The Gospel begins on the margins, not in the centres of power. Today’s reading from St Luke makes that clear, as the word of God bypasses the palaces of the rulers and comes to where it will be received, in the wilderness by the prophet John the Baptist.

Lovely to catch up with London Assembly Labour 🌹 friends last night, including the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Sadiq Khan. Great to celebrate Sadiq and London Labour’s historic third term, supporting our great city to become greener, more prosperous & providing free school meals for children

Let us pray so that at Christmas there may be a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, throughout the Middle East and the entire world. May weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!

On Sunday, 22nd of December, 2024, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over Christmas Mass and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation, at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza.

On behalf of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, we wish you a very Merry Christmas! May the joy and peace of Christ be with you this Christmas and always. 🎄✨

Christians huddled in Gaza speak to the Pope every night "Every night without fail, a mobile phone rings in the Holy Family church in Gaza, and a parish priest answers. The voice at the end of the line is that of Pope Francis..." on.ft.com/3Pghrv6

"Kindness is a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance, and helps us all to become more humble." Pope Francis delivers Thought For The Day at the request of our latest guest editor, Professor Irene Tracey. #R4Today

Tonight, as await the New Year, let us give thanks to God for all of the blessings that he bestowed on us in 2024. Traditionally, a plenary indulgence is granted to those who pray the Te Deum (Ambrosian Hymn) on New Year’s Eve, in gratitude for the previous year. 📷 Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.

Today is the feast of the Epiphany, the shining forth of God incarnate in human history. All around, the old dispensation thunders, slaughtering innocents in its demented rage. The wise men go back by a different route, changed. The old order is empty, futile. #Epiphany

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy, a vocal defender of migrants and critic of President Trump’s first administration, as the new Archbishop of Washington DC.

Pope Francis, your humility and your grace are beyond words, and your love for all is unparalleled. As the People's Pope, you are a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world. Today, it was my honor to award His Holiness Pope Francis the Presidential

#PopeFrancis has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden. It is the U.S.’ highest civilian honor.

Pope Francis: “It needs to be said clearly: There are those who systematically work by all means to drive away migrants, and this, when done knowingly and deliberately, is a grave sin,"

I’ve noticed some pushback for commenting on Jesus’s Parable of the Good Samaritan and how it asks us to care for the stranger. Some people have pointed to St. Thomas Aquinas’s traditional “ordo amoris," or order of love, to say that we should take care of our family first, then

What an honour to be part of this moment. Keir Starmer has made history by taking an HIV self-test at UK Prime Minister, becoming the first UK Prime Minister & G7 leader to take a public HIV test. Order your FREE test now from startswithme.org.uk

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has ended every address with an ask: “Please, do not forget to pray for me, not against me. Sometimes he adds: “This job isn’t easy.” Other times he says: “If you’re not the praying type then send good vibes.” Today, we honor his requests.

I have written to the Holy Father today to assure him of the fervent and heartfelt prayers of the Catholic community and so many others in England and Wales, and asked for his blessing on our communities and on all the people of these lands. cbcew.org.uk/cardinal-assur…

White smoke! Habemus Papam! On March 13, 2013, history was made. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. This is how the world met Pope Francis. 12 years later, we are still praying for him.

Pope Francis in General Audience text released by Vatican: “If we do not accept to change, if we close ourselves up in inflexibility, in habits or our ways of thinking, we risk dying. Life resides in the capacity to change to find a new way to love.” vatican.va/content/france…

As a family we just visited our Church to place our photo of Pope Francis in the Lady Chapel. Our son’s middle name is Francis after the late Holy Father and his namesake St Francis. Our world needs more leaders like Pope Francis, that ‘smell like their sheep’.