Vatican City, Dec 25, 2013 / 05:34 am (CNA).- In his Christmas message, Pope Francis prayed for peace throughout the world as a fruit of God's grace, to be shared by every human person.
"True peace is not a balance of opposing forces. It is not a lovely 'façade' which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment, starting from God’s gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ," he said on December 25 from the loggia of St. Peter's square.
The Pope prayed for an end to violence, particularly in war-torn countries like Syria, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria. He also interceeded for victims of human trafficking and natural disasters, as well as for refugees "in serach of a dignified life."
"My hope is that everyone will feel God’s closeness, live in his presence, love him and adore him. May each of us give glory to God above all by our lives, by lives spent for love of him and of all our brothers and sisters," he prayed.
Below, the full text …Plus

Washington D.C., Dec 19, 2013 / 03:50 pm (CNA).- A recent documentary on Pope Francis, “Francis: The Pope From The New World,” has become a bestseller on Amazon.com and at one point ranked number four in the documentary category.
“This documentary arrives as the world realizes that a very special man has assumed the leadership of the Catholic Church, and this begins — but does not end — with his gestures of humility and care for everyone,” Carl Anderson, an executive producer of the documentary, said Dec. 17.
Anderson said many of the details of the Pope’s life “remain largely unknown to the public,” including “the ways in which he has defended the voiceless and Catholic principles.”
“This documentary delves into those stories,” he said.
Anderson is Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal charitable organization with over 1.8 million members worldwide. The Knights said the documentary will help people learn more about the man who was recently named Time Magazine’s …Plus

Vatican City, Dec 20, 2013 / 04:56 am (CNA).- Pope Francis reflected on in the importance of silence in his daily homily, noting that God’s plan of salvation always includes moments of mystery and quiet.
“Silence is really the ‘cloud’ that covers the mystery of our relationship with the Lord, our holiness and our sins. We cannot explain this mystery, but where there is no silence in our lives, the mystery is lost, it goes away. Guard the mystery with silence!” said the Pope on Dec. 20.
The Pontiff considered today’s gospel passage containing the story of the annunciation, in which Mary is “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit in conceiving Jesus.
The mystery of God becoming man is carefully protected, he noted.
“This is what happened to the Virgin Mary when she received her son: the mystery of her virginal motherhood is covered. It covers all of her life, and she knows it.”
“How many times did she keep quiet and how many times did she not say how she felt in order to guard the mystery of …Plus

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2013 / 12:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has strongly encouraged the bishops and cardinals of the Roman Curia to spend time hearing confessions weekly at a local parish, according to a priest of the church in question, Santo Spirito in Sassia.
The announcement was made at the end of evening Mass on Dec. 15 by Fr. Jozef Bart, a parish priest at Santo Spirito in Sassia, and was reported by “Inside the Vatican.”
Fr. Bart announced that the initiative “had been planned to begin in January, but this week, word came down that the Pope wished to begin immediately.”
According to Fr. Bart, Pope Francis is doing this because “he wishes to emphasize the importance of Confession, and of God’s great goodness in forgiving human sin.”
Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, has already been hearing Confessions at the parish for “several weeks,” according to “Inside the Vatican.”
Santo Spirito in Sassia is located on the Via dei Penitenzieri, a walk of about 1,300 …Plus