Church – Francis – Movements Category

FRANCIS IN ROME • During the Angelus on 19 July, Pope Francis entrusted the fruits of his unforgettable trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary. Praising the Lord for the “wonders that have been worked in the People of God who are on the way in these lands, for the faith that has animated and animates their life and culture,” the Pope also mentioned the natural beauty of these countries, its great human and spiritual potential and its Christian values. Without forgetting theRead More
LATIN AMERICA, Jorge Armas, Generación Francisco • Bañado Norte in Asunción, where more than 30 thousand people live, is one of many neighbourhoods in Latin America where one can clearly see the “existential peripheries and the social trash” produced by “civilisation that has gone too far” as well opposite that comes from the people: radically humanising neighbourliness, committed solidarity and deep faith. Pope Francis promised to visit his brothers in Bañado, rain or shine. And so he did. Entering one of the tin shanties, an 85-year old man hugged him,Read More
By María Fischer, schoenstatt.org editorial team • “A Holy Father that interprets the world based on the experiences of his native South America, from a real and a not a theoretical close proximity to the poor,” commented a visibly moved German reporter, during the primary transmission on public television. “He didn’t return. It’s as if he never left the towns, his favourite place of ministry and being, when he lived in Buenos Aires,” he added, to immediately say that in Europe, we should not fall into the temptation of dismissingRead More
By the editors • “Today I wish to speak to the priests, seminarians, and men and women religious, and offer them some thoughts. I do have some words prepared, but I don’t really feel like reading (laughter from the faithful). So I will give that text to the President of the Conference of Religious so that it can be published,” said Pope Francis on Wednesday 8 July at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Presentation in Quinche. Before speaking to the public, the Pontiff paused in front of theRead More
PARAGUAY, by Sebastián Acha • I know that the title of this article is known to many of you They are the words I received from the Father Telephone this morning, after experiencing a wonderful day. I cannot, now, hide the emotion on my face, in my broken voice, in my halting thoughts following Pope Francis’ words last night, here in Asunción, in this wonderful gift of his visit: “Paraguay is anything but dead, thank God. It is a people that is alive. When a people is unengaged and listless,Read More
PARAGUAY, byJosé Argüello and Maria Fischer • The preparation for Sunday Mass on 12 July in the large Ñu Guazú area was an intense prayer vigil…even though the servers and many of the faithful spent Saturday night at the venue, nothing could take away their enthusiasm: the changing weather with lots of wind and rain, which on a muddy and tricky terrain such as Ñu Guazú threatened to make things a little difficult…but the muddy ground is also a message: “serve in the mud.” “We are a Women’s League group atRead More
PARAGUAY, by María Fischer of the Schoenstatt.org editorial team • As on so many other occasions, these were the most touching moments of Pope Francis’ “marathon of love” in Paraguay: the meeting with his favourite groups – the children, the poor, the sick, prisoners, the elderly, those on the peripheries. There was an air of great expectation in front of the Acosta Ñu Children’s Hospital. People had been gathered around the hospital since three in the morning to see the Pope. The Pope described the example of “trust,” “joy,” andRead More
PARAGUAY, by María Fischer, editors • “Thank you, Holy Father…” The moment the Alitalia plane approached the airport in Asunción, the crowds began singing the official hymn for Pope Francis’ visit to Paraguay. The hymn by the group, “Nazarenos,” with its simple lyrics which are the simultaneously loving and express commitment, had already been heard so many times and with great joy, given that four of the nine “Nazarenos” members belong to Schoesntatt, and that the “Nazarenos” have sung at the shrine in Tuparendá. This song would accompany the wholeRead More
By the editor • “I live in Rome, where it is cold in winter. It can happen that just nearby the Vatican in the morning an elderly person is found dead from the cold. There is no news report in any of the daily or weekly newspapers. A poor person who dies today of cold and hunger is not a news item, but if the stock markets of the major world capitals drop two or three points, it is a great global scandal.” During his meeting with Ecuadorian teachers andRead More
PARAGUAY, by Pedro Kriskovich/Aleteia.org • One of the most fascinating aspects of the Altar de Maíz [Corn Altar] prepared for the Mass that Pope Francis will celebrate this Sunday in Paraguay is that prayer petitions sent via Facebook, mostly by young people, the children from the community of San Ignacio, Misiones, were written on thousands of coconuts that are now a part of the artistic beauty of the Altar made by Paraguayan artist Koki Ruiz. The altar was transported in containers and with military honors for more than 200 kilometers,Read More