(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has called upon everyone to give witness to the risen Christ during the Regina Coeli prayer on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. Reflecting on the readings of the day, Pope Francis said that the Church has the task of continuing during our time the mission of being witnesses with words and…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed to the international community to take swift and decisive action to avoid more tragedies of migrants seeking a better life.
His heartfelt cry to the world came following news of the sinking of yet another boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean Sea in which it is feared 700 people may be dead.
The Pope was speaking on Sunday morning after the Regina Coeli prayer in St. Peter’s Square, where he told tens of thousands of people “They are men and women like us, our brothers seeking a better life, starving, persecuted, wounded, exploited, victims of war. They were looking for a better life”.
Faced with such a tragedy – Pope Francis continued – I express my most heartfelt pain and promise to remember the victims and their families in prayer.
“I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community to react decisively and quickly to see to it that such tragedies are not repeated,” he said, before asking the crowd to pray “for these brothers and sisters”.
The latest disaster happened when a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Libyan coast overnight, in one of the worst disasters seen in the Mediterranean migrant crisis.
Just Saturday Pope Francis joined Italian authorities in pressing the European Union to do more to help the country cope with rapidly mounting numbers of desperate people rescued in the Mediterranean during journeys on smugglers’ boats to flee war, persecution or poverty.
While hundreds of migrants took their first steps on land in Sicilian ports, dozens more were rescued at sea. Sicilian towns were running out of places to shelter the arrivals, including more than 10,000 in the week ending Saturday.
Since the start of 2014, nearly 200,000 people have been rescued at sea by Italy.
Italy says it will continue rescuing migrants but demands that the European Union increase assistance to shelter and rescue them. Since most of the migrants want to reach family or other members of their community in northern Europe, Italian governments have pushed for those countries to do more, particularly by taking in the migrants while their requests for asylum or refugee status are examined.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed to the international community to take swift and decisive action to avoid more tragedies of migrants seeking a better life. His heartfelt cry to the world came following news of the sinking of yet another boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean Sea in which it is feared 700 people…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegramme of concolence on the death of Cardinal Francis George who has died at the age of 78. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also sent his sympathies on hearing the news.
Below please find the telegramme of Pope Francis.
To the Most Reverend Blase Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago
Saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Francis E. George, Archbishop Emeritus of Chicago, I offer heartfelt condolences to you and to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese. With gratitude for Cardinal George’s witness of consecrated life as an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, his service to the Church’s educational apostolate and his years of episcopal ministry in the Churches of Yakima, Portland and Chicago, I join you in commending the soul of this wise and gentle pastor to the merciful love of God our heavenly Father. To all who mourn the late Cardinal in the sure hope of the Resurrection, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Lord.
FRANCIS PP.
Please accept my condolences at the passing of Cardinal George and the assurance of my prayers that the merciful Lord will grant him the reward of his faith and his tireless labors for the Church.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegramme of concolence on the death of Cardinal Francis George who has died at the age of 78. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also sent his sympathies on hearing the news. Below please find the telegramme of Pope Francis. To the Most Reverend Blase Cupich…
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