The mission has the aim of acquiring a deeper knowledge of the pastoral situation there, and above all, of the needs of the faithful who go there on pilgrimage, and on the basis of this, to suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future. The mission will therefore have an exclusively pastoral character.Archbishop Hoser, who will continue to exercise his role as bishop of Warsaw-Prague, is expected to finish his mandate as special envoy by summer of this year. "I have always served the Church, and so, also this time, I accepted the difficult mission in Medjugorje" the Archbishop said, recalling that he had already done a similar tasks in the past in various African countries. Through this kind of decision, Pope Francis expressed his closeness and interest for the large number of faithful who go to the little Bosnian city every year, and for the great heritage of popular devotion that Medjugorje represents. An aspect already present in the conclusions of Ruini’s special commission, which was created in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI, has been examining the phenomenon of Medjugorje for the past four years. The mandate of Archbishop Hoser will be completed by the summer, and only then the Holy Father will say his opinion. Even the director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, stressed that
"The Special Envoy's mission is a sign of the Holy Father's attention about the pilgrims. The aim is not inquisitorial, but strictly pastoral. The envoy will not enter into the question of Mary’s apparitions, which are related to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He will be in contact with the bishop of the diocese, the Franciscan Friars Minor - who are the keepers of the Medjugorje parish - and with the local faithful" - Burke continued - "That is a mission for pilgrims, and it is not against anyone."
We pray that through work, each person might find fulfillment, families might be sustained in dignity, and that society might be humanized.
Nicholas Jesson reflects on the late pope's achievements on the journey to Christian unity and human fraternity.
On Divine Mercy Sunday, 27 April, 2025, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis' Secretary of State, presided over Mass and delivered the homily for the Second Day of the Novendiali and the Jubilee of Adolescents.
At 10 a.m. this morning, on the parvis of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, the Esequial Mass for the late Roman Pontiff, Pope Francis, was celebrated with deep reverence and solemnity. The Esequial Liturgy was concelebrated by the Cardinals and the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, with His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presiding. Read the full text of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily below.
“That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” (Address to Representatives of the Communications Media, March 16, 2013) We are deeply saddened by the death of our beloved Pope Francis on April […]