Pope Francis has ordered the Vatican to open its files on Argentina’s military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. The Pope’s order came after a meeting he had last week with Lita Boitano, 83, whose two sons “disappeared” during the dictatorship. They were among the 20,000 people who were made to “disappear” by the Argentinian authorities, Read more
A leading German philosopher has criticised what he called Pope Francis’s cult of spontaneity and his favouring of deeds over ideas. In an interview in German Catholic journal Herder Korrespondenz, Professor Robert Spaemann said the Pope’s cult of spontaneity is not helpful. “In the Vatican, some people are already sighing: ‘Today, he has already again Read more
Pope Francis has said he will visit Portugal in 2017 for the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in Fatima. Following a private audience with the Pope, Bishop Antonio Marto of Leiria-Fatima told media that Francis expressed a desire to make the trip, provided he is still “alive and healthy” at the time. If Francis Read more
Pope Francis has told several newly ordained priests never to refuse Baptism to anyone who asks for it. Speaking after presiding at an ordination Mass at St Peter’s Basilica on April 26, the Pope also warned the newly ordained against being vain priests. “A priest is ugly who lives for his own pleasure,” Pope Francis Read more
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the only American bishop to have been convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse. On Tuesday, the Vatican announced the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn of the diocese of St Joseph-Kansas City in Missouri. The announcement cited canon law that a bishop who “has become less able Read more
Native Americans are voicing their opposition to the canonisation of Blessed Junipero Serra, which the Pope plans to do on September 23. A Spanish Franciscan, Blessed Serra introduced Christianity to much of California as he marched north with Spanish conquistadors in the 18th century. Many Native Americans, though, say Blessed Serra and other missionaries helped Read more
When Pope Francis described the killing of more than a million Armenians a century ago as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” he was widely regarded as making a political statement. Certainly that was the view of Turkey, which recalled its ambassador to the Vatican and expressed its “great disappointment and sadness” over the pope’s Read more
The prefect of the papal household has said he believes reform of the Vatican bureaucracy is not necessary. Archbishop Georg Ganswein told a German website that to speak of “curial reform” is “somewhat of an exaggeration”. “I personally can see no significant reason which would necessitate a reform of the Curia at the moment,” he Read more
Pope Francis has blessed Rodrigo Santoro, the Brazilian actor cast in the role of Jesus in new version of the biblical epic Ben-Hur. Timur Bekmambetov’s movie is currently being filmed in Rome. Santoro and fellow cast member Nazanin Boniadi attended a weekly papal audience last week during a break from production, where they met Pope Read more
The Shroud of Turin has gone on display for the first time in five years. The 4.3 metre shroud has been put on display this year to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of St John Bosco, whose work in Turin focused on poor youth. More than a million people from as far afield Read more