Article Archive
Please click below to view any of the articles in our archive.
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) -- Pope Francis traveled to Azerbaijan on Sunday for a 10-hour visit aimed at encouraging the country's inter-religious harmony while likely overlooking criticism of a referendum that extends the president's term and powers....
(Vatican Radio) On Sunday morning Pope Francis leaves the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and flies east, headed for Baku, the Azerbaijani capital and largest city on the Caspian Sea.There he will meet with Sheik Allashukur Pashazade, head of the majority Muslim community which makes up around 85% percent of the rapidly developing nation. He’ll take part in an interreligious encounter with leaders of all the faith groups, but he’ll also celebrate Mass at the only Catholic parish in the country, which serves the few hundred local and foreign members of this tiny community.Pope John Paul II set up the mission in Baku, run by Salesian priests and supported by sisters of Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity, just ahead of his own historic pastoral visit to the former Soviet nation in 2002.As head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Cardinal Fernando Filoni looks after this tiny Catholic community today. He talked to Philippa Hi...
(Vatican Radio) On Sunday morning, Pope Francis concluded his two-day visit to Georgia before making his way to Azerbaijan, the last stop on his journey to the Caucasus nations.The Pope departed by air from Georgia’s Tbilisi international airport at around 8:00 local time following a departure ceremony, thus wrapping up his two day visit to the nation.The papal plane then landed in Baku’s Heydar Aliyev international airport shortly before 9:30 in the morning local time. Upon landing, the Holy Father was greeted by the first deputy prime minister of Azerbaijan, Yaqub Eyyubov, as well as other authorities.The main event of Pope Francis’ visit to Azerbaijan is the celebration of Mass at the Church of the Immaculate, the Salesian center of Baku, followed by lunch with the Salesian community.Other events include a courtesy visit to the president of the republic, Ilham Heydar, and a meeting with authorities at the Heydar Aliyev Centre.The visit also includes a pri...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Sunday at the Salesian centre in Baku, the central event of his 10-hour visit to Azerbaijan.The Pope’s homily, delivered to the congregation gathered in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, centred on the Lord’s call for Christian’s to live in faith and in service.Below, please find the official English language translation of Pope Francis’ prepared homily: Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Holy Mass, Baku, Church of the Immaculate Conception 2 October 2016 The word of God presents us today with two essential aspects of the Christian life: faith and service. With regard to faith, two specific requests are made to the Lord.The first is made by the Prophet Habakkuk, who implores God to intervene in order to re-establish the justice and peace which men have shattered by violence, quarrels and disputes: “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” (Hab 1:2), ple...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday sent a telegram to Georgia’s president, expressing his gratitude for the hospitality he received during his two-day pastoral visit to the Caucasus nation.The telegram was sent to President Giorgi Margvelashvili while the Pope was in flight on his way to Azerbaijan to begin the second leg of his journey. See the text of Pope Francis’ telegram to the president of Georgia: His excellency Giorgi MargvelashviliPresident of the republic of GeorgiaTbilisi As I leave Georgia for my pastoral visit to Azerbaijan, I express my heartfelt appreciation to your excellency and the beloved people of the nation for your generous welcome and hospitality. Upon all of you I willingly invoke God’s abundant blessings of peace and prosperity. Franciscus pp.
Vatican City, Oct 2, 2016 / 01:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis celebrated Mass immediately after landing in Azerbaijan Sunday, telling faithful gathered in the small church that faith and service are the heart of Christian life, and are woven together like the different threads of a carpet.“Faith and service cannot be separated; on the contrary, they are intimately linked, interwoven with each other,” the Pope said Oct. 2.To help make the concept more concrete, Pope Francis used the image of carpet weaving, which is an ancient tradition in Azerbaijan.Traditionally handmade in different sizes and with a dense texture, the Azerbaijani rug since ancient times has been used to cover to floors or decorate walls, sofas, beds, chairs and tables. Carpet making is typically a family tradition passed down orally and through practice, mostly through women.In his homily, Pope Francis pointed to the two processes of “wefting” and “warping.” In their techn...
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody anti-drug war and his foul-mouthed outbursts in defense of the campaign have unnerved foreign investors in one of Asia's fastest-growing economies....
NEW YORK (AP) -- No debating: Alec Baldwin stole the show Saturday in his new role as Donald Trump when "Saturday Night Live" spoofed the recent presidential debate....
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- Hurricane Matthew, a potentially devastating Category 4 storm, swirled across the Caribbean toward Haiti and Jamaica, where residents frantically stocked up on emergency supplies and authorities urged people to evacuate threatened areas....
(Vatican) Seeing is believing! And for that you should have been here, not only to believe, but to experience in all of your senses and much more what a typical Indonesian welcome and hospitality is like in the northernmost province of North Sulawesi. I’m talking about the village of Tataaran, some 40 kms south of the provincial capital, Manado. It was Friday night, the eve of the of the Oct.1-6 Indonesian Youth Day (IYD) that is being hosted by the Diocese of Manado, whose jurisdiction stretches across the provinces of North Sulawesi, Gorantalo and Central Sulawesi. The theme of the event is, “The Joy of Gospel Amidst a Plural Society in Indonesia”.For the Second Indonesian Youth Day, which follows from the first one in October 2012 in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, 2600 young men and women from Indonesia’s 37 dioceses have been assigned to 37 of Manado’s parishes. The first three days have been dedicated to participan...
