Pope Francis thanked pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square for their good wishes for his impending journey to Brazil for World Youth Day. …read more
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Tag Archives: Peter Square
Pope's soccer habit a perfect fit for papal gifts
Soccer-mad Pope Francis is building quite a collection of team jerseys.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gave Francis a national jersey signed by all the players during a 25-minute audience Monday in the Apostolic Palace.
The pope quipped: “Just like the San Lorenzo one!” Last week, members of Francis’ beloved Buenos Aires team offered him a club jersey during the pope’s general audience and got a papal shout-out in Spanish. Francis is a lifelong San Lorenzo fan and became a club member (ID No. 88235) in 2008.
A few weeks ago, a fan gave Francis another San Lorenzo jersey as the pope drove through St. Peter’s Square.
Italy has invited Argentina to play a friendly this summer; Italy coach Cesare Prandelli hopes it will be preceded by a papal audience.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/fYF4cTCX9-s/
Major Rome square to be renamed for former pope John Paul II
A corner of a big Rome piazza, known for hosting free rock concerts and political rallies, will be renamed after late pontiff John Paul II, with Pope Francis coming to the unveiling ceremony Sunday.
While Francis instantly proved to be a crowd pleaser — about 100,000 people turned out in St. Peter’s Square Sunday and a nearby street for his noon blessing — the mention of the widely beloved John Paul still prompts affectionate cheers. When Francis noted that John Paul “closed his eyes to this world” exactly eight years ago this month, in 2005, the new pope drew so much applause, he couldn’t finish his sentence as he spoke from the papal studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Francis invited people to join him later in Rome‘s main church, St. John in Lateran Basilica. Pontiffs are also the bishop of Rome, and a traditional installation ceremony at the basilica formally recognizes that Francis is Rome‘s bishop as well as the leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic church.
Before entering the basilica, Francis was scheduled to attend the unveiling of a plaque on a corner of the square near the church, naming that part of the piazza after John Paul. The late pontiff enthusiastically embraced his role as Rome‘s bishop, visiting hundreds of city parishes on Sunday mornings.
Francis might be the pope who decides whether another miracle has been attributed to John Paul‘s intercession, which would enable the late, Polish-born pontiff to enjoy the church’s highest honor, sainthood. The church process to certify a first miracle needed for John Paul‘s beatification went exceptionally fast. The six years it took from his death until Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in 2011 was the shortest time in modern history. Beatification is the last formal step before sainthood.
The vast St. John in Lateran piazza, which can hold hundreds of thousands of people, is a popular venue for free rock concerts on Labor Day, May 1, and a frequent rallying point for union leaders and politicians. Rome‘s city hall said the square was picked as an apt place to honor John Paul after consulting with an Italian cardinal who serves as the pope’s vicar general for the Rome diocese.
Pope Francis seemed to be adding a new twist to the role of public squares in everyday life. At his Vatican appearance Sunday, he encouraged faithful to “go into the piazzas and announce Christ our savior” to the people. “Bring the Good News with sweetness and respect,” he added. The “Good News” refers to the Gospels.
John Paul, then Benedict, and now Francis have all made shoring up flagging faith on the traditionally Christian European continent as well as in other affluent areas of the world a priority of their leadership. The Vatican is also keen on preserving Catholic loyalty in places like South America, where dynamic evangelical sects have been attracting baptized Catholics away from their faith, as well as encourage growing communities of Catholics in Africa and Asia.
The new pope is expected to lead Catholic youth in pep …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Pope Francis, Bishop Of Rome, Invites Romans To Join Him At City Basilica
By The Huffington Post News Editors
ROME — A corner of a big Rome piazza, known for hosting free rock concerts and political rallies, will be renamed after late pontiff John Paul II, with Pope Francis coming to the unveiling ceremony Sunday.
While Francis instantly proved to be a crowd pleaser – about 100,000 people turned out in St. Peter’s Square Sunday and a nearby street for his noon blessing – the mention of the widely beloved John Paul still prompts affectionate cheers. When Francis noted that John Paul “closed his eyes to this world” exactly eight years ago this month, in 2005, the new pope drew so much applause, he couldn’t finish his sentence as he spoke from the papal studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
Pope invites Romans to join him at city basilica
Pope Francis is inviting people to join him in Mass at Rome‘s main church, St. John in Lateran Basilica.
