After St. Peter’s Basilica closed to the public this evening, Pope Francis prayed at the tomb of Blessed Pope John Paul II to commemorate the eighth anniversary of his death.

In a statement, the Vatican said the Holy Father “spent a long time kneeling in silent prayer” at the late Pontiff’s tomb in the St. Sebastian Chapel of the basilica. Afterwards, he also "paused briefly in prayer" at the tombs of Blessed John XXIII and St. Pius X.

The Pope was accompanied by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the Vatican basilica, and personal secretary Msgr. Alfred Xuereb.

The Vatican said that, as happened yesterday, when the Pope visited the tomb of St. Peter and the Vatican grottos,...READ MORE

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter!

What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons…

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious!

We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It...READ MORE

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. In the Gospel of this radiant night of the Easter Vigil, we first meet the women who go the tomb of Jesus with spices to anoint his body (cf. Lk 24:1-3). They go to perform an act of compassion, a traditional act of affection and love for a dear departed person, just as we would. They had followed Jesus, they had listened to his words, they had felt understood by him in their dignity and they had accompanied him to the very end, to Calvary and to the moment when he was taken down from the cross. We can imagine their feelings as they make their way to the tomb: a certain sadness, sorrow that Jesus had left them, he had died, his life had come to an end. Life...READ MORE

"Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent," said Pope Francis at the end of the Via Crucis at the Colosseum this evening.

"And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves."

He added: "Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did."

The Holy Father addressed the faithful after prayers and meditations on the...READ MORE

Pope Francis this evening travelled to the Casa del Marmo juvenile detention center just outside Rome to celebrate Mass of Our Lord's Supper and wash the feet of 12 young prisoners.

The Vatican said the jailed teens were not all Catholic while reports say among the among those who had their feet washed were two teenage girls, one Italian and another from Serbia.

By washing their feet, the Pope evoked the time Jesus washed the feet of his twelve apostles during the Last Supper.

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Below is a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s unscripted homily:

“This is moving, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Peter understands nothing. He refuses but Jesus explains to him....READ MORE

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.

The readings and the Psalm of our Mass speak of God’s "anointed ones": the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this "being for" others can be found in the Psalm 133: "It is like the precious oil upon the head,...READ MORE

At his first general audience this morning, Pope Francis reminded the faithful that Holy Week is a time of grace in which to "step outside" of oneself and draw close to others in order to bring the light and joy of the faith.

Under sunny skies in a crowded St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father spoke of going beyond "a tired and routine way of living the faith, of the temptation to withdraw into pre-established patterns that end up closing our horizon to the creative action of God."

He recalled how God stepped outside of Himself to come among us. "He pitched His tent among us to bring the mercy of God that saves and gives hope," the Pope said. "Even if we want to follow Him and stay with...READ MORE

At Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square today, Pope Francis again delighted the pilgrims and tourists present - as many as 250,000 by some estimates - by shaking hands, kissing babies and blessing people with disabilities (see video).

After the Mass, he spent around 25 minutes moving through the piazza in the papal jeep, greeting the faithful. Usually, the farewell drive through the piazza lasts about 10 minutes.

In his homily, the Holy Father focused on three key themes: Joy, the Cross and Youth.

He said Palm Sunday is a time of joy, when people joyfully welcomed Jesus with palms and olive branches, awakening great hopes especially in the hearts of the simple, the humble, the...READ MORE