Pope Francis announced that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero would be recognized as a martyr, assassinated for the Catholic faith. The declaration of martyrdom was announced in a “Promulgation of Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints”, which stated that the archbishop was killed in odium fidei, Latin for "in hatred of the faith."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres have accepted an invitation by Pope Francis to pray for peace in the Holy Land at the Vatican this Pentecost Sunday.
During his recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Pope said, “All of us want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers.”
Pope Francis is currently on a pilgrimage in the Holy Land and has brought with him a message of peace. While travelling towards Jerusalem, he passed through Jordan, Palestine and Israel, and took the opportunity to highlight the work of the local Caritas offices in the region, which are helping victims of the conflict in the Middle East, mainly refugees.
On the first leg of his trip in Jordan, the Pope told dignitaries at the Royal Palace about the work of Caritas Jordan and how it is helping Syrian refugees who have been driven from their homes.
During an informal audience at the Vatican on Thursday May 16, Pope Francis received executives from the Caritas Internationalis network. He reminded those gathered that “a Church without charity does not exist,” and underlined the “dual dimension” of the initiative that is Caritas Internationalis, that is, the dimension of social action joined with the spiritual dimension of “giving oneself, going outside oneself and being at the continuous service of people living in extreme situations.
At the invitation of Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, I attended the XXIX Plenary Assembly of Cor Unum in Rome, January 17-19, 2013. This was one of my first official duties as the new President, and proved to be very timely for me in terms of being very formative and spiritually nourishing. I was supported at the assembly by the guidance and expertise of Mr. Gilio Brunelli, Director, International Programs department. Copies of the agenda and many of the presentations made during the assembly are available.
