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 […]
International News
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 […]
A Comedy of Errors Greets Cardinal in New Zealand
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (CNS) – A miscommunication between the Vatican and New Zealand church officials resulted in an adventurous arrival for the prelate who coordinates a key commission of cardinals that advises Pope Francis. Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga arrived in Wellington Oct. 9. But New Zealand Catholic Church officials were expecting him to arrive […]
Catholic Newspaper May Not Print ‘Allah’
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CNS) – A Malaysian court said a Catholic newspaper may not use the word “Allah” to refer to God in its Malay-language edition. A judge in the three-member appeals court said use of “the word Allah is not an integral part of the faith in Christianity. … The usage of the word […]
The Lights Are On in Berlin
An image of Mary and the Christ Child is projected on the facade of a hotel during the opening day of the Festival of Light in Berlin Oct. 9. Several landmarks and tourist spots in the German capital will be illuminated from Oct. 9 to Oct. 20.
Vatican Grabs the .catholic Domain
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As top-level Internet domain names are being rolled out and up for grabs, the Vatican has scored control of .catholic. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which coordinates the assignment of Internet domain names and addresses around the world, has been allowing entities to apply for ownership of […]
Filipino Church Assessing Damages
BOHOL, Philippines (CNS) – Bishop Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran said the Church in central Philippines is assessing damage after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake left dozens dead. The bishop, who said the Oct. 15 quake “was so strong,” told the Asian church news portal ucanews.com that Spanish-era churches in the towns of Loon and Carmen collapsed. […]
New Papal Style Speaks A Different Language
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Pope Benedict XVI answered a journalist’s 2010 question about condom use by offering a nuanced reflection on the ethical complexities of a hypothetical case, his words led to a worldwide media sensation, a clarification by the Vatican spokesman and a statement from the Congregation for the […]
Outgoing Vatican Secretary Stresses Continuity
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as Vatican secretary of state drew rising criticism for failures of the Vatican bureaucracy he oversaw, stepped down Oct. 15 with a speech praising the pontificate of retired Pope Benedict XVI and stressing its continuity with that of Pope Francis. The cardinal made his remarks at a […]