Pontiffs are also the bishop of Rome, and the gathering Sunday evening reminds Romans of this pastoral role.
Before entering the basilica, Francis attends a ceremony to unveil a plaque renaming St. John in Lateran Square after Pope John Paul II. The late pontiff enthusiastically embraced his role as Rome‘s bishop, visiting hundreds of city parishes. The vast piazza is a popular venue for free rock concerts and rallies by union leaders and politicians.
Francis issued the invite during his noon appearance and blessing from a window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square, where tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists came to cheer him.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Pope Again Champions Women
By Ruth Brown Just days after (figuratively) stepping on some toes by (literally) washing some women’s feet , Pope Francis has done the sisterhood another solid: In his weekly address at St. Peter’s Square, he once again recognized women as the first witnesses of Christ’s resurrection and emphasized their “special role in opening doors… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Pope Hugs Disabled Boy On Easter: Parents Speechless After Francis Kisses Dominic Gondreau In St. Peter’s Square (PHOTOs)
By The Huffington Post News Editors
JOHNSTON, R.I. — A Rhode Island couple says they were speechless and moved to tears when Pope Francis hugged and kissed their 8-year-old son in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
Paul and Christina Gondreau of Johnston and their five children attended Easter Mass at the Vatican. The pope cradled their son, Dominic, who has cerebral palsy.
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Rhode Island parents moved to tears after Pope Francis hugs their disabled son
A Rhode Island couple says they were speechless and moved to tears when Pope Francis hugged and kissed their disabled 8-year-old son in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
Paul and Christina Gondreau of Johnston and their five children attended Easter Mass at the Vatican. An usher directed the boy, Dominic, who has cerebral palsy, and his mother to an area designated for handicapped children, said Paul Gondreau, a theology professor at Providence College who is teaching this semester in Rome.
When the pope’s vehicle arrived, the same usher motioned to the driver to stop and with the help of the mother, held the boy up to Pope Francis, who took the boy in his arms and kissed him, The boy appeared to try to bring his right arm around to embrace the pontiff.
Videos and photos of the pontiff standing in the “popemobile” and holding Dominic were transmitted worldwide. Pope Francis also hugged and kissed other children as he greeted the crowd after Mass.
A story on the Providence College website says Paul Gondreau called the moment “an incredibly moving encounter.”
He says his son teaches him daily lessons about how to love.
Click for more from Providence.edu
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Pope visits St. Peter's tomb under Vatican
Pope Francis on Monday took an emotional, close-up look at the tomb of Peter, the church’s first pontiff, buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican said.
By doing so, Francis became the first pontiff to visit the necropolis, where pagans and early Christians were buried, since extensive archaeological excavations were conducted at the ancient site decades ago, the Vatican said.
The 45-minute “visit of devotion to the tomb of St. Peter” was private, the Vatican said, but it later released a video of it.
The basilica was built over the location where early Christians would gather in secret, at a time of persecution in ancient Rome, to pray at an unmarked tomb believed to be that of Peter, the apostle Jesus chose to lead his church.
The Vatican first said Francis would pray at Peter’s tomb, but later said he prayed instead in the basilica.
The new pope `’paused in silent prayer, in profound and emotional meditation” in the Clementine Chapel in the vast basilica that is `’the closest place (in the basilica) to the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles,” it said.
During a tour of the necropolis conducted by its director and an Italian cardinal, the pope “climbed up a bit, got closer to the place where the tomb of St. Peter lies, exactly under the central altar and the dome of the basilica,” the Vatican said.
Francis walked down the entire main street of the ancient city of the dead, the statement said. The streets of the necropolis are similar to those of ancient Rome, only they are flanked by tombs instead of shops and apartments.
The Vatican said Francis walked to the necropolis entrance from the hotel on the Vatican grounds where he lives, took the tour and later — after paying homage at the tombs of several popes in another underground level known as the grottoes, including Pius XII, Paul XVI and John Paul I — strolled back to his residence.
