Pope greets the world's deaf community

Pope Francis signing with deaf people in the Philippines

At the Angelus on Sunday, September 25, 2016, Pope Francis offered prayers and a greeting to the deaf community worldwide.

"I want to salute all deaf persons - some of whom are here [at the Angelus] - and encourage them to give their part for a Church and for a society that are both ever more ready and willing to welcome everyone," he said.

Sunday marked the World Day of the Deaf, and the close of the International Week of the Deaf, an event first launched in Rome in 1958.