Pope on confessions: ‘God lifts us up when we hit rock bottom’

God’s mercy before leading the parish in the Confiteor prayer.

Many people made confessions to priests—and some to the pope himself—during the Holy Hour at the Roman parish just outside the walls of Vatican City.

Pope Francis began the “24 Hours for the Lord” initiative in 2014, one year before he announced the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

forget you or I neglect you, when I prefer my words and those of the world to your own word, when I presume to be righteous and look down on others, when I gossip about others…God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

In the presence of eucharistic adoration, the pope presided over a Lenten penitential service on March 17 to open “24 Hours for the Lord,” an initiative in which certain Catholic churches around the world will remain open 24 consecutive hours with round-theclock confession and adoration.

“Brothers, sisters, let us remember this: The Lord comes to us when we step back from our presumptuous ego.… He can bridge the distance whenever, with honesty and sincerity, we bring our weaknesses before him,” Pope Francis said.

“He holds out his hand and lifts us up whenever we realize we are ‘hitting rock bottom’ and we turn back to him with a sincere heart. That is how God is. He is waiting for us, deep down, for in Jesus he chose to ‘descend to the depths,’” he added.

The pope underlined that God

Tagle get’s pope’s full authority over section of Dicastery for Evangelization

POPE Francis has issued a decree giving Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, full legal authority over the second section of the dicastery, which is responsible for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.

The decree implements the reforms mentioned by the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, which aims to reform the offices of the Roman Curia.

The document splits the Dicastery for Evangelization into two sections—one, for Fundamental Questions Regarding

Evangelization in the World, which is headed by a pro-prefect, Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, and the second, First Evangelization and New Particular Churches, headed by Tagle.

Pope Francis serves as prefect of the dicastery, with authority over the two sections.

The papal decree gives Cardinal Tagle and his successors the authority to control resources headed for mission territories.

The decree on Tagle’s full legal representation of the II Section of the Dicastery for Evangelization was released on March 17.

LiCAS News via CBCP News waits for us, especially in the sacrament of penance, where he said the Lord touches our wounds, heals our hearts, and leaves us with inner peace.

Pope Francis visited the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Trionfale, a parish located about one mile from the pope’s residence inside Vatican City.

Upon his arrival at the parish, the pope kissed a small Marian icon from his wheelchair and gave a bouquet of flowers to Our Lady. He offered greetings and shook hands with many people inside the parish from his wheelchair.

The pope offered a homily on

The Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization has asked dioceses around the world to once again open churches for 24 hours, on March 17 and March 18, to offer the opportunity to make confessions and pray in the presence of eucharistic adoration.

In his homily, Pope Francis asked the parishioners to repeat together the prayer of a tax collector in chapter 18 of the Gospel of Luke: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

The pope prayed: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner! When I

“When I care nothing for those all around me, when I’m indifferent to the poor and the suffering, the weak and the outcast, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! For my sins against life, for my bad example that mars the lovely face of Mother Church, for my sins against creation, God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” he added.

“For my falsehoods, my duplicity, my lack of honesty and integrity, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. For my hidden sins, for the ways in which I have unconsciously wronged others, and for the good I could have done and yet failed to do, God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” Pope Francis prayed. Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Muslims in Indonesia celebrate Ramadan amid soaring prices

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Millions of Muslims in Indonesia are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan that began on Thursday as many grappled with soaring food prices as a result of supply disruptions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

From colorful torchlight street parades to cleaning relatives’ graves and sharing meals with family and friends, every region in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country and the largest archipelago has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan.

Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas announced on Wednesday evening that Ramadan would begin on Thursday after the sighting of the crescent moon was confirmed by Islamic astronomy observers teams from several regions. Most Indonesians—Muslims comprise nearly 90 percent of the country’s 277 million people—are expected to follow the government’s official date.

Shortly after the announcement, mosques flooded with devotees offering evening prayers known as “tarawih” on the first eve of Ramadan.

In Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of worshippers crammed together shoulder-to-shoulder.

During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset. Even a tiny sip of water or a puff of smoke is enough to invalidate the fast.

At night, family and friends gather and feast in a festive atmosphere.

The fasting is aimed at bringing the faithful closer to God and reminding them of the suffering of the poor. Muslims are expected to strictly observe daily prayers and engage in heightened religious contemplation.

They are also urged to refrain from gossip, fighting or cursing during the holy month.

Although Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country in the world, its Ramadan traditions have been influenced by other religions.

Nyadran is a Javanese ritual heavily influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism that involves visiting ancestors’ graves.

Each year, thousands of villagers who live on the slopes of Mount Merapi in Central Java visit cemeteries to welcome Ramadan.

People clean, decorate graves and make prayers and offerings.