by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis met with Vatican officials Sept. 10 to hear their questions and suggestions about his ongoing reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the meeting lasted nearly three hours and, except for a brief greeting by the pope, was devoted […]
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Pope Leads Prayers for Peace
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Leading a crowd in prayer for peace in Syria, Pope Francis said that war is ultimately caused by selfishness, which can be overcome only through expressions of fraternity and never with violence. “Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome the indifference that makes your heart […]
Pope Francis Positions Himself as Peacemaker
With his call for peace in the world in the face of another Middle East war, Pope Francis has established himself clearly as a world leader. The Holy Father stepped up the prospects for a peaceful solution to the current mess in Syria when he called upon the world not to intervene militarily in a […]
Pope to Lead Prayer Vigil for Peace in Syria
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – On the evening of Sept. 7, days before U.S. lawmakers vote on President Barack Obama’s proposal for a military attack on Syria, Pope Francis will lead thousands in St. Peter’s Square in a prayer vigil for peace. “We will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great […]
Pope Chooses Venezuelan Nuncio as Secretary of State
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Although Pope Francis has not hesitated to break with convention during his brief pontificate, in appointing a seasoned member of the diplomatic corps as the top Vatican official, he resumed a long-standing tradition. The pope appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin, 58, a longtime official in the Vatican secretariat of […]
Pope Francis Meets the King of Jordan
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As international leaders increasingly discussed the possibility of some form of armed intervention in Syria, the Vatican announced Pope Francis would interrupt the last week of his summer break in order to meet Aug. 29 with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Jordan and Syria share a border, and Jordan […]
Pope: War in Syria Sows Destruction and Death
by Carol Glatz Pope Francis called again for an end to the fighting in Syria, denouncing the “multiplication of massacres and atrocious acts,” including the suspected chemical weapons attack that left hundreds dead. As U.N. weapons inspectors received permission from the Syrian government Aug. 25 to visit the site of the alleged attack, Pope Francis […]
Pope to Approve JPII Canonization
(CNS) – Pope Francis will host a meeting of cardinals Sept. 30 to formally approve the canonization of Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII; the date for the canonization will be announced at that time, said Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. The cardinal told Vatican Radio Aug. 20 that […]
Pope Asks Soccer Players to Be ‘Models of Inclusion’
by Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) – With admiration and big smiles all around, the lifelong soccer fan Pope Francis met the star players and coaches of the Argentine and Italian national soccer teams hoping to compete for the World Cup in 2014. The teams were led to the Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace Aug. […]
Pope Restricts Use of Old Mass by Franciscans
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis’ order restricting the use of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass in communities of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate addresses problems within the religious order and does not contradict retired Pope Benedict XVI’s permission for wider use of the old Mass throughout the Church, the Vatican […]