FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis waves after delivering his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi/File Photo

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has sent 100,000 euros ($106,090) to the poor in the ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo, a Vatican spokeswoman said in a statement on Friday.

The Vatican administration, known as the Curia, contributed to the donation, which will be made through the papal charity office and the Franciscan order working in the Holy Land.

Aleppo was Syria’s most populous city before war broke out six years ago, but swathes of it have been destroyed and thousands displaced in the conflict gripping the country.

Government forces, which seized the city from rebels in December after months of intense fighting, have captured its main water supply station from Islamic State, a monitor group said this week.</s>Vatican City, March 10 - Pope Francis on Friday sent 100,000 euros to the poor in the wartorn Syrian city of Aleppo, the deputy head of the Vatican press office, Paloma Ovejero, said.</s>VATICAN CITY, March 10 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has sent 100,000 euros ($106,090) to the poor in the ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo, a Vatican spokeswoman said in a statement on Friday.

The Vatican administration, known as the Curia, contributed to the donation, which will be made through the papal charity office and the Franciscan order working in the Holy Land.

Aleppo was Syria's most populous city before war broke out six years ago, but swathes of it have been destroyed and thousands displaced in the conflict gripping the country.

Government forces, which seized the city from rebels in December after months of intense fighting, have captured its main water supply station from Islamic State, a monitor group said this week. ($1 = 0.9426 euros) (Reporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Toby Davis)</s>After the last meditation and photos with the religious who manage the Divine Master house, Pope Francis boarded the bus to Rome, where he arrived around 11:30 in the morning.

"I want to thank you for the work you've done; how you've prepared yourself. This means responsibility, and taking things seriously. Thank you for all that you have given us."

"I want to thank you for the work you've done; how you've prepared yourself. This means responsibility, and taking things seriously. Thank you for all that you have given us."

The pope also thanked Guilio Michelini for his efforts to lead these spiritual exercises.

During the spiritual exercises , the pope and members of the Curia read the testimony of this pastor of Aleppo, Franciscan Ibrahim Alsabagh.

"In thanksgiving for the collection of money destined for Aleppo, Fr. Ibrahim has written a brief email, together with the Custody of the Holy Land. It expresses the gratitude from Aleppo's poor, for those who celebrated the Eucharist this morning in accordance with the pope's intention, and for the generous donation of 100,000 euros."

"In thanksgiving for the collection of money destined for Aleppo, Fr. Ibrahim has written a brief email, together with the Custody of the Holy Land. It expresses the gratitude from Aleppo's poor, for those who celebrated the Eucharist this morning in accordance with the pope's intention, and for the generous donation of 100,000 euros."

Franciscan Guilio Michelini, presider of the pope's spiritual retreat, has expressed the gratitude of the Aleppans .

He has raised 100,000 euros from members of the Roman Curia to send to the martyred Syrian city. It serves as a beacon of hope for peace that seems increasingly closer after six years of war. On March 15, Syria will enter its seventh year of conflict.

The last day of Pope Francis' spiritual retreat concluded with this Mass . It was offered for Syria. In addition to this gesture, the pope also included an important donation to the city of Aleppo.

The last day of Pope Francis' spiritual retreat concluded with . It was offered for Syria. In addition to this gesture, the pope also included an important donation to the city of Aleppo.

He has raised from members of the Roman Curia to send to the martyred Syrian city. It serves as a beacon of hope for peace that seems increasingly closer after six years of war. On March 15, Syria will enter its seventh year of conflict.

Franciscan Guilio Michelini, presider of the pope's spiritual retreat, has expressed the gratitude of the .

"In thanksgiving for the collection of money destined for Aleppo, Fr. Ibrahim has written a brief email, together with the Custody of the Holy Land. It expresses the gratitude from Aleppo's poor, for those who celebrated the Eucharist this morning in accordance with the pope's intention, and for the generous donation of 100,000 euros."

During the , the pope and members of the Curia read the testimony of this pastor of Aleppo, Franciscan Ibrahim Alsabagh.

