International

During his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis continues his catechesis on children and speaks specifically on defending and promoting the welfare of children, especially from unacceptable abuse and exploitation.

The Archbishop of the Italian Forces designates the historic flagship of the Italian Navy “Amerigo Vespucci” as one of the Jubilee sites of the Military Ordinariate where pilgrims can obtain the Plenary Indulgence during the Holy Year.

The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States expresses Pope Francis' solidarity with the Congolese people in light of the ongoing effects of natural disasters.

Pope Francis' widely-anticipated autobiography 'Hope' hits bookshelves in 80 countries this Jubilee, and includes narrated memories, anecdotes, photos, and elements offered personally to readers.

A statement from the Holy See announced that the Cardinal Secretary of State held a meeting in Amman with papal representatives of Middle Eastern nations, in which a call for a ceasefire “on every front” was made, along with a desire for peace in the Middle East.

Archbishop Ian Ernest, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s outgoing Personal Representative to the Holy See, reflects on his time in Rome, and his task of helping the Catholic and Anglican Churches together become ‘beacons of hope’.

Pope Francis appoints Monsignor Carlo Maria as Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and Monsignor Filippo Ciampanelli, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, as titular bishop of Acque di Mauritania. He also names new Members of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, including two lay women.

Pope Francis reflects on the Baptism of the Lord which, he says, serves as a reminder of the intimacy of God’s love, manifested in the humanity of Jesus, and invites believers to carry this love forward, living as children of the one Father who accompanies us at every step of our journey.

In his first Saturday Jubilee Audience, Pope Francis highlights the Jubilee as a time for a new beginning, rooted in the transformative power of God’s Kingdom, drawing on the example of John the Baptist, a "great prophet of hope.”

Pope Francis baptises 21 babies in the Sistine Chapel on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.