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Marking the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis hosted an ecumenical vespers at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Pope Francis rang in the new year and gave thanks for 2023 at a special New Year’s Eve Vatican liturgy.
From Lisbon, Portugal, Pope Francis on Wednesday reflected on the urgency of taking up again “the prayer of adoration” before the tabernacle to recover “the taste and passion for evangelization” in a message addressed to bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated women religious, and seminarians.
Because of sciatic pain, Pope Francis will not preside at the Vatican's liturgies on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, according to the Holy See press office.
Pope Francis explained Thursday why the Catholic Church gives thanks to God at the close of a calendar year, even years that have been marked by tragedy, such as 2020’s coronavirus pandemic.