The pope also thanked for his efforts to lead these spiritual exercises.

"I want to thank you for the work you've done; how you've prepared yourself. This means responsibility, and taking things seriously. Thank you for all that you have given us."

After the last meditation and photos with the religious who manage the Divine Master house, Pope Francis boarded the bus to Rome, where he arrived around</s>In a statement released on Friday, the Vatican confirms that Pope Francis made a generous donation to the needy in the war-ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo. "The Holy Father celebrated a Mass for Syria and has sent 100,000 euro ($106,000) to the poor of Aleppo," the statement read. The Pope has been publicly raising attention and awareness to the plight of Syrians caught in the conflict since his election in 2013. Aleppo has endured brutal fighting during the six-year Syrian conflict, and the warfare has caused many deaths and injuries, widespread displacement and massive damage.</s>Pope Francis made a generous donation to the needy in the war-ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo, the Vatican announced Friday.

“The Holy Father …. celebrated a Mass for Syria and has sent 100,000 euro ($106,000) to the poor of Aleppo,” the Vatican said in a statement.

The ancient city has become a symbol of the war’s brutality.

It has endured brutal fighting during the six-year Syrian conflict, and the warfare has caused many deaths and injuries, widespread displacement and massive damage.

The Pope has been publicly raising attention and awareness to the plight of Syrians caught in the conflict since his election in 2013.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, a body established in August 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council, focused on the violence in the Aleppo region in its latest report, issued March 1. It covers the period from mid-July to late December.

In that time, citizens were “not just caught in the line of fire. More often than not, they were the target,” the report said, and “hospitals, orphanages, markets, schools and homes were all but obliterated.”

“Much of Aleppo, once Syria’s biggest city and its commercial and cultural centre and a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been reduced to rubble. More than 100,000 people have been displaced and are struggling to survive,” the report said.</s>This is the third time the magazine has chosen a pope as its Person of the Year. Time gave that honour to Pope John Paul II in 1994 and to Pope John XXIII in 1963.

The Argentine pontiff - who, as archbishop of Buenos Aires was known as the slum cardinal for his visits to the poor and penchant for subway travel - beat former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and gay rights activist Edith Windsor for the award.

Other finalists included Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas.

"What makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all," Time said in its cover story.

"In a matter of months, Francis has elevated the healing mission of the church — the church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh world — above the doctrinal police work so important to his recent predecessors."

Time said the final selection was made by its editors, who had considered suggestions from the magazine's more than 2 million Twitter followers.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Pope Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, the first from Latin America and the first Jesuit, was not seeking fame.

"It is a positive sign that one of the most prestigious recognitions by the international media has been given to a person who proclaims to the world spiritual, religious and moral values and speaks out forcefully in favour of peace and greater justice," Lombardi said in a statement.

"If this attracts men and women and gives them hope, the Pope is happy. If this choice of 'Person of the Year' means that many have understood this message, even implicitly, he is certainly glad."

In September, Francis gave a groundbreaking and frank interview, in which he said the Vatican must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality, and become more merciful.

And in July, Francis told reporters he was not in a position to judge homosexuals who are of good will and in search of God, marking a break from his predecessor, Benedict, who said homosexuality was an intrinsic disorder.

Francis replaced Benedict in March after he abdicated.

The new pope's style is characterized by frugality. He shunned the spacious papal apartment in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace to live in a small suite in a Vatican guest house, and he prefers a Ford Focus to the traditional pope's Mercedes.

A champion of the downtrodden, he visited the island of Lampedusa in southern Italy in July to pay tribute to hundreds of migrants who had died crossing the sea from North Africa.

With the Catholic Church marred in recent years by sex abuse scandals, Francis formed a team of experts Thursday to consider ways to improve the screening of priests, to protect minors to help victims.

Still, Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a victim advocacy group, said in a statement Wednesday that more action was needed.

