Declaring that the Catholic Church is unafraid of history, Pope Francis announced that documents in the Vatican Secret Archives relating to the wartime pontificate of Pope Pius XII will be open to scholars in 2020.
International News
Colombian Churches Help Venezuela’s Deserter Soldiers
As political unrest increases in Venezuela, hundreds of soldiers and police officers are deserting and seeking shelter in neighboring Colombia.
Catholic Artists Find God In Trinidadian Carnival
The festival is intrinsically Catholic – its calendar position immediately precedes Ash Wednesday as a “farewell to the flesh” before Lent, and it was introduced to the islands by 18th-century French Catholic refugees fleeing persecution.
Give Up Gossiping for Lent, Pope Suggests
Lent is a good time to concentrate on fighting the urge to gossip about others and instead trying to correct one’s own faults and defects, Pope Francis said.
Author Says Popes Trust Mary Because She’s Most Feared by the Devil
Father Marco Pozza, an Italian priest and author of a new book on the “Hail Mary” containing reflections from Pope Francis, has described papal devotion to Mary – not just Francis’s, but that of all popes – as a reflection of the belief that she’s the figure in Christian tradition most feared by the devil.
Pope Encourages Joint Community Service By Rabbis, Parish Priests
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The fruitful friendship and dialogue between Jews and Christians must go beyond the world of experts and academia, Pope Francis said. “It would be wonderful, for example, if in the same city rabbis and parish priests could work, together with their respective communities, in service to those in […]
Vatican’s Deals With States Reflect Its Drive To Project ‘Soft Power’
By Claire Giangravè (Crux) ROME – Though the Catholic Church shares many things in common with other world religions, one thing making it unique is that it’s the only one with its own diplomatic corps that negotiates deals with other states, technically known as “concordats.” Some of those deals were long overdue, others born of […]
Vatican Contrast on Pell, McCarrick Driven by Doubt About Guilt
Like virtually everyone in Catholic circles, the Vatican has known since December about Cardinal George Pell’s conviction in his native Australia for alleged sexual offenses against two minor boys in 1996. As a result, Rome was not at all caught off guard when news of the conviction made the rounds Tuesday, after a gag order was lifted.
Update: Cardinal Pell Convicted on Five Counts; Verdict Will be Appealed
An Australian court found Cardinal George Pell guilty on five charges related to the sexual abuse of two 13-year-old boys; sentencing is expected in early March, but the cardinal’s lawyer already has announced plans to appeal the conviction.
Enthusiasm, Anxiety Percolate at Vatican Conference on Robotics and AI
Watching disturbing developments in politics, entertainment, the economy and even the Catholic Church – especially in light of a recent summit in Rome focusing on the sexual abuse of children by clergy – many people in the 21st century could be forgiven for thinking that the idea of robots taking over the world might not be so bad.