(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed to all people of the Democratic Republic of Congo to be artisans of reconciliation and peace. The Pope’s heartfelt appeal came at the end of his weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Hall.Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni: Remarking on the fact that he has recently met with the President and Vice President of the Bishops’ Conference of the DRC, Francis said “I renew my heartfelt appeal to all Congolese so that in this delicate moment of their history, may they be artisans of reconciliation and peace”.“May those, the Pope continued, who are in positions of political responsibility listen to the voice of their conscience, learn to see the cruel sufferings of their fellow citizens and have at heart the common good”.The Pope assured the beloved people of DRC of his support and love, and he invited them to let themselves be guided by the light of the Redeemer of the world.“I pray t...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed to all people of the Democratic Republic of Congo to be artisans of reconciliation and peace.
The Pope’s heartfelt appeal came at the end of his weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Hall.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:
Remarking on the fact that he has recently met with the President and Vice President of the Bishops’ Conference of the DRC, Francis said “I renew my heartfelt appeal to all Congolese so that in this delicate moment of their history, may they be artisans of reconciliation and peace”.
“May those, the Pope continued, who are in positions of political responsibility listen to the voice of their conscience, learn to see the cruel sufferings of their fellow citizens and have at heart the common good”.
The Pope assured the beloved people of DRC of his support and love, and he invited them to let themselves be guided by the light of the Redeemer of the world.
“I pray that the birth of the Lord may open paths of hope” he said.
The Pope's appeal came as political violence flares in the DRC.
UN officials say over 20 people have been killed in rencent hours in clashes between protesters and security forces in the capital, Kinshasa, over President Joseph Kabila's failure to give up power.
Kabila's 15-year rule was due to have ended on Monday at midnight, but has been extended to 2018. The President's main rival said the refusal to give up power amounted to a coup.
The electoral commission cancelled elections that were scheduled for last month, citing logistical and financial difficulties in organising them.
Kabila has now formed a 74-member transitional government to lead the vast central African state until elections are held in 2018.
null / Credit: ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 2, 2024 / 18:20 pm (CNA).The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) released a pair of emergency rules that it said are aimed at combating "misinformation" and a "deeply dishonest scare campaign" by the Biden administration about the state's new six-week pro-life law. The rules, published on May 1, establish guidance for lifesaving measures and clarify that certain procedures, including treatment for ectopic pregnancies, are not considered abortion and remain legal under the Florida Heartbeat Protection Act, which went into effect on Wednesday. This comes amid significant criticism over the state's pro-life law that prohibits abortions on women after six weeks of pregnancy except for in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. The new AHCA rules further clarify those exceptions. "The agency finds there is an immediate danger to th...
Oviedo Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes accused the government of focusing "in a biased and manipulative way on the problem of pedophilia as something attributable only to the Catholic Church." / Credit: Archdiocese of OviedoACI Prensa Staff, May 2, 2024 / 18:50 pm (CNA)."They have done it again. It is a kind of obsessive mantra every time they need a smokescreen to distract from the real problems we have and to which they so clumsily and insidiously apply their tortuous governance."That is how the archbishop of Oviedo, Jesús Sanz Montes, began a letter released this week titled "The Accusing Rattle" in which he responds to the socialist government's announcement of an exclusive plan to address sexual and power abuses committed within the Catholic Church.In the opinion of the prelate, the country's executive "has tried to focus in a biased and manipulative way on the problem of pedophilia as something attributable only to the Catholic Church, which represents an exclusive...
Pope Francis meets with 300 priests taking part in the World Meeting of Parish Priests on May 2, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, May 2, 2024 / 12:41 pm (CNA).Pope Francis published a letter on Thursday addressed to all parish priests in the world with his advice for building a missionary Church in which all the baptized share in the mission of proclaiming the Gospel."Parish communities increasingly need to become places from which the baptized set out as missionary disciples and to which they return, full of joy, in order to share the wonders worked by the Lord through their witness," Pope Francis wrote in the letter published on May 2.The pope presented the letter to 300 priests participating in the Synod on Synodality's "World Meeting of Parish Priests" during an audience at the Vatican, saying that their meeting is "an opportunity to remember in my prayers all of the parish priests in the world to whom I address these words with great affection."P...