Audiences

Vatican City, 29 February 2016 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father met separately with:

- three prelates from the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference: Archbishop Roberto Octavio Gonzalez Nieves, O.F.M., of San Juan de Puerto Rico, president, accompanied by Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J., of Tyler, vice president, and by Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales of Fajardo-Humacao, secretary general.

- Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, USA,

- Bishop Paul Tighe, adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture with members of his family, and

- Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.

On Saturday 27 February the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, and

- Bishop Carlos Jose Tissera of Quilmes, Argentina.

Audiences

Vatican City, 26 February 2016 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, apostolic nuncio in Korea and Mongolia, with family members;

- Bodo Ramelow, minister-president of Thuringia, Germany, with his wife and entourage;

- Archbishop Aldo Giordano, apostolic nuncio in Venezuela;

- Archbishop Jean-Abdo Arbach of Homs of the Greek-Melkites, Syria.

Audiences

Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) – Yesterday the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Audiences

Vatican City, 24 February 2016 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munchen und Freising, Germany, coordinator of the Council for the Economy.

Audiences

Vatican City, 22 February 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience:

- Egas da Costa Freitas, ambassador of East Timor to the Holy See, presenting his credential letters;

- Rogelio Francisco Emilio Pfirter, ambassador of Argentina to the Holy See, presenting his credential letters.

On Friday, 19 February the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, accompanied by Bishop Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J., secretary of the same dicastery.

Jubilee audience: In the words of Padre Pio, prayer is our best weapon

Vatican City, 6 February 2016 (VIS) – "He was a servant of mercy. He dedicated himself full time to the "apostolate of listening", often to the point of exhaustion. He became, through the ministry of Confession, a living caress of the Father, healing the wounds of sin and enlivening the heart with peace. St. Pio never tired of welcoming people and listening to them, of spending time and energy to spread the perfume of the Lord's forgiveness. He was able to do so because he was always attached to the source: he continually slaked his thirst from the Crucified Jesus and thus became a channel of His mercy", said the Holy Father of St. Pio of Pietrelcina this morning at the Jubilee audience, addressing the Padre Pio Prayer Groups, workers of the Home for the Relief of Suffering private hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, founded by St. Pio, and the faithful of the diocese of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo. Yesterday afternoon a procession brought the relics of St. Pio and St. Leopold Mandic to St. Peter's Basilica, where they will remain until Thursday 11 February.

Francis described prayer as the "true mission", and recalled that the Saint defined the prayer groups as "hothouses of faith and seedbeds of love". "Padre Pio said that prayer is the force that moves the world, that extends God's smile and blessing to every languor and weakness", and explained that prayer is not simply "a good practice for bringing peace to the heart, nor is it a pious way of obtaining what one needs from God". "If it were, it would simply be motivated by a futile selfishness. Prayer, however, is a work of spiritual mercy, that wishes to present everything to the heart of God. It is a gift of faith and love, an intercession that is as necessary as bread. In a word, it means to entrust: to entrust the Church, people and situations to the Father, so that He may take care of them. For this reason prayer, as Padre Pio liked to say, is the best weapon we have; it is a key to God's heart".

The Pope thanked the prayer groups for their commitment and encouraged them to be "centres of mercy". He commented that Padre Pio had wanted the Home for the Relief of Suffering to be not only an excellent hospital, but also a "temple of science and prayer", and recalled the words of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI: "Human beings always need something more than technically proper care. They need humanity. They need heartfelt concern". Curing sickness means, first and foremost, "taking care of the patient. At times, while the wounds of the body are tended to, the wounds of the soul worsen, and these heal more slowly and with greater difficulty", he added. "Even the dying, those who are apparently unconscious, participate in prayer carried out with faith near to them, and they trust in God, in His mercy". Francis concluded with greetings to the archdiocese of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo: "May whoever comes to your beautiful land find in you too a reflection of the light of Heaven".

Audiences

Vatican City, 6 February 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Audiences

Vatican City, 5 February 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father has received in audience:

- Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;

- Bishop Baldomero Carlos Martini, emeritus of San Justo, Argentina;

- Bishop Han Lim Moon, auxiliary of San Martin, Argentina.

First Jubilee audience: mercy and mission

Vatican City, 30 January 2016 (VIS) – Pope Francis dedicated the first of his Jubilee audiences to the theme "Mercy and Mission". The Jubilee audiences are an initiative of the Holy Father during the Holy Year, enabling those who are unable to attend the Wednesday general audiences to participate in his catechesis. On this occasion more than 22,000 people were present in St. Peter's Square.

"Day by day we enter into the life of this Holy Year of Mercy. With His grace, the Lord guides our steps as we cross the Holy Door and comes towards us so as to stay always with us, despite our shortcomings and our contradictions. Let us never tire of asking His forgiveness, as when we are weak His closeness makes us stronger and allows us to live our faith with greater joy".

Referring to the close link between mercy and mission, Francis underlined that as Christians we have the responsibility to be missionaries of the Gospel. "When we receive good news or have a good experience it is natural that we wish to communicate it to others. … The joy we feel inspires us to do so. It should be the same when we encounter the Lord. Indeed, the concrete sign we have truly encountered Jesus is the joy we feel in communicating this to others too. This is not proselytism, but rather it is a gift: I give you what makes me joyful. Reading the Gospel we see that this was also the experience of the first disciples. … Encountering Jesus is the same as encountering His love. This love transforms us and makes us able to transmit to others the strength that it gives us".

"We could say that the day of our Baptism each one of us is given another name alongside the one we receive from our mother and father, and this name is 'Christopher', which means 'Christ-bearer'. The name of our approach, as bearers of Christ's joy and mercy", remarked the Holy Father. "The Christian is a bearer of Christ. … But the mercy we receive from the Father is not given to us as a private consolation, but rather makes us instruments to enable others to receive the same gift. There is a wonderful circularity between mercy and mission".