"After nine months of essentially ignoring the church's most severe crisis, (Pope Francis) hastily announced last week that he'll appoint an abuse study panel," Blaine said. "He has not, however, made a single child safer."</s>VATICAN CITY — When facing criticism, a sense of humor and the grace to remain at peace are always the best response, Pope Francis said in an interview with Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper.

In the interview, published March 8 online and in print March 9, the pope laughed and said the Roman dialect featured in posters that were plastered around the Rome city center criticizing him “was great.”

The poster, featuring a stern-faced picture of the pope, said: “Ah Francis, you’ve taken over congregations, removed priests, decapitated the Order of Malta and the Franciscans of the Immaculate, ignored cardinals … but where is your mercy?”

“There is this prayer, which is attributed to (St.) Thomas More, that I pray every day: ‘Lord, give me a sense of humor!’ The Lord preserves my peace and gives me a great sense of humor,” Pope Francis said.

Vatican Radio released a brief summary with selected quotes from the nearly 6,000-word interview, in which the pope discussed several issues and events.

Among the areas of discussion was his relationship with Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, current patron of the Order of Malta, who is often viewed as one of Pope Francis’ most vocal critics.

The pope denied rumors that Cardinal Burke was sent to Guam as a form of “exile” to be the presiding judge in a church trial investigating allegations of sexual abuse leveled against Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron of Agana.

Instead, he was chosen, the pope said, because the former head of the Vatican’s highest court is “an excellent jurist” and the allegations were “terrible incidents.” He said he was grateful for the cardinal’s service to address “a serious abuse case.”

“I do not regard Cardinal Burke as an adversary,” the pope said.

The pope was asked about the recent change of leadership at the Knights of Malta, in which Fra Matthew Festing, the former grand master, resigned at the pope’s request, after the order’s forced ouster of its grand chancellor, Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager.

While Cardinal Burke remained the order’s patron, the pope appointed Archbishop Angelo Becciu as his special delegate and sole spokesman to the Knights of Malta.

“The problem with the Order of Malta was more that (Cardinal Burke) was unable to deal with it,” he said. “I have not removed his title of patron. He is still the patron of the Order of Malta.”

The pope suggested it was a question of “clearing things up a bit in the order, and that is why I sent a delegate with a different charism than (Cardinal) Burke.”

Pope Francis has been an outspoken in his criticism against populist rhetoric that views refugees escaping war, violence and poverty as “unworthy of our attention, a rival or someone to be bent to our will.”

When asked by Die Zeit about the rise of populism, particularly from those on the right of the political spectrum , the pope said he uses the word “populism” in the sense defined in Latin America as way “to use the people” to gain power.

Recalling Germany’s history, the pope said Adolf Hitler rose to power promising to return Germany to its former glory after a serious economic crisis.

“He convinced the people that he could. Populism always needs a messiah and a justification: ‘We preserve the identity of the people!’” the pope said.

“Great politicians,” such as Germany’s first post-war chancellor, Konrad Adenauer and former French Prime Minister Robert Schuman, envisioned a Europe united in brotherhood, and that “had nothing to do with populism,” he said.

“These men had the gift of serving their country without placing themselves in the center, and this made them great leaders. They did not have to be a messiah. Populism is evil and ends badly, as the past century has shown,” Pope Francis said.

Other topics the pope touched on in the interview included the shortage of priests and the possibility of female deacons.

“The call for priests represents a problem, an enormous problem,” especially in Germany and Switzerland, he said.

“The problem is the lack of vocations. And the church must solve this problem,” the pope said.

He expressed the view that an increase in prayer and outreach to youth could change the situation.

“The Lord has told us: Pray! That is what’s lacking: prayer. And also lacking is the work with young people who are seeking direction. Service to others is missing” and low birth rates are also a factor, said the pope. “Working with young people is difficult, but it is essential, because youth long for it.”

He added that youths are the ones who lose most in many modern societies because of a lack of employment.

Asked whether the vow of celibacy could be optional for the priesthood, but not for higher offices like bishop or cardinal, the pope said, making clerical celibacy optional “is not the solution.”

