Pope Francis delivered his annual “State of the World” speech to diplomats accredited to the Holy See on Thursday morning, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
At once topical and thematic, the speech usually serves as a sort of “editorial” look back at the year that was, and an opportunity to identify and frame issues needing attention in the year ahead. It is not so much a policy speech as an opportunity to focus world leaders on the things the Holy See would like them to address.
