By VISarchive 02 Vatican City, 26 February 2016 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father received in audience:– Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, apostolic nuncio in Korea and Mongolia, with family members;– Bodo Ramelow, minister-president of Thuringia, Germany, with his wife and entourage;– Archbishop Aldo Giordano, apostolic nuncio in Venezuela;– Archbishop Jean-Abdo Arbach of Homs of the Greek-Melkites, Syria. Source:: Vatican Information Service

By VISarchive 02 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) – “L’amore prima del mondo” (“Love before the world”) is the title of a book published by Rizzoli, in the form of 31 letters and drawings sent to the Holy Father by children from various Jesuit institutions from all five continents, asking for advice and explanations, and Francis’ replies.The title is drawn from the Pope’s answer to the question, “What did God do before the world was made?”. The eighty pages of the volume consist of a dialogue between Francis and the Jesuit Fr. Antonio Spadaro, director of La Civilta...

By VISarchive 02 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) – On Monday, 29 February, the Holy Father Francis will meet with His Holiness Abuna Mathias, Patriarch of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia, who will be present in Rome from Friday 26 to Monday 29. During his stay the Patriarch will visit the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the tomb of the apostle Peter, and will celebrate Holy Mass with the Ethiopian community of Rome on Sunday 28 February in the chapel of the Urbanian College.The Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia currently consists of 35 million faithful,...

By VISarchive 02 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) – The international conference “The religious and migrations in the 21st century: perspectives, response and challenges”, organised by the representation before the United Nations of the Passionists International, the Congregation of St. Joseph, Augustinians International and the Vincentians, yesterday concluded two days of intense work.The aim of the meeting, attended by around a hundred men and women religious, as well as laypersons and experts in the sector, was to understand more fully the phenomenon of migration and its repercussions in today’s world, especially in the context of the current European...

By VISarchive 02 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) – Yesterday the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Source:: Vatican Information Service

By VISarchive 02 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) – From Tuesday 1 March 2016, the Vatican Information Service newsletter will not be transmitted, but subscribers will instead receive a link via which they may consult the web page including a synthesis in English of the official Holy See Press Office Bulletin, the summary hitherto provided by the Vatican Information Service.The newsletter service is expected to resume within a few weeks. Source:: Vatican Information Service