POPE FRANCIS WAS elected five years ago on March 13, 2013. Two firsts about him captured people’s imaginations: the first Jesuit and the first Latin American ever elected pope.
Pope Francis
Pope Appoints New Members of Minor Protection Commission
Pope Francis has named nine new members to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, including abuse survivors or the parents of survivors, the Vatican said.
‘Rejected’ Nigerian Bishop, Backed by Pope, Resigns
Eight months after ordering priests in a Nigerian diocese to pledge their obedience to the pope and accept the bishop that now-retired Pope Benedict XVI had named for them, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the disputed bishop.
Panel Debates First Five Years of Francis’ Papacy
Pope Francis received glowing reviews for his pastoral outreach and his public engagement of the Church in the modern world from a panel of Catholic experts convened Feb. 13 at Georgetown University to review the last five years since his election – but they warned that it all risks being lost if he does not effectively respond to the question of sexual abuse within the Church.
US Catholics Urged to Join Pope in Prayers for South Sudan, Congo
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops encouraged Catholics across the nation to join with Pope Francis Feb. 23 for a special day of prayer and fasting for peace, with special prayers for Congo and South Sudan.
Bishop Dewane says Pope Francis Put Church’s Social Tradition ‘Front Stage’
Pope Francis has taken the rich social tradition of the Church that was championed by Pope John Paul II and “made it front stage,” says Bishop Frank Dewane. He said that while there has been a constant tradition of Catholic social activism, he believes there’s been an uptick during the Francis papacy.
Sydney Archdiocese to Slavery Proof Supply Lines in Effort to End Human Trafficking
Feb. 8 is declared as an international day of prayer and awareness of human trafficking. On this year’s occasion, the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia has announced a bold initiative to slavery proof its supply lines — a move that imitates a similar decision made by the Vatican in 2016.
Letter on Chilean Bishop Surfaces
Less than a week after the Vatican announced Pope Francis was sending a trusted investigator to Chile to listen to people with information about a bishop accused of covering up clerical sexual abuse, the Associated Press reported the pope was given a detailed letter from a survivor almost three years ago.
Francis’ Papacy: Promise or Peril for the Church?
Ross Douthat and Austen Ivereigh, two of the most prominent commentators on 21st century Catholicism, shared a stage for the first time to engage in a high-level conversation on the Francis papacy.
In-Flight Wedding on Papal Plane Met All Requirements
When Pope Francis convalidated the marriage of two flight attendants in the air, the story sent waves of turbulence through the Catholic blogosphere, but the Holy Father did not make the decision on the fly.