Born in 1936, Ortega was ordained in 1964, while the Second Vatican Council was still underway and just five years after Fidel Castro had swept to power.
International News
Vatican: Bones Found at Cemetery Do Not Belong to Missing Woman
The Holy See Press Office said that the results of a morphological analysis of bones and bone fragments found at an ossuary in a Vatican cemetery concluded that none belonged to Emanuela Orlandi, a young Italian woman who has been missing for more than 30 years.
Boris Johnson Gives British Church Trump-Like Conundrum
Lenin once famously asked, “how can you make a revolution without firing squads?” Boris Johnson, Britain’s newly appointed prime minister, has taken that advice to heart – in his first hours in office, over half the ministers in outgoing prime minster Theresa May’s government were pushed out or resigned.
Benedict XVI Takes Short Trip Outside Vatican, Visits Towns Outside Rome
It is widely understood that Pope Francis is not a big vacation guy, preferring to spend his Summer in the Domus Sanctae Marthae where he lives. But as a heat wave breaks records across Europe, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI decided to visit the cooler papal estate of Castel Gandolfo on Thursday.
Vatican Turning More Benevolent Eye to Medjugorje Apparitions
For years the credibility of the Eastern European Marian pilgrimage site of Medjugorje and the miraculous happenings that allegedly occur there, have been the subject of questioning and doubt. But its continued following and devotion have pushed the Vatican into recognizing its validity.
St. Sebastian Church in Sri Lanka Re-consecrated Three Months After Easter Bombings
St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Sri Lanka was re-consecrated on July 21, three months after it was severely damaged by bombings on Easter Sunday.
Group Hopes St. Kateri Tekakwitha Will Show U.S. Importance of Amazon Synod
Ahead of October’s upcoming Rome summit on the Amazon region, one stateside organization is hoping the legacy of a lesser-known saint – Kateri Tekakwitha – may help Catholics in the United States realize the significance of indigenous people for the Church.
Iraq Could be Francis’s Shot at ‘Most Important Papal Trip of All Time’
Within just the last few days, two senior Catholic prelates from Iraq have referred to plans for Pope Francis to visit the country next year as, essentially, a done deal.
CAR Bishop Holds the Line Against a ‘Philosophy of Vengeance’
Bishop Nestor-Desire Nongo-Aziagbia of the Central African Republic has been kidnapped on one occasion and shot at on another, yet his peaceful and calm disposition hasn’t been rattled.
Pope Writes Syrian President, Urging Him to Protect Civilians, Seek Peace
Pope Francis urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to put an end to his country’s eight-year-long conflict and seek reconciliation for the good of the nation and its vulnerable people.