As happens every November, the Pope celebrated Mass at a cemetery on All Souls' Day. It was the French military cemetery, where about 2,000 fallen soldiers who fought in World War II are buried.
POPE FRANCIS
'These tombs are a message for peace. Stop, brothers and sisters. Stop. Stop, arms manufacturers. Stop.'
November was also a politically tense month at the Vatican. The first leader to visit Pope Francis was Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine.
The Vatican asked that dialogue with Israel be restored, and that Jerusalem be respected as a Holy City for the three main monotheistic religions.
The second politician to visit the Pope was the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati. Pope Francis assured him of his diplomatic efforts to encourage the international community to help the country.
POPE FRANCIS
'We must strive, work, to strengthen Lebanon, because it is a country, a message, but it is also a promise.'
The third head of state was President Emmanuel Macron of France. This was the leaders' second official meeting, and it was very cordial.
-I've worn you out with these stories...
-You didn't bore me.
-Thank you for your patience. Thank you.
One of the most moving meetings was with the Retrouvaille Association, which helps couples going through crisis and which has helped rebuild thousands of marriages.
POPE FRANCIS
'Today there is a great need for people, for spouses, who know how to bear witness to the fact that the crisis is not a curse. It is part of the journey, and it constitutes an opportunity.'
In November, the Pope traveled to Assisi to meet with poor people from all over Europe. He celebrated World Day of the Poor with them.
-'I have four children: two boys and two girls. They are between 20 and 24 years old, and have been abandoned in Afghanistan.'
POPE FRANCIS
'It is time to open our eyes to see the state of inequality in which many families live. It is time to roll back our sleeves so dignity can be restored by creating jobs.'
It is time to be scandalized once more by the reality of children who are starving, reduced to slavery, tossed about in the water in the aftermath of a shipwreck, innocent victims of every sort of violence.
This year was the first time that World Youth Day was celebrated on the Feast of Christ the King. The Pope invited thousands of young people to his Mass and talked to them about their role in the world.
POPE FRANCIS
'You have been entrusted with an exciting but also challenging task: to stand tall while everything around us seems to be collapsing.'
To celebrate this important day, he also invited two young people to join him at the window of the Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus and greet pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
JMB
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