On May 22, 2013, Pope Francis preached in the chapel of his residence at Domus Sanctae Marthae in the Vatican. He based his remarks on the gospel text of Mark 9:38-40. His homily set the media abuzz. There was a frenzy of reports claiming that Pope Francis has shown an unprecedented openness to non-Catholics.
Every year, the Pope meets with top ranking Vatican officials a few days before Christmas. But this is more than just the polite exchange of greetings for the celebration of Christ’s birth. Rather, it is an occasion for the Pope to reflect with his chief advisors on what he sees to be the challenges facing the world and the Church.
From the time of Solomon, more than 900 years before Christ, Jews in the land of Israel made their pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem three times a year. From the early centuries of the Christian Church, prayerful Christians have made their way to the sacred places where Jesus lived and died and appeared after his Resurrection, as well as to places sacred to Jewish pilgrims.