The underground excursion was a sharp departure from how popes in past years often spent the day after Easter, known in Italy as `’little Easter.” Those pontiffs would head to Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican palace in the Alban Hills, a short drive from Rome.
But that oasis of sprawling gardens and strolling paths in the quaint hill town is occupied by the predecessor of Francis, Benedict XVI, who spent the last hours of his papacy there before becoming the first pope in 600 years to retire. Benedict is staying in Castel Gandolfo until a monastery at the Vatican in Rome can be readied for him.
Many Italians spend `’little Easter” by having a picnic lunch in the countryside or in city parks, and Francis told Romans and tourists who gathered in St. Peter’s Square at noon Monday to see him to `’have a good lunch.” Francis said he was praying that Easter would inspire the faithful so that `’hatred gives way to love, lies to truth,” and that it would especially comfort those in `’most need of trust and hope.”
He spoke to them from …read more
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New Pope Makes Easter Plea for Peace
AP
Pope Francis pushed for peace and social justice as he celebrated his first Easter mass as pope with a huge crowd in St. Peter’s Square.Nations he hopes can reach reconciliation
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at AOL
Pope Francis leads first Easter Mass as pontiff in St. Peter's Square
Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter’s Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers.
Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica and took his place at an altar set up under a white canopy.
Faithful had already filled the square hours before the Mass began in mid-morning, and throughout the service streams of people kept flocking there for his speech and blessing, traditionally delivered after the Mass from the central balcony of the basilica.
By mid-ceremony, some 250,000 people had turned out, the Vatican said.
Francis bowed his head in reflection as the Gospel was sung in Latin, recounting what Christians believe is the central mystery of their faith — the resurrection of Jesus after this death by crucifixion.
After heavy rain battered Rome during the night, more was forecast. But Sunday saw sunny skies alternate with clouds.
With Rome‘s chilly, rainy winter postponing the blossoming of many flowers until recently, the square was a welcome riot of floral color in the city. Sprays of yellow forsythia and daffodils and white lilies — the colors of the Vatican flag — dominated, but there were also bursts of lavender and pink, from potted azalea, rhododendron, wisteria and other plants.
Pope’s Easter speech has been used by past pontiffs to reflect on the world’s conflicts and ills.
Since Francis was elected pope on March 13, becoming the first Latin American and first Jesuit pontiff ever, he has put concern for the poor and others on the margins of society at the heart of his attention to set an example for his flock.
Francis Celebrates 1st Easter
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Pope leads Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
Pope Francis is celebrating his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter’s Square, which is packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans.
Francis strode onto the flower-bedecked esplanade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Tens of thousands of faithful had already filled the square hours before the Mass began in mid-morning. Francis bowed his head in reflection as the Gospel was sung in Latin, recounting what Christians believe is the central mystery of their faith — the resurrection of Jesus after this death by crucifixion.
A white canopy sheltered the altar on the steps. After heavy rain battered Rome during the night, more was forecast. But Sunday saw sunny skies alternate with clouds.
After Mass ends, Francis will give his blessing and speech from the basilica’s balcony.
New pope opens Holy Week at Vatican on Palm Sunday
Pope Francis is celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, which is filled with thousands of people waving olive branches and palm fronds.
The new pontiff arrived in an uncovered vehicle to start solemn Holy Week ceremonies, which lead up to Easter, Christianity’s most important day.
Francis wore bright red robes over a white cassock and presided over the Mass from an altar sheltered by a canopy on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Cardinals, many of them among the electors who on March 13 chose the Roman Catholic church’s first Latin American pope, sat in rows for the ceremony held under hazy skies on a breezy day.
2 popes meet for lunch for 1st time in 600 years
Crowds are beginning to gather in the central square of Castel Gandolfo to catch a glimpse of history: Two popes meeting for lunch and presumably discussing the future of the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis was to fly by helicopter Saturday to the papal residence in the Alban Hills south of Rome where Pope emeritus Benedict XVI has been living since resigning Feb. 28, the first pope to step down in 600 years.