When asked about ordaining married men of proven virtue, known in Latin as “viri probati,” Pope Francis replied that was a topic, like others, theologians needed to study more in depth.

“Then we must determine what tasks they could undertake, for example in remote communities,” he said.

Pope Francis spoke about the commission studying women deacons and the exact roles they played in early church history. The commission is an ongoing project, he said, dedicated to open dialogue.

“It was about exploring the subject, and not to open a door” on automatic approval, Pope Francis said of the commission.

“This is the task of theology; it must research to get to the foundation of things, always. That also goes for the study of the sacred Scriptures. … What does that mean today? Truth is to have no fear. That is what historical truth and scientific truth tell us: Do not be afraid! That makes us free.”

Pope Francis also discussed his personal faith experiences and beliefs about God’s mercy, saying that an individual’s faith grows throughout a lifetime.

“Faith is a gift. It will give itself,” said the pope, adding that faith is to be prayed for.

“He said he does not like to be idealized by others, saying that idealizing a person leads to aggression.

“I am a sinner and I am fallible,” he said. “When I am idealized, I feel attacked.”

He said that he views himself as a normal person trying to do his best.

He also added that he does not become angry at people who disagree with his opinions and believes that diverse opinions are good for the world.

“Since I was elected pope, I have never lost my peace. I can understand if some people do not like my own way of going about things, and that is completely normal,” said Pope Francis.

“Everyone may have their own opinion. That is legitimate and humane and enriching,” he said.

In response to a question, Pope Francis said he is not able to visit Germany this year for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, despite an invitation from Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“The appointment calendar is very full this year,” he told Die Zeit.

Asked whether he would visit Russia, China, India or other countries perhaps this year, Pope Francis replied: “To Russia I cannot travel, because then I would also have to travel to Ukraine.

Even more important would be a trip to South Sudan, but I don’t believe that is possible. Also, a trip to the Congo was planned, but that will also not work with (President Joseph) Kabila. So, remaining on the program are India, Bangladesh and Colombia, one day for Fatima in Portugal, and as far as I know, a trip to Egypt is being studied. Sounds like a full calendar, right?”

Contributing to this story were Zita Fletcher in Germany and Carol Glatz in Rome.</s>Pope Francis greets the faithful as he arrives to celebrate his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Italy. (Photo: Giuseppe Ciccia/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Pope Francis warned against the rising tide of populism in an interview with German paper Die Zeit this week, reigniting an ongoing search for subliminal criticism of President Trump in the pope’s words.

“Pope Francis issues veiled warning about Donald Trump,” proclaimed the headline on British news site the Independent about the interview, though Francis had not mentioned Trump.

His statement, however, that “populism is evil and ends badly as the past century showed,” marks at least the second time in recent months that the pope has warned against the dangers of growing populist movements in the U.S. as well as Europe. His latest words echo similar pontifications made during an interview with Spanish-language paper El Pais on the day of Trump’s inauguration.

In that case, Francis cited Nazi Germany as the “most obvious example of populism in the European sense of the word,” pointing to the fact that “Hitler didn’t steal power, his people voted for him” as proof that “in times of crisis we lack judgment.” He further urged people to resist the tendency to “look for a savior who gives us back our identity and [lets] us defend ourselves with walls, barbed-wire, whatever, from other people who may rob us of our identity.”

In his Inauguration Day interview with El Pais, the pope once again refrained from commenting on the new president directly, choosing instead to wait and “see how he acts, what he does” before forming an opinion. But his general warning against politicians who emphasize the need for strong border enforcement and other travel restrictions falls in line with other comments the pope has made about arguably Trumpian policies before and after the brash real estate mogul entered the White House.

In a weekly address at the Vatican early last month, the pope reportedly issued an appeal “to not raise walls but bridges.” Though his comments were relatively generic on their own, Francis went on to insist, “A Christian can never say: ‘I’ll make you pay for that.’” Many interpreted the statement as a veiled critique of Trump’s pledge to not only build a wall along the southern border of the U.S. but also make Mexico pay for it.

