"This pilgrimage is an opportunity for people to deepen their faith, strengthen the bonds between parishes, and expand their love for one another," said Father Aster.
“The Lord invites us to open our hearts, to let His grace embrace us, and to walk with Him in our concrete lives to bear fruits of peace, unity, and joy in the faith, hope, and charity,” Msgr. Andrea Ferrante said.
Pope Francis recommended five ingredients for the future: prayer, community, honesty, forgiveness, and service, with the figurative symbol of five fingers.
“While so many today dismiss the poor, you embrace them; while the world exploits them, you encourage them," Pope Francis tells the representatives of several charities in Kinshasa.
The activity carried the theme "Image of Christ in the Writer's Heart" and focused on youth involvement in the Church’s communication ministry, both in the traditional print platform and online.
"The training aims at enhancing our ability to further communicate the work and teachings of the church not only inward but also outward," said Father Steven Lalu, Secretary of KIWI OSC.
Taking the theme “widening the tent” from the working document of the continental phase of the Synod, the message of the Dicastery for Consecrated persons, exhorts the consecrated people to widen the tent and walk together in “closeness, compassion and tenderness”
In the final message bishops stated that “the Church in India has substantially contributed to nation-building, especially through her engagement in the fields of education, healthcare and social uplift.”
Pope Francis invited the wounded and oppressed Congolese people to give Christ a chance to heal their hearts by handing their past over to him, along with all their fears and troubles.
“Once the Catholic Church functioned as a bishop-priest centered church and did only what the bishop or the priest would say. Today, we no longer need such sacristy Catholics,” Cardinal Ranjith.
An Awareness Course on Child Protection and Formation was conducted for the Parish-in-charges of the Yangon Archdiocese, at the Catholic Archbishop House in Yangon, Myanmar, from January 9 to 11.
Pope reminded them that the Congolese people are more precious than the diamonds found abundantly in their soil and reminded them that peace and development comes from ‘spiritual wealth’ ad not from natural resources.
'We need to change from our past misconceptions and values, from self to others, learn to respect each other, take the dignity and value of human nature seriously,' says a joint statement by Christian denominations in Hong Kong, at the end of the week of prayer for Christian Unity.
'Sometimes I think that we should put a sign on the door of parishes that says, “Free admission.” Parishes should be close-knit communities, without bureaucracy, people-centered —a place where the gift of the sacraments can be found,' Pope Francis.
Pope Francis entrusted his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of South Sudan to Mother Mary as usual at the Saint Mary Major Basilica on Monday afternoon.
More than 200 leaders from different Christian denominations participated in the closing ceremony of the week of Christian Unity at Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral in Yangon, Myanmar, on January 25.
Indonesian Church Leader and Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning (ATR) and Head of the National Land Agency (BPN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Implementation of Land Registration, Assistance in the Prevention and Handling of Asset Land Problems.
Indian-origin Father James Bharataputra was credited to be the founder of the Velangkanni Marian Shrine “Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni” in Medan, Indonesia.
