Pope Francis has asked top Vatican officials to set aside the first full week of Lent for spiritual reflection, but for the fourth year in a row he has decided not to gather them and go on retreat.
"The Holy Father invites the
Officials of the Roman Curia must learn how to really listen to others, not treating a discussion as a game of "ping pong" where everything another says is met with a speedy and automatic response, Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis has appointed a woman for the first time to be the No. 2 official of the Roman Curia office that works with religious orders and their members.
Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla will be secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of
The heads of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and a section of the Dicastery for Evangelization have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at improving assistance to victims of abuse, bishops and local churches both in mission countries and
It has been 10 years since Pope Francis was elected to the See of Peter. During this time, his scorecard of accomplishments has been impressive: He has published three encyclicals and five apostolic exhortations. He has made 40 foreign trips and counting.
The Second Vatican Council was a "prophetic initiative" to compensate for the church's refusal to engage with society, said the preacher of the papal household.
In the first Lenten reflection for the Roman Curia delivered by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa March 3, the Capuchin
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the papal vicar for Vatican City State, has appointed Scalabrinian Father Luigi Sabbarese, a 60-year-old canon lawyer, to coordinate and verify the city state's safeguarding efforts.
Pope Francis established a set of guidelines in 2019 for the protection of children
Pope Francis' reform of the Roman Curia underlines the importance of bishops' conferences, particularly in fostering communion among the bishops themselves and with the pope, a bishop said.
The missionary nature and mandate of the church "is the backbone" of the apostolic constitution,
Nine years after taking office, Pope Francis promulgated his constitution reforming the Roman Curia, a project he began with his international College of Cardinals shortly after taking office in 2013.
"Praedicate Evangelium" ("Preach the Gospel"), which was published only in Italian by the
Pope Francis sent copies of a 17th-century book of spiritual meditations to members of the Roman Curia to help guide them during their Lenten retreat.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vatican announced Jan. 20 that "this year it will not be possible