“Asking for forgiveness is necessary, but not enough”: in the month of March, Pope Francis reflects on abuse, “especially to those committed by members of the Church” and asks that we pray with him for the victims, “who have to be ‘at the center’ of everything.”
At the same time, the Pope invites the Church itself to be “a model”: whether of transparency to “bring it to light,” of “concrete actions to repair the horrors they have suffered and to prevent them from happening again,” or of offering “safe spaces for victims to be heard, supported psychologically, and protected.”
“Pedir perdón es necesario, pero no suficiente”: en el mes de marzo, el Papa Francisco reflexiona sobre los abusos, “especialmente a los cometidos por miembros de la Iglesia” y pide que recemos con él por las víctimas, “que tienen que estar “en el centro” de todo.”
Al mismo tiempo, el Papa invita a la propia Iglesia a ser “un modelo”: ya sea de transparencia para “sacarlo a la luz”, de “acciones concretas para reparar los horrores sufridos y evitar que se repitan”, o de ofrecer “espacios seguros para que las víctimas sean escuchadas, apoyadas psicológicamente y protegidas.”
Pope Francis’ Lenten message to the world for 2023 was presented on Friday, February 17. The theme is Lenten Penance and the Synodal Journey. “We need to listen to Jesus he said, “through the Scriptures and through our brothers and sisters, especially in the faces and the stories of those who are in need…Lent is a time of grace to the extent that we listen to him as he speaks to us.”
It connects the science of climate change, biodiversity and sustainable resource use with the messages of Pope Francis’s Encyclical 
Conecta la ciencia del cambio climático, la biodiversidad y el uso sostenible de los recursos con los mensajes de la Encíclica Laudato Si’ del Papa Francisco.
Recognising that “Illness is part of our human condition”, in 
The Pope’s cry came in a video message for the ninth World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking, released Wednesday, 8 February, the feast of St Josephine Bakhita.
“Me dirijo a vosotros, jóvenes, de manera especial: Os animo a cuidar la dignidad, la vuestra y la de cada persona que encontréis. Sé que habéis sido vosotros los que habéis elegido este tema: ‘Viajar con dignidad’. Es muy importante: indica un horizonte amplio para vuestro compromiso contra la trata de seres humanos: la dignidad humana. De este modo, podéis contribuir a mantener viva la esperanza, y yo añadiría también la alegría, que os invito a conservar en vuestros corazones, junto con la Palabra de Dios, ¡porque la verdadera alegría es Cristo!
in which we celebrate the liturgical memory of St. Bakhita, the Sudanese nun who as a child had the dramatic experience of being kidnapped and enslaved and became the universal symbol of the Church’s commitment against trafficking.
This week will draw together churches across the globe to “Do good; seek justice (Isaiah 1:17).” The theme is inspired by Isaiah 1:12-18, which laments a lack of justice among the People of God. Yet it also promises redemption by encouraging acts of justice. Like Isaiah, we hope to inspire a renewed desire and effort for justice among Christian peoples around the world. The theme and materials call Christians to recognize that the divisions between our churches and confessions cannot be separated from the divisions within the wider human family.
Pope Francis will preside at the funeral Mass to be celebrated on Thursday morning , January 5, in St Peter’s Square, beginning at 9:30 am Rome time (3.30am Canada time).