Pope Francis on Saturday paid tribute to modern day martyrs whom he said “are the living blood of the Church”.

The Pope was presiding over a Liturgy of the Word at the Church of St. Bartholomew on the Tiber, a shrine to the martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Speaking during his homily, the Pope had words of closeness for the many Christian communities being persecuted today “because of the hatred of the spirit of this world”…

Francisco u Giacinta Marto, iż-żewġ aħwa ta’ Fatima, se jiġu ddikjarati qaddisin nhar it-13 ta’ Mejju li ġej.

Dan ifisser li l-kanonizzazzjoni tal-aħwa Portugiżi se ssir waqt il-vjaġġ apostoliku li l-Papa Franġisku se jkun qed jagħmel ġo Fatima fit-12 u t-13 ta’ Mejju, fl-okkażjoni tal-100 sena mid-dehriet tal-Verġni Marija.

L-aħwa Marto kienu mietu ftit snin wara d-dehriet mirakolużi tal-Madonna, meta Franġisku kellu 11-il sena u Giacinta għalqet l-10 snin…

Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, continuing his catechesis on Christian hope.

Reflecting on 1Cor 15, the Holy Father said the Risen Christ is the hope of Christians, since his resurrection is the event that grounds our faith.

Please find below the official English summary of the Pope’s catechesis:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:  In these joyful days of Easter, our continuing catechesis on Christian hope looks to the Risen Jesus.  Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that Jesus himself is our hope.  His resurrection is the event that grounds our faith; without our confident belief in its historical reality, the Christian faith would be a mere human philosophy, and Jesus himself simply another great religious figure.  Our belief is based on the testimony of those who encountered the Risen Christ, from Saint Peter and the group of the Twelve to Saint Paul, who was converted by his dramatic meeting with the Lord on the road to Damascus.  Encountering Christ in faith is always a surprise; it is a grace given to those whose hearts are open.  It overturns our comfortable existence and opens us to an unexpected future, sowing life and light in place of death and sorrow.  This is the reason for our Easter joy: in the risen Jesus, who dwells in our midst, we encounter the power of God’s love, which triumphs over death and brings ever new life and undying hope…

On Easter Monday Pope Francis greeted pilgrims and visitors gathered in St Peter’s Square, praying especially for Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace before the recitation of the Regina Coeli midday prayer, the Pope said the day’s liturgy echoes the great cry of Easter Sunday, ‘Christ is Risen, Hallelujah!’

We hear the words of the angel to the women at the tomb, saying ‘Go quickly and tell his disciples, he has been raised from the dead.”

Those words are directed at us too, the Pope said, inviting us to go quickly and proclaim this message of joy and hope to the women and men of our day…

On Easter Sunday morning Pope Francis presided over Mass in St Peter’s Square festooned for the occasion with colourful tulips from Holland.

Breaking with tradition the Pope gave an off the cuff homily encouraging Christians to keep the faith despite the wars, sickness and hatred in the world.

“The Church never ceases to say, faced with our defeats, our closed and fearful hearts, ‘stop, the Lord is risen’…