Tag Archives: Vatican

Ex-Pope Sorry For Mishandling Clergy Abuse Cases

The Associated Press reports: Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness Tuesday for any “grievous faults” in his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, but admitted to no personal or specific wrongdoing after an independent report criticized his actions in four cases while he was archbishop of Munich, Germany. “I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater …

Read More »

Pope Francis Condemns “Infodemic” Of Anti-Vax Lies

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis denounced fake news about COVID-19 and vaccines Friday, blasting the “distortion of reality based on fear” but also urging that people who believe such lies are helped to understand true scientific facts. Francis met with Catholic journalists who have formed a fact-checking network to try to combat misinformation about the pandemic. Francis has frequently …

Read More »

Pope Francis Calls On Parents To Accept LGBT Children

Reuters reports: Pope Francis said on Wednesday that parents of gay children should not condemn them but offer them support. He spoke in unscripted comments at his weekly audience in reference to difficulties that parents can face in raising offspring. Those issues included “parents who see different sexual orientations in their children and how to handle this, how to accompany …

Read More »

Vatican Issues Vaccine Mandate For Tourists And Staff

Religion News Service reports: The Vatican has tightened its COVID-19 regulations by requiring the use of FFP2 masks (similar to N95 masks) inside and making vaccinations and booster shots mandatory for employees and visitors wishing to enter the Vatican Museums and gardens. In an attached document, the Vatican also issued fines for people who do not respect the new regulations. …

Read More »

Pope Condemns Anti-Vax Lies And “Cancel Culture”

The Wall Street Journal reports: Pope Francis on Monday warned that antivaccine misinformation was undermining recovery from the pandemic and denounced a “cancel culture” intolerant of traditional values that he said was impeding cooperation among the world’s societies. The pope’s remarks came in his annual speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, in which he typically highlights urgent international …

Read More »

Pope Francis: Having Pets Instead Of Babies Is “Selfish”

Agence France-Presse reports: Pope Francis risked the ire of the world’s childless dog and cat owners by suggesting people who substitute pets for children exhibit “a certain selfishness”. Speaking on parenthood during a general audience at the Vatican, the pontiff lamented that pets “sometimes take the place of children” in society. “Today … we see a form of selfishness. We …

Read More »

Pope Cancels NYE Event To Discourage Large Crowds

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis canceled his New Year’s Eve tradition of visiting the life-sized Nativity scene set up in St. Peter’s Square to discourage large crowds from forming. Meanwhile, major Italian cities scrapped their traditional Dec. 31 open-air concerts as Italy battles a record-setting surge in coronavirus cases. The Vatican has largely followed Italy’s lead in imposing restrictions …

Read More »

Pope Prays For End To COVID In Christmas Address

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis prayed Saturday for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, using his Christmas Day address to urge health care for all, vaccines for the poor and for dialogue to prevail in resolving the world’s conflicts. Amid a record-setting rise in COVID-19 cases in Italy this week, only a few thousand people flocked to a rain-soaked …

Read More »

Vatican Sorry For Removing LGBTQ Resource From Site

The Associated Press reports: A Vatican official has apologized to a leading Catholic LGBTQ advocacy group for having yanked a reference to it from the Vatican website, saying he realized the move caused pain and that the Catholic Church does indeed want to include gays and hear from them. The Vatican’s General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops, which is …

Read More »

Biden Receives Communion In Pope’s Archdiocese

The Associated Press reports: President Joe Biden received Communion at St. Patrick’s Church during Vigil Mass, a day after saying Pope Francis told him he should continue to partake in the sacrament, despite the opposition of some conservatives in the U.S. upset with his position on abortion. Biden and his wife, Jill, visited the church that is the main place …

Read More »

Biden: Pope Said I Can Continue To Get Communion

The New York Times reports: President Biden told reporters on Friday that Pope Francis had called him a “good Catholic” and said he should keep receiving communion, an unexpected development that appeared to put a papal finger on the scale in a debate raging in the United States’ Roman Catholic Church over whether the president and other Catholic politicians who …

Read More »

Pope Calls For “Radical Decisions” On Climate Change

The Guardian reports: Pope Francis has urged world leaders to take “radical decisions” at next week’s global environmental summit in a special message recorded for BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. Leaders attending the Cop26 conference in Glasgow must offer “concrete hope to future generations”, the pontiff said. Francis is not attending the summit, despite earlier suggestions that he …

Read More »

Vatican Exorcism Leaders: Don’t Try To Exorcise COVID

The Daily Beast reports: The 15th annual exorcism conference, held in Rome this week after a one-year hiatus due to COVID, has turned up all sorts of new pandemic problems facing the world’s exorcists. Those in attendance at the five-day conference, hosted in a Vatican-owned pontifical university, shared stories about the increase in calls they’d received over the last year. …

Read More »

Biden To Meet With Pope Ahead Of Rome G20 Summit

Reuters reports: President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis on Oct. 29 before attending a two-day summit of G20 leaders in Rome where he hopes to reach agreement on a Global Minimum Tax of 15%, a White House official told Reuters. On the second foreign trip of his presidency, Biden will then attend the U.N. climate conference known as …

Read More »

Vatican Mandates COVID Vaccine For All Employees

Reuters reports: The Vatican City State said Tuesday that it would soon begin requiring all employees — including the highest members of the Catholic Church — to show proof of vaccination or of a recent negative coronavirus test. Those without the proper certificates, the Vatican said, will be considered “unjustly absent” — and will be paid no salary. Though the …

Read More »

Cardinal Gets “Spiritual Time-Out” In Abuse Coverup

Euronews reports: The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne will take a “spiritual time-out” from his duties after committing grave errors in a crisis over clerical sexual abuse, but will retain his post, the Vatican said on Friday. Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki, 65, had faced criticism for his handling of allegations of past child sex abuse, in particular for shelving a …

Read More »

Pope Urges Bishops To Listen To Molestation Victims

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis urged European bishops on Saturday to listen to survivors of clergy sexual abuse and consider them partners in reform, warning that their failure to do so risks the very future of the Catholic Church. Francis issued a video message to Central and Eastern European bishops who are gathering in Poland starting on Sunday for …

Read More »

Pope Urges Countries To Welcome Afghan Refugees

NPR reports: Pope Francis is encouraging countries to welcome Afghan refugees who are seeking a new life. During his appearance to the public in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Francis also prayed that displaced persons inside Afghanistan receive assistance and protection. “In these tumultuous moments, in which Afghans are seeking refuge, I pray for the most vulnerable among them, I …

Read More »

Pope Francis And Cardinals Issue Vaccine PSA [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis is adding his voice to a campaign to overcome vaccine skepticism, issuing a public service announcement insisting that vaccines are safe, effective and an “act of love.” The video message released Wednesday is aimed at a global audience but directed particularly at the Americas. It features six cardinals and archbishops from North, Central and …

Read More »

Vatican Reveals Global Property Holdings For First Time

Reuters reports: Vatican City released its first real estate holding information on Saturday, revealing that it owns more than 5,000 real estate as part of its most detailed financial disclosure to date. This information was included in two documents from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy Land (APSA), the 2020 consolidated financial statements and the first ever public …

Read More »