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We have been sharing a fruitful pilgrimage with Pope Francis throughout 2023. Our voyage has been profoundly enriching, enabling us to appreciate the mind and heart of Papa Francisco. Six pivotal themes have surfaced during our rewarding year-long journey.
On the eve of the October 4 Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi in 2020, Pope Francis released his third encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. The Italian title is drawn from the writings of the pope’s namesake, Francis of Assisi, who lived in the twelfth century and is now the patron saint of ecology.
Following the 2019 Bishops’ Synod on the Pan-Amazon region, Pope Francis issued on February 2, 2020 his reflections in the form of an apostolic exhortation. It is his fifth, coming after Evangelii Gaudium (2013), Amoris Laetitia (2016), Gaudete et Exsultate (2018), and Christus Vivit (2019). Originally written in Spanish, Querida Amazonia has been translated into over a dozen languages.
Pope Francis marked the feast of the Annunciation in 2019 by releasing his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit (Christ Lives). It is the fruit of listening and discerning during the October 2018 Synod of Bishops, focused on the theme: “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment.”
Gaudete et Exsultate (GE) is the third Apostolic Exhortation issued by Pope Francis, following Evangelii Gaudium (2013) and Amoris Latetitia (2016). It is a call to the holiness of life, clearly echoing the universal call to holiness found in Vatican II.
Pope Francis has given an extraordinary gift to the Church: Amoris Laetitia, The Joy of Love. This document focuses on family and love. Francis draws heavily on the 2014 and 2015 worldwide Bishops’ Synods on the Family. He enriches the discussion with his own pastoral insights.
Published in May 2015, Laudato Sí is addressed to “every living person on this planet.” It focuses on care for the natural environment and all people, as well as broader questions of the relationship between God, humans, and the Earth.
A vast amount of “mercy material” from Pope Francis is available. However, probably the best source is Francis’ 2015 document, Misericordiae Vultus [MV] (The Face of Mercy), wherein he proclaimed an entire year of mercy (2015-2016) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the close of Vatican Council II (1965).
Evangelii Gaudium (EG), The Joy of the Gospel [2013], Pope Francis’ first apostolic exhortation, is lengthy, reaching over 50,000 words. Here Francis is proposing a profound missionary renewal of the entire Church, desiring a truly vibrant evangelizing community, aflame with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
Lumen Fidei (LF), The Light of Faith, is Pope Francis’ first encyclical. Francis admits that Pope Benedict XVI “had almost completed the first draft of an encyclical on faith” and for this initial work “I am deeply grateful to him.” Here we have a unique treasure: profound reflections on faith from two popes!
