Pope Francis decided to skip the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum to protect his health, following the event from his home at the Vatican due to concerns about his frail condition. This decision was made last-minute to conserve his health for upcoming liturgical events. Francis has been battling flu, bronchitis, or a cold all winter, occasionally needing speeches read aloud and skipping his Palm Sunday homily. This choice to stay home is reminiscent of St John Paul II's last Good Friday before his passing in 2005.
Pope Francis, 87, did not participate in the Good Friday Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome to conserve his health for Easter, citing the need to prepare for the Easter vigil and Mass. He has been battling respiratory issues and recently missed events, including having parts of his lung and large intestine removed. His chair was set up at the event, but he followed the procession from his home. Despite concerns about his health, the Vatican confirmed he was in good form earlier during a liturgy at St Peter's Basilica.
Pope Francis skipped delivering his homily during the Palm Sunday Mass service at the Vatican, marking the beginning of Holy Week, due to recent health issues. Despite skipping the homily, he presided over the service, read prayers, and gave blessings. He also prayed for the people of Ukraine and condemned the Moscow concert hall shooting. The pope, who has been using a wheelchair for months, greeted cardinals individually and interacted with the crowd in St Peter's Square. This comes as part of his intense Holy Week schedule including visits to a prison and participation in Good Friday services.
Pope Francis delivered a set of orders to Rome-based priests, emphasizing the importance of avoiding clerical hypocrisy and showing mercy to the faithful. He presided over a Holy Thursday Mass, followed by washing inmates' feet in a symbol of humility. Francis warned against judging others and urged repentance for personal sins. The upcoming days include leading various Easter rituals, testing his stamina. Notably, a major papal liturgy coincided with renovations at St Peter's Basilica. The busy schedule includes events like the Way of the Cross procession, Easter Vigil, and addresses on global conflicts.
Pope Francis cancelled an audience and engagements on Saturday due to a mild flu but recovered to lead his weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday. He expressed sorrow for the ongoing war in Ukraine and called for diplomatic solutions for peace. The 87-year-old pontiff has faced recent health issues, including bronchitis, lung scan, intestinal surgery, and abdominal hernia repair. Despite speculations about his health and potential resignation, Francis has denied immediate plans to step down.
Pope Francis, aged 87, continues to face respiratory and mobility challenges, needing assistance to board his popemobile after a Vatican audience. Recent health issues include cold, bronchitis, flu, knee fracture, and inflamed ligaments, leading to wheelchair use. Despite struggles, he fulfills papal duties. In the past, he underwent surgeries including removal of part of a lung, colon, and repair of an abdominal hernia. The Pope's recent difficulties highlight his ongoing health battles, impacting his mobility and speaking ability.
Pope Francis, aged 87, was briefly hospitalized in Rome for diagnostic tests after suffering from flu symptoms, being seen at Gemelli Hospital on Tiber Island. This hospitalization follows his approval of Catholic priests offering blessings to same-sex couples. The Vatican clarified that these blessings do not signify approval of same-sex marriage. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops provided guidance to U.S. Catholics following this decision. Despite ongoing health issues, including recent respiratory illnesses, Pope Francis has indicated his readiness to step down if his health significantly deteriorates.
Pope Francis, aged 87 and facing mobility issues, washed and kissed the feet of 12 women inmates at Rebibbia prison in Rome during the Holy Thursday ritual. This act of service and humility, part of the Holy Week ceremonies, emphasizes Jesus' teachings of serving others. Francis has been including women and people of other faiths in this ritual since becoming pope in 2013. Despite recent health problems, Francis was energized during the visit, receiving gifts and regifting, and is set for a busy schedule leading up to Easter Sunday.
This is a list of pastoral visits of Pope Francis. His visit to the Philippines in January 2015 included the largest papal event in history with around 6–7 million attendees in his final Mass at Manila, surpassing the then-largest papal event at World Youth Day 1995 in the same venue twenty years earlier.
Pope Francis, 87, confirms in his autobiography that he has no intention of resigning due to good health, despite battling minor health issues, such as bronchitis and flu. He mentions the existence of a resignation letter in case of serious impediment but considers it a distant possibility. In the memoir, he addresses criticism, defends his decision to bless same-sex couples, supports civil unions over gay marriage, and emphasizes the church's duty to welcome all individuals, including sinners. He also denounces abortion and surrogate parenting and clarifies his stance on being labeled as communist or Marxist.
Hundreds of Christians, mostly local, participated in the traditional Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City, with thinner crowds due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The procession, led by Palestinian Arab scouts and joined by some foreigners and tourists, passed along the Way of the Cross, rerouted by Israeli police barricades. The atmosphere was somber as Palestinian Christians commemorated Jesus Christ's crucifixion, expressing sadness over the war situation and the thousands of Palestinians killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza.
On 2 April 2005, Pope John Paul II died at the age of 84. His funeral was held on 8 April, followed by the novendiales devotional in which the Catholic Church observed nine days of mourning.In February 1996 Pope John Paul II had introduced revisions to papal funeral ceremonies, including changes to repose and burial formalities. These revisions were enacted through the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis, and applied to his own funeral.The funeral had around four million mourners gathering in Rome in the wake of his death.Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople was in the honorary first seat in the section reserved for churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church. This was the first time an ecumenical patriarch attended a papal funeral since the East–West Schism.
FILE - Pope Francis tries to catch his cap as wind blew it away while arriving for his weekly general audience in the St. Peters Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File) VATICAN CITY (AP) Having covered the Vatican for 27 years thats three popes Associated Press photographer Andrew Medichini has mastered snapping images of papal pomp. To capture this photo, Medichini knew exactly where to position himself based on the wind for a potential candid shot of Pope Francis. Here is what he said about making this extraordinary photo: After several years following popes in and out of the Vatican, you get to know where to be and how to anticipate the right frame according to the news or the conditions of the day windy, sunny, rainy, etc.
Good Friday marks an important day for Christians across the world Happy Good Friday Wishes: On Good Friday, Christians remember the solemn sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. Observed as Holy Friday as well, it's a day of deep reflection and mourning for followers of the faith. This year, Good Friday is being observed on March 29. Good Friday is among the most important religious days observed in India. It is of major importance to the Christian community.
Pope Francis, aged 87, walked into the Vatican audience hall with a cane for his weekly general audience, speaking clearly and renewing appeals for peace. He highlighted the friendship between two fathers, one Palestinian and the other Israeli, both having lost daughters in the Middle East conflict. Their story was featured in the novel 'Apeirogon' by Colum McCann. The Pope met with the fathers privately before the audience, emphasizing their witness amid war and loss.
Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church, the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State. He is the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the first one from the Americas, the first one from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first one born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century papacy of the Syrian Pope Gregory III.Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked for a time as a bouncer and a janitor as a young man before training to be a chemist and working as a technician in a food science laboratory. After recovering from a severe illness of pneumonia and cysts, he was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina. The administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him to be a political rival.Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Throughout his public life, Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, international visibility as pope, concern for the poor, and commitment to interreligious dialogue. He is credited with having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes.Francis has made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia. He maintains that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward members of the LGBT community and has permitted the blessings of same-sex couples. Francis is a critic of unbridled capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment; he has made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy. Widely interpreted as denouncing the death penalty as intrinsically evil, he has termed it "an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person", "inadmissible", and committed the Church to its abolition, saying that there can be "no going back from this position".In international diplomacy, Francis has criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality, helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, negotiated a deal with China to define how much influence the Communist Party has in appointing Chinese bishops, and has supported the cause of refugees during the European and Central American migrant crises, calling on the Western World to significantly increase immigration levels. In 2022, he apologized for the Church's role in the "cultural genocide" of the Canadian indigenous peoples. On 4 October 2023, Francis convened the beginnings of the Synod on Synodality, described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.
Pope Francis has defrocked Roger Vangheluwe, an 87-year-old Belgian bishop who admitted to sexually abusing his nephews, after serious new elements in the case emerged. The Vatican's decision to laicize Vangheluwe, a symbol of Catholic Church hypocrisy in handling abuse cases, came ahead of the pope's planned visit to Belgium. The Belgian bishops had long called for Vangheluwe's expulsion from the priesthood, and the scandal has sparked national outrage and prompted discussions on abuse within the church in Belgium.
Pope Francis met with a Spaniard who was molested by his spiritual director, highlighting the dysfunction in the Catholic Church's response to clergy sex abuse. The survivor's lack of justice despite efforts and the flaws in the church's system for addressing abuse were brought to light. Despite previous criticism, Francis' decision to listen to the survivor's story was seen as commendable, but also revealed systemic issues within the church's handling of abuse cases. An unprecedented summit convened by Francis five years ago aimed to address clergy abuse on a global scale.
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Holy and Great Friday), and Black Friday.Members of many Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox, United Protestant and some Reformed traditions (including certain Continental Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches), observe Good Friday with fasting and church services. In many Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches, the Service of the Great Three Hours' Agony is held from noon until 3 pm, the time duration that the Bible records as darkness covering the land to Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. Communicants of the Moravian Church have a Good Friday tradition of cleaning gravestones in Moravian cemeteries.The date of Good Friday varies from one year to the next in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Eastern and Western Christianity disagree over the computation of the date of Easter and therefore of Good Friday. Good Friday is a widely instituted legal holiday around the world, including in most Western countries and 12 U.S. states. Some predominantly Christian countries, such as Germany, have laws prohibiting certain acts such as public dancing and horse racing, in remembrance of the somber nature of Good Friday.
Elected on 13 March 2013, Francis is the first member of the Society of Jesus to be appointed pope and the first non-European to hold the office since the 8th century. He described his papal name as pointing to what he wants to emulate in Saint Francis of Assisi: to have a poor church, for the poor, always going out to the margins, and to show concern for the natural environment. His papal motto Miserando atque eligendo ("by having mercy and by choosing") contains a central theme of his papacy, God's mercy, which has led to conflict with orthodox Catholics on issues such as reception of Communion by remarried Catholics. In addressing real life situations he often appeals directly to his experience, in continuity with his synodal way, which showed a renewed emphasis on listening and dialogue. He has placed greater emphasis on church synods and on widespread consultation and dialogue, uplifting the roles of laypersons and of women in the Catholic church and criticizing clericalism.Francis' concern for the poor is noted in his critiques of capitalism, his quite visible support of refugees and migrants, and his outreach to liberationist, anarchist, communist, socialist and liberal movements in Latin America that were under a cloud during the papacy of John Paul II. Francis has stated that he considers himself to be conservative.His apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium (Joy of the Gospel), released eight months after his election, has been described as programmatic, and "a core document of this pontificate", in his own words "pointing out new paths for the Church's journey for years to come". He has become known also for his "sharp and unscripted remarks".
Ruben Enaje, a 63-year-old Filipino villager, is set to be nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ's suffering on Good Friday. The annual tradition in Pampanga province draws tourists. Enaje, considering his age, continues the ritual to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza, and the South China Sea due to global conflicts and wars, affecting innocent people. He also mentions the impact of these conflicts on prices of oil, gas, and food in the Philippines, making life harder for the impoverished.
Pope Francis, in an interview with Swiss broadcaster RSI, urged Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war with Russia following Moscow's invasion, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, while desiring peace, is firm on not surrendering any territory. The Pope emphasized the importance of having the courage to negotiate and engage in talks with the assistance of international powers.
Good Friday is a Christian holiday remembering the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary.Good Friday may also refer to:Good Friday Agreement, a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s"Good Friday" (song), a 1983 song by Modern Romance"Good Friday", a 1996 song by The Black Crowes on their album Three Snakes and One CharmGood Friday (album), a 1967 album by The EasybeatsGOOD Fridays, 2010 and 2016 giveaway of songs by Kanye West
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone (c. 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. He was inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty as a beggar and itinerant preacher. One of the most venerated figures in Christianity, Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 16 July 1228. He is commonly portrayed wearing a brown habit with a rope tied around his waist, featuring three knots that symbolize the three Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the sultan al-Kamil and put an end to the conflict of the Fifth Crusade. In 1223, he arranged for the first live nativity scene as part of the annual Christmas celebration in Greccio. According to Christian tradition, in 1224 Francis received the stigmata during the apparition of a Seraphic angel in a religious ecstasy.He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of St. Clare, the Third Order of St. Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. Once his community was authorized by Pope Innocent III, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs.Francis is associated with patronage of animals and the environment. It became customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of the fourth of October. He is known for devotion to the Eucharist. Along with Catherine of Siena, he was designated patron saint of Italy. He is also the namesake of the American city of San Francisco.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams participated in a jailhouse baptism on Good Friday at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex, where he joined 11 detainees in a ceremony led by Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Herbert Daughtry. Adams, who had a past encounter with law enforcement, emphasized the importance of not letting one's past define them. The event symbolized a recommitment to faith and a fresh start for the participants.
This article contains a list of the 912 saintscanonizedby Pope Francis (2013–) during his pontificate, which includes the 813 Martyrs of Otranto as a group, 7 whom were equipollently canonized and 4 whom were canonized in other countries.
Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church since 2013, has marked a significantly more accommodative tone on LGBT topics than his predecessors. In July 2013, his televised "Who am I to judge?" statement was widely reported in the international press, becoming one of his most famous statements on LGBT people. In other public statements, Francis has emphasised the need to accept, welcome, and accompany LGBT people, including LGBT children, and has denounced laws criminalising homosexuality. While he has reiterated traditional Catholic teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, he has supported same-sex civil unions as legal protections for same-sex couples. Under his pontificate, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has confirmed that transgender people can be baptised, and allowed the blessing of same-sex couples in the document Fiducia supplicans. Francis has privately met many LGBT people and activists. In 2013, Francis was named as Person of the Year by The Advocate, an American LGBT magazine.Relative to LGB topics, Francis has been less accomodative on transgender topics, describing gender theory and children's education on gender-affirming surgery as "ideological colonisation". In September 2015, Francis came under media scrutiny for meeting Kim Davis, a county clerk who was imprisoned for refusing to issue marriage licences for same-sex couples, and in August 2018, Francis was criticised for suggesting that gay children seek psychiatric treatment. Prior to his election as Pope Francis, as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio led public opposition to the parliamentary bill on legalising same-sex marriage in Argentina, which was approved by the Argentine Senate on 15 July 2010. A letter he wrote in that campaign was criticised for using "medieval" and "obscurantist" language, and was later admitted by an episcopal source to be a strategic error that contributed to the bill's success.
The Kremlin considers Pope Francis' call for talks to end the war in Ukraine as understandable, while NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasizes that now is not the time for Ukraine to surrender as it would be a tragedy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses the Pope's call for talks with Russia as virtual mediation. Ukraine has summoned the Vatican's envoy after the Pope suggested raising the white flag against Russia, causing anger in Kyiv. The US faces deadlock in providing military aid to Ukraine with concerns about potential aid reduction depending on the outcome of the upcoming presidential election.
Reuters
Ed Holt
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