Pope Francis

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Pope Francis Takes Stand Against Cigarettes

'No profit can be legitimate if it puts lives at risk'

(Newser) - It turns out salvation wasn't the only thing people were looking to the Vatican for. The New York Times reports many Italians get their cigarettes through acquaintances at the Vatican, where employees and citizens have access to tax-free smokes. But no longer. According to the BBC , Pope Francis has...

Pope Francis Rips 'Very Ugly Thing' He Sees at Mass

Specifically, worshippers with their cellphones

(Newser) - When the priest says "lift up your hearts" during Mass, you'd better put your cellphone down while you do it. That was Pope Francis' message Wednesday during his weekly address in St. Peter's Square, calling it a "very ugly thing" to see worshippers—even other men...

Priests, Scholars Issue Measure Last Employed in 14th Century

They accuse Pope Francis of spreading heresy

(Newser) - Several dozen tradition-minded Roman Catholic theologians, priests, and academics have formally accused Pope Francis of spreading heresy with his 2016 opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. In a 25-page letter delivered to Francis last month and provided Saturday to the AP , the 62 signatories issued a "filial correction"...

Pope Francis Says Trump Isn't 'Pro-Life' If He Ends DACA

The president gets another high-profile critic of his most recent immigration decision

(Newser) - Since President Trump made the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, he has received criticism from across the political and social spectrum, from immigrants-rights groups and Fortune 500 CEOs to evangelical Christian preachers and Republican members of Congress. Now the president can add the pope to...

Pope Cracks Joke After Popemobile Mishap
Pope Laughs Off
Popemobile Mishap
Sep 11, 2017 12:33 AM CDT

Pope Laughs Off Popemobile Mishap

'I was punched, I'm fine'

(Newser) - Pope Francis laughed off an accident in the Popemobile on Sunday that left him with a bruised eye and a bloodstained cassock. The 80-year-old quipped: "I was punched. I'm fine," as he continued his tour of Cartagena, Colombia, the Telegraph reports. The Vatican said Francis received ice...

Pope: Female Psychotherapist Helped 'Clarify Some Things'

Francis saw her when he was 42, back when he was just plain old Jorge Bergoglio

(Newser) - Pope Francis says that when he was 42 he had sessions weekly with a psychoanalyst who was female and Jewish to "clarify some things." It wasn't specified what the future pontiff wanted to explore, the AP notes. The revelation came in a dozen conversations Francis had with...

After Trump Snub, Spicer Finally Meets Pope Francis

Former press secretary attended pope's annual meeting for lawmakers

(Newser) - Sean Spicer finally got to meet the pope. The former White House press secretary attended an audience with Pope Francis Sunday as part of an annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke confirmed Tuesday. A photograph posted on Vatican Radio's English Facebook page from...

Pope Francis Has a Message for Whiners

Keep out

(Newser) - Is Pope Francis getting tired of hearing about everyone's problems? Probably not, but a new sign posted on his apartment door at the Vatican warns there's "no whining" allowed inside. The sign was actually a kind of gag gift from Italian psychologist and self-help author Salvo Noe,...

Pope Makes a Major Change to Sainthood

He adds a fourth pathway

(Newser) - Pope Francis has added a fourth pathway to possible sainthood. Until now, gaining consideration for sainthood in the Catholic Church required martyrdom, living a life of heroic values or—less frequently invoked—having a clear saintly reputation. The Vatican announced Tuesday that the pope has issued a new law outlining...

Pope Speaks on Dying Baby, Changes Vatican Position

Francis says parents should be allowed to do everything possible

(Newser) - Pope Francis has been following the heartbreaking case of Charlie Gard "with affection and sadness," and he believes the parents of the terminally ill British baby should be allowed to do everything possible to treat him, the Vatican said in a statement Sunday. "He prays that their...

Catholic Bishop Tells Priests: No Funerals for Gay Couples

The Bishop of Illinois also denies same-sex couples last rites

(Newser) - Two years after the Supreme Court made gay marriage legal, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Ill., has issued a decree instructing his priests to not only refuse to perform gay marriage services but to deny Holy Communion, last rites, and funeral services to members of same-sex...

Catholics Tied to Mafia Could Be Excommunicated

The Vatican is eyeing a new legal doctrine

(Newser) - The Vatican is looking to develop a new doctrine that calls for excommunicating Catholics for mafia association and corruption, the AP reports. That's the decision reached this week after the Vatican hosted its first-ever conference on fighting corruption and organized crime. The meeting gathered 50 prosecutors, bishops, victims, and...

Trudeau Asks Pope to Apologize for Church Abuse

Francis seemed open to the idea

(Newser) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Pope Francis on Monday, urging the pontiff to apologize to indigenous Canadians for more than a century of abuse at church-run schools. The pontiff seemed open to the idea, the Canadian Press reports. During a meeting at the Vatican, Trudeau went beyond the...

Catholic Spicer Reportedly Mad He Was Left Out of Pope Visit

President Trump's decision seen as a snub to press secretary

(Newser) - One of the hot topics among journalists in the wake of President Trump's visit to Pope Francis on Wednesday isn't about policy differences. Instead, it's about the president's perceived snub to Sean Spicer. CNN reports that the press secretary, who is a practicing Catholic, is seething...

Here&#39;s What Trump and the Pope Talked About
Here's What Trump and
the Pope Talked About
The Rundown
May 24, 2017 2:45 PM CDT

Here's What Trump and the Pope Talked About

But the internet is more interested in photos from the meeting

(Newser) - While neither President Trump nor Pope Francis has said what the two talked about during their short private meeting Wednesday, White House and Vatican sources state the topics included terrorism, climate change, and peace, CNN reports. A statement from the Vatican states the pope talked about "the promotion of...

Trump to Pope: &#39;It&#39;s a Great Honor&#39;
Trump, Pope Exchange Gifts
May 24, 2017 4:53 AM CDT

Trump, Pope Exchange Gifts

'It's a great honor,' president tells pontiff

(Newser) - President Trump met Pope Francis privately Wednesday morning and observers could detect no sign of discord between the president and the man he has clashed with on issues including climate change and immigration. After the talk, which lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, Francis gave Trump gifts, including a copy...

Pope Not Convinced by Virgin Mary Apparitions

He says alleged Bosnia visions 'don't have a lot of value'

(Newser) - Bad news for the pilgrimage business in Bosnia: Pope Francis has made it clear that he has serious doubts about the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje, which bring up to a million visitors to the village every year. Six children in the town said in 1981 that...

Pope Discusses Game Plan for Trump Meeting

Pope Francis says he'll seek common ground, won't preach at president

(Newser) - Pope Francis says he won't try to convince President Trump to soften his policies on immigration and the environment when they meet this month, but wants instead to find common ground and work for peace, the AP reports. Francis said proselytizing isn't his style—in politics or religion....

Pope Makes 2 Fatima Children Saints
Pope Makes
2 Fatima Children
Saints
May 13, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Pope Makes 2 Fatima Children Saints

A century ago, they said they saw the Virgin Mary

(Newser) - Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world's most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto...

This Is the 'Miracle' Behind Sainthood of Fatima Kids

Parents of Brazilian boy prayed to them, and their boy recovered

(Newser) - The parents of a Brazilian boy whose recovery from a severe brain injury is being cited by the Vatican as the "miracle" needed to canonize two Portuguese children broke their silence Thursday to share the story. Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, appeared before reporters at the Catholic...

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