Editor’s Note: As an American who founded an international NGO to help persecuted Christians, I ask all my readers to ask God to have mercy on the soul of Pete Reed, who died saying a fellow volunteer in the war zone of Bakhmut, Ukraine. He and his organization dedicated themselves to saving lives in war zones. Truly heroic.

Editor’s Note: Another example of perfectly Catholic teaching. St. Peter the Apostle was crucified upside down, and the Catholics of Congo, remembering that, have given him a chair with the Cross of Peter craved into it.

Take-aways here: We can do nothing as Bishops without the Lord. — Let us keep the door to worldliness closed. — We bishops should not serve ourselves. Spiritual worldliness in a bishop is worse than carnal worldliness of the Renaissance pope. — We Bishops should become missionaries of compassion.

In this final, ad libitum exhortation, there are those who are trying to read what the Holy Father says, differently that what he spoke. Listen to the words carefully, and you will see what he is actually saying.

He said always forgive those who seek forgiveness. Canon Law is important and must be observed.

He did not say always grant absolution.

This is an important truth that all confessors know. That even if a faithful who comes to the Sacrament of Confession ill disposed and cannot be absolved, the path to receiving absolution must be explained and offered. So a confessor, by inquiring as to the spiritual condition of the wounded soul does wrong, if he does not do so with a spirit of compassion which desires to bring the soul to sorrow for his sins and eventually receive absolution.

This is the teaching of all the great saints: a confessor must want to help every penitent to obtain absolution, and for that reason, from the moment he enters the confessional be disposed to forgive any sin no matter how grievous is it. And his goal, in his own intention, must be obtain the forgiveness for all sinners.

Editor’s Note: It has been reported that Pope Francis flew from Kinshasa to Juba on a plane with nearly 70 journalists. And yet, as of this morning, there are no reports of what he said to them. If you find any such reports, please share a URL to them in the comments below.

Editor’s Note: Another very sound catechesis.

Editor’s Note: Here is the fresco by Giotto, of the dream of Pope Innocent III on the vigil of St. Alexis, wherein he saw a poor man stabilize the Lateran Palace, which was, at that time, the Papal residence and Cathedral of the Church of Rome. The next day, in audience, at that same residence, St. Francis of Assisi came to ask the approval of his Rule. And the Pope recognizing him as the man he saw in his vision, gave him verbal approval. This vision is testified to by Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, in his Legenda Maior of Saint Francis, here.

The original fresco is found in the Basilica of St. Francis, at Assisi, Italy, in the upper Church (here).

Innocent III was very devoted to St. Alexis, and c. 1217/18 restored the Basilica of St. Alexis on the Aventine at Rome.

I for my part want to publicly thank Innocent III for his intercession, by which I believe he arranged me to find a place to live in the Hermitage of the Holy Cross 18 months ago. For it is truly an honor to live in the home town of Innocent III, where I reside in Italy. I thought it a curious coincidence when I found the place to use for a hermitage, without any collateral, income or bank account, 3 conditions of contracts for renting throughout Italy.

I attributed it at the time to the intercession of Our Lady of St. Alexis, the icon of Our Lady venerated in his Basilica at Rome (see the Visit from 2020), whom I have besought for such a grace for neigh 18 years. For more on this Icon, see here.

Our Lord from the Cross of St. Damiano, in Assisi, called Saint Francis to “go forth and repair My Church”. This is the mystical and ecclesial vocation of all the sons and daughters of Saint Francis. We do this by dedicating ourselves to living every word of Jesus Christ, promoting peace and coming to the needs of the poor, while living absolute poverty ourselves. At the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, I try to do all three, and there is yet much more to be done.

Pray for me. And pray for those men discerning a vocation to follow Saint Francis.

Editor’s Note: Father is the PeAntonio Figueria who comments frequently at FromRome.Info. Father was ordained as a Salesian, that is, as a Son of Don Bosco. I am very glad to see him making videos, and so wanted to share this with all of you.