Welcom Archive 2007-2026

Messages of support and prayers for Pope Francis’ health have poured in, as he continues to be hospitalised at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

Pope Francis slept well on his tenth night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he is being treated for double pneumonia, according to the Holy See Press Office.

During his Angelus address, which Pope Francis asked the Holy See Press Office to release while he recovers in the hospital, the Holy Father remembers the imminent three-year anniversary of the War in Ukraine on 24 February 2025, calling it ‘a painful and shameful occasion for all humanity’, and saying he renews his solidarity with suffering Ukrainians and for all victims of armed conflicts as he prays for peace.

Pope Francis addresses a letter to the bishops of the United States, expressing his support for their efforts to protect the rights and dignity of migrants.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sued the Trump Administration over the suspension of funding of refugee resettlement assistance. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican during their visit to Italy in early April.

The fourth major event of the Jubilee of Hope is dedicated to deacons. From 21 to 23, February 4,000 deacons – ‘servants of God – came to Rome for a Jubilee pilgrimage to pass through the Holy Door and participate in a series of meetings.

Hope is a memoir by Pope Francis published by Random House on 14 January 2025, described it as the first memoir ever published by a sitting pope.

The number of Catholics attending Mass in England and Wales has shot up by roughly 50,000 in 2023. The latest figures from the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales reveal that, while 503,308 attended Mass in 2022, 554,913 did so in 2023.