Pope Francis

But the current Pope did not dwell on Benedict's specific legacy and only uttered his name once. Pope Francis attends the funeral of former Pope Benedict, ...

- an echo of calls that were made during the funeral in 2005 of John Paul II, the last pope to die. A decision that was criticised at the time. The late Pope Emeritus is being entombed in the crypt beneath St Peter's, in an area once occupied by John Paul II.

The ceremony for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lacked the scale and emotion of the last papal funeral, reflecting what it means to die as a beloved sitting ...

And it paints a picture of the [astonishing morning in 2013](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pope-benedict-to-resign-citing-age-and-waning-energy/2013/02/11/f9e90aa6-743b-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_53) when Benedict declared in Latin that he no longer had the “strength of mind or body” for the job. [text of the document](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-01/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-deed-rogito-coffin.html) that was buried with Benedict in a protective cylinder. In an interview published this week by a German outlet, Benedict’s longtime personal secretary and confidant, Georg Gänswein, called that decision a “cut” against the pope emeritus that created “pain in his heart.” In passages during the funeral, Benedict was cited as “pope emeritus.” There was an additional prayer for “Our Holy Father, Pope Francis.” Peter’s Basilica, where soon after it was enclosed in its two additional layers and buried in the grottoes. Thursday, the men who had been [living side by side for 10 years](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/01/01/benedict-francis-two-popes-funeral/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8) were again just 15 feet apart, with Francis — pushed to the altar in a wheelchair — sitting in front of a cypress casket holding his predecessor. Francis delivered a homily steeped in verse, without the personal touches, making no reference to his predecessor by name until the last sentence, when he said: “Benedict … But because of the profound differences in their approaches, they were sometimes seen as commanding different poles of the church. Certain tokens from his pontificate, as well as a written text describing his life and reign and resignation, were enclosed in his coffin. It was only because of Benedict’s historic abdication that Francis had the chance to preside over the ceremony for his predecessor. But he built his reputation above all by doggedly protecting the church’s core teachings, even when they were unpopular among practicing Catholics, a method that Francis has made a point to soften. The funeral gave the church a final moment to reflect on one of its most towering and polarizing conservatives — somebody who shaped the faith with his moral certitude.

'We pray that having served as the vicar of your Son on earth, he may be welcomed by him into eternal glory'

Never in the history of the Catholic Church had a pope conducted a funeral ceremony for his predecessor, until now.

In the powerful position as head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he earned the nickname, "God's Rottweiler," as a rigid enforcer of church policy. "He was a great pope," said Father Calistus Kahale Kabindama, a priest who came all the way from Zambia to pay his respects. Benedict lived in a monastery at the Vatican after his surprise resignation nearly 10 years ago. Peter's Square for the Mass, which was conducted in a manner similar to how it would be for a sitting pope. [Benedict XVI](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-praises-pope-emeritus-benedict-xvis-kindness-dead-at-95/) was laid to rest Thursday in Vatican City in the first funeral ever conducted by a sitting pope for his predecessor. The body of Pope Emeritus Benedict was carried before crowds in a traditional cypress wood coffin Thursday morning and placed before the ancient St.

For the first time in modern history, the papal funeral was led by a sitting pope, Francis, who delivered the homily to an estimated crowd of 50000 people.

The Solemnity of the Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Magi — also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings — who came with gifts to worship the ...

We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. The pope also asked people to pray for “the battered population of Ukraine.” let us love God and not bow down before passing things and evil thoughts, seductive yet hollow and empty,” he said. For God calls every day, here and now, in our world.” The Solemnity of the Epiphany is traditionally celebrated on Jan. Peter's Square for the Angelus.

The Pope quoted an Epiphany homily by the late Benedict XVI, whose funeral he presided over yesterday.

“The purpose of everything is not to achieve a personal goal or to receive glory for ourselves, but to encounter God. Catholics will celebrate the Epiphany this year on Jan. What hidden opportunities are present in the midst of my crises and my sufferings?” 6, but Catholic dioceses in the United States mark the feast on the Sunday that falls between Jan. In his homily for the Church’s celebration of the Three Kings on Jan. The solemnity is traditionally celebrated on Jan.

