The continent of Africa needs debt relief and other means to deal with increasing food insecurity, bishops say, after a number of years of big problems.
Millions gather in Manila for Pope Francis' closing Mass on Jan. 18, 2015. / Alan Holdren/CNA.
St. Louis, Mo., Feb 1, 2023 / 12:23 pm (CNA).
More than 1 million people attended Pope Francis’ Mass celebrated on an airfield in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday morning, according to local authorities. The papal Mass, celebrated in French, was filled with joy and dancing.
Papal Masses, especially in the last 50 years or so, have attracted crowds of millions — many of them at World Youth Days, the massive gatherings of young people that began in 1987 and take place every few years.
Here’s an inexhaustive ranking of some of the biggest papal Masses:
Pope Francis, Manila, 2015: 6-7 million
Millions gather in Manila for Pope Francis' closing Mass on Jan. 18, 2015. . Alan Holdren/CNA.Residents of the historically Catholic Philippines made a tremendous showing at the final Mass of Pope Francis’ 2015 trip to the Philippines. B