Pope Francis

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He Was Once a Slave. Now He May Become a Saint

Pope deems Augustus Tolton, America's first black Roman Catholic priest, 'venerable'

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Wednesday deemed the first known black Roman Catholic priest in the US to be "venerable," positioning the ex-slave for possible sainthood. The pontiff's designation of the Rev. Augustus Tolton as venerable, meaning the church intensely scrutinized his life and recognizes it as one of...

Pope Asks Forgiveness of an Ethnic Minority

Francis apologizes for 'discrimination, segregation, and mistreatment'

(Newser) - Pope Francis apologized Sunday to the Roma ethnic minority for a history of discrimination in Europe and paid homage to Romanian Catholics persecuted during communist rule as he wrapped up his three-day visit with a message of forgiveness. Francis reached out to the minorities of Transylvania during a deeply symbolic...

Pope Weighs In on Abortion: It's Never Acceptable

Francis made remarks at Vatican on Saturday

(Newser) - Pope Francis says abortion can never be condoned, even when the fetus is gravely sick or malformed, and he's urging doctors and priests to support families to carry such pregnancies to term, the AP reports. During an audience Saturday with participants of a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, Francis said opposition...

Vatican Has New Law on Sex Abuse Complaints

For first time, a system is in place to investigate bishops, other higher-ups

(Newser) - Pope Francis issued new rules Thursday on how the church should handle sexual abuse allegations. Some key points of the decree, called "You Are the Light of the World," which takes effect June 1:
  • A first: For the first time, priests and nuns are required to report abuse
...

Pope Francis Has Some Advice for Hairdressers

They should 'avoid falling into the temptation of gossip'

(Newser) - Pope Francis might not be hearing much chit-chat the next time he gets his hair cut. The pontiff advised some 230 members of Italy's association of hairdressers, hairstylists, and beauticians who visited him during a pilgrimage to Rome to "avoid falling into the temptation of gossip that is...

Pope Puts His Money Where the Migrants Are

Francis donates $500K in humanitarian aid for those stranded at the US-Mexico border

(Newser) - Pope Francis has donated 500,000 dollars to help migrants in Mexico, reports the AP , offering assistance to local projects that provide food, lodging, and basic necessities. The funds, from the Peter's Pence collections, will be distributed among 27 projects promoted by 16 Mexican dioceses and religious congregations, Peter'...

With Easter Bloodied, Pope Decries 'Cruel Violence'

Sri Lanka attacks hang heavy over Mass at St. Peter's

(Newser) - Pope Francis denounced the "cruel violence" of the Easter Sunday slaughter of Christians and foreigners in Sri Lanka as he celebrated the most joyful moment on the Christian liturgical calendar by lamenting bloodshed and political violence. Francis skipped his homily during Easter Mass but delivered his traditional "Urbi...

At Easter Vigil, Pope Draws Line on Wealth

Pope Francis urges people not to 'bury hope'

(Newser) - At an Easter vigil in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis on Saturday encouraged people to resist cynicism or pursuing the "glitter of wealth," and to avoid seeking life's meaning in "things that pass away." "Do not bury hope!" Francis exclaimed, after noting...

In Significant Move, Pope Defines the Term 'Vulnerable Adults'

As part of new law requiring Vatican personnel, Holy See diplomats report abuse allegations

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Friday issued sweeping new sex abuse legislation for Vatican personnel and Holy See diplomats that requires the immediate reporting of abuse allegations to Vatican prosecutors, a policy shift aimed at being a model for the Catholic Church worldwide. The mandatory reporting provision, while limited in scope, marks...

Here's Why Pope Wasn't Letting People Kiss His Ring

One word: hygiene

(Newser) - Pope Francis has set the record straight about why he pulled his hand away when throngs of people lined up this week to kiss his ring: for fear of spreading germs. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Thursday that Francis was concerned about hygiene when, after greeting dozens of well-wishers in...

