Tag Archives: Pope Francis

Reuters reports: The Vatican said on Monday that priests and other Catholic Church ministers cannot bless same-sex unions and that such blessings are “not licit” if carried out. The Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), issued the ruling in response to questions and moves in some parishes to impart such blessings as a sign …

NPR reports: Pope Francis has touched down in Iraq for the first-ever papal visit to the predominantly Muslim country, beginning a four-day visit in Baghdad, where yellow and white Vatican flags and likenesses of the pontiff flutter above hastily weeded traffic circles. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi welcomed Francis at Baghdad International Airport. He was greeted with fanfare as he stepped …

The Christian Post reports: Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have both received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccination program at Vatican City began on Wednesday, with the current head of the Roman Catholic Church and his predecessor getting the shot. After a vaccine was developed for the coronavirus, some pro-life groups and others expressed concern …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis said Sunday that he is praying for those who died in the U.S. Capitol rioting and has appealed for calm to prevail in the United States to help safeguard that nation’s democratic values. During his traditional Sunday noon remarks at the Vatican, Francis noted that five persons had died when a mob stormed through …

ABC News reports: Pope Francis made a Christmas Day plea for authorities to make Covid-19 vaccines available to all, insisting that the first in line should be the most vulnerable and needy, regardless of who holds the patents for the shots. “Vaccines for everybody, especially for the most vulnerable and needy,” who should be first in line, Francis said in …

ABC News reports: The Vatican on Monday declared that it is “morally acceptable” for Roman Catholics to receive COVID-19 vaccines based on research that used fetal tissue from abortions. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s watchdog office for doctrinal orthodoxy, said it addressed the question after receiving several requests for “guidance” during recent months. The doctrine …

ABC News reports: Pope Francis will celebrate Midnight Mass earlier than usual to comply with Italy’s anti-coronavirus curfew and will deliver his Christmas and New Year’s blessings in ways that aim to prevent crowds from forming. The Vatican on Thursday released the pope’s COVID-19 Christmas liturgical schedule. It said the pope’s Dec. 24 Mass — which for years hasn’t been …

Pope Francis writes in a New York Times op-ed: With some exceptions, governments have made great efforts to put the well-being of their people first, acting decisively to protect health and to save lives. The exceptions have been some governments that shrugged off the painful evidence of mounting deaths, with inevitable, grievous consequences. But most governments acted responsibly, imposing strict …

“Today, listening to some of the populist leaders we now have, I am reminded of the 1930s, when some democracies collapsed into dictatorships seemingly overnight. We see it happening again now in rallies where populist leaders excite and harangue crowds, channeling their resentments and hatreds against imagined enemies to distract from the real problems.” – Pope Francis, in his new …

Forbes reports: Pope Francis on Thursday became the latest in a string of world leaders congratulating Joe Biden on his projected victory in the 2020 election, even as President Trump and a handful of world leaders have refused to acknowledge him as President-elect. Biden had a phone call with Pope Francis Thursday morning, during which he “thanked His Holiness for …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis, in his first public comment after the release of an explosive report on the Vatican’s mishandling of the case of ex-U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, on Wednesday again vowed to put an end to sexual abuse in the Church. “Yesterday, the report about the painful case of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was published. I renew my closeness to …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis announced on Sunday that he would name Washington’s archbishop, Wilton Gregory, a cardinal next month, making him the first African American to earn such a title. Gregory will be one of the 13 cardinals in the new class, a promotion that comes at a time when he is also trying to rebuild trust in …

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano writes: Experience teaches us that when Bergoglio says something, he does it with a very precise purpose: to make others interpret his words in the broadest possible sense. The front pages of newspapers all over the world are announcing today: ‘The Pope Approves Gay Marriage’ – even if technically this is not what he said. But …

The New York Times reports: The Vatican had required that the interview be filmed with Vatican cameras and that the Vatican be given control over the footage. The Vatican cut out the pope’s remarks on same-sex unions in the edited version provided to Televisa, the two people said. Gone was this comment from the pope: “What we have to create …

Via press release from Courage International: First, and most importantly, Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, which is His Body, and the Spouse of the Church, which is His Bride. He has promised never to leave us abandoned (cf. John 14:18), to give us the Holy Spirit to teach and remind us what He has said (cf. John …

Via press release from Cardinal Raymond Burke: First of all, the context and the occasion of such declarations make them devoid of any magisterial weight. They are rightly interpreted as simple private opinions of the person who made them. These declarations do not bind, in any manner, the consciences of the faithful who are rather obliged to adhere with religious …

“The Holy Father’s apparent support for the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples needs to be clarified. “The Pope’s statement clearly contradicts what has been the long-standing teaching of the Church about same-sex unions. “The Church cannot support the acceptance of objectively immoral relationships. Individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God and must have their personal human …

From San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone: In our bishops region’s audience with Pope Francis last January during our ad limina visit (the visit diocesan bishops make every five years to the Vatican), the topic of civil unions came up in conversation. The Holy Father clearly differentiated between a civil arrangement which accords mutual benefits to two people, and marriage. The …

Franklin Graham writes today on his Facebook page: The news has reported that Pope Francis said in a new documentary that “homosexuals have a right to be part of the family” and is calling for civil union laws for same-sex couples. I find these comments from the Pope unthinkable in light of the Word of God. For Pope Francis to …

The Catholic News Agency reports: In a documentary that premiered Wednesday in Rome, Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples, departing from the position of the Vatican’s doctrinal office and the pope’s predecessors on the issue. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a …