IN BRIEF

IN BRIEF

POPE TO HUNGARIAN PILGRIMS: ‘THE GIFT OF PEACE BEGINS IN OUR HEARTS’ – Meeting Hungarian pilgrims in the Vatican, Pope Francis encourages them to be men and women of peace and to continue to safeguard their Christian identity, and thanks the Hungarian Church for welcoming Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. 1,200 pilgrims from Hungary, accompanied by several bishops and Hungarian authorities visited the Vatican on Thursday morning for a special encounter with Pope Francis, marking the first anniversary of his Apostolic Journey to the nation.  The Pope visited Hungary 28-30 April 2023, where he had already been for a brief stop on his way to Slovakia on 12 September 2021 to close the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in the country’s capital Budapest. Pope to Hungarian pilgrims: ‘The gift of peace begins in our hearts’ – Vatican News

POPE TO CATHOLIC ACTION: EMBRACING ONE ANOTHER CAN PREVENT WARS – Pope Francis addresses Italian Catholic Action and emphasises the importance of embracing others through reflections on missing, saving, and life-changing embraces. He greeted some 50,000 members of Italian Catholic Action in St Peter’s Square on Thursday 25 April as they gathered for their meeting between parents, grandparents, and children.  Speaking of the theme of the meeting, “With Open Arms,” the Pope noted that “embrace is one of the most spontaneous expressions of human experience” and that it is through an embrace that life begins.

For this reason, the Pope introduces three points of reflection: three types of embrace: the missing embrace, the saving embrace, and the life-changing embrace. Pope to Catholic Action: Embracing one another can prevent wars – Vatican News

POPE: ‘A NEGOTIATED PEACE IS BETTER THAN AN ENDLESS WAR’ – In an interview with CBS, Pope Francis calls for an end to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and around the world. He says there is room for everyone in the Church pointing out that if a parish priest doesn’t seem welcoming, one can look elsewhere: “There is always a place, don’t run away from the Church.” Referring in particular to the wars in Ukraine, in Gaza and others that continue to ravage the world, Pope Francis said ” Please, countries at war, all of them… Stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace. A negotiated peace is better than a war without end.”

The Pope was speaking during an interview granted to the US radio-television broadcaster CBS, Wednesday afternoon at Casa Santa Marta. Some excerpts from the hour-long interview conducted by Norah O’Donnell, director of “CBS Evening News,” were broadcast shortly after. An extended version of the conversation will be aired on Sunday, May 19, on the eve of World Children’s Day, which will take place in Rome on May 25 and 26. Pope: ‘A negotiated peace is better than an endless war’ – Vatican News