a very special day at the vatican. just moments ago, pope francis held a mass in st. peter s square for the first time since the start of the pandemic. he ll conduct the wearing of the cross in the coliseum. and it couldn t come at a more significant time. today is palm sunday. setting up the easter sunday celebrations next weekend. well, joining me now from rome is cnn s senior vatican analyst, john allen. he s also the editor of crux, an independent website covering catholicism. good to have you with us, john. this is palm sunday, the first time the pope has held a mass in st. peter s square in three years, which is quite incredible. what sort of messages have been taken to ensure that it s safe? and give us a sense of what s
january 6th house select committee. that probe and its finding may well alter the political landscape for 2022 and beyond. jim acosta, cnn, washington. what a year. as we approach the new year, don t forget the boys are back. join anderson cooper and andy cohen for a cnn new year s eve live. the party starts at 8:00 right here on cnn. and finally, this holiday weekend, pope francis delivered his annual christmas message at vatican city today. here s cnn senior vatican analyst merry christmas, john. it was a subdued and yet still hopeful pope francis when celebrated christmas today in the vatican under a gray, rainy, roman sky. the pope delivered his annual message that s to the city and the world and clearly against the backdrop of a new surge in
bitterly cold arctic area. let me show you ashby, minnesota. it s between minneapolis and fargo. there s a big stretch there, and they had terrible car accidents. as a matter of fact, there was a 50 to 60-car accident with trucks involved because the roads were so incredibly treacherous. no one was seriously injured. that is the good news. definitely, as you re headed back home from the holidays, you need to take it easy. everywhere we look, it is extremely treacherous. karen, thank you indeed. i m grateful to know. before we go, the pope s annual christmas day message this year. pope francis reflected on the importance of connection and healthy social relationships, especially during the pandemic. cnn s senior vatican analyst john allen is in rome. reporter: it was a somber yet still hopeful pope francis who celebrated christmas in the vatican under a rainy, gray roman sky. the pontiff delivered his annual
the covid pandemic. in his christmas message, the pope warned against the tendency to withdraw during a crisis. he says in social relationships and on the international level, dialogue is essential. cnn s senior vatican analyst is joining us now. great to be with you this morning. this is the second christmas under the covid pandemic for pope francis. what is his message for people who are losing hope? hi, there, jessica. a very merry christmas to you from the eternal city. yeah, this was very much a covid-scarred pope francis i think we heard from this morning. the pope celebrating his big public mass for christmas the night before on christmas eve. at noon today, he delivered his annual message to the city and the world. in it, he very much stressed his repeated calls for justice and global access to the vaccines, but beyond that, expressed deep
president john f. kennedy, the only other roman catholic president, met with pope paul vi. president biden has developed a personal relationship wit the pontiff after he comforted the bynes after the death of their son beau. joining us peter alexander, senior vatican analyst george waggle, chair of catholic studies at the ethics and public policy center and francis clon, adviser to the biden administration will help us lead the climate discussion about the policy going forward. first of all, peter alexander, just now, it was hard to hear, so again we apologize to viewers, but presidents biden and macron speaking to the press moments ago and there have been apologies all around or at least trying to pass over different patch over differences. andrea, i think that s right. this was significant. it was one of the one-on-one meetings the president would