Pope Francis Tag

Towards the Youth Synod – “Pope Francis wants to hear you” • My history I’m a young woman, originally from Durban, studying physiotherapy in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. I come from a very small family consisting of my Mom, Gran and Grandad and we’re a very tight-knit family, so leaving home to come and study was very difficult for me. Thankfully I moved into a residence for female students run by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary and after living here for the last 3 years, itRead More
YOUTH. FAITH. DISCERNMENT – Journey to the Synod, Schoenstatt.org base team • If you are a young person between the ages of 16 and 29 living in the world, we don’t need to tell you that today’s world changes quickly. The Church, which is universal, changes quickly and changes with you. The Church needs you so that it can understand the meaning and importance of these changes and make useful proposals based on your experiences of faith. At Schoenstatt.org we don’t want to stand on the side lines of theRead More
COLOMBIA, Aica • This past Wednesday [3 August], the official hymn for Pope Francis visit to Colombia on 6-10 September was chosen. The winning song, called “Let us take the first step” (in keeping with the motto of the papal visit), was composed by Carlos Corvacho and performed by the United Catholic Musicians group, who competed with nine other finalists from around the country. More than 400 entries were received when the call was put out.  The jury consisted of singers Fanny Lu and Maía. The jury who elected it,Read More
VATICAN, AICA and editorial team • Francis calls us to be close to those Christians who have distanced themselves from their faith in Christ and highlighted the importance of joy in proclaiming the message of the Gospels, in the July 2017 edition of The Pope Video, promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. “But we must not leave him alone. We should offer him Christian hope – with our words, yes, but more with our testimony, with our freedom, with our joy,” he said. “Let us pray for our brothersRead More
Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa • Every month, Pope Francis shares his prayer intentions via The Pope Video initiative. The Holy Father’s intention for July is for people who are “distant from the Christian faith.” Pope Francis starts by urging us to “never forget that our joy is Jesus Christ.” In his wisdom and a lifetime of ministry, Francis recognises that “when a Christian becomes sad…he has distanced himself from Jesus.” It is precisely at this point, that each one of us, the community of believers is called act. We areRead More
PARAGUAY, Ani Souberlich • “At the end of the month, the first three young men graduated, who, upon their release, voluntarily enrolled in the re-integration program that the Ministry of Justice offers in covenant with the Foundation to Promote Values and the Prevention of Violence (Fundaprova -Spanish Acronym)”. This is how a long article about the first graduates of the Mother of Tupãrenda House begins in La Nación newspaper. “The program of re-integration for youths, who have had some conflict with the law in the past, can accommodate up toRead More
COLOMBIA/VATICAN, editorial team • In two months, Pope Francis will land in Colombia. The Colombian Bishops’ Conference set up a website [Spanish only] so that the faithful all around the world can follow his travels. The page already contains all of the information pertaining to his apostolic visit. From 6 to 10 September, Pope Francis will visit Bogotá, Medellín, and Villavicencio. Thousands of pilgrims are expected to welcome him at his various stops. www.papafranciscoencolombia.co was created for all those who cannot be there in person. It provides information about theRead More
POPE FRANCIS’ INTENTIONS BASED ON CURRENT EVENTS After the Angelus on the first Sunday of July, Pope Francis greeted the people of Rome and pilgrims from all over the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square. He used the opportunity to ask, once again, for “peace in Venezuela.” “On 5 July, Venezuela celebrates the anniversary of its independence. I promise my prayers for this beloved nation and express my closeness to the families who have lost their children in the demonstrations. I call for an end to the violence and thatRead More
PARAGUAY, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke • In Paraguay every year, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. It is not only a tribute to biological fatherhood, but for all those who act as father figures. On the occasion of Father’s Day this year, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke dedicated an article in Revista Tuparenda to… no, not directly to the fathers but rather to Pepito.  Pepito? Yes, Pepito, his friend Pepito is in the juvenile detention center… the Pepito who has searched for a father his whole life.    Read More
Editorial team, with material from AICA • The General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops has announced the launch of a website in preparation for the 15th Ordinary General Assembly under the theme “Youth, faith and vocational discernment,” which will take place in October 2018. The website is already available at this address: http://youth.synod2018.va  (for the moment it’s only available in Italian but other languages will follow soon. The youth survey can be found here. This initiative will promote greater participation by all the youth of the world, not onlyRead More