reconciliation

As part of his series of talks about “zeal” for evangelization, Pope Francis spoke about the witness of “the host of martyrs — men and women of every age, language and nation — who have given their life for Christ.”

The service marked the start of the worldwide celebration of “24 Hours for the Lord,” a period when at least one church in every diocese was invited to be open all night — or at least for extended hours — for confession and eucharistic adoration.

Local religious communities will be hosting a variety of Lenten services, retreats and other events.

In what is called the Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Peace, Pope Francis will visit South Sudan’s capital, Juba, along with Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, from Feb. 3-5.

Meeting Jesuits in Kazakhstan in early September, the pope said too many people have taken a simplistic view of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

One of the paths they identified was “bridge-building” among religions and traditions and also “principled engagement with governments” and nongovernmental agencies on issues of human rights, eradication of poverty, human trafficking, care of the earth, and other common concerns.

Exploring their sacraments, rituals and outreach that promote reconciliation with God and among people, Catholic and Methodist experts acknowledged in a new document that divided Christians “fall short of what it means to be the church.”

The pope said his reason for visiting, “was to meet the Indigenous peoples to express to them my closeness and my sorrow, and to ask for forgiveness for the harm done to them by those Christians, including many Catholics.