Pope Meets With Members of the Papal Foundation

The works of the Papal Foundation "gives witness to the ceaseless efforts of the Church to promote the integral development of the human family."

These were the words said by Pope Francis in an audience today with members of the Catholic association.

Founded in 1990 by Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia, the Papal Foundation "provides funding for the needs of the Church throughout the world.

In his address, the Pope expressed his gratitude to the Foundation, which he noted, “devotes a sizeable percentage of its resources to the education and formation of young priests, religious and lay men and women, hastening the day when their local Churches may be self-supportive, and, indeed, pass on the fruits of such generosity to others”.

"I wish to reaffirm my gratitude for the hard work and sacrifice that your offering entails, and to assure you of my heartfelt prayers for you, your loved ones, and all those whom you support," he said.

Reminding them of the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Holy Father prayed that the Lord would renew in each of the Papal Foundation members the "greatest of his many gifts."

"May each of you experience the healing and freedom that come from the encounter of forgiveness and gratuitous love offered in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist," he concluded.