In February of last year, the pope offered a more direct assessment of Trump’s core campaign promise following a trip to Cuba and Mexico, which included a noteworthy stop in Juarez, a Mexican city near the U.S. border.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” Francis told reporters when asked about then-candidate Trump.

At the time, Trump fired back at Francis, calling the comments “disgraceful.” In a lengthy statement, Trump said in part, “If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians.”

Both sides soon backed down, insisting that the pope’s initial words had been misinterpreted as an attack on Trump.

Not entirely unlike the president himself, Francis has developed a penchant for expressing his views on Twitter. A number of observers read his recent posts about embracing migrants and foreigners as a subtle rejection of the restrictive immigration policies of both Trump and right-wing parties in Europe.

Despite the fact that Francis has yet to make an explicit statement regarding his views on the U.S. president, experts are also eager to connect the dots.

In a piece for the New Yorker earlier last month, former Catholic priest-turned-novelist James Carroll deemed Francis “the anti-Trump,” arguing that “Pope Francis is, at this point, the world’s staunchest defender of migrants, and of Muslim migrants.”

British journalist and papal biographer Austen Ivereigh offered a similar analysis at the New York Times on March 4, pointing to the pope’s expressed support for Muslim immigrants and refugees as the biggest conflict between “the world’s two most compelling populists.”

Without having technically derided the president by name, Ivereigh argued, “Pope Francis has become the flag-bearer of the global anti-Trump resistance.”
• None Obama said to be ‘livid’ with Trump wiretapping claim
• None ‘Day Without Women’ looks to continue legacy of massive D.C. march
• None In age of Trump, Democrats look to turn Orange County blue
• None Photos: 10 women trailblazers you may not have heard of</s>Pope Francis: “I Also Know the Empty Moments…”

In an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit, the pontiff discusses World War III, clerical celibacy and dark spiritual moments.

On March 9, the left-leaning German newspaper Die Zeit published the first ever interview of Pope Francis by a German publication. The discussion, in Italian with the journalist, Giovanni di Lorenzo, was wide-ranging and included the pontiff’s reflections on clerical celibacy, the crisis in the Knights of Malta, upcoming travels and his own spiritual life. Please take a look at Edward Pentin’s detailed post on what Francis had to say about celibacy. The pope’s other comments are notable, especially when he expresses repeatedly the challenges of the spiritual life and the crises that most encounter in their faith journeys.

As is always the case with interviews by Pope Francis, the media focuses on its favorite issues, and the discussion with Die Zeit is no exception. Understandably, attention has been given to the question of clerical celibacy, but two other headlines that have emerged since the publication of the interview on March 9 have been that the pope made a veiled attack on Donald Trump in his concerns about populism and that he was somehow trying to connect Raymond Cardinal Burke, the Patron of the Knights of Malta, with “fundamentalist Catholics.” Neither claim is justified by a reading of the text.

What is apparent? Beyond the pope’s worry about vocations and finding a solution to the priest shortage, the interview can be split into two key themes: the pope and the global situation and the pontiff’s counsel for the spiritually suffering and for the Church.

“It is urgent to fight for Europe”

With Die Zeit, Francis makes no allusion to Trump, but he does speak to the global phenomenon of populism, with the warning that “behind the increasing populism is a messianism: Always.” And he warns further, “populism is bad, and eventually ends badly, as we know from the last century.”

Looking at this century, the pope reiterates his conviction that we are already facing a third world war, citing Africa, Ukraine, Iraq and elsewhere and likening it to the situation the globe faced in 1933 with the rise of Hitler and Nazism. From that perspective, the pope speaks again as a dedicated proponent of a Europe united behind a common purpose, including the current crisis of migrants and refugees, adding, “the values ​​of Europe are put in doubt, it is urgent to fight for Europe.”