"Living mercy makes us missionaries of mercy, and being missionaries enables us increasingly to grow in God's mercy. So, let us take seriously the fact of being Christians, and let us commit ourselves to living as believers, because only in this way may the Gospel touch the people's hearts, opening them to receive the grace of love", concluded the Holy Father.

The Pope reiterates the importance of protecting workers' health

Vatican City, 30 January 2016 (VIS) – Following his catechesis the Pope greeted, among others, the Italian faithful including members of the National Association of Maimed and Injured Workers (ANMIL), whose presence offered the Holy Father the opportunity to reiterate the importance of protecting workers' health and safety and defending human life, a gift from God, especially when it is at its weakest and most fragile.

He also addressed the managers and employees of Rome's transport agency, ATAC, encouraging them in their work as today, he said, "the quality of social life depends greatly on the quality of transport". He expressed his hope for increased efforts to reduced pollution and thanked ATAC employees for their service to pilgrims, especially during the Jubilee Year.

Finally, he greeted the young, the sick and newly-weds. "Tomorrow we commemorate St. John Bosco, the apostle of youth. Look to him, dear young people, as an exemplary educator. You, dear sick people, may learn from his spiritual experience always to trust in the crucified Christ. And you, dear newly-weds, ask his intercession so as to take on your conjugal mission with generous commitment".

Audiences

Vatican City, 1 February 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience:

- Bishop Marcelo Daniel Colombo of La Rioja, Argentina;

- Bishop Hugo Nicolas Barbaro of San Roque de Presidencia Roque Saenz Pena, Argentina;

- Mother Zulema Nelly Zayas, superior general of the "Hijas del Divino Salvador" congregation.

On Saturday 30 January the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Audiences

Vatican City, 29 January 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA);

- Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity;

- Archbishop Luciano Suriani, apostolic nuncio in Serbia.

Audiences

Vatican City, 28 January 2016 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop George Panikulam, apostolic nuncio in Uruguay;

- Leonardo DiCaprio.

Audiences

Vatican City, 25 January 2016 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Neven Pelicaric, ambassador of Croatia, presenting his credential letters;

- Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, apostolic nuncio in Romania and Moldavia;

- Archbishop Wojciech Zaluski, apostolic nuncio in Burundi;

- Archbishop Mario Antonio Cargnello of Salta, Argentina;

- Budiarman Bahar, ambassador of Indonesia, on his farewell visit;

- Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, archbishop of Florence, Italy.

On Saturday 23 January, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Matthew S. Lee, ambassador of the Republic of China, presenting his credential letters;

- His Beatitude Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon;

- Prefect Francesco Paolo Tronca, Commissioner of the Municipality of Rome;

- Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, with Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga of Tunja, president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia; Archbishop Oscar Urbina Ortega of Villavicencio, deputy president; Bishop Jose Daniel Falla Robles, auxiliary of Cali, general secretary.

Bishop Roberto Rodríguez, emeritus of La Rioja, Argentina.

In the afternoon of Friday 22 January, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Audiences

Vatican City, 22 January 2016 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;

- Timothy Donald Cook, chief executive officer of Apple;

- Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota;

- College of Prelate Auditors of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.

Audiences

Vatican City, 21 January 2016 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Eliseo Antonio Ariotti, apostolic nuncio in Paraguay;

- Robert Compaore, ambassador of Burkina Faso, presenting his credential letters;

- Bishop Ruben Oscar Frassia of Avellaneda-Lanus, Argentina;

- Friars from the Abbey of the Tre Fontane in Rome, with the lambs that will be blessed on the feast of St. Agnes, and whose wool will be used to weave the pallium the Holy Father will impose upon the metropolitan archbishops on 29 June, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Audiences

Vatican City, 20 January 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience:

- A Muslim delegation, presenting an official invitation to the Holy Father to attend the Great Mosque in Rome;

- Bishops from Sudan and South Sudan, attending a meeting organised by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

Yesterday he received in audience Bishop Cesar Daniel Fernandez of Jujuy, Argentina.

Audiences

Vatican City, January 2016 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Christine Lagarde, director general of the International Monetary Fund;

- Archbishop Antonio Mennini, apostolic nuncio in Great Britain;

- Archbishop Leo William Cushley of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland.

On Saturday 16 January the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;

- Delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate;

- Archbishop Luciano Russo, apostolic nuncio in Rwanda;

- Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, apostolic nuncio in Sudan and in Eritrea.

Audiences

Vatican City, 15 January 2016 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples;

- Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, apostolic nuncio in Israel and in Cyprus; apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and in Palestine;

- Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, apostolic nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Montenegro;

- Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google;

- Fr. Pedro Aguado Cuesta, prepositor general of the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools;

- John Anthony Gerard McCarthy, ambassador of Australia to the Holy See, on his farewell visit.

Audiences

Vatican City, 14 January 2016 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Giovanni D'Aniello, apostolic nuncio in Brazil;

- Archbishop Marek Zalewski, apostolic nuncio in Zimbabwe;

- Archbishop Hector Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo, Bishop Norbert Klemens Strotmann Hoppe of Chosica and Bishop Robert Francis Prevost of Chiclayo, Peru;

- Jean Todt, president of the Federation Internationale d'Automobile (FIA), and entourage,

- Fabrizio Palenzona, president of the "Aeroporti di Roma", and entourage;

- Maria Romana De Gasperi, honorary president of the De Gasperi Foundation;

- Community of the Collegio Sacerdotale Argentino in Rome.