After accepting the resignation of 92-year-old Cardinal Angelo Sodano as dean of the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis changed the norms of the office so that the dean would be elected to a five-year term renewable only once.
Pope Francis
‘Christendom No Longer Exists,’ Pope Says, Explaining Need to Revamp Curia
The ongoing reform of the Roman Curia is a necessary part of the Catholic Church’s fidelity to its mission to proclaim the Gospel, recognizing that very few countries today can be described as “Christian” and that new ways of evangelizing are necessary, Pope Francis said.
Pope Names Cardinal Tagle to Lead Evangelization Congregation
In a move that may signal Pope Francis’ plan for the reform of the Roman Curia is close to completion, the pontiff has named Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Pope Lifts Secrecy Obligation for Those Who Report Having Been Abused
Pope Francis has abolished the obligation of secrecy for those who report having been abused by a priest and for those who testify in a church trial or process having to do with clerical abuse.
Death Penalty Continues to Decline in the U.S. According to New Report
For five years in a row, there have been fewer than 30 death penalty executions and fewer than 50 death sentences, according to a new report that chronicles a continued dramatic decline in the use of capital punishment in the United States.
Latin America Turns to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Plea for Peace
With much of Latin America in the throes of months of social and political unrest, the continent’s bishops have turned to the “Empress of the Americas” to lend a hand in the effort for peace.
Vatican Calls Greta Thunberg ‘Great Witness’ of Church’s Environmental Teaching
On Dec. 11 top Vatican officials hailed Swedish teen Greta Thunberg, recently named TIME Magazine’s “Person of the Year” for her environmental advocacy, as a “great witness” of Church teaching on care for creation and the human person.
Only in Print: Nativity in Dyker Heights Shows True Meaning of Christmas | December 14, 2019
John Miniero, a retired baker who proudly displays a homemade nativity scene outside his home in Dyker Heights, knows what Christmas should really be about: the birth of Jesus.
Syria’s Assad Says Pope Francis Has ‘Incomplete’ Picture of the War
In a new interview, Syrian President Bashar al Assad responded publicly to a letter he received from Pope Francis over the summer voicing concern about civilian casualties in the country’s ongoing civil war.
Immaculate Conception is Feast of Hope for Sinners, Pope Says
Mary, conceived without sin, is a “masterpiece” who reflects “the beauty of God who is all love, grace and self-giving,” Pope Francis said on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.