(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, during which he exhorted the faithful and all people of good will to renewed and strengthened personal commitment to the often dire needs of our neighbors, especially those who are hungry and thirsty.The Holy Father was speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the occasion, during which he reflected on the first of the Corporal Works of Mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty.The Pope emphasized the need not only for personal commitment to causes like eradicating hunger and guaranteeing access to food and water, but for personal commitment to the people who are hungry – many of whom are our neighbors and fellow citizens.Click below to hear our report “Access to food and water is a basic human right, yet so many members of our human family, especially children, continue to suffer from hunger and thirst,” said Pope Fran...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, during which he exhorted the faithful and all people of good will to renewed and strengthened personal commitment to the often dire needs of our neighbors, especially those who are hungry and thirsty.
The Holy Father was speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the occasion, during which he reflected on the first of the Corporal Works of Mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty.
The Pope emphasized the need not only for personal commitment to causes like eradicating hunger and guaranteeing access to food and water, but for personal commitment to the people who are hungry – many of whom are our neighbors and fellow citizens.
Click below to hear our report
“Access to food and water is a basic human right, yet so many members of our human family, especially children, continue to suffer from hunger and thirst,” said Pope Francis. “While grateful for the generosity and solidarity shown in the case of many tragic situations worldwide,” he continued, “we must never forget that this work of mercy calls us to respond personally to concrete situations of need in our own lives.”
Departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis said, “Poverty in the abstract does not challenge us: it makes us think, makes us complain; but when we see poverty in the flesh of a man, a woman, a child, this challenges us – and therefore, that habit we have fleeing the needy, of not approaching them, covering up somewhat the reality of the needy with fashionable habits, so as to avoid contact with needy people.”
“There is,” said Pope Francis, “no longer any distance between me and the poor person when I bump into him.”
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 10:52 am (CNA).Following a recent Vatican declaration on human dignity, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales condemned medical and social transgenderism while encouraging a "sensitive" response in a pastoral reflection released on Wednesday.The Vatican's doctrinal office came down strongly against gender ideology, stating that "all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected."The Catholic bishops of England and Wales followed the Vatican's lead in their April 24 statement, "Intricately Woven by the Lord," which encouraged rooting pastoral care in "acceptance … of the body as created." "We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug-based medical intervention that harms the body," they wrote. "Nor can we legitimize or uphold a way of living that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and each woman, called to ...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).Louisiana State Police have obtained a new search warrant to collect documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans as part of an ongoing investigation into Church abuse in that state.State police spokesman Jacob Pucheu confirmed to CNA on Thursday that the bureau had obtained the warrant as part of its investigation into "numerous complaints of child sexual abuse" leveled at the archdiocese. The inquiry was first launched in 2022, he said."As part of the ongoing investigation, on Monday, April 22, 2024, SVU investigators obtained an additional search warrant to collect information and documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans," Pucheu told CNA."The archdiocese is cooperating with investigators to fulfill the terms of the search warrant," he said. "This investigation remains ongoing with no further information available at this time."Pucheu declined to directly provide a copy of the warrant, saying that "since it is...
Pope Francis speaks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Sept. 25, 2015. / L'Osservatore Romano.Rome Newsroom, Apr 25, 2024 / 07:22 am (CNA).Pope Francis is reportedly considering returning to the United States in September to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.The news was initially reported by the French Catholic newspaper La Croix and has not yet been officially confirmed by the Vatican. A source from the Vatican Secretariat of State, meanwhile, told CNA this week that "a formal invitation has arrived from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Pope Francis seems inclined to respond positively."If the New York trip occurs, the pope would visit the United Nations during its "Summit of the Future," which the international body will convene from Sept. 22 to 23.The possible trip to the United States could change the pope's already-busy September travel schedule. The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Francis will be in Indonesia...