Pope’s trip to Lebanon in June postponed for health reasons – sources
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis’s planned trip to Lebanon next month has been postponed because the 85-year-old pontiff has experienced difficulty walking recently, sources said on Monday. In recent weeks, the Pope has suffered a flare-up of pain in the right knee in addition to a long-time case of sciatica, which also causes pain in […]
Pope Francis to visit Lebanon in June during economic crisis
Beirut, LebanonAP Pope Francis will visit Lebanon in June, the President’s office said Tuesday, in an apparent show of support for the country experiencing an unprecedented economic meltdown. Francis has held special prayers for Lebanon and has repeatedly said he plans to visit the small country since the economic meltdown began in October, 2019. Pope […]
Pope, in Slovakia, says don’t exploit religion for politics, calls out prejudice
Presov, Slovakia Reuters Pope Francis said on Tuesday that the cross should not be used as a political symbol and warned against Christians trying to be triumphalist, in an apparent criticism of the use of religion for partisan ends. Francis flew to the city of Presov, in eastern Slovakia, where he presided at a long […]
Patriarch: Pope to meet Iraqi Shiite leader Sistani in Iraq
Rome, Italy AP Iraq’s top Catholic official said Thursday that a deadly suicide bombing in Baghdad hasn’t thwarted Pope Francis’ plans to visit, and he confirmed the pontiff would meet with the country’s top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, in a significant highlight of the first-ever papal trip to Iraq. The Chaldean Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael […]
Pope plans Indonesia trip to promote inter-religious dialogue
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis will promote inter-religious dialogue this year during a trip to the world’s biggest Muslim country Indonesia and make the first papal visit to mainly Catholic East Timor since it won independence from Jakarta, diplomatic sources said. The trip, which will also include a visit to Papua New Guinea, is likely to […]
PAPAL VISIT: IN JAPAN, POPE CONDEMNS NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS IMMORAL; EARLIER, ADDRESSES SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ reports from the papal tour of Japan…