Hundreds of men and women belonging to religious orders attended the Mass for the celebration of Candlemas — the feast of the Presentation of the Lord — which also marks the Vatican celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life on 2 February at the Vatican.

Speaking during his weekly general audience, Wednesday 26 January, Pope Francis has said that parents, in particular, often must grapple with situations or problems that are out of their control, such as when their child is sick or has a chronic illness. “How much pain is there!”.

American Archbishop Charles Balvo, a veteran of the Vatican’s diplomatic service for more than 30 years, will assume the role of Apostolic Nuncio to Australia. Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Archbishop Coleridge said Archbishop Balvo “comes to us at a complex and challenging time in the Church and in Australia.

“What is Christmas? Is it a tree? A statue of a baby with a woman and a man nearby? Yes, it is Jesus, the birth of Jesus,” he said, so “stop for a bit and think of Christmas as a message, a message of peace.”

Anyone who has followed the pontificate of Pope Francis will know that he consistently encourages the young to learn from their elders and to remember their roots.

Pope Francis greets people as he leaves an ecumenical prayer with migrants in the Church of the Holy Cross in Nicosia, Cyprus, Dec. 3, 2021. During his trip, Pope Francis continued to hone his teaching on migration, appealing for action but also acknowledging that not every country can accept all newcomers. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Spending a bit of time with young people before leaving Gre...

Palms Australia volunteers viewing an Indigenous map. Over 1550 Australians, at 103 Orientation Courses, have been prepared to engage in these challenging cross-cultural relationships to build understanding, acceptance, and care, and provide the assistance requested, across 41 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Photo: Supplied. A concept of Pope Francis expressed in “Fratelli Tutti...

By Carol Glatz Pope Francis is pictured with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople during a meeting at the Vatican in this 26 May 2018, file photo. The Holy Father sent a message to Patriarch Bartholomew on the feast of St Andrew, patron saint of the church of Constantinople and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Photo: CNS/Paul Haring) Catholics and Orthodox Christians must incre...

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Pope Francis speaks in this still frame from a video message to the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture at the Vatican Nov. 23, 2021. The pope encouraged the council in its exploration of the question, "What does it mean to be human?" (CNS/Vatican Media) The classical Christian understanding of what it means to be human provides a ...

By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service Pope Francis gives the homily as he celebrates Mass marking World Day of the Poor in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sunday 14 November, 2021. Photo: CNS/Remo Casilli, Reuters. The gift of hope becomes tangible in people's lives through concrete actions that seek to relieve the suffering of the poor and console the downtrodden, Pope Fr...