apostolic exhortation

Pope Francis said the church must learn to “listen actively to families, and at the same time to involve them as subjects of pastoral care.”

To modify an old political catchphrase, “It’s about the souls, stupid.” The souls of the Amazonians, many of them forced from their land, exploited and vulnerable. The soul of Amazonia itself, being stripped by fire and dam and chainsaw. Even the souls of those who would exploit and burn and lay waste, and the souls of those of us who turn our backs on the plight of the vulnerable.

“Christus Vivit” (“Christ Lives”), the pope’s reflections on the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment, is a combination letter to young people about their place in the church and a plea to older members of the church not to stifle the enthusiasm of the young, but to offer gentle guidance when needed.

Naturally in a document on the Christian call to holiness, Pope Francis cited a heavenly host of saints — including some whose sainthood causes are ongoing and some who probably will never be canonized.

Pope Francis’ new document, “Gaudete et Exsultate,” shows that holiness is not an impossible task nor is it something to be pursued far removed from today’s world, said the papal vicar for the Diocese of Rome.

God calls all Christians to be saints — not plastic statues of saints, but real people who make time for prayer and who show loving care for others in the simplest gestures, Pope Francis said in his new document on holiness.

“Rejoice and Be Glad,” Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation on “the call to holiness in the modern world,” will be released April 9, the Vatican announced.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, A few weeks ago, Pope Francis released an important document on the family, “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), reflecting […]