Pope exposes confidential details of past conclaves and settles scores with Pope Benedict XVI’s aide
Vatican City AP Pope Francis has exposed the political “maneuvers” used to sway votes during the two most recent elections of popes, while denying he is planning to reform the process for future conclaves, in a book-length interview published Tuesday. The revelations are contained in The Successor: My Memories of Pope Benedict XVI, in which the Argentine […]
Unexpected defeat of referendums shows growing power of Ireland’s traditional Catholics
Dublin, Ireland RNS At a Mass said in Latin on Sunday, Ireland’s traditional Catholics declared political victory, days after a pair of referendums aimed at secularizing the Irish Constitution were unexpectedly and resoundingly defeated. On Friday, the Irish Government put two measures to a vote that would have extended the rights of unmarried couples in […]
Essay: The Synod on Synodality called for better liturgy. Will anyone listen?
US Catholic commentator, THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says that if the church is to have a Eucharistic revival, its liturgical texts should promote active participation by all people… United States RNS One of the surprises to come out of the Synod on Synodality was a call for better-written liturgies. The final […]
Catholic Church: The most important stories from the Vatican in 2023
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, takes a look at a year in which Pope Francis has continued to push for changes in the church, braving daunting opposition and several medical scares…
Vatican monastery that served as Pope Benedict XVI’s retirement home gets new tenants
Rome, ItalyAP The converted monastery in the Vatican gardens that served as Pope Benedict XVI’s retirement home will once again house a small community of nuns. Pope Francis signed a note on 1st October ordering the Mater Ecclesiae monastery to resume its original purpose as a home within the Vatican walls for communities of contemplative […]
Pope Benedict’s ex-secretary won’t get a permanent job in his new German archdiocese
Berlin, GermanyAP The longtime secretary to the late Pope Benedict XVI won’t be given a permanent job in the German archdiocese where he has settled, but will lead regular services at Freiburg’s cathedral and can take on “individual assignments” such as confirmations, church authorities said Monday. The Vatican announced last month that Pope Francis had […]
Essay: Francis now has the cardinals he needs for the next conclave. Is it enough?
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the College of Cardinals has never been so diverse – or unpredictable…
Cross bequeathed by Pope Benedict XVI is stolen from church in his home region in Germany
Berlin, GermanyAP A cross bequeathed by the late Pope Benedict XVI to a parish in his German home region of Bavaria has been stolen from the church where it was exhibited, police said Tuesday. A display case on the wall of the town church in Traunstein was broken open by unknown perpetrators and the cross […]
Pope Francis orders ex-aide of Pope Benedict to leave Vatican
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis has ordered Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, the private secretary and long-time aide of the late Pope Benedict, to return to his native Germany by the end of the month without any new assignment, the Vatican said on Thursday. A Vatican statement put an end speculation about what role Gaenswein, a powerful figure […]
Posters near Vatican urge Pope to stop Latin Mass crackdown
Rome, Italy AP Posters calling on Pope Francis to stop his crackdown on the old Latin Mass were plastered near the Vatican on Tuesday, in the latest display of conservative opposition to the pontiff. The posters featured images of Pope Benedict XVI and St John Paul II and quoted from their texts speaking positively about the old […]