Ahead of the Angelus prayer on the feast of the Epiphany, Pope Francis reflects on the gifts God gives the Magi as they persevere in seeking His Son ...

We, too, he added, must learn how to “renounce what seduces” and choose God’s ways through the gift of discernment. “They knew how to distinguish between the goal of their journey and the temptations they found along the way,” said the Pope. God’s first gift to the Magi was “the call”, in which He employed their search and study of the stars to invite them to set out on a journey toward God’s Son.

In his short Angelus catechesis, the Argentine Pontiff turned the story of the Magi's arrival to Bethlehem on its head.

He urged Christians to “never tire” of asking for the gift of discernment. Peter’s Basilica on the feast of the Epiphany, Pope Francis came to the window of the Apostolic Palace to recite the Marian prayer with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, many of whom were in costumes for the feast day.

Pope Francis publishes the new Apostolic Constitution 'In Ecclesiarum Communione', which reorganizes the Vicariate of Rome by strengthening the role ...

The Episcopal Council must also give its approval for the appointment of chaplains, church rectors and those responsible for pastoral services. New and very detailed rules also apply to procedures for choosing new parish priests, whose "spiritual, psychological, intellectual, pastoral characteristics and experience in previous service, if any, must also be evaluated." In detailing the 45 articles of the Constitution, the Pope dwells on the hierarchical figures of the Vicariate: Cardinal Vicar, Vicegerent and auxiliary bishops. The Pope will preside over it when it meets at least three times a month: "The agenda for each meeting must be sent to me as soon as possible," Francis stipulates. "In Ecclesiarum Communione" strengthens the role of the Episcopal Council, which becomes the "primary agent of Synodality" and "the high-level place for discernment and pastoral and administrative decisions". The new Apostolic Constitution features greater collegiality and a increased presence of the Pope, as Bishop of Rome, in every important pastoral, administrative and economic decision of regarding the Diocese of Rome.

By Devin Watkins. As the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on Friday, Pope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, ...

Personal devotion and even consistent Mass attendance are not enough to allow our faith to grow. Peter’s Basilica, and reflected on the journey of the Magi. “Questioning, including spiritual questioning, can lead to frustration and desolation,” he said, “unless we embark upon a journey, unless we turn ourselves, in the depths of our being, to the face of God and the beauty of His word.”

'The Magi in fact did not simply study the heavens and contemplate the light of the star; they set out on a journey full of risks, without safe roads and ...

Brothers and sisters, let us open our hearts to restlessness, let us ask for the courage to continue our journey, and let us finish in worship! Let us not be afraid, for this is the path of the Magi, the path of all the saints throughout history: to welcome our restlessness, to set out and to worship. We have lost the sense of worship because we have lost our restless questioning and have lost the courage to continue on our journey with all its risks. Like the Magi, let us fall down and entrust ourselves to God in the wonder of worship. Finally, after restless questioning and the risk of journeying, the third place where we encounter the Lord is in the wonder of worship. Let us remind ourselves that a static faith does not grow; we cannot enclose faith in some personal devotion or confine it within the four walls of our churches; we need to bring it outside and to live it in a constant journey towards God and towards our brothers and sisters. We need to become disciples, following Jesus and his Gospel, bringing everything to him in prayer, seeking him in the events of our daily lives and in the faces of our brothers and sisters. He is present in the silence that troubles us in the face of death and the end of all human grandeur. The danger is that we sedate our hearts, sedate our souls in order to quell our inner restlessness. The Magi in fact did not simply study the heavens and contemplate the light of the star; they set out on a journey full of risks, without safe roads and clear maps. Where do I find a love that does not fade away, a love that endures even in the face of frailty, failure and betrayal? For the Magi, that was the beginning: the restlessness of those willing to ask questions.