November is the month of praying for the dead. So the first thing Pope Francis did after returning from his trip to Sweden was to continue the tradition and visit a cemetery in Rome.
The final meetings and messages of the Jubilee were very eloquent. At the Jubilee of Prisoners, the pope asked for better living conditions in prisons. On his last 'Friday of Mercy,' he visited a group of men who had left the priesthood and he had emotional moments like this prayer before hundreds of homeless people.
POPE FRANCIS
'I apologize for all the times that Christians, when in front of a poor person or when marginal conditions are near, look the other way. I'm sorry.'
Although the most awaited moment was this: the closure of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica.
The Year of Mercy ended, but as a sign of continuation he published a surprising document that, among other measures, stated that all priests can acquit the sin of abortion.
The other most anticipated moment was the consistory for the creation of cardinals. Pope Francis placed rings and birettas on 17 new cardinals, including the Albanian priest who spent almost three decades in forced labor during the communist regime.
The youngest of all the cardinals is a 49-year-old who comes from the Central African Republic.
CARD. DIEUDONNÉ NZAPALAINGA
Archbishop of Bangui (Central African Republic)
'We do not even have a word for 'cardinal' in our language. People in my country are wondering what it means to be a cardinal...'Kotobua'... It means someone who is close to the pope and who collaborates with him.â?
At the political level, the President of Vietnam's visit showed the progression of relations between the Holy See and the Asian country.
Although in November there were also friendlier meetings, like this with the soccer world champions or this one with scientists, including Stephen Hawking. Pope Francis also devoted a few minutes to meeting film director Martin Scorsese, who came to Rome to present his latest film.
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