Before he goes on any international trip, Pope Francis usually pays a visit to his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. This is according to prefect of the pontifical household Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, who made the remark in an interview with the Austrian Catholic press agency. Asked about the “two Popes”, Archbishop Gaenswein underscored that “there Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Pope Francis’
Pope travelling in tiny box Kia car stuns Koreans
Tuesday, August 19th, 2014
On arriving in Korea, Pope Francis amazed onlookers and a huge television audience by getting into an unassuming, small car. This was in nation where VIPs are rarely seen in anything other than expensive, luxury cars. After his arrival on August 14, the Pope left the airport in a compact black Kia that many South Read more
Pope Francis means business
Tuesday, August 19th, 2014
The wildly popular Pope Francis is more than a pontiff of the people. He’s an elite manager who’s reforming the Vatican’s troubled finances. The new pope wanted to talk about money. That was the message that went out to a group of seven prominent financiers—major Catholics all—from around the world in the summer of 2013. Read more
North Korea denies missile launches aimed at Pope
Tuesday, August 19th, 2014North Korea says its firing of three rockets shortly before Pope Francis arrived in the south Korean capital had nothing to do with the papal visit The short range rockets were fired from multiple launchers from North Korea and travelled 220 km, before landing in waters east of the Korean peninsula on August 14. The Read more
Vatican officials back US airstrikes in Iraq
Friday, August 15th, 2014
Vatican officials and diplomats have expressed support for US airstrikes in Iraq amid fears of genocide against religious minorities. Islamic forces have swept northern Iraq in recent weeks, killing or expelling Christians and religious minorities like the Yazidis in a campaign that some consider tantamount to genocide. The Vatican’s nuncio in Iraq, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua Read more
Pope flies over China and sends message to President Xi
Friday, August 15th, 2014As he flew over China’s airspace on his way to Korea, Pope Francis sent a telegram to President Xi Jinping. Soon after crossing into Chinese airspace on August 14, the Pope dispatched the message which read: “I extend the best wishes to your excellency and your fellow citizens, and I invoke the divine blessings of Read more
Pope Francis tells Christians to memorise the beatitudes
Tuesday, August 12th, 2014
Christians should memorise the beatitudes which Jesus taught as the path to true happiness, Pope Francis has said. Speaking at his weekly audience at the Vatican on August 6, the Pope linked the beatitudes, the Ten Commandments and the Last Judgement. Some 6000 people heard the Pope tell them he was so serious about Christians Read more
Pope to highlight global focus in South Korea
Tuesday, August 12th, 2014
(RNS) Pope Francis departs next week (Aug. 14) on a five-day trip to South Korea, his first to Asia and the start of an important new papal focus on the region. In January, Francis will return to visit Sri Lanka and the Philippines, and a trip to Japan — where the pope wanted to go Read more
Pope tells youth not to waste time on Internet and smartphones
Tuesday, August 12th, 2014Pope Francis has told young people not to waste their lives on “futile” distractions such as chatting on the Internet or on smartphones. Speaking to 50,000 German altar servers in St Peter’s Square on August 5, the Pope was asked by one of the young people how to make time for assisting at Mass. Francis Read more
Nineveh priest says Christianity is finished in Iraq
Tuesday, August 12th, 2014An Iraqi priest from Nineveh says Christianity is finished in his homeland. “Today the story of Christianity is finished