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 […]
International News
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 […]
U.S. Student Tucks Message in a Skullcap
by Carol Glatz The “zucchetto switcheroo” is a long-held tradition for popes and pilgrims. A guest presents the pope with a brand new white skullcap, and the pope is expected to take it and swap it with the one he’s wearing on his head. While many pilgrims are familiar with the practice, a newly elected […]
Vatican Clarifies Position on Divorce
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Amid rising expectations that the Catholic Church might make it easier for divorced and remarried members to receive Communion, the Vatican’s highest doctrinal official reaffirmed Church teaching barring such persons from the sacrament without an annulment of their first, sacramental marriage. But Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller, prefect […]