Vatican online book marks first anniversary of Francis' pontificate

(Vatican Radio) To mark the first anniversary of the election of Pope Francis, the Vatican internet office has produced an online book with photographs and phrases taken from his speeches over the past 12 months.

Available on the Vatican website in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, the virtual publication is entitled “Do we want to be holy? Yes or no?”, a question Pope Francis posed to the crowds gathered for his Angelus address in St Peter’s Square in February. The 70 page booklet shows colour photos of the Pope with many of his characteristic expressions and gestures, embracing pilgrims, greeting crowds or interacting with young people. Each photo is accompanied by a short quote taken from one of his homilies or speeches over the past year since his election on the evening of March 13^th , 2013.

By clicking on the link below each quote, you can access the full text , together with a wealth of further links to photo galleries plus audio and video of the event itself. Starting with the now famous phrase “A Christian can never be sad”, the book showcases quotes taken from memorable events like World Youth Day in Brazil or the papal visit to Lampedusa, as well as from regular events like the Sunday Angelus or the Wednesday General Audiences over the past year. There are also several phrases taken from the Pope’s apostolic exhortation Evangeli Gaudium with links to the full English text.

Listen to Philippa Hitchen's report: