Pope Francis

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Pope Francis Announces a Surprise First

Names DC Archbishop Wilton Gregory a new cardinal, the first Black American in a red hat

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Sunday named 13 new cardinals, including Washington, DC, Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who would become the first Black US prelate to earn the coveted red hat. In a surprise announcement from his studio window, Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a...

New Twist in Story of Pope's Remarks on Same-Sex Unions

Vatican removed quote from 2019 interview footage, sources say

(Newser) - Somebody at the Vatican apparently didn't want the world to hear Pope Francis' thoughts on same-sex civil unions . It emerged Thursday that the pontiff's statement of support for civil unions, which kicked off a major controversy when new documentary Francesco premiered Wednesday, was made during a 2019 interview...

A Film That Premiered Today Holds Big Statement From Pope

In it, Francis endorses same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope

(Newser) - Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary Francesco, which had its premiere at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment,...

Trump Not the Only World Leader Not Wearing a Mask

Pope Francis seen kissing priests at Vatican event without mask on

(Newser) - Pope Francis is back giving out kisses without a mask as coronavirus cases rise across Italy. The 83-year-old—who lost part of a lung during a childhood illness—was seen kissing the hands of newly-ordained priests during a general audience in Vatican City on Wednesday, reports the Daily Beast . He...

Pope Lays Out His Vision for Post-COVID World

He released a new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All)

(Newser) - Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the “magic theories” of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs. Francis on Sunday laid out his vision for a post-COVID world...

Vatican Tells Pompeo He Can't Meet Pope

He met some of the pontiff's critics instead

(Newser) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was denied an audience with Pope Francis during his visit to the Vatican this week—but he was welcomed by the pontiff's critics. Vatican officials said it is normal for the pope not to meet political figures during election periods, though they also expressed...

Cardinal Abruptly Steps Down: 'Why Are You Doing This to Me?'

Giovanni Angelo Becciu says Pope Francis forced him to step down amid financial scandal allegations

(Newser) - An abrupt resignation shook Rome Thursday, with a high-ranking Vatican official who was involved in a controversial luxury real estate deal stepping down. "The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the office of Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and from the rights connected to the...

Hear the Calls for Change, Pope Urges
Hear the
Calls for
Change,
Pope Urges
Sep 13, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

Hear the Calls for Change, Pope Urges

Francis has sent the Vatican's foreign minister to Belarus

(Newser) - Pope Francis urged political leaders to listen to protesters and heed their calls for political and social change, an apparent reference to protests in Belarus against the country's authoritarian president. Francis didn't mention Belarus or any country in his appeal Sunday during his noontime prayer, but his comments...

Pope: Gossip Is 'Plague Worse Than COVID'

'The greatest talker is the devil'

(Newser) - There are going on 900,000 dead from the coronavirus around the globe, but Pope Francis said Sunday that gossiping is a “plague worse than COVID” that is seeking to divide the Catholic Church, reports the AP . Francis strayed from his prepared text to double down on his frequent...

Pope on George Floyd: Abortion Isn't the Only 'Life' Issue

Francis implores Catholics—US Catholics especially—to pay attention to racism

(Newser) - Cardinals black and white have spoken out about George Floyd's death, and the Vatican’s communications juggernaut has shifted into overdrive to draw attention to the cause he now represents, per the AP . Last week, Pope Francis denounced the "sin of racism" and twice identified Floyd as the...

Faithful Return to St. Peter's Square

Faithful return for the first time since March

(Newser) - Well-spaced faithful have gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the first time in months for the traditional Sunday papal blessing, reports the AP . They cast their gaze at the window where the pope normally addresses the faithful. Pope Francis has been delivering the blessing from inside the Apostolic library...

Vatican Has Pope's Joke Cut From Documentary

It was a good-humored moment involving scotch whisky

(Newser) - Scotch whisky is "the real holy water," Pope Francis joked when a group of student priests from Scotland presented him with a bottle—but Vatican censors didn't laugh when they saw the footage. The moment when the seminarians presented Francis with a bottle of Oban 14 malt...

Easter Has Been Quarantined
Easter Has Been Quarantined 
Apr 12, 2020 8:33 AM CDT

Easter Has Been Quarantined

Francis plays to nearly empty St. Peter's Basilica as coronavirus keeps most home on joyful holiday

(Newser) - Pope Francis called for solidarity the world over to confront the “epochal challenge” posed by the coronavirus pandemic, reports the AP , as Christians celebrated a solitary Easter Sunday, blending the joyful feast day with sorrow over the toll the virus has already taken. Families that normally would attend morning...

Pope Assembles Experts to Weigh Idea of Women Deacons

A 2016 commission couldn't come to a consensus

(Newser) - The Vatican said Wednesday that Pope Francis has created a new commission of experts to examine whether women can be deacons, an ordained role in the Catholic Church currently reserved for men. The 10-member commission, the second of Francis' pontificate to study the fraught issue, includes equal numbers of men...

It&#39;s a Very Lonely Palm Sunday
It's a Very Lonely Palm Sunday 
Apr 5, 2020 6:43 AM CDT

It's a Very Lonely Palm Sunday

Pope Francis celebrates Mass without the public

(Newser) - Pope Francis is celebrating Palm Sunday Mass without the public, reports the AP , since the traditional ceremony in St. Peter’s Square was scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic. Normally, tens of thousands of Romans, tourists, and pilgrims, clutching olive tree branches or palm fronds would have flocked to an...

A 'Historic First' From Pope, With No One There to See It

Francis offered rare blessing to an empty St. Peter's Square, calling coronavirus a 'tempest'

(Newser) - The "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and the World") prayer recited by the pope is typically only offered on three occasions: on Christmas, on Easter, and when a new pontiff is chosen. On Friday, however, Pope Francis climbed the steps of St. Peter's Basilica in...

Pope Reportedly Tested for Coronavirus

He does not have COVID-19, per 'Il Messaggero'

(Newser) - Pope Francis, who's been suffering from a cold for days, has tested negative for the coronavirus, according to Italian media. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni wouldn't confirm or deny the news reported Tuesday by the Il Messaggero newspaper. He had previously described the 83-year-old's illness as only "...

Sick Pope Drops Out of Events

Francis is reportedly battling a cold amid coronavirus fears

(Newser) - A coughing Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated...

Pope Is Sick for Third Day After Supporting Coronavirus Sufferers

Pope Francis has a 'slight indisposition,' the Vatican says

(Newser) - Pope Francis canceled official engagements for the third day in a row Saturday as he battled an apparent cold, the AP reports. The 83-year-old pope, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory illness as a young man, has never canceled so many official audiences or events in his...

Francis Makes Surprise Decision on Married Priests

Pope has rejected ordaining married men in remote areas of South America

(Newser) - Late last year, Pope Francis gave hints that he might be open to the ordination of married men, letting them become priests in far-flung parts of the world like the Amazon region, after bishops representing indigenous areas made this push . Now, however, that idea has been officially quashed: The pontiff...

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