How can I be a good confessor?
A priest needs to think of his own sins, to listen with tenderness, to pray to the Lord for a heart as merciful as his, and not to cast the first stone because he, too, is a sinner who needs to be forgiven. He needs to try to resemble God in all his mercy.
– Pope Francis, The Name of God Is Mercy
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To help our society to “build back better”, inclusion of the vulnerable must also entail efforts to promote their active participation. #IDPD vatican.va/content/f…
Inclusion should be the “rock” on which to build programmes and initiatives of civil institutions meant to ensure that no one, especially those in greatest difficulty, is left behind. #IDPD
The first step of faith is to tell God that we need him, that we need him to be close to us. Thus, if we ask Jesus to come close to us, we will train ourselves to be watchful.
I want to assure my prayers for #Nigeria. Last Saturday more than one hundred farmers were brutally killed. May God welcome them in His peace and comfort their families, and convert the hearts of those who commit similar atrocities which gravely offend His name.
God’s grace changes lives: He takes us as we are, but He never leaves us as we are. #GeneralAudience
Today, as in the past, slavery is rooted in a notion of the human person that allows people to be treated like an object, it tramples their dignity. Slavery makes us "un-dignified" because it takes way everyone's dignity.
Let us frequently repeat the traditional #Advent prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20): before meetings, studying, work, and before making decisions, in the important moments or times of trial: Come, Lord Jesus!
Let us keep in mind that not even a murderer loses his personal dignity — God Himself guarantees it (see EV 9). The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being. #FratelliTutti #NoDeathPenalty
#Advent is the Season in which we remember God's nearness, that He came down toward us.
Praying and loving, that is what it means to be watchful. When the Church worships God and serves our neighbour, it does not live in the night.However weak and weary, she journeys towards the Lord. Let us now call out to him. Come, Lord Jesus, we need you! vatican.va/content/f…
#Advent is a continuous call to hope: it reminds us that God is present in history to lead it to its ultimate goal and to its fullness, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conversion is precisely this: instead of being on the wrong road, we go on God's road. vatican.va/content/f…
All of us love Jesus, all of us want to follow him, yet we must always be careful to remain on the road. For with our feet, with our bodies, we can be with Him, but our hearts can wander far afield and so lead us off the road. #Consistory
The proclamation of the passion, death and resurrection (Mk 10:32-45) is a saving Word necessary for the Church in every age. We too, Pope and Cardinals, must always see ourselves reflected in this Word, it is painful, but it also heals, liberates and converts us. #Consistory
Follow the Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals - Saint Peter's Basilica at 16 (CET) vatican.va/content/f… pic.twitter.com/z0EZ…
We do not live aimlessly and without destination. We are awaited. We are precious. God has prepared for us the most worthy and beautiful place: Paradise.
I invite everyone to pray for #Ethiopia where armed clashes have intensified and are causing a serious humanitarian situation. I appeal to the parties in conflict so that the violence might ceases, life may be safeguarded and the populations can regain #peace.
God is more patient than we are, and those who knock with faith and perseverance on the door of his heart will not be disappointed. #Prayer
Lord, Father of our human family, you created all human beings equal in dignity: pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit. Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war. #FratelliTutti
When we pray, God opens our eyes renews and changes our hearts, heals our wounds and grants us the grace we need. #GeneralAudience #Prayer
Too often, women are insulted, beaten, raped, forced to prostitute themselves.... If we want a better world, that will be a peaceful home and not a battlefield, we all need to do a lot more for the dignity of each woman.
Let us care for the needs of every man and woman, young and old, with the same fraternal spirit of care and closeness that marked the Good Samaritan. #FratelliTutti
We were not created to dream about vacations or the weekend, but to make God’s dreams come true in this world. God made us capable of dreaming, so that we could embrace the beauty of life. The works of mercy are the most beautiful works in life.
Dear young people, let us not give up on great dreams. The Lord does not want us to narrow our horizons or to remain parked on the roadside of life. He wants us to race boldly and joyfully towards lofty goals. #takeupthecross vatican.va/content/f…
Before pouring out His love for us on the cross, Jesus shares His final wishes. He tells us that the good we do to one of our least brothers and sisters – hungry, thirsty, strangers, in need, sick, imprisoned – we do to Him (Mt 25:37-40). #GospelOfTheDay
Today, #ChristTheKing Sunday, the Cross and the icon of Mary, Salus Populi Romani, symbols of World Youth Days, begins a new pilgrimage which will lead to Lisbon in 2023. #takeupthecross
Dear young people, the effects of our actions and decisions affect you personally. Therefore, you can’t remain outside the places that are shaping the present and future. You’re either part of them or history will pass you by. #FrancescoEconomy vatican.va/content/f…
Today we remember Mary’s Presentation in the Temple and celebrate #ProOrantibus Day. Thank you, contemplative sisters and brothers, because you are support for the weak, beacons that signal the port, torches that illuminate the dark night, sentinels who announce the new day.
