Pope Francis presided at a vigil of prayer for the synod of the family, on Saturday October 3, attended by tens of thousands of Romans and pilgrims from many continents, many of them holding lighted candles

Pope Francis presided at a vigil of prayer for the synod of the family, on Saturday evening, October 3, attended by tens of thousands of Romans and pilgrims from many continents, many of them holding lighted candles.

Moments before the arrival of Pope Francis to the United States, there was a plebiscite on the Facebook page of abouna.org. The question was: "What do you expect the Pope to say? What do you want him to say?'' There were variant responses. For those living in safe and stable homelands, they requested further justice, freedoms and continued stability in their countries. While the displaced and the refugees asked the Pope to make great efforts to achieve unconditional end to the daily bloodshed and destruction in their countries.

The Pope’s Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees which is to be celebrated on 17 January 2016, has been published. In it, Francis reminds the world that by welcoming the stranger we open our doors to God himself. He highlights the importance of seeing migrants above all as people “who are capable of contributing to progress and the general welfare”. The right conditions need to be created in order to stop people from having to flee as a result of poverty, violence and persecution

At the General Audience, on October 1, Pope Francis asked faithful to pray for him during the Synod and about his trip to Cuba and the US: “God always wants to build bridges; we are the ones who build walls! But walls fall down, always!".

The contrast between the tragic events in Mecca and the historic visit of Pope Francis to the United States is striking.

While performing the fifth pillar of Islam, many Muslims lost their lives in a mob-like stampede.

On the other hand, millions of believers crowded the streets of Washington, New York and Philadelphia to get a glimpse of Pope Francis or to hear his sermons, but all was orderly and not an incident was reported.

I was privileged to have been in attendance at many of Pope Francis’ events in Washington this past week. What came through so very clearly is that Francis is an American pope with a profoundly American message.

For two days, he held Washington captive. His visit to the capital was historic in ways big and small, and a marvel to behold.

His every move was recorded, his words were analysed, the issues he raised were noted and his moving gestures were the subject of rich commentary.

Answering journalists’ questions during the in-flight interview from Philadelphia to Rome, he said: Some bishops “did cover up abuse. I can understand those families who are unable to forgive the abuse of a son or daughter.” The reform on marital nullity does not mean we are introducing “Catholic divorce”. “Conscientious objection is a right even for government officials.” “I love the Chinese people and I would like to visit China.” “Me, a star?

The first statement was issued by the Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences which convened in the Holy Land (September 11-16, 2015) at the invitation of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal. The bishops wanted to meet with the children of the Holy Land to instill the spirit of optimism despite the conflagrated environs. When they arrived there, there were several exigent issues that required a vehement intervention.

Today the Pope arrived in Philadelphia for the final leg of his visit to the US. In his first homily here, he called for a recognition of the immense contribution of women to Christian communities

In his fifth address to the United Nations, Francis said we need to ensure that our institutions take action. Defending the environment and combating exclusion are actions that require “absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions”. No drug trafficking and to nuclear proliferation which would transform the UN into “nations united by fear and distrust”. No to “military and political interventions which are not coordinated between members of the international community”. And the Pope also sent out an appeal for Christians and all other persecuted minorities.