Pope Francis

"if no weapons were made for a year, hunger in the world would end," said Pope Francis. Wars are waged when empires feel weak: killing people and using weapons makes them feel strong.

Pope Francis exhorted everyone to rediscover the true richness of Christmas in the address to the delegations who gifted two nativity scenes and a Christmas tree on December 3. The pope said, “In its genuine poverty, the nativity scene helps us to rediscover the true richness of Christmas. Simple and familiar, the nativity scene recalls a different Christmas from the consumerist and commercial one.”

The Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan for an ecumenical peace pilgrimage from January 31 to February 5, 2023, journeys postponed in the past due to health reasons.

Pope Francis accepted Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alve’s resignation and appointed Mr. Maximino Caballero Ledo as the new Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy on December 1. After serving three years as Prefect, the Spanish Jesuit Father Guerrero resigned for “personal reason” related to his health.

Pope Francis sent a delegation to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stressing the need for reconciliation, fraternity, and unity in today’s world and greetings on the Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle, on November 30. It is a long-standing tradition of the annual exchange of Delegations between the Vatican and the Patriarchate for their respective patronal feasts.

Pope Francis prayed for Ischia flood victims in Italy at the traditional Angelus on Sunday to the audience at St. Peter’s Square. The torrential rain caused the landslide and killed seven people including an infant and two children. Five people are still missing.

At the conclusion of the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the victims of the Java earthquake which left 271 killed, 40 still missing, and injured nearly 2043 people as of Wednesday.

Pope Francis appointed Dr. Pier Francesco Pinelli as a temporary Administrator to relaunch Caritas Internationalis in a decree issued on Tuesday to revise the current Caritas’ procedures and norms and to prepare for the elections at the next General Assembly.

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti to head the Dicastery for Eastern Churches. He succeeds Cardinal Leonardo Sandri who concludes his service as prefect after serving for fifteen years.

Pope Francis visited his cousin-sister and relatives at his family’s place of origin in Asti, in the northern part of Italy, on November 19 and had special lunch for his cousin Carla Rebezzana's 90th birthday.

Pope Francis appointed the first lay secretary, Gleison De Paula Souza, for the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life on November 17. 38-year-old Souza is a high school teacher of religion and a father of two daughters.

"The Indonesian Catholic Journalists Association met with Pope Francis to spread the message of world peace, as required by the Preamble to the Indonesian Constitution and the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together."

In a Telegram message on Tuesday, Pope Francis "sends condolences to the families and friends of those who have died, assuring the injured and those who mourn their loved ones of his spiritual closeness."

Pope Francis enjoyed lunch with the poor of Rome on the World Day of the Poor and about 1,300 guests joined the lunch in the Paul VI Hall inside the Vatican.

The Pontifical Foundation Scholas Occurrentes organized the third Soccer Match for Peace at Rome’s Olympic Stadium on November 14 and several world-renowned players participated.

Pope Francis stressed the importance of "human connection" in all forms of communication as he described it as a “round trip” in his address to the plenary assembly of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication on November 13.

Pope Francis insisted on the importance of priestly formation for evangelization, in the address to the rectors and formators of Latin American Seminaries on the morning of November 10.

Pope Francis reiterated his concern over the war in Ukraine three times during the weekly General Audience, calling for disarmament and appealing for dialogue. He also highlighted the many forgotten wars wreaking death and destruction across the globe.

Having learned with sadness of the plane crash in Bukoba, Pope Francis sends condolences and offers the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this tragedy, especially the families of the victims.

At the meeting with the young people at Sacred Heart School in Awali, Bahrain, on Saturday, the Pope encouraged them to never lose the courage to dream big, and to live life to the full! Adopt the culture of care and spread it. Become champions of fraternity. Face life’s challenges by letting yourselves be guided by God’s faithful creativity and by good counselors.