As a committed peacemaker and bridge builder, Francis sees his apostolic journeys as important moments to connect directly with people across the globe. He has been invited to many countries, but he details to Die Zeit several that are confirmed for 2017: India and Bangladesh, Colombia and possibly a visit to Egypt, a country where there have been recent developments between the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Al-Azhar University, one of the most influential centers of Islamic learning. And the pope also confirms again his intention to go to Fatima, Portugal, to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Marian apparitions. But, his visit there will be only for one day.

Notably, when asked about a trip to Russia, he replies that he cannot go yet because he should also visit Ukraine, a reference to the immense complexities both religious and political that any visit to Moscow will entail. Similarly, he wants to travel to South Sudan, a country founded only in 2011 but that has been ravaged by civil war and political instability. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the struggle, and three million have been displaced, with most forced to live in neighboring Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. As with his visit in 2015 to the Central African Republic, the pope sees a trip to South Sudan as essential to promoting peace and humanity.

“I also know the empty moments…”

Looking at the internal needs of the Church and the spiritual life, Francis is typically forthright in declaring himself a sinner, someone who is not very “exceptional” and who grapples with his own spiritual crises and frailty.

Speaking of the spiritual crises that everyone has in their lives, he sees such moments as part of growing and maturing in the faith. “A faith that does not fall into crisis remains childish…I have spoken of the dark moments... and the empty moments. I also know the empty moments.” And he offers some good spiritual advice on dealing with them: “You cannot grow without crises in human life.”

Here is a pope comfortable telling the world that he is a sinner, that he says to the Father, “Lord, I do not understand this” and who grapples with anger and with sadness over bad situations that he has caused “because of me, of my sin: I am a sinner, and I get angry.”

The antidote is to remember, “The Lord is the Lord of sinners, not the righteous; Also, yes, of the righteous, but He loves you more as sinners. And...no, the crisis is to increase our faith. It [faith] cannot grow without the crisis...and life puts you to the test.”

He adds, “Faith is a gift…Faith is not a purchase.”

And he does also grow angry when the members of the Church fail to live as they should. “I get angry,” he said when the Church, the Holy Mother Church, my mother, my bride, does not give a testimony of fidelity to the Gospel: that hurts me.”

Addressing also briefly the ongoing controversy with the internal affairs of the Knight of Malta — the pope states flatly that has not fired Cardinal Burke and that he will remain in his post as Patron. “I do not consider Burke to be an adversary,” he says, and answers the question as to why the American Cardinal was recently sent to Guam this way: “Cardinal Burke went there because of a terrible incident. I am very grateful to him for that; there was a bad abuse case, and he is an excellent lawyer, but I believe that this mission is already nearly accomplished.”

This is also the first public statement on the situation with the Knights of Malta since the start of the surprising events over the last few months that have witnessed Francis’ requested resignation of the Order’s Grand Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, and the appointment of the Secretary of State’s Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu as his personal delegate to guide the process of reform for the 1,000 year old chivalric institution.

In considering his own role as pope, Francis downplays himself and continues the theme of trying to reduce what he sees is the excessive idealization and idolization of the papacy. “I do not feel like an exceptional man,” he contends. “I feel that I do not do justice to the expectations, that exaggerate…And I'm a sinner and am limited. But do not forget that the idealization of a person is a subtle form of aggression, it is a way to attack a person. And when they idealize me, I feel attacked.”

And speaking of attacks, Die Zeit asks Pope Francis about the recent appearance of posters in the Eternal City accusing him of not being merciful toward his perceived enemies. The pope laughs in response and notes that the posters were in the Roman dialect, the romanaccio that he describes ruefully as “beautiful.” He then admits that he prays every day for the ability to laugh, including a special prayer by St. Thomas More to be granted sense of humor. The pope says the prayer every day and has recommended it to the members of the Roman Curia:

Prayer for Good Humor

 by St. Thomas More

Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. 

 Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it. 

 Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good 

 and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, 

 but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. 

 Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments, 

 nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called “I.” 

 Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. 

 Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, 

 and to be able to share it with others.

As always, Francis ends the interview with the same three words that he customarily uses: “Preghi per me” (“Pray for me”).

We should do so.
Pope Francis donates 100,000 euros for the poor of Aleppo.