Pope Francis began March with special attention to young people, encouraging them to participate in political life.
POPE FRANCIS
Politics is not the mere art of administering power, resources or crises. Politics is not a mere search for efficiency, strategy and organized action. Politics is a vocation of service, it is a lay deaconate that promotes social friendship to increase the common good.
He also signed his fourth Apostolic Exhortation “Christus Vivit,” dedicated to young people, during his trip to Loreto.
As it was Lent, the pope presented a series of proposals to live this liturgical period better.
In his message for this year he said sin destroys but repentance and forgiveness have the power to heal.
POPE FRANCIS
Each one of us can ask ourselves: in the journey of life, do I look for the way forward? Or am I satisfied with living in the moment, thinking only of feeling good, solving a few problems and having fun? What is the path?
During the third month of the year, the Vatican published its statistics. They found the number of Catholics has increased by 1.1 percent compared to last year. However the number of priests decreased for the first time since 2010. Additionally, baptized Catholics make up 17.7 percent of the world's population, amounting to 1.313 million people.
In March, Card. Barbarin was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to report a pedophile priest.
CARD. PHILIPPE BARBARIN
“I take note of the Court's decision. Regardless of what happens to me, I reiterate my compassion for the victims and their families, to whom I assure my prayers. I have decided to go to the Holy Father to present my resignation. He will receive me in a few days.”
The French prelate traveled to Rome to present his resignation to the pope. Pope Francis did not accept it, because at that time the sentence of the tribunal was not definitive.
At the end of the month, Pope Francis visited Morocco. There, with King Mohammed VI, he signed a document on the special status of Jerusalem.
They asked that “full freedom of access to the followers of the three monotheistic religions and their right to worship will be guaranteed,” so Jerusalem is home to “a future of peace and fraternity on the earth.”
Pope Francis also delivered a powerful speech focused on immigration. He said one cannot remain silent in the face of the injustices suffered by migrants and refugees.
POPE FRANCIS
This is all the more the case today, when we witness many millions of refugees and other forced migrants seeking international protection, to say nothing of the victims of human trafficking and the new forms of enslavement being perpetrated by criminal organizations. No one can be indifferent to this painful situation.
The pope lamented that the dignity of these people seems to depend on their legal status.
Another highlight of the month was the debate over the pope's style of greeting. To kiss the pope's ring or not? Time passes and customs change, also in the Vatican.
Pope Francis had previously put an end to using the red shoes. Additionally, from the very beginning he has removed his hand when someone tries to kiss it or when they bow too much.
However, although Pope Francis does not want to be kissed on the hand, he does accept hugs without problems. He also caresses the sick with tenderness and wants to convey that service is the way to exercise power.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
Translation: Sean Richardson
