Pope Francis

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Pope Picks Nun Among New High Officials

Appointments are part of Francis' overhaul of the Vatican bureaucracy

(Newser) - Pope Francis made major appointments in his newly overhauled Vatican bureaucracy Saturday, naming new deputies for the doctrine office and confirming the highest-ranked woman in the Holy See as the No. 2 in the development office. The appointments are some of the first since Francis last month issued his long-awaited...

Pope Bemoans an &#39;Easter of War&#39;
Pope Bemoans
'This Easter of War'
Apr 17, 2022 8:01 AM CDT

Pope Bemoans 'This Easter of War'

Francis warns of nuclear threat in Russia-Ukraine conflict

(Newser) - On what is supposed to be Christianity's most joyful day, Pope Francis made an anguished Easter Sunday plea for peace in the “senseless” war in Ukraine and cited the “troubling” risk of nuclear warfare. “May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the...

Pope Urges an Easter Truce
Pope Decries the 'Folly of War'
Apr 10, 2022 11:15 AM CDT

Pope Decries the 'Folly of War'

On Palm Sunday, Francis urges truce in Ukraine to allow peace talks

(Newser) - Pope Francis opened Holy Week on Sunday with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to "make some sacrifices for the good of the people." Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass before crowds in St. Peter's...

Vatican Overhaul Strengthens Sexual Abuse Investigations
Pope Overhauls Bureaucracy
Mar 19, 2022 1:50 PM CDT

Pope Overhauls Bureaucracy

Vatican changes include strengthening sexual abuse investigations

(Newser) - Pope Francis released his long-awaited overhaul of the Holy See bureaucracy on Saturday that envisages greater decision-making roles for the laity and gives new institutional weight to efforts to fight clerical sex abuse. The 54-page text, titled "Praedicate Evanglium," or "Proclaiming the Gospel," replaces the founding...

Pope Is Resisting Pressure to Denounce Putin

Critics are drawing parallels with WWII-era Pope Pius XII

(Newser) - Pope Francis has not failed to condemn the war in Ukraine—he denounced the "barbarianism of the killing of children" in an address last Sunday—but a lot of people, including some Catholic bishops, would like him to be a lot more specific in his condemnation. Francis has spoken...

Europeans, Pope Denounce War
Europeans, Pope Denounce War
Mar 13, 2022 12:05 PM CDT

Europeans, Pope Denounce War

Francis calls Russia's killing of civilians, including children, 'barbarianism'

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday in cities across Europe to protest Russia's war in Ukraine, with small vigils taking place in Russia as well despite a crackdown by authorities against such demonstrations. German trade unions called a protest in Berlin, the AP reports. The march led from...

Bishops Move Past Pope's Neutrality on War

Head of Polish bishops conference urges Russian Orthodox Church to pressure Putin

(Newser) - The head of the Polish bishops conference has done what Pope Francis has so far avoided doing: He publicly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and urged the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to use his influence with President Vladimir Putin to demand that the war be ended and...

In Off-the-Cuff Comments, Pope Speaks of Gay Kids

Francis tells parents to accompany, not condemn, gay children

(Newser) - Pope Francis urged parents on Wednesday not to condemn their children if they're gay, in his latest gesture of outreach to the LGBTQ community, which has long been marginalized by the Catholic hierarchy. Francis spoke off the cuff during his weekly Wednesday general audience dedicated to the figure of...

Pope: Having Pets Instead of Kids Is 'Selfish'

Francis calls it a 'denial of fatherhood and motherhood'

(Newser) - Pope Francis isn't happy with people who forego having children and opt for pets instead. While discussing parenthood at the Vatican, Francis called the idea of being childless "a form of selfishness," per AFP . "We see that some people do not want to have a child,...

Pope Ushers in New Year With a Shoutout to Moms

Francis praises women for their role as peacemakers around the world

(Newser) - Pope Francis ushered in the new year on Saturday by praising the skills women bring to promoting peace in the world, and he equated violence against women to an offense against God. The Roman Catholic Church marks Jan. 1 as a day dedicated to world peace, and a late-morning Mass...

Pope Francis Accidentally Declared Dead

ITV news anchor Kylie Pentelow made the false announcement on Christmas Day

(Newser) - Christmas came with a shock announcement for British television viewers when an anchor reported that Pope Francis had died. It would have been a major holiday tragedy... had it been true. Luckily for the pontiff and his billion followers worldwide, it wasn't. Per the Mirror , it all unfolded Saturday...

Pope Francis: Grandeur Isn't the Key

Larger crowd than last year's attends Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica

(Newser) - Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees. A maskless Francis processed down the central aisle as the...

Pope Francis Has Bold Words About Domestic Violence

Calls it 'almost Satanic'

(Newser) - Pope Francis didn't mince words when discussing domestic violence against women during a TV program that aired Sunday night, calling it "almost satanic." In what the BBC calls "some of his strongest language yet on the issue," Francis put it like so: "The problem...

Citing Expose, Pope Warns of Abuse of Nuns by Superiors

Francis has moved against unchecked power of church and lay superiors

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Saturday drew attention to a problem that the Vatican has long sought to play down: the abuses of power by mother superiors against nuns who, because of their vows of obedience, have little recourse but to obey. During an audience with members of the Vatican's congregation...

US Catholic Bishops Probably Won't Rebuke at Conference

Meeting agenda includes 'teaching document' on Communion

(Newser) - While some US Catholic bishops continue to denounce President Joe Biden for his support of legal abortion, their conference as a whole is likely to avoid direct criticism of him at its upcoming national meeting. The highest-profile agenda item is a proposed “teaching document” about the sacrament of Communion....

Biden Reunites With Pope in &#39;Unusually Long&#39; Meeting
Biden: Pope Says I Should
Keep Taking Communion
UPDATED
Oct 29, 2021 12:06 PM CDT

Biden: Pope Says I Should Keep Taking Communion

Says pontiff called him a 'good Catholic'

(Newser) - Update: This file has been updated to include more details on the visit, including the president's comments on communion and abortion. President Biden said Pope Francis told him Friday that he should continue to receive Communion, as the world's two most prominent Roman Catholics ran overtime in private...

Miracle Attributed to Man Who Was Pope for Just 33 Days

John Paul I is a step closer to sainthood

(Newser) - John Paul I, the shortest-reigning pope in almost 400 years, has taken a big step down the road to sainthood. The Vatican says Pope Francis has approved a decree attributing a miracle to his predecessor, who was found dead in his bed from an apparent heart attack just 33 days...

After Riot, Pope Addresses Prison Life

'May God help to heal the wounds of crime that enslave the poorest,' Francis tells crowd

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for "more humane" prison life in the wake of bloodshed in a prison in Ecuador in which 118 people died and dozens more were injured. Francis told the public in St. Peter’s Square that he was "very pained" by what happened last...

Pope Has Advice for US Bishops on Communion for Biden

'Be a pastor,' Francis advises leaders of American church

(Newser) - Pope Francis delivered his most direct admonishment yet of the US bishops who want to refuse Communion to President Biden and other political leaders who support abortion rights. Speaking to reporters Wednesday on a flight returning him to Rome after a trip to Hungary and Slovakia, the pope spoke of...

Pope Meets Orban, Then Asks Faithful to Be Tolerant and Open

Francis' address to crowd seems to counter official policy in Hungary

(Newser) - After meeting Sunday with a nationalist ruler who's reduced civil liberties and judicial independence while opposing immigration, Pope Francis asked the people of Hungary for tolerance. His comments, delivered to as many as 100,000 people at an outdoor Mass in Budapest, appeared to be in conflict with the...

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