Pope Francis

The Pope at Audience: God is not frightened by our sins

19/01/2022   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today, I would like to explore the figure of Saint Joseph as a father in tenderness.

In my Apostolic Letter Patris corde, (8 December 2020) I had the opportunity to reflect on this aspect of tenderness, an aspect of Saint Joseph’s personality. In fact, although the Gospels do not give us any details about how he exercised his paternity, we can be sure that his being a “just” man also translated into the education he gave to Jesus… Read more »

The Pope at Angelus: May we all join in Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

17/01/2022   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

The Gospel of today’s liturgy recounts the episode of the wedding at Cana, where, to the couple’s delight, Jesus transformed water into wine. This is the way the account ends: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (Jn 2:11)… Read more »

Pope at Audience: Work is essential for our growth in holiness

12/01/2022

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

The evangelists Matthew and Mark refer to Joseph as a “carpenter” or “joiner.” We heard earlier that the people of Nazareth, hearing Jesus speak, asked themselves: “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (13:55; cf. Mk 6:3). Jesus practised his father’s trade.

The Greek term tekton, used to specify Joseph’s work, has been translated in various ways… Read more »

Pope at Angelus: prayer is the key that opens our heart to the Lord

09/01/2022   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

The Gospel of today’s Liturgy shows us the scene with which Jesus’ public life begins: he, who is the Son of God and the Messiah, goes to the banks of the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist. After about thirty years of hidden life, Jesus does not present himself with a miracle, or by rising to the podium to teach… Read more »

Pope at Audience calls for institutions to simplify adoption procedures

05/01/2022   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today we will reflect on Saint Joseph as the father of Jesus. The evangelists Matthew and Luke present him as the foster father of Jesus, and not as his biological father. Matthew specifies this, avoiding the formula “the father of”, used in the genealogy for all the ancestors of Jesus; instead, he defines Joseph as the “husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ” (1:16)… Read more »

Pope at Angelus: the Lord does not withdraw when faced with our frailties

02/01/2022   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

Today’s Liturgy offers us a beautiful phrase, that we always pray in the Angelus and which by itself reveals to us the meaning of Christmas. It says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. These words, if we think about it, contain a paradox… Read more »

Pope Francis: Listening with the ear of the heart

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 56th World Day of Social Communications

24/01/2022

Dear brothers and sisters,

Last year we reflected on the need to “Come and See” in order to discover reality and be able to recount it beginning with experiencing events and meeting people. Continuing in this vein, I would now like to draw attention to another word , “listen”, which is decisive in the grammar of communication and  a condition for genuine dialogue… Read more »

Pope at Angelus: May Mary inspire harmony in our hearts and world

01/01/2022   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno! Happy New Year!

Let us begin the new year entrusting it to Mary, the Mother of God. The Gospel of today’s Liturgy speaks of her, taking us back once again to the wonder of the crib. The shepherds hasten toward the stable and what do they find? The text says they find, “Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger” (Lk 2:16)… Read more »

Pope at Audience on immigration: the cause is almost always the arrogance and violence of the powerful

29/12/2021   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today I would like to present Saint Joseph to you as a persecuted and courageous migrant. This is how the Evangelist Matthew describes him. This particular event in the life of Jesus, which also involves Joseph and Mary, is traditionally known as “the flight into Egypt” (cf. Mt 2:13-23). The family of Nazareth suffered such humiliation and experienced first-hand the precariousness, fear and pain of having to leave their homeland… Read more »

Pope at Angelus: harmony in the family is maintained by fighting selfishness

26/12/2021   The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. God chose a humble and simple family through which to come into our midst. Let us contemplate in amazement the beauty of this mystery, emphasizing two concrete aspects for our families.

The first: the family is the story from which we originate… Read more »