VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Shortly after urging people to pray the Rosary for peace and entrusting the people of Ukraine to Mary’s care, Pope Francis met briefly with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, director of external relations for the Russian Orthodox Church. The
Moscow is not working with the Vatican to end the war in Ukraine, said a Kremlin spokesperson.
Asked by reporters May 2 if the Russian government was aware of a Vatican-led plan referenced by Pope Francis to advance the peace process in Ukraine,
World Youth Day is an antidote against indifference, isolation and lethargy, Pope Francis said.
Since World Youth Days were established by St. John Paul II in 1985, "they have involved, moved, stirred and challenged generations of women and men," he said in the
Praising the piety and charity of Hungarian Christians and their commitment to supporting traditional family life, Pope Francis said Christ also calls them to open their hearts -- and perhaps their borders -- to others in need.
When it comes to the church
The Holy See has a project underway related to peace between Russia and Ukraine, but Pope Francis told reporters he could not talk about it yet." There is a mission underway that is not public yet; when it is public, I will
The life of faith is not a game, but it does require commitment and training, Pope Francis told thousands of Hungarian young people gathered in a sports arena in Budapest.
"How do we win in life?" the pope asked the young people gathered
The vestibule of the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary was decorated with children's drawings for Pope Francis -- many of them depicting him with a Ukrainian flag, praying for peace.
There also were several that showed the pope wearing his zucchetto and
Paying homage to Hungary's history, culture and location in the heart of Europe, Pope Francis pushed against the notion that the country needed to insulate itself to protect its identity.
As expected, in his first speech in Hungary -- to government and civic
After a half-hour private meeting in the library of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis gave the prime minister of Ukraine a bronze plaque featuring a bird and a flower alongside the inscription, "Peace is a fragile flower."
In return, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
At least three dozen women will be voting members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October, Pope Francis has decided. In a decision formalized April 17, "the Holy Father approved the extension of participation in the synodal assembly to