Pope Francis on Monday denounced the murder of 21 Coptic Christians by ISIL militants in Libya. The Islamist terrorist organization released a video of the killings on Sunday. Speaking in Spanish to an ecumenical delegation from the Church of Scotland, the Holy Father noted those killed only said “Jesus help me.”

“They were murdered just for the fact they were Christians,” Pope Francis said. “The blood of our Christian brothers is a witness that cries out,” said the Pope.  “If they are Catholic, Orthodox, Copts, Lutherans, it is not important: They are Christians…

Among the 20 new cardinals created by Pope Francis Saturday are men drawn from churches on the peripheries of the ecclesial and geographical world. 

Just how far do the peripheries of the Church extend? 
For an answer, you could go to Google maps or get out your world atlas. Or you could simply look at the countries from which the 20 new cardinals come, and see for yourself: from Mozambique to Mexico, from Thailand to Tonga…

Church leaders have been arriving in Rome from around the world for a two day meeting of the College of Cardinals which precedes the public consistory taking place on today and tomorrow.

During the closed door meeting in the Synod Hall, which opened on Thursday morning, the Church leaders will be discussing proposed reforms of the Curia that the Group of 9 cardinals has been working on earlier this week…

A total of 165 cardinals participated in yesterday’s first session of the Extraordinary Consistory with the Holy Father. Twenty-five were unable to attend due to illness or other serious problems, according to a report from the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., following the morning meeting.

Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga explained that the meeting of the Council of Cardinals (the so-called “C9”) which came to an end on Wednesday afternoon, focused primarily but not exclusively on the reform of the Curia; other themes addressed were the regulation of the Synod, the work of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, and relations with the economic entities of the Holy See (COSEA and IOR)…

Pope Francis has appealed for solidarity and aid for migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of refuge.

His call for increased attention and aid follows news of the death of over 300 migrants who have drowned or died of hypothermia  in the latest deadly tragedy of the sea.

In his appeal at the end of the weekly General Audience, the Pope said he is “following with preoccupation news from Lampedusa where there have been more deaths amongst the migrants caused by cold during their journey across the Mediterranean”…