Advertisement
As the season of Advent draws near, the Vatican has published the schedule of Pope Francis’ liturgies for Christmas through the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
In his Christmas Day blessing, Pope Francis prayed that leaders will listen to the “cries of the Prince of Peace” and bring an immediate end to the war in Ukraine and “the other theaters of this third world war.”
On Christmas Day 2022, Pope Francis delivered his “Urbi et Orbi” address and blessing from the central balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The following is the full text of the pope’s Christmas message.
In the first ages, during the night before every feast, a vigil was kept. In the evening the faithful assembled in the place or church where the feast was to be celebrated and prepared themselves by prayers, readings from Holy Writ (now the Offices of Vespers and Matins), and sometimes also by hearing a sermon.
Pope Francis is inviting everyone to have “a more humble Christmas” this year.
The pope was speaking at the Sunday Angelus.
He spoke from the central balcony overlooking a rainy St. Peter’s Square.
In his Christmas homily, Pope Francis asked Christians to contemplate that God did not choose to come into the world in grandeur, but as a humble child born into poverty.
This weekend, Latin rite Catholics have an obligation to attend Mass on both Christmas Day, Saturday, Dec. 25, and on the following day, Sunday, Dec. 26.
Displaced Christians in Burkina Faso are remembering with nostalgia how joyfully they celebrated Christmas before militants uprooted them from their homes, forcing them to seek refuge elsewhere.
The Archbishop of Abuja in Nigeria has called upon the people of God in the West African country that is battling insecurity issues to be inspired by the spirit of Christmas to embrace peace.
The guidelines were withdrawn on Tuesday.
Giving his traditional Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” blessing Friday, Pope Francis called for coronavirus vaccines to be made available to the world’s neediest people.
Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christmas brings joy and strength that can remove the pessimism that has spread in human hearts as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis advised Catholics Sunday not to waste time complaining about coronavirus restrictions, but to focus instead on helping those in need.
The Vatican’s liturgy congregation will permit priests to say up to four Masses on Christmas Day, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Jan. 1, and Epiphany to accommodate more worshippers amid the pandemic.
On the occasion of the annual Day of Reconciliation in South Africa, an Archbishop has called on the people of God within his pastoral jurisdiction to walk the talk, matching their behavior with their Christian beliefs.
The head of the Catholic Church in Mauritius has acknowledged with appreciation the solidarity of the people of God in the Indian Ocean Island nation amid COVID-19 challenges, expressing the desire for a “sober and fraternal Christmas” later this year.
The death of St. Stephen, the Church’s first martyr, teaches Catholics to renew their commitment to charity and self-gift, part of the meaning of Christmas, Pope Francis said Thursday.
On Christmas, Pope Francis prayed for Christ to bring light to the instability in Iraq, Lebanon, Venezuela, Yemen, Ukraine, Burkina Faso, and other parts of the world experiencing conflict.