Staff Reporter

Pope Francis is resting after undergoing a planned three-hour operation on July 4, for what the Vatican described as symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon. Pope Francis has been touched by the many messages of support received following his operation. He will recite the <i>Angelus</i> prayer from his hospital room on July 11, 2021.

"[W]e must not despise vocal prayer," Pope Francis said at the General Audience on Wednesday. "Please! Do not succumb to the pride of despising vocal prayer."

The Laudato Sí Action Platform “is a journey to realise the integral ecological vision of Laudato Sí… a journey towards total sustainability in the spirit of the integral ecology,” says Salesian Father Josh Kureethadam of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

"A man of justice, peace and unity," Pope Francis writes, "[the late Cardinal Monswengo] has been deeply involved in integral human development in the Democratic Republic of Congo."

Brazilian missionary Fr. Edegard Silva in Pemba told ACN the people were becoming used to these attacks. “They were already expecting it," he said, "because over the past two weeks these evildoers and insurgents had been carrying out a series of attacks in the Nangade region, and almost all the communities close to Palma has already been attacked.”

“Due to the explosion which occurred on the 4th August 2020, Saint Joseph’s Church was severely damaged. Most of the wooden windows and doors were destroyed, the pitched roof was severely affected too.”

In his homily, Pope Francis focused on the sense of amazement Holy Week evokes, from the joy with which Our Lord is greeted on entering Jerusalem to the sorrow of his condemnation, passion, and crucifixion.

Benedict also offers his thoughts on newly-elected US President Joe Biden, the first Catholic to hold the office since John F. Kennedy in the 1960s.

Pope Francis noted the restrictions under which Christians in many parts of the world – owing to the pandemic and other reasons – are worshipping this Easter. “Once again this year,” Pope Francis said, “in various places many Christians have celebrated Easter under severe restrictions and, at times, without being able to attend liturgical celebrations.”

“Let us pray for all the victims of violence,” Pope Francis said in remarks to the faithful praying the Palm Sunday Angelus with him in St Peter’s Basilica on Palm Sunday, “especially those of this morning's attack in Indonesia, in front of the Cathedral of Makassar,” on the southwest coast of South Sulawesi.