Benedict’s dramatic departure that day — flying by helicopter with his weeping secretary by his side and circling St. Peter’s Square in a final goodbye — is one of the most evocative images of this remarkable papal transition.
The Vatican is downplaying the luncheon in keeping with Benedict’s desire to remain “hidden from the world.”
''Unpredictable" pope worries security team
Forgive Pope Francis’ security team for looking a bit nervous.
One pope was shot in St. Peter’s Square while riding in an open vehicle. Another was tackled by a woman with mental problems in St. Peter’s Basilica. So in the early days of Francis’ pontificate, as the pope delights the flock by wading into crowds and pressing the flesh, it’s only natural that chief Vatican cop Domenico Giani seems on edge.
Just consider some of Francis’ acts of papal outreach, which have all made for a refreshing change from the reserved style of his predecessor Benedict XVI, but present a huge headache for a security detail attached to one of the planet’s most high-profile people.
The day after his election, Francis eschewed the Vatican’s armored limousine and traveled through the chaotic streets of Rome in an ordinary car to pick up his things at a downtown hotel.
At his first Sunday Mass as pontiff, Francis caused a stir by mingling with bystanders at a Vatican gate, shaking hands and even allowing himself to be grabbed by the shoulder, all while people jostled to get closer.
Then on inauguration day, Francis stood for nearly 30 minutes Tuesday in an open vehicle that circled the vast square, kissing babies handed up to him and at one point jumping out to bless and kiss a disabled man in the crowd.
It’s not for nothing that Francis has quickly been dubbed the “unpredictable” pope. And for a bodyguard, unpredictable means trouble.
Giani looked particularly worried by the crowd that gathered after the Sunday Mass. La Stampa newspaper quoted an aide at the scene as saying that things “better get back to normal or we’re in trouble.”
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said last week that the Vatican was well aware of Francis’ informal and open style and that “proper security measures” would be taken, even if that hasn’t happened immediately.
“There are a lot of nut cases out there,” said another Vatican official, who requested anonymity as he is not authorized to discuss security.
“But you can be sure that the security issues are being examined.”
Even Francis’ habit of …read more
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Thousands fill St. Peter's Square for Pope Francis installation
Thousands of people are pouring into St. Peter’s Square to witness the official start of the papacy of the first pope from the New World.
The blue and white flags from Pope Francis‘ native Argentina fluttered Tuesday above the crowd that Italian media estimate could reach 1 million. Emergency crews set up barricades for nearly a mile along the main boulevard leading to the square to control the masses.
The installation Mass is simpler than the 2005 ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI in keeping with Francis’ style, but still grand enough to draw 132 official delegations and religious leaders from around the world, including the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians who is attending for the first time since the two branches of Christianity split 1,000 years ago.
St. Peter's fills for Pope Francis installation
Thousands of people are pouring into St. Peter’s Square to witness the official start of the papacy of the first pope from the New World.
The blue and white flags from Pope Francis‘ native Argentina fluttered Tuesday above the crowd that Italian media estimate could reach 1 million. Emergency crews set up barricades for nearly a mile (two kilometers) along the main boulevard leading to the square to control the masses.
The installation Mass is simpler than the 2005 ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI in keeping with Francis’ style, but still grand enough to draw 132 official delegations and religious leaders from around the world, including the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians who is attending for the first time since the two branches of Christianity split 1,000 years ago.
Thousands Gather for 'Low-Key' Pope Inauguration
By Rob Quinn 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Pope Francis Inauguration 2013: Catholic Leader Begins Ministry In St Peter’s Square
By The Huffington Post News Editors
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis officially began his ministry as the 266th pope on Tuesday in an installation Mass simplified to suit his style, but still grand enough to draw princes, presidents, rabbis, muftis and thousands of ordinary people to St. Peter’s Square to witness the inauguration of the first pope from the New World.
Francis thrilled the crowd at the start of the Mass by taking a long round-about through the sun-drenched piazza and getting out of his jeep to bless a disabled man. It was a gesture from a man whose short papacy is becoming defined by such spontaneous forays into the crowd and concern for the disadvantaged.
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