What Did the Pope Do During the Holocaust? We'll Soon Know

Pope Francis announces Vatican archives from Pope Pius XII papacy will be opened in 2020

(Newser) - Three of the four popes who followed Pope Pius XII have since been named saints. The effort to attach the same designation to Pius has stalled, but a big move by Pope Francis could soon change that. Saying "the church is not afraid of history," the pope on...

Pope Francis: Predator Priests Become 'Tool of Satan'

Francis closes out summit on sexual abuse with harsh words, but leaves survivors disappointed

(Newser) - Pope Francis closed out a four-day summit meant to tackle the sexual abuse scandal that has roiled the Catholic Church for decades, reports the AP , promising that abusive priests will face "the wrath of God." The pontiff compared sexual abuse to "the cruel religious practice ... of sacrificing...

Pope at Sex Abuse Summit: 'Listen to Cry of Little Ones'

Skeptics hope his vow for 'concrete and efficient measures' isn't an empty one

(Newser) - "Simple and predictable condemnations" aren't what's needed to fight sex abuse within the Catholic Church; "concrete and efficient measures" are. That's according to Pope Francis, who kicked off on Thursday a four-day global summit on the matter in Rome in front of nearly 200 bishops,...

Vatican's 'Next Scandal': Rules on 'Children of the Ordained'

Spokesman confirms secret rules on how to deal with children fathered by priests

(Newser) - "It's the next scandal" for the Vatican, according to one man right in the middle of it. Just days after Pope Francis admitted there was a problem within the Catholic Church involving nuns impregnated by male clergy, sometimes leading to forced abortions, Vincent Doyle talks to the New ...

Pope Makes 'Almost Revolutionary' Move Against Ex-Cardinal

Theodore McCarrick has been defrocked by Pope Francis

(Newser) - Cardinal Donald Wuerl may have forgotten about sexual abuse allegations against his predecessor, but Pope Francis didn't. The New York Times reports that word has been handed down from the top: Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal of Washington, DC, has been defrocked. "The Holy Father has recognized the...

Book Describes Large Gay Subculture Within Vatican

French author Frederic Martel says it's at the heart of Catholic Church's troubles

(Newser) - A gay French writer has lifted the lid on what he calls one of the world's largest gay communities, the Vatican, estimating that most of its prelates are homosexually inclined and attributing much of the current crisis in the Catholic Church to an internecine war among them. In the...

Pope's Shocker on Nuns: 'Sexual Slavery,' Forced Abortions

'Do we have to do more? Yes. Are we willing? Yes.'

(Newser) - A shocking first emerged from the pope on Tuesday: admission of more sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, this time of nuns at the hands of male clergy. The New York Times notes it's the first time the pontiff has publicly recognized the church's very own #MeToo issue,...

180K Attend Historic Abu Dhabi Mass

Pope wraps up visit to Arabian Peninsula

(Newser) - Pope Francis ministered on Tuesday to the thriving Catholic community in the United Arab Emirates as he concluded his historic visit to the Arabian Peninsula with the first-ever papal Mass here and a call for his flock to remain meek in following God. A day after making a broad appeal...

The Pope Goes on a Historic Journey

Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi

(Newser) - Pope Francis landed Sunday in Abu Dhabi on the first-ever papal trip to the Arabian Peninsula, where he is seeking to turn a page in Christian-Muslim relations while also ministering to a unique, thriving Catholic community, the AP reports. Francis earlier Sunday called for the urgent observation of a limited...

Pope Who Says He's a Tech 'Disaster' Has a New App

'Click to Pray' lets users keep on top of pontiff's prayers, as well as add their own

(Newser) - First we had a drive-thru for Ash Wednesday ; now there's a Pope Francis-sponsored app for praying. The pontiff who once called himself a techie "disaster" launched "Click to Pray" on Sunday, a six-language app for both Android and iPhone that he hopes will keep Catholic constituents around...

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