Some deep instinct in humanity makes it link roses with joy. Pagan people crowned their statues with roses, as symbols of the offering of their own hearts. The faithful of the early Church substituted prayers for roses. In the days of the early martyrs — I say “early” because the Church has more martyrs today [...]

The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Hlib Lonchyna M.S.U., curial bishop of the major archbishopric of Kyiv-Halyc, Ukraine, as apostolic exarch for Ukrainian faithful of Byzantine rite resident in Great Britain.
- Appointed Archbishop Fortunato Baldelli, apostolic nuncio to France, as penitentiary major of the Apostolic Penitentiary. He succeeds Cardinal James Francis Stafford, whose resignation [...]