While Mass-attendance rates have steeply declined over the last 30 years, today France is witnessing the rise of an increasingly self-confident—and dynamically orthodox—Catholicism.

The Pope's African trip to start on Wednesday, November 25,, will take him to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic. His visit is to centre around dialogue between faiths, reconciliation, the fight against poverty and exclusion

The Pope's presence and gestures go hand in hand with his verbal message. But his physical presence in Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic during his visit to Africa which begins tomorrow and ends Monday, is far more important than the words he will pronounce.

The Archbishop of Manila, who today began preaching the spiritual exercises for Rome’s priests, told Vatican Radio: “Every act of violence shows a lack of mercy”

“Every act of violence shows a lack of mercy. This is the mystery that makes us all silent in the face of violence,” said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle in an interview with Vatican Radio about the attacks of recent weeks. From today until Friday, Tagle will be preaching the spiritual exercises for Rome’s priests, on the theme “God of Mercy”.

The Pope has sent video messages to the people of Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic ahead of his apostolic visit on Wednesday, November 25.

Among religious communities, among the northern communities scarred by war, in the family: Being able to live alongside one another in peace is the main concern faced by the second country the Pope is due to visit on his African tour.

The Muslims identified as the perpetrators of the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris were from some of the most secular parts of northern Europe, where Christianity, especially Catholicism, is weakest.

This was the message of Pope Francis to the faithful following the readings of the day at Mass on Thursday, November 19, in the Casa Santa Marta.

“The whole world is at war,” and the rejection of the “path of peace” means that God Himself, that Jesus Himself, weeps. This was the message of Pope Francis to the faithful following the readings of the day at Mass on Thursday morning in the Casa Santa Marta.

The Vatican Secretary of State reflects on the Paris attacks in an interview with French Catholic newspaper La Croix. Military intervention is acceptable when it is for the legitimate defence of a state but legitimacy must be sought through international law. Regarding the Pope’s visit to Africa, he said “for now there are only three legs, we will see further down the line, depending on the situation on the ground”.

In an interview, Combonian missionary Fr. Giulio Albanese, says shootings continue in Bangui, in the Central African Republic but "we hope the situation improves. The fact that the opening of the Holy Door has been brought forward perfectly sums up Francis’ pontificate”

The magisterium of the last three pontificates, which grew out of the Second Vatican Council, staved off fundamentalist currents and those who wanted to put new walls up