Pope Francis

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Iraq Envoy Warns Pope of 'Credible' ISIS Death Threats

Says militants could strike during his trips to Albania, Turkey

(Newser) - Pope Francis may have solidified his enemy status when he said last month that ISIS must be stopped . Now Iraq's ambassador to the Vatican is warning that "threats against the pope are credible," and that he could be at risk during his visit to Albania this weekend...

Pope Marries Couples Who Were Living in Sin

Marriage is 'real life, not some TV show,' he says

(Newser) - Telling his audience that marriage is "real life, not some TV show," Pope Francis today married a somewhat risque group—by Catholic Church standards, anyway—of 20 couples that included a guy who annulled his first marriage, the mother of an out-of-wedlock daughter, and couples who were already...

Foley's Parents Release Last Email From Captors

Pope Francis calls to console family

(Newser) - James Foley's Catholic parents received a call from Pope Francis himself yesterday to console them on the gruesome death of their son. The pontiff was "very compassionate, very loving," and spoke to the New Hampshire couple through a translator for around 20 minutes, a family friend tells...

Pope Figures He'll Live '2 or 3' More Years

Doesn't rule out retirement

(Newser) - Pope Francis thinks he's got only a few years left to live, and that seems OK with him. "Two or three years, and then I'll be off to the Father's house," he told reporters aboard a flight to the Vatican. He was speaking in lighthearted...

Car Crash Kills 3 of Pope's Relatives

2 great-nephews and their mother die in Argentina accident

(Newser) - The Vatican says a road accident in Argentina has killed two young great-nephews of Pope Francis as well as their mother, the wife of the pope's nephew. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the accident occurred this morning in the area of Cordoba, Argentina. One great-nephew was 2, the other...

Pope Backs Action in Iraq, Wants UN OK

Pontiff says Islamic State militants must be stopped

(Newser) - Pope Francis, the guy probably least likely on the planet to come out in favor of military action, today did precisely that, telling reporters aboard his plane that he had no problem with the use of force to stop Islamic State militants in Iraq from slaughtering the Yazidi minority. "...

Pope Meets Korean WWII Sex Slaves

Francis calls for peace on last day of Asian visit

(Newser) - Pope Francis wrapped up his first trip to Asia today by challenging Koreans—from the North and the South—to reject the "mindset of suspicion and confrontation" that clouds their relations and find new ways to forge peace on the war-divided peninsula. In a poignant moment at the start...

Don't Mess With the Pope When It Comes to Money

Pontiff's business savvy is shining through as he tries to address Vatican's finances

(Newser) - It's obvious by now that Pope Francis is a practical guy who's trying to keep up with modern society, help the poor , and make inroads with issues that have plagued the church, all while humbly shrugging off his rep as a rock star among religious leaders. Based on...

As S. Korea Welcomes Pope, North Fires Rockets

Francis stresses peace, reconciliation on first visit to Asia

(Newser) - South Korea welcomed Pope Francis today with flowers and a red carpet, as the pontiff kicked off a five-day visit in which he called for peace on the divided peninsula. North Korea, on the other hand, shot off rockets. Pyongyang fired five short-range projectiles off its east coast, including three...

Pope Offers Tips for Happiness

Don't be a self-centered know-it-all, says pontiff

(Newser) - Pope Francis is out with a new 10 Commandments of sorts, but this list, given to the Argentine weekly Viva, is all about how to be happy. A sampling, as rounded up by the National Catholic Reporter :
  • 'Live and let live': This is the pope's No. 1, and
...

Christian Woman Leaves Sudan, Meets With Pope

Meriam Ibrahim, family make pit stop in Rome before move to US

(Newser) - A Sudanese woman sentenced to death for refusing to denounce her Christian faith—then freed , only to be rearrested and freed again —has finally left the country. After more than a month in the US embassy in Khartoum, Meriam Ibrahim today flew with her family to Rome, where she...

Vatican: Pope Misquoted on Pedophile Cardinals

And he didn't say he'd 'find solution' to celibacy

(Newser) - Pope Francis has made headlines around the world with an interview in which he said 2% of clergy, including cardinals, are pedophiles , but the Vatican says those weren't his words—and it wasn't exactly an interview. The words attributed to the pontiff in the La Repubblica newspaper came...

2% of Clergy Are Pedophiles: Pope Francis

Pontiff hints at possible changes to priest celibacy

(Newser) - Pope Francis has offered an estimate on "the level of pedophilia in the Church," Sky News reports: He puts it at 2%, basing his information on aides' figures. "That 2% includes priests and even bishops and cardinals," the pope tells La Repubblica newspaper of Italy. "...

Pope to Abuse Victims: I Beg Your Forgiveness

Francis meets with 6 abuse survivors, apologizes for 'sins of omission'

(Newser) - In a gesture that's grabbing some attention, Pope Francis today met with victims of clergy sexual abuse—six of them, two each from Britain, Germany, and Ireland—and apologized for the "sins of omission on the part of Church leaders who did not respond adequately to reports of...

After US Woman's Son Dies, the Vatican Calls

Stephany Nicolo got quite the unexpected voicemail

(Newser) - Pope Francis has offered an American woman a "big hug and a blessing" after the death of her son, according to a Vatican official. Stephany Nicolo, a devout Catholic from Wakefield, Mass., says she called the Vatican after her 25-year-old son, Eric, died from an epileptic seizure in May....

Vatican OKs Exorcist Group
 Vatican OKs 
 Exorcist Group 
Jul 2, 2014 1:18 PM CDT

Vatican OKs Exorcist Group

Formally recognizes International Association of Exorcists

(Newser) - Exorcists now have a legal weapon at their disposal. The Vatican has formally recognized the International Association of Exorcists, a group of 250 priests in 30 countries who liberate the faithful from demons. The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported yesterday that the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy had approved...

Pope Francis: Communists Hijacked Church's Ideas

And women are 'taken from a rib,' he jokes

(Newser) - Pope Francis has excommunicated the Mafia , will bankers be next? Asked by an interviewer about the criticisms of capitalism that have led some to suggest he has communist leanings, the pontiff said the church was helping the poor long before Marxist ideology existed, Reuters reports. "I can only say...

Pope: Mafiosi Excommunicated

First time a pope has used word to address organized crime

(Newser) - Pope Francis issued a powerful condemnation of the Mafia today, saying the mafiosi and others who follow an evil path "are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated." Never before has a pope specifically referred to "excommunication" of the mafiosi, Reuters notes. The pope was speaking...

Pope: No Legalizing Drugs
 Pope: No Legalizing Drugs 
Jun 20, 2014 6:00 AM CDT

Pope: No Legalizing Drugs

Francis calls drug addiction 'an evil'

(Newser) - Pope Francis condemned the legalization of recreational drugs as a flawed and failed experiment today, lending his voice to a debate which is raging from the US to Uruguay and beyond. Francis told delegates to a drug-enforcement conference in Rome that even limited attempts to legalize recreational drugs "are...

Ex-Mobster: I Have Secrets to Confess to the Pope

Vincenzo Calcara wants to meet with Pope Francis

(Newser) - In what could be one of history's more intriguing cases of a Catholic confessing his sins, a former mobster has asked for a meeting with Pope Francis so he can confess three "very important secrets." Vincenzo Calcara, described by the BBC as a "mafia turncoat" who...

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