Tag Archives: Pope Francis

IRELAND: Gay PM To Raise LGBT Rights With Pope

Irish Central reports: Irish leader Leo Varadkar will bring up same sex marriage to Pope Francis when he meets him in Ireland on August 25th saying that such marriages are the same as any conventional marriage and should be treated as such by the church. Varadkar is Ireland’s first gay leader. Questioned on what he would say to the Pope …

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Pope Shifts Church Policy: Death Penalty Is Inadmissible

USA Today reports: Pope Francis has changed church teaching about the death penalty, saying in a new policy published Thursday that it is always “inadmissible” because it “attacks” the inherent dignity of all humans. The Vatican said Francis had approved a change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church – the compilation of official Catholic Church teaching. Previously, the catechism …

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Pope Francis Accepts Resignation Of Accused Cardinal

The New York Times reports: The pope has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington and a prominent diplomat who has been at the center of a mushrooming scandal after several men came forward with allegations of decades-old sexual abuse, the Vatican announced on Saturday. In a statement, the Vatican said: “Yesterday evening the …

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Two More Bishops Resign Over Molestation Scandal

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis on Thursday accepted the resignations of two more Chilean bishops, the latest fallout from a sex abuse scandal whose scope and gravity were initially underestimated by the pontiff. Last month all 31 of Chile’s active bishops offered to quit for collectively failing to protect children from pedophile priests. The Vatican announced that Francis allowed …

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Catholic League Rants That The Media Is “Deliberately” Not Covering Pope Francis’ Attack On LGBT Families

Via press release from Bill Donohue: Earlier last week, I pointed out that the pope made it clear that gay couples are not a family. “It is painful for me to say this today: People speak of varied families, of various kinds of family,” but “the family [as] man and woman in the image of God is the only one.” …

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Pope Francis Blasts Trump’s “Immoral” Migrant Policy

The Washington Post reports: Pope Francis stepped into a growing controversy over President Trump’s immigration policies, criticizing the separation of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexican border and saying that “populism” and “creating psychosis” are not the way to resolve migration problems, according to an interview published Wednesday. Speaking to Reuters news agency, the pope said, “It’s not easy, but populism …

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Pope Francis: Only Heterosexuals Can Form A Family

Reuters reports: Only heterosexual families can form a family, Pope Francis said on Saturday, when he also condemned abortion and hailed the “sanctity” of women who forgive cheating husbands. “It is painful to say this today: People speak of varied families, of various kinds of family,” but “the family [as] man and woman in the image of God is the …

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Pope Francis Accepts Resignations Of Three Chilean Bishops Accused Of Covering Up Clerical Sexual Abuse

The Guardian reports: Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Chilean bishop he robustly defended earlier this year despite claims of a cover-up of clerical sexual abuse, a move that later forced the pontiff into making a public apology. In his continuing efforts to show he has grasped the extent of the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandal, and intends …

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Pope Warns Bishops To Vet Priesthood Applicants: Keep Your Eyes Open, If They Seem Gay, Turn Them Away

Reuters reports: Pope Francis warned Italian bishops this week to vet carefully applicants to the priesthood and reject anyone they suspected might be homosexual, local media reported on Thursday. “Keep an eye on the admissions to seminaries, keep your eyes open,” the pope was quoted as saying by newspaper La Stampa’s Vatican Insider service. “If in doubt, better not let …

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Cardinal Timothy Dolan Hails Pope Francis For His “God Made You Gay” Comment: Jesus Would Have Said That

From the Catholic site Crux Now: Pope Francis’s reported comment to a Chilean sexual abuse survivor, “That you are gay doesn’t matter,” has made major headlines in recent days – and on Tuesday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York affirmed Francis’s comments, saying “Jesus would have said that.” “Juan Carlos, that you are gay doesn’t matter,” Francis reportedly told clerical …

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REPORT: Pope Francis Says God Made You Gay

The Guardian reports: A survivor of clerical sexual abuse has said Pope Francis told him that God had made him gay and loved him, in arguably the most strikingly accepting comments about homosexuality to be uttered by the leader of the Roman Catholic church. Juan Carlos Cruz, who spoke privately with the pope two weeks ago about the abuse he …

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CHILE: All 34 Catholic Bishops Offer Resignation To Pope Francis Over Coverup Of Molestation Scandals

Reuters reports: In an unprecedented move, 34 Chilean bishops said on Friday they had offered to resign en masse after attending a crisis meeting this week with Pope Francis about the cover-up of sexual abuse in their country. It was not immediately clear if the pope would accept all or any of the resignations from the prelates, who hold all …

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Pope Francis: Fake News Caused The Original Sin

NBC News reports: Fake news led to Adam and Eve’s original sin, Pope Francis said Wednesday. Disinformation and “manipulative use of social networks” can have “dire consequences” and the world must embark on a “profound and careful process of discernment,” he added in a speech marking World Communications Day. Fake news — a term popularized by President Donald Trump — …

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CHILE: Pope Francis Spawns Outrage After Accusing Victims Of Notorious Pedophile Priest Of Slander

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis accused victims of Chile’s most notorious pedophile of slander Thursday, an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country. Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up …

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CHILE: Pope Francis Apologizes For Pedophile Priests As Police Disperse Protesters With Tear Gas [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis dove head first into the sex abuse scandal that has devastated the Catholic Church’s credibility in Chile, apologizing Tuesday for the “irreparable damage” to victims, but also acknowledging the “pain” of priests who have been held collectively responsible for the crimes of a few. Francis’ words were delivered amid unprecedented opposition to his visit: …

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Pope Francis: 2017 Was A Year Of Lies And Injustices

Reuters reports: At his last public event of the year, an evening vespers service in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pontiff said that humanity had “wasted and wounded” the year “in many ways with works of death, with lies and injustices”. While war was the most obvious sign of “unrepentant and absurd pride”, many other transgressions had caused “human, social and …

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Adulteress Begins Role As US Ambassador To Vatican

Agence France-Presse reports: Callista Gingrich, wife of the former House speaker Newt Gingrich, today began her duties as the new US ambassador to the Vatican. Wearing a traditional black mantilla, she presented her credentials to Pope Francis at the Vatican before officially taking on her role. The appointment carries some controversy: she is the former speaker’s third wife, and had …

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Pope Francis: Fake News Is A Very Serious Sin

The Guardian reports: Pope Francis has criticised journalists who dredge up old scandals and sensationalise the news, saying it’s a “very serious sin” that hurts all involved. Francis, who plans to dedicate his upcoming annual communications message to “fake news”, told Catholic media on Saturday that journalists perform a mission that is among the most “fundamental” to democratic societies. But …

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Trump Now Most-Followed Current World Leader On Twitter (But More Than Twice As Many Follow Obama)

Politico reports: President Donald Trump bested Pope Francis and took the top slot this weekend among current world leaders on his favorite method of communication: Twitter. The @realDonaldTrump personal account crossed 39.7 million followers to overtake the nine different language accounts that the pope uses, making the president the most-followed world leader, according to measurements kept by public relations firm …

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SHADE: Pope Hands Trump Climate Change Treatise

The Hill reports: Pope Francis on Wednesday gave President Trump a copy of his 2015 encyclical letter on the environment and climate change. Trump responded to the gifts by saying: “Well, I’ll be reading them,” according to pool reports. The Trump administration has been pushing to roll back Obama-era regulations on the environment. At the beginning of the meeting, the …

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