ROME – If anyone thought Pope Francis turning 88 in December would slow him down, they need only look at this past weekend as proof that the once-dubbed ‘Energizer bunny’ of popes is doing anything but scaling back.

Not only did the pope add an additional public audience, which he will maintain throughout the duration of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, but he also received a major honor from United States President Joe Biden, sent condolences for the wildfires currently devastating swaths of territory in Los Angeles, and he baptized 21 newborns in the Sistine Chapel.

Jubilee audience

While Pope Francis customarily holds a weekly general audience on Wednesdays, for the entire duration of the 2025 jubilee he will give an additional general audience every Saturday, to allow pilgrims traveling to Rome for the Holy Year another opportunity to see the pope.

This past Saturday, Jan. 11, the pope held his first Saturday general audience of the jubilee, inaugurating a new catechesis on the topic of hope, given that it is the theme of the jubilee year. He recently announced that his regular, Wednesday catechesis would be dedicated to topics surrounding children.

In Saturday’s address, Francis noted that hope in Catholic tradition is held as a theological virtue, and as such, it is not something a person has or doesn’t have but is rather “a strength to be asked for.”

“That is why we make ourselves pilgrims: we come to ask for a gift, to start again on life’s journey,” he said, and noted that the audience took place on the eve of the Catholic feast of the Baptism of Jesus.

Pope Francis called John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus, “a great prophet of hope,” as many people flocked to him in search of a new beginning, which he said can only be found in God.

“Hope, brothers and sisters, is everything in this qualitative step. It does not depend on us, but on the Kingdom of God. Here is the surprise: welcoming the Kingdom of God leads us to a new order of greatness,” he said.

He questioned attendees on whether they were ready and willing to embrace the Gospel anew and start out again, saying John the Baptist is an example of how “to recreate ourselves,” beginning with an acceptance of God that is expressed in service to others.

Wildfires and the Medal of Freedom

Two devastating fires raging in California, fueled by the wind, have so far killed 16 people and scorched some 37,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area, destroying entire neighborhoods and around 12,000 structures.

In addition to the dead, at least 13 people are missing, according to the L.A. County Sherriff’s office, and evacuation orders for the largest of the two blazes, the Palisades Fire, just 11 percent contained, have expanded east as it now threatens the neighborhoods of Brentwood and Encino.

Los Angeles County has declared a public health emergency due to high levels of smoke and particulate matter in the air.

In a telegram Saturday addressed to Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles and signed by Vatican Secretary of State Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis said he was “saddened by the loss of life and the widespread destruction” caused by the California fires, which he called a “tragedy.”

He assured locals and all those affected by the fires of his spiritual closeness and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased, entrusting their souls to God’s mercy. He also prayed for those involved in emergency relief efforts and offered his blessing to all.

The crisis forced United States President Joe Biden to cancel his final overseas trip as president just hours before he was set to depart for Rome and the Vatican, where he was slated to meet with Pope Francis.

Instead, the two spoke over the phone, with the White House later announcing that Biden had awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, which is the U.S.’s highest civilian honor.

According to a White House readout, the medal is given to “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

“This is the first time that President Biden has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction,” it said, noting that the pope as a young man pursued a career in science before his faith led him to the priesthood.

For decades, the statement said, the future pope “served the voiceless and vulnerable across Argentina. As Pope Francis, his mission of serving the poor has never ceased.”

“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it said.

As the Church’s first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, “Pope Francis is unlike any who came before,” the statement said, calling him “the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world.”

In a Jan. 11 tweet, Biden praised the pope’s example, saying, “your humility and your grace are beyond words, and your love for all is unparalleled.”

“As the People’s Pope, you are a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world,” he said, saying it was an honor for him, the United States’s second Catholic president, to award the pope with the Medal of Freedom with Distinction.

Baptizing newborns

On Sunday, Pope Francis formally closed out the Church’s Christmas season by baptizing 21 infants inside the Sistine Chapel on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

It is an annual tradition for the pope to baptize newborns on the feast, with most of the infants being the children of Vatican employees.

During Sunday’s Mass, Pope Francis began the ceremony saying that it was important for the children to feel comfortable, and he encouraged mothers to breastfeed the infants if they were hungry, and to change them if needed.

“Today they are in charge, and we must serve them with the Sacrament, with prayers,” he said, telling the parents that the Church was giving them “the greatest, greatest gift: the gift of faith to children.”

In place of the homily, Francis, who has been recovering from a cold, asked that the ceremony continue, and prayed that the children would “grow in faith, a true humanity, in the joy of the family.”

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