Pope Francis told an ecumenical delegation from Finland Thursday that Catholics and Lutherans can do much together “to bear witness to God’s mercy.”  The delegation’s visit to Rome coincides with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Feast of St. Henry, the patron saint of Finland.

In his discourse to the Finnish delegates, Pope Francis applauded the progress achieved in ecumenical dialogue between the two Churches over the last thirty years and said, “a shared Christian witness is very much needed in the face of the mistrust, insecurity, persecution, pain and suffering experienced so widely in today’s world.”

Below, please find the text of Pope Francis’ discourse to the ecumenical delegation from Finland:

Dear Bishop Vikström,
Dear Bishop Sippo,
Dear Friends,

It is with joy that I welcome you, on the occasion of your annual ecumenical pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate the feast of Saint Henrik, the patron of your country…

Pope Francis has appealed for peace and reconciliation in Niger.

Speaking on Wednesday at the weekly General Audience, the Pope explicitly referred to brutalities perpetrated against Christians, children and Churches.

He invited those present to join him in praying for the victims of recent violence in Niger.

Let us invoke the Lord – he said – for the gift of reconciliation and peace, may “religious sentiment never give rise to violence, oppression and destruction”…

Ecumenical celebrations on the theme of the Samaritan woman at the well can also challenge Christians to “give equal standing” to women in the different Churches today. From January 18th to 25th, Christians in many countries around the world mark the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, reflecting together on how to overcome the obstacles that still divide believers of the many different denominations…

During an in-flight press conference on the return flight to Rome from the Philippines on Monday, Pope Francis touched on various topics ranging from openness to life in the family to his upcoming visit to the United States.

The briefing came at the conclusion of the Holy Father’s 12-19 Jan. tour of Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

The Pope told journalists he was impressed by the enthusiastic “gestures” of the Filipino people which he said are not based on protocol but rather come from the heart…

Pope Francis left Manila on Monday morning, after a weeklong trip to Asia which took him to Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos lined the streets of Manila to catch a final glimpse of the Holy Father as he went to the airport.

Pope Francis drew over 6 million to his final Mass in Manila’s Luneta Park on Sunday, the largest crowd for a Papal event in history…