In an address upon conclusion of the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Orthodox Church of St. George in Istanbul, Pope Francis said “the one thing that the Catholic Church desires and that I seek as Bishop of Rome…is communion with the Orthodox Churches.”

Below, please find the complete text of the Holy Father’s address:

When I was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, I often took part in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox communities there.  Today, the Lord has given me the singular grace to be present in this Patriarchal Church of Saint George for the celebration of the Feast of the holy Apostle Andrew, the first-called, the brother of Saint Peter, and the Patron Saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate…

Pope Francis issued a letter for the Year of Consecrated Life, which will start throughout the universal Church on the first Sunday of Advent, 30 November. The observance will end on the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, 2 February 2016. In his message, the Pope underlined the aims of the Year of Consecrated Life, namely to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope…

Delegazzjoni mill-Assoċċjazzjoni Maltija tal-Awtiżmu u mid-Dar tal-Providenza kienet fost il-madwar sitt mija u ħamsin parteċipant minn seba’ u ħamsin pajjiż li attendew għad-29 Konferenza Internazzjonali li saret fis-Sala l-ġdida tas-Sinodu fil-Belt tal-Vatikan bit–tema: “Il-Persuna bl-Awtiżmu. Nibnu t-tama”. Il-Konferenza kienet organizzata mill-Kunsill Pontifiċju għall-Ħaddiema tal-Qasam tas-Saħħa u saret bejn l-20 u t-22 ta’ Novembru.  Din il-konferenza ntemmet b’laqgħa mill-isbaħ tal-Papa Franġisku mhux biss mal-parteċipanti kollha imma wkoll ma’ għadd kbir ta’ persuni bil-kundizzjoni tal-awtiżmu u l-ġenituri tagħhom…

Reality can be ugly, but despite the suffering, corruption and indifference in today’s world as Christians we must hold our heads high in hope said Pope Francis at Mass Thursday morning in Casa Santa Marta.

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Basing his reflections on the Readings of the Day, Pope Francis spoke of the fate of the two cities of Babylon and Jerusalem…

An estimated 800,000 women, men, and children are victims of human trafficking within the EU today. Up to 60% of the victims originate from EU states. The EU and its member states urgently need to implement the legal framework already in place and to intensify cooperation with civil society and church organisations that work with victims at the grassroots level. This was one of the main messages of the Dialogue Seminar organised by COMECE and the Church and Society Commission of CEC in cooperation with CCME in dialogue with the EU Commission on 27 November…

• On the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to the European Parliament the President of the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), Reinhard Cardinal Marx, stated:

  Today’s visit to the European Parliament was the first encounter between the Pope and Europe as a whole.  In his speech to the European Parliament, Pope Francis underlined the significance of European integration and the need to carry the project forward…