our Lenten prayer can take any number of different forms, but what truly matters in God’s eyes is that it penetrates deep within us and chips away at our hardness of heart, in order to convert us to Him. #Lent” @Pontifex 9 March 2020
  • “Let us pray together. During these days you can follow the Mass from Santa Marta live every morning at 7am (Rome time): Vatican Media Live – YouTube” @Pontifex 9 March 2020
  • “Today the Lord calls all of us sinners to dialogue with Him: ”Don’t be afraid.“ ”Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow“ (Is 1:18). #HomilySantaMarta Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta – YouTube” @Pontifex 10 March 2020
  • “The Lord tells us not only to carry out works of charity, to pray, and to fast, but also to do these without pretense, duplicity, and hypocrisy. #Lent” @Pontifex 10 March 2020
  • “Vanity – the spirit of the world – is the path the devil offers to drive us from the Cross of Christ. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to discern the Lord’s path, which is the Cross, from the world’s path, which is vanity. Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta- YouTube” @Pontifex 11 March 2020

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 04 March 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 23 February 2020 to 1 March 2020.

Angelus

General Audiences

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “We pray, fast, and perform the works of mercy in this time of grace, so that the Lord might find our hearts ready and fill them with the victory of His love. #Lent” @Pontifex 27 February 2020
  • “#Lent is great time to make space for the Word of God. It is time to turn off the TV and open the Bible. It is a time to pull ourselves away from cell phones and connect ourselves to the Gospel.” @Pontifex 28 February 2020
  • “Dignity of the person, justice, subsidiarity and solidarity: this it the contribution of the Church’s social teaching in our common pursuit of “algor-ethics”. The Call that has been signed today is an important step in this direction. #renAIssance http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2020/february/documents/papa-francesco_20200228_accademia-perlavita.html” @Pontifex 28 February 2020
  • “#RareDiseaseDay offers us the opportunity to together care for our brothers and sisters who are ill, to integrate research, medical care, and social assistance so that they might enjoy equal opportunities and lead a full life.” @Pontifex 29 February 2020
  • “May we allow ourselves to be reconciled, in order to live as beloved children, as forgiven and healed sinners, as wayfarers with him at our side. #Lent” @Pontifex 29 February 2020
  • “The #GospelOfTheDay (Mt 4:1–11) shows how Jesus responds to the tempter who tries three times to ensnare Him. May His experience also help us to be vigilant in the face of temptation and not to surrender to any idol of this world. #Lent” @Pontifex 1 March 2020
  • “I ask you to remember me in your prayers and also the members of the Roman Curia, who this evening begin a week of Spiritual Exercises.” @Pontifex 1 March 2020

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The Weekly Francis – 26 February 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 7 October 2019 to 26 February 2020.

Daily Homilies (fervorinos)

General Audiences

Homilies

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “The option for the poor and the abandoned motivates us to liberate them from material poverty and to defend their rights, but also to invite them to friendship with the Lord, who loves them and has given them immense dignity. #SocialJusticeDay” @Pontifex 20 February 2020
  • “To follow Jesus we must take three steps: draw close to Him to know Him better, confess – with the strength of the Holy Spirit – that He is the Son of God, and accept the path of humility and humiliation that He chose for the redemption of humanity. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 20 February 2020
  • “We received life not to bury it, but to put it into play; not to keep it, but to give it. Whoever is with Jesus knows that the secret to possessing life is to give it.” @Pontifex 21 February 2020
  • “On the feast of the #ChairOfSaintPeter, we give thanks to God for the mission entrusted to the apostle Peter and his successors: to gather His people from among the nations and guide them in charity and truth along the path of salvation.” @Pontifex 22 February 2020
  • “This is the work the Lord entrusts for the Mediterranean: to restore broken relationships, to rebuild cities destroyed by violence, to make a garden flourish, to instill hope in who has lost it and to encourage those caught up in themselves not to fear their brothers or sisters.” @Pontifex 23 February 2020
  • “If we want to be disciples of Christ, this is the way: loved by God, we are called to love; forgiven, to forgive; saved freely, to seek no profit from the good we do. #Bari2020” @Pontifex 23 February 2020
  • “Let us pray to the Lord that he may move hearts and that all may overcome the logic of confrontation, hatred and revenge in order to rediscover themselves as brothers, children of one Father. #Bari2020” @Pontifex 23 February 2020
  • ““We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20) http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/papa-francesco_20191007_messaggio-quaresima2020.html” @Pontifex 24 February 2020
  • “I wish you may all learn to look at life from above, from the perspective of heaven, to see things with God’s eyes, through the prism of the Gospel.” @Pontifex 24 February 2020
  • “Worldliness is the enemy of God. There is only one path against the spirit of the world: humility. Serving others, choosing the last place, not climbing the ladder. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 25 February 2020
  • “This year the Lord grants us, once again, a favourable time to prepare to celebrate with renewed hearts the great mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the cornerstone of Christian life. #Lent http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/papa-francesco_20191007_messaggio-quaresima2020.html” @Pontifex 26 February 2020
  • “Fasting means knowing how to renounce vanities that pass away and superfluous things, to get to what is essential. It means seeking the beauty of a simpler life. #Lent #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 26 February 2020
  • “We begin the #Lenten Season by receiving #ashes. We are dust in the universe. Yet we are dust loved by God. http://vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2020/documents/papa-francesco_20200226_omelia-ceneri.html” @Pontifex 26 February 2020
  • “The #ashes we receive on our foreheads remind us that, as God’s children, we cannot spend our lives chasing after dust.” @Pontifex 26 February 2020
  • “#Ashes remind us of the direction of our existence: a passage from dust to life. We are dust, earth, clay, but if we allow ourselves to be shaped by the hands of God, we become something wonderous. http://vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2020/documents/papa-francesco_20200226_omelia-ceneri.html” @Pontifex 26 February 2020
  • “#Lent is a time of grace, a time for recognizing that our lowly #ashes are loved by God and for letting God gaze upon us with love, and in this way change our lives. We were put in this world to go from ashes to life.” @Pontifex 26 February 2020

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The Weekly Francis – 19 February 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 4 February 2020 to 19 February 2020.

Angelus

General Audiences

Letters

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Often we forget the Lord and deal with other gods: money, vanity, pride. Let us ask for the grace to understand when our heart begins to slide into worldliness. God’s grace and love will stop us if we ask in prayer. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 13 February 2020
  • “Today it would do us good to think – as an act of gratitude to God – about those who accompany us on our journey through life: family members, friends, colleagues… The Lord wants us to be together as a people. Thank you, Lord, for never leaving us alone! #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 14 February 2020
  • “Our prayer must not be limited only to our needs, to our necessities: a prayer is truly Christian if it has a universal dimension too.” @Pontifex 15 February 2020
  • “In #TodaysGospel, Jesus encourages us to move from a formal observance of the Law to a substantial observance, accepting the Law in our hearts. From the heart comes good and bad deeds.” @Pontifex 16 February 2020
  • “We alone cannot satisfy ourselves. We need to unmask our self-sufficiency, overcome our closures, go back to being small within, be simple and enthusiastic, filled with fervor for God and love for others.” @Pontifex 17 February 2020
  • “Every one of us has something that has hardened within our heart. The medicine to combat hardheartedness is memory: recalling the blessings of the Lord. This keeps our heart open and faithful. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 18 February 2020
  • ““Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt 5:5). Meekness can win over hearts, save friendships, and much more, because people get angry then they calm down. They rethink the issue before retracing their steps, and relationships can be rebuilt. #Beatitudes” @Pontifex 19 February 2020
  • ““Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The “earth” to conquer is the salvation of our brother and sister. There is no earth better than someone’s heart, no land more beautiful to gain than peace renewed with a brother or sister. This is the earth to inherit.” @Pontifex 19 February 2020

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The Weekly Francis – 12 February 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 25 January 2020 to 12 February 2020.

Angelus

Apostolic Exhortation

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Video #PrayAgainstTrafficking” @Pontifex 6 February 2020
  • “Both John the Baptist, who is the greatest man born of woman, and the Son of God have chosen the path of humiliation. God shows this path to Christians so they can move forward. One cannot be humble without having suffered humiliation. #HomilySantaMarta” @Pontifex 7 February 2020
  • “Saint Bakhita, patron saint of victims of trafficking, faced the pain of slavery and witnessed the freedom and joy of encountering the Lord. Let us pray that all may live this joy and break the chains of slavery. #PrayAgainstTrafficking” @Pontifex 8 February 2020
  • “Together against trafficking. Only together can we defeat this scourge and protect the victims. Prayer is the strength that sustains our commitment. #PrayAgainstTrafficking” @Pontifex 8 February 2020
  • “In the #GospelOfTheDay (Mt 5:13–16), Jesus calls His disciples to be salt and light in the world. The person who lives and spreads the grace of Christ is salt. The person who lets the Gospel shine with good deeds is light.” @Pontifex 9 February 2020
  • “Faith grows when we invoke the Lord with confidence, bringing to Jesus who we are, with open hearts, without hiding our sufferings.” @Pontifex 10 February 2020
  • “I entrust to the Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick, all those who carry the burden of illness, along with their families and healthcare providers. I warmly assure everyone of my closeness in prayer. #WorldDayOfTheSick #OurLadyOfLourdes” @Pontifex 11 February 2020
  • “Jesus Christ offers His mercy to those who endure distress due to situations of frailty, suffering, and weakness. He invites everyone to share in His life in order to experience tender love. #WorldDayOfTheSick http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/sick/documents/papa-francesco_20200103_giornata-malato.html” @Pontifex 11 February 2020
  • ““Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Mt 5:4). Wise and blessed is the person who welcomes the pain that comes with love, because they will receive the consolation of the Holy Spirit,who is God’s tenderness who forgives and corrects.#GeneralAudience#Beatitudes” @Pontifex 12 February 2020
  • “I am addressing the present Exhortation to the whole world. I am doing so to help awaken their affection and concern for that land which is also “ours”. #QueridaAmazonia http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20200202_querida-amazonia.html” @Pontifex 12 February 2020
  • “I dream of an Amazon region that fights for the rights of the poor, the original peoples and the least of our brothers and sisters, where their voices can be heard and their dignity advanced. #QueridaAmazonia” @Pontifex 12 February 2020
  • “The Lord, who is the first to care for us, teaches us to care for our brothers and sisters and the environment which he daily gives us. This is the first ecology that that we need. #QueridaAmazonia http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20200202_querida-amazonia.html” @Pontifex 12 February 2020
  • “I dream of Christian communities capable of generous commitment, incarnate in the Amazon region, and giving the Church new faces with Amazonian features. #QueridaAmazonia” @Pontifex 12 February 2020
  • “The Amazonian peoples have a right to hear the Gospel: the proclamation of God who infinitely loves every man and woman, and has revealed this love fully in Jesus Christ, crucified for us and risen in our lives. #QueridaAmazonia” @Pontifex 12 February 2020

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