Pope shows off rosary of slain Ukrainian soldier, denounces “madness of war”; Indonesian minister says Pope planning visit
Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis led thousands of people in a moment of silence Wednesday to pray for the aid workers killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza and a young Ukrainian soldier named Oleksandre who was killed in ‘’this madness of war”. Francis appealed anew for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release […]
Argentina’s Milei, in change of tone, invites Pope Francis to visit homeland
Reuters Argentine President Javier Milei has invited Pope Francis to visit his home country, appearing to extend an olive branch after attacking the Catholic leader in recent years and in a bid to shore up support for reforms the libertarian has proposed to Congress. Milei had called the Pope everything from an “imbecile” to the […]
Pope says impeding migrant rescues at sea is “gesture of hate”
Marseille, France Reuters Pope Francis said on Friday that migrants who risk drowning at sea “must be rescued” because doing so was “a duty of humanity” and that those who impede rescues commit “a gesture of hate”. Francis, 86, spoke at an inter-religious prayer service before a monument dedicated to those lost at sea. Earlier, […]
Cardinal Parolin brings Pope Francis’ message for peace to South Sudan
Vatican CityRNS Pope Francis’ number two official at the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, visited the African nation of South Sudan on Monday to promote the pontiff’s peace efforts in a country that has been embroiled in a bloody civil war. Parolin landed in the capital of Juba, where he met with President Salva Kiir and […]
A taste of cookie heaven? Lisbon pastry shop marks Pope’s visit
Lisbon, PortugalReuters As Lisbon gears up for a long visit by Pope Francis next week, a local pastry shop has rolled out a brand-new treat to mark the occasion: a cookie with the pontiff’s picture on it that is already selling fast. The idea began as an in-house joke between one of the owners of […]
Pope visit to Mongolia will thrill tiny Catholic community, cardinal says
Vatican CityReuters The head of one of the world’s smallest national Catholic communities – Mongolia with 1,450 members – said on Monday that Pope Francis’ visit there will show how far it has come since locals watched “these funny foreigners praying”. Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, an Italian who administers the Church in the vast country that […]
Pope taps successor as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, again says he might finally return home to visit
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis has tapped an Argentine bishop with years of ministry in the country’s prisons as his successor as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Bishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva, the 55-year-old bishop of Rio Gallegos, will replace the retiring Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, who turned 75 last year, the Vatican said. Pope Francis, flanked […]
Pope, in Hungary, warns of rising nationalism in Europe, appeals for migrants
Updated: 10:15am, 29th April 2023 (AEST)Budapest, HungaryReuters Pope Francis, starting a trip to Hungary, on Friday pointedly warned of the dangers of rising nationalism in Europe and told the Budapest government that accepting migrants along with the rest of the continent would be a true sign of Christianity. In a hard-hitting speech to government leaders […]
Ukraine, migration, to top agenda as Pope Francis visits Hungary
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis leaves on Friday on a three-day trip to Hungary, where the war in Ukraine, migration and Europe’s Christian roots are expected to top the agenda in his public addresses and private talks with nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Francis is going there to keep a promise of an official visit after […]
Roma pilgrims seek just “one glimpse” of Pope Francis at Hungary Mass
Budapest, HungaryReuters When Pope Francis visited Hungary two years ago, Roma pilgrim Csaba Kovesi, accompanied by a cross blessed by Francis and Pope John Paul II, drove around the country calling on people to travel to Budapest to see him. Now Kovesi is on a repeat mission, driving a pick-up resembling a “popemobile” with the […]