Essay: Pope Francis appoints cardinals, setting stage for election of his successor
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the Pope has made the College of Cardinals more Asian and African – and more likely to elect a successor who will follow his policies…
Pope names 21 new cardinals, from Asia, Africa, elsewhere
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, most of them from continents other than Europe – which dominated Catholic hierarchy for most of the church’s history – and further putting his mark on the group of people who might someday elect the next pontiff. Sixteen of those who will receive the prestigious red […]
Essay: Are lay cardinals next?
PHYLLIS ZAGANO, adjunct professor of religion at Hofstra University, author and former member of the 2016-2018 Pontifical Commission for the Study of Women in the Diaconate, says Pope Francis’ reforms raise the question of reviving the tradition of lay cardinals with women in the mix…
Vatican ponders priesthood amid abuse research, revelations
Vatican CityAP The Vatican this week is hosting a three-day symposium on the Catholic priesthood amid renewed public attention on clergy sex abuse scandals and fresh research into the abuses of priestly power that harm both children and adults. Pope Francis opens the symposium Thursday, and no fewer than a half-dozen Vatican cardinals are scheduled […]
Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Congolese cleric and statesman, dies at 81
Nairobi, KenyaRNS Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, an influential figure in Congo’s Roman Catholic Church, died on Sunday in Versailles, France, where had been undergoing medical treatment. The 81-year-old prelate, the former Archbishop of Kinshasa, is remembered in the central African country as both a church leader and a statesman who fought fearlessly for human rights, […]
Pope removes legal privileges for Vatican cardinals, bishops
Reuters Pope Francis ruled on Friday that bishops and cardinals who work in the Vatican will be judged by the same lay tribunal that hears other criminal cases and no longer by an elite panel of prelates. Francis issued a decree abrogating a provision in the Vatican’s civil criminal code whereby bishops and cardinals were […]
Pope orders salary cuts for cardinals, clerics, to save jobs of ordinary employees
Pope Francis has ordered cardinals to take a 10 per cent pay cut and reduced the salaries of most other clerics working in the Vatican in order to save jobs of employees as the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Holy See’s income. The Vatican said on Wednesday that Francis issued a decree introducing proportional cuts […]
Pope Francis accepts resignation of conservative African cardinal
Vatican CityRNS Pope Francis on Saturday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Robert Sarah, head of the Congregation for Divine Worship, which oversees worship and sacraments. Sarah was among the last outspoken conservative prelates named to a position of influence by Pope Benedict XVI. “I am in God’s hands. The only rock is Christ. We will […]
Pope, with new cardinals, warns church against mediocrity
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis, joined by the church’s newest cardinals in Mass on Sunday, warned against mediocrity as well as seeking out “godfathers” to promote one’s own career. Eleven of the 13 new cardinals sat near the central altar of St Peter’s Basilica, where Francis on Saturday had bestowed upon them the red hats symbolising […]
Pope elevates 13 new cardinals – then puts them in their place
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis raised 13 new cardinals to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy Saturday and immediately warned them not to use their titles for corrupt, personal gain, presiding over a ceremony marked from beginning to end by the coronavirus pandemic. Two new “princes” of the church, from Brunei and the Philippines, didn’t […]