After private meetings with prefects of Vatican congregations and presidents of pontifical councils in late October, six Catholic women philanthropists came away hopeful and encouraged, because they felt an openness to including more women in advisory and other roles in the Catholic Church. Kerry Robinson, executive director of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, […]
International News
Pope Francis Will Create His First Cardinals in February
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis will create his first cardinals during a consistory Feb. 22, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. The pope also is expected to use the occasion “to have a meeting with the cardinals for consultations” immediately before the ceremony, as retired Pope Benedict XVI did in the run-up […]
Vatican Nunciature in Syria Hit by Mortar Fire
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A mortar round hit the apostolic nunciature in the Syrian capital, causing limited damage to the building and no casualities because of the early hour of the strike, said the Vatican ambassador to Syria. Archbishop Mario Zenari, the Vatican nuncio, told Vatican Radio Nov. 5 that if the […]
Women Religious Ask Pope for Day of Prayer
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After Pope Francis entrusted two Vatican academies to study the problem of human trafficking, a group of women religious asked the pope to raise greater awareness in the Church about the issue by establishing a worldwide day of prayer and fasting. “The pope was very interested in our […]
Pope: Hope Is Not Just Optimism
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christian hope is not mere optimism or a “positive attitude” toward the world but a vital link to eternal salvation, Pope Francis said. The pope spoke Oct. 29 during a morning Mass he celebrated in the Vatican guesthouse, where he lives. Taking as his text the day’s reading from Paul’s Letter […]
Secretary to Pope Doesn’t See Him as Revolutionary
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has said and done things that have surprised the world – and surprised those who work closest to him – but calling what he is doing a “revolution” is a “frivolous slogan,” said Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household and personal secretary to retired […]
New US Envoy to Vatican Emphasizes Collaboration
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Disagreements need not hinder the Vatican and the Obama administration from collaborating on a broad range of peace and justice issues, including the promotion of religious freedom, said Ken Hackett, the new U.S ambassador to the Holy See. The envoy also told Catholic News Service that Pope […]
Pope Offers Advice At Family Festival
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A Catholic wedding is not simply a beautiful ceremony; through the sacrament of marriage, a couple receives from God the grace they will need to fulfill their mission in the world, Pope Francis said. Addressing an estimated 100,000 people who came to St. Peter’s Square Oct. 26 for […]
Race with Faith to St. Peter’s Square
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Seminarians, Vatican guards, Olympic champs, regular children and people with disabilities all took part in a “Race of Faith” on Sunday, Oct. 20 to highlight how the Church can help foster a world of sport that better respects human dignity. Organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture, a 100-meter, three-lane tartan […]
Pope Meets German Bishop with Extravagant Tastes
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After giving a morning Mass homily on the virtue of poverty, Pope Francis held a private meeting Oct. 21 with a German bishop under fire for a massive building project that critics have denounced as extravagant. The Vatican press office announced the pope’s meeting with Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van […]