Photo: Vatican Media

Fourth priest ex-communicated for denying that Francis is Pope

His defiant stance, rooted in the claim that Pope Benedict XVI never truly abdicated, mirrors a rising undercurrent of skepticism within a faction of Catholics who have refused to recognize the authority of Francis since Benedict’s resignation in 2013. The Vatican’s swift response signals its determination to curb what it sees as a dangerous theological rebellion.

Pope Francis asks all Catholics to pray for vocations: here is the video

The Pope invites us to pray during February “that the ecclesial community might welcome the desires and doubts of those young people who feel a call to serve Christ’s mission in the priesthood and religious life.”In the video illustrating his prayer intention, Pope Francis recalls his own vocation, as a youth. He affirms that by listening to young people, they might welcome God’s call “in ways that better serve the Church and the world today.” The Pope invites us to believe in young people, and above all, to trust in God who is the one who “calls everyone.”