After ordaining 16 priests, the pope wanted to present four of them to the 30,000 pilgrims who filled St. Peter's Square to pray the Regina Coeli with the pope.
POPE FRANCIS
'As I was saying, today I ordained 16 priests. Out of these 16, four came here to greet you and give the blessing with me.'
Moments earlier he had asked for prayer for the situation in Nicaragua, where violence is escalating at a disturbing rate.
POPE FRANCIS
'I express my closeness in prayer to that country, and I join the bishops in asking that the violence cease, the useless bloodshed be avoided and the opened questions be resolved peacefully and with a sense of responsibility.'
In Nicaragua, the president's proposed reforms have led to clashes between the opposition and police. The protests have been harshly stifled and have claimed the lives of around 30 people.
