Pope Francis

A group of mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and aunts of Ukrainian prisoners-of-war hand Pope Francis a traditional embroidered blanket, advocating for the protection and return of their loved ones.

Pope Francis requested a “special prayer” for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the end of the General Audience on Wednesday. The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told the journalists, "In the last few hours, there has been an aggravation of his health due to advancing age.”

On the feast of St. Stephen, Pope Francis renews his appeal for peace in the world, especially remembering those suffering from the devastating war in Ukraine.

Pope Francis reflected on the manger as Jesus’ closeness, poverty, and concreteness in his homily at Christmas midnight mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening. “What then does the manger tell us? It tells us three things, at least: closeness, poverty, and concreteness,” Pope Francis said.

At the conclusion of Wednesday's General Audience, Pope Francis greets a Ukrainian woman whose husband is a prisoner of war and their son, who came bearing gifts for the Pope, including a calendar showing the devastation of the Azovstal steelworks plant.

In an interview with the Spanish daily ABC, Pope Francis reveals that at the beginning of his pontificate he gave the then-Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, a letter declaring he would step down in the event of serious and permanent health impediments that made it impossible for him to exercise his role as Bishop of Rome and pastor of the universal Church.

Meeting with children assisted by the Vatican’s “Santa Marta” Pediatric Dispensary on Sunday, as well as their parents and volunteer staff, the Pope urged everyone to pray for peace in Ukraine.

Pope Francis chose Father Pablito Tagura of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) to be the new Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose in the province of Occidental Mindoro on December 17.

Pope Francis encouraged the newly appointed ambassadors to the Vatican to be peacemakers. On December 15, at Clementine Hall, Pope Francis addressed the ambassadors of Belize, Bahamas, Thailand, Norway, Mongolia, Niger, Uganda, and Sudan, who presented their credential letters to Pope Francis.

At the conclusion of the General Audience, Pope Francis called on everyone to renew closeness to Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are suffering greatly, to help them with humanitarian aid and keep them in our hearts throughout Advent and Christmas.

Pope Francis urges the Seminarians to live a life of prayer as the foundation of the priest’s life. The Pope said, “Remember that, when you become priests, your first obligation will be a life of prayer born of gratitude for that love of predilection which God showed you in calling you to his service.”

Pope Francis entrusted the world to Mother Mary with a prayer before the column of Immaculate Conception at Rome’s Piazza di Spagna on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, on December 8. The pope prayed for peace in the world, especially for peace in “martyred” Ukraine.

"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.