Pope Francis has opened the New Year with an ode to motherhood,… saying a mother's love is the foundation of humanity and the cure for a world often divided and filled with bitterness.
Let's take a look at part of the Pope's speech

"In today's fragmented world, where we risk losing our bearings, a mother's embrace is essential. How much dispersion and solitude there is all around us. The world is completely connected, yet seems increasingly disjointed. We need to entrust ourselves to our mother."

He praised mothers for the heroism they show "in self-giving, strength in compassion and wisdom in meekness,"… reminding they are "people who know how to take their children by the hand and lovingly introduce them to life."
The speech comes after a disastrous 2018 for Pope Francis.
Last year opened with the explosion of a global sex abuse scandal and ended with the sudden departures of the Vatican spokesman and deputy in sign of discord and dysfunction within the Catholic Church.