170K views · 18K reactions | Seven apostolic journeys, 11 nations visited on 4 continents, and more than 500 homilies, speeches, and addresses. Here is a look at some of the most powerful images from Pope Francis' eventful 2019. | Vatican News | Facebook

22K views · 3.5K reactions | Pope Francis announces the Year of Prayer, which begins today and will lead us to the Jubilee Year of 2025. He told pilgrims at the Sunday Angelus prayer that each of us needs to rediscover the “great value and absolute need” for prayer in all aspects of our lives. | Vatican News | Facebook

On Sunday morning, Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican Grottoes to celebrate a private Mass near the tomb of Saint Peter. Following the Mass, the Pope spent time in silent prayer at the tombs of his predecessors. In his homily, the Pope—speaking first in English, then in Italian—reflected on the story of the Good Shepherd in the day's Gospel. Pope Leo also spoke of the universal call to proclaim the Gospel, urging the faithful: “Take heart! Don’t be afraid!” Acknowledging that the mission sometimes

LIVE from St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo XIV presides at Holy Mass offered in suffrage for the late Pope Francis and the cardinals and bishops who died during the year. | Vatican News