Il-Ħadd 26 ta’ Frar 2017, il-President tal-Kummissjoni Ekumenika Djoċesana, Dun Hector Scerri, ħa sehem waqt il-laqgħa storika f’Ruma meta l-Papa Franġisku żar il-parroċċa Anglikana, All Saints, fl-okkażjoni tal-200 sena mill-bidu tagħha. Għall-laqgħa kien hemm folla kbira li ħadet sehem fit-talb, il-kant u ġesti simboliċi qawwija, fosthom it-tberik ta’ ikona mill-Papa biex din tintuża għad-devozzjoni tal-Insara f’din il-parroċċa…

Pope Francis on Sunday visited the Anglican Parish of All Saints in Rome. Speaking at the Church the Pope said, “today, with gratitude to God, we recognize one another as we truly are: brothers and sisters in Christ, through our common baptism.  As friends and pilgrims we wish to walk the path together, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ together.”

Find below the English translation of the Pope’s words

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wish to thank you for your gracious invitation to celebrate this parish anniversary with you.  More than two hundred years have passed since the first public Anglican liturgy was held in Rome for a group of English residents in this part of the city.  A great deal has changed in Rome and in the world since then.  In the course of these two centuries, much has also changed between Anglicans and Catholics, who in the past viewed each other with suspicion and hostility.  Today, with gratitude to God, we recognize one another as we truly are: brothers and sisters in Christ, through our common baptism.  As friends and pilgrims we wish to walk the path together, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ together. 

You have invited me to bless the new icon of Christ the Saviour…

On Saturday morning in the Vatican, Pope Francis met with parish priests participating in a training course dealing with annulment procedures and other legal issues surrounding marriage.

The course was organized by the Roman Rota, the highest appellate tribunal of the Church.

Referring to the proposals of the Synod of Bishops on “Marriage and the Family”, and his subsequent Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia”, the Pope praised this study initiative saying it  is the parish priest who is in daily contact with families and is called to concretely apply the  appropriate juridical norms…

Don’t scandalize “the little ones” with a double life, because scandal destroys. That was the message of Pope Francis in his homily at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. And so, the Pope said, we should not put off conversion.

“Cut off your hand,” “Pluck out your eye,” but “don’t scandalize the little ones,” that is, the just, those who confide in the Lord, who believe simply in the Lord…