A pleasure to speak by phone yesterday with my brother @alimamaltayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. We reaffirm our support to human fraternity as the solution to erase violence, discrimination and hatred in the name of religion. Religions have nothing to do with these. #FratelliTutti
Every child needs to be welcomed and defended, helped and protected, from the moment of their conception. #WorldChildrensDay
The earth and its poor urgently demand a sound economy and a sustainable development. Therefore, we are called to rethink our mental and moral priorities so that they are in conformity with God’s commandments and the common good.
“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Lk 2:19). Everything that happens to her ends up in her heart so that it might pass through the sieve of #prayer and be transfigured by it. #GeneralAudience
Even a smile that we can share with the poor is a source of love. An outstretched hand can always be enriched by the smile of those who quietly and unassumingly offer to help, inspired only by the joy of living as one of Christ’s disciples.
Every form of fundamentalist intolerance damages relationships between individuals, groups and peoples. Let us be committed to living and teaching the value of respect, a love capable of welcoming differences, and the priority of the dignity of every human being. #TolleranceDay
I am near in prayer to the dear people of the #Philippines who are suffering because of the destruction, and especially because of the flooding caused by a strong #typhoon. I express my solidarity to the poorest families and those who are doing all they can to help them.
Hold out your hand to the poor, instead of demanding what you lack. In this way, you will multiply the talents you have received. (Mt 25:14-30) #WorldDayOfThePoor #GospelOfTheDay vatican.va/content/f…
The Lord’s blessing descends upon us and prayer attains its goal when accompanied by service to the poor. #WorldDayOfThePoor vatican.va/content/f…
The ability to stretch forth our hand shows that we possess an innate capacity to act in ways that give meaning to life. #WorldDayOfThePoor
Generosity that supports the weak, consoles the afflicted, relieves suffering and restores dignity to those stripped of it, is a condition for a fully human life. #WorldDayOfThePoor
The one who prays is never alone. In fact, Jesus welcomes us in His prayer so that we might pray in Him and through Him. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel invites us to pray to the Father in Jesus’s name. #Prayer #GeneralAudience
Yesterday, the Report on the sad case of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was published. I renew my closeness to the victims of sexual abuse and the Church's commitment to eradicate this evil. vatican.va/resources…
Today we celebrate the liturgical memorial of #SaintMartin, Bishop of Tours, a great Pastor in the Church who distinguished himself with evangelical charity toward the poor and marginalized. May his example teach us to be ever more courageous in the faith and generous in charity.
Society is enriched by the dialogue between science and faith, which opens up new horizons for thought. The light of faith needs to enlighten scientific advances so that they respect the centrality of the human person. #WorldScienceDay
Today, on the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St John Lateran, we recall that the Lord desires to dwell in every heart. Even if we should distance ourselves from Him, the Lord needs only three days to reconstruct His temple within us" (See Jn 2:19)
Let us pray for the populations of Central America who were hit by a violent hurricane. May the Lord welcome the deceased, comfort their families and sustain those most in need, as well as all those who are doing all they can to help them.
I am following with concern the news arriving from Ethiopia. While I urge that the temptation of an armed conflict be rejected, I invite everyone to prayer and to fraternal respect, to dialogue and to a peaceful end to the disagreements.
"Faith working through love" (Gal 5:6) is the shining lamp with which we can pass through the night beyond death and reach the great feast of life. #GospelOfTheDay (Mt 25:1-13)
All of us are able to give without expecting anything in return, to do good to others without demanding that they treat us well in return. As Jesus told his disciples: “Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give” (Mt 10:8). #FratelliTutti
War is the negation of all rights and a dramatic assault on the environment. If we want true integral human development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war. #EnvironmentConflictDay #FratelliTutti
Prayer for the deceased, raised in the trust that they dwell with God, extends its benefits to us too: it educates us in a true vision of life; it opens us up to true freedom, disposing us to the continuous search for eternal goods. vatican.va/content/f…
Let us attend the school of Jesus Christ, teacher of #Prayer. May we learn from Him that prayer is primarily listening and encountering God, an art to be practiced with insistence, the place where we perceive that everything comes from God and returns to Him. #GeneralAudience
I express my sorrow and dismay for the terrorist attack in #Vienna, and I pray for the victims and their families. Enough violence! Let us together strengthen peace and fraternity. Only love can silence hate.
Today we pray for all the #FaithfulDeparted and especially for the victims of the #Coronavirus: for those who have died alone, without the caress of their loved ones; and for those who have given their lives serving the sick.
Choosing purity, meekness and mercy; choosing to entrust oneself to the Lord in poverty of spirit and in affliction; dedicating oneself to justice and peace – this means going against the current. This evangelical path was trodden by #AllTheSaints and Blesseds. #GospelOfTheDay
Every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to his people. #GaudeteEtExsultate #AllSaintsDay pic.twitter.com/7kG5…
We need to look at our cities with a contemplative gaze, a gaze of faith which sees God dwelling in homes, on the streets and squares. This presence must be found, discovered. God does not hide himself from those who seek him with a sincere heart. #WorldCitiesDay
Jesus challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to others with no questions asked. #FratelliTutti
I am close to the Catholic community of #Nice, mourning the attack that sowed death in a place of prayer and consolation. I pray for the victims, for their families and for the beloved French people, that they may respond to evil with good.
