"[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."
"They told us they didn’t know there were children associated with his pastor assignment,” parent Kim McRoberts told FOX19NOW. “At some point, we just had to laugh it was so ridiculously stupid."
The priests who testified on Wednesday are Frs. Angelo Magistrelli, Enzo Pacelli, and Luigi Portarulo. They all appeared to cast doubt on the testimony of a key witness: former Saint Pius X seminarian Kamil Jarzembowski, whose claims regarding the climate and culture of the institution have contributed to public scrutiny and been a focal point of the criminal proceedings.
The liturgy is reportedly billed as a “Mass of Thanksgiving” in a memo that went to Crookston priests. The Apostolic Administrator appointed for Crookston, 78-year-old Bishop Richard Pates (emeritus of Des Moines, Iowa) will reportedly concelebrate.
A statement on the website of the Crookston diocese says that Pope Francis has "asked for, and has now accepted" Bishop Hoeppner's resignation "after an extensive investigation."
When it comes to stepping on their own message, neither the pope nor the Vatican has need of the press corps’ help. This time, however, it's different.
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.”
Pope Francis reflected on the wonder of the women at hearing the angel's words: “Do not be afraid! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen,” and, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.”
“If mere circumstances conditioned the saving power of the cross,” Pope Francis went on to say, “the Lord would not have embraced everything. But when his hour came, he embraced the cross fully. For on the cross there can be no ambiguity!”
“I humbly beg the Holy Father to order the withdrawal of the recent norms issued by the secretariat of state,” Cardinal Sarah wrote in an essay published Monday on the blog of Vatican journalist Sandro Magister.
“We have begun Holy Week," Pope Francis said at the Angelus following the liturgy. "For the second time we will live it within the context of the pandemic,” he noted. "Last year, we were mostly shocked," Pope Francis said. "This year we are more sorely tried."
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.
