Pope Francis has appointed Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla to be the first woman to lead a Vatican dicastery, naming her prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.

During the Holy Year 2025, Christians should deepen their spiritual lives through adoration and then transform their prayer into concrete acts of service, Pope Francis said.

When Catholics come to Rome for the Holy Year, their journey should have the specific goal of encountering and listening to Jesus, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has asked Catholics around the world to pray with him in January that migrants, refugees and victims of war will have a chance for an education.

Pope Francis was “deeply saddened” to learn of deaths and injuries caused by the attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, which killed 15 people.

Opening the Holy Door of the oldest Marian shrine in the Western world, Cardinal Rolando Makrickas prayed that the world would entrust itself to Mary, “the door to heaven.”

Marking the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and the start of the new year, Pope Francis renewed his appeal for a “firm commitment” to respect all human life worldwide.

A week after inaugurating the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis gave thanks for all the work that went into its preparation and prayed that it would be a year of peace, justice and fraternity.

Speaking on one of the United Kingdom’s most popular radio programs, Pope Francis encouraged millions of listeners to reject pessimism, treat others with kindness and look to the future with hope.

Thirteen Catholic “missionaries” were killed in 2024, most of them during the commission of a robbery, but several obviously were targeted for the church work they did.