Pope Francis has designated September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Pope Francis said he was instituting the prayer day for Catholics because he shares the concern of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who initiated a similar prayer day for the Orthodox Church in 1989. The day of prayer, Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Pope Francis’
20 Kids Unimpressed With Pope Francis
Tuesday, August 11th, 2015The “Francis Effect” apparently hasn’t reached the kids yet. Here are 20 photos of kids who do not seem to have been charmed to meet the Pope Francis Have a look
Oprah Winfrey invited to special meeting at Vatican?
Tuesday, August 11th, 2015
Television mogul Oprah Winfrey and actor Matt Damon are among media players believed to have been approached to attend a special meeting at the Vatican. According to an article in the Hollywood Reporter, Pope Francis is “apparently” interested in discussing how the Church is perceived by western media influencers. The Pope also reportedly wants to explore Read more
Pope stresses divorced and remarried not excommunicated
Friday, August 7th, 2015
Pope Francis has said divorced and civilly remarried Catholics are not excommunicated and must not be treated as if they were. At his general audience on August 5, the Pope said such people are “still part of the Church”, even though “their unions are contrary to the sacrament of marriage”. “As these situations especially affect Read more
Vatican clerics tone down lifestyles in step with Francis
Friday, August 7th, 2015
Vatican clerics are adopting a new sobriety in dress, transport and manners in an attempt to be in step with Pope Francis. Breitbart reported priest-journalist Fr Filippo Di Giacomo saying that these days fewer cardinals show up willingly at fancy restaurants where they might get spotted by paparazzi. “Even the relatives of religious are now Read more
Pope Francis plans to have extra audiences in Holy Year
Tuesday, August 4th, 2015Planning is underway for Pope Francis to have an extra General Audience each month during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Prefect of the Pontifical Household, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, told Vatican Radio the extra General Audiences could possibly be on a Saturday. Archbishop Gaenswein said that since the beginning of Pope Francis’s pontificate in March Read more
Pope Francis likely to get a new personal doctor
Friday, July 31st, 2015
Pope Francis is likely to have a new personal physician, but his soon-to-be former doctor will continue to work with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Dr Patrizio Polisca is to leave his post as director of Vatican Health Services and as such will no longer be Francis’s personal physician. But he will continue to be private Read more
Journalist banned from Pope Francis’s plane
Tuesday, July 28th, 2015The Vatican has banned an Italian journalist from travelling on the papal plane during Pope Francis’s visit to Cuba and the United States later this year. Experienced Vatican correspondent Marco Ansaldo will be forced to seek alternative transport to cover the visit. The sanction comes as punishment for his newspaper’s role in breaching an embargo Read more
Cardinal Pell questions science behind Laudato Si’
Friday, July 24th, 2015
Cardinal George Pell has seemingly criticised Pope Francis’s most recent encyclical, arguing that the Church has “no particular expertise in science”. In an interview with the Financial Times, the cardinal appeared to distance himself from the science behind some of the statements in Laudato Si’. In the document, released last month, Francis called for global Read more
Pope says Laudato Si’ not an encyclical on environment
Friday, July 24th, 2015
Pope Francis has said that his recent encyclical Laudato Si’ is not an encyclical on the environment. Rather, it is a social encyclical, he told 70 mayors from big cities at a two day workshop at the Vatican this week addressing modern slavery and climate change. It is a social encyclical, the Pope said, because Read more