Pope Francis on Friday morning met with Father Jorge Hernandez, an Argentine missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word and parish priest in Gaza.

Speaking in Italian with Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti, Father Hernandez said the meeting with the Pope was a “grace” – and not the first. “On the contrary,” he said, “during the war, Pope Francis was always close to us.”

Father Hernandez said Pope Francis encouraged the small Catholic community “to be the salt of the earth in the land of Gaza.” He said he was particularly touched by the Pope’s message of Christian witness…

Pope Francis on Wednesday said that in a Christian community division is one of the worst sins because it comes not from God. He made the comment during weekly General Audience on Wednesday in St Peter’s Square.

The importance of unity was at the heart of Pope Francis’ catechesis at his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, telling the estimated ten thousand pilgrims and tourists present in St Peter’s Square that “ while we, the members of the Church, are sinners, the unity and holiness of the Church arise from God and call us daily to conversion…

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI celebrated a special Mass Sunday morning upon conclusion of the Schuelerkreis, a yearly gathering of theologian Joseph Ratzinger’s former students. The liturgy was held in the church of the Campo Santo Teutonico, or German cemetery within Vatican City.

Theologian Karl-Heinze Menke, Dogmatic Professor at the University of Bonn, was the primary relator at the liturgy. 

The Schuelerkreis sessions from 21-24 August at the Mariapoli Center in Castelgandolfo outside Rome explored the theme of the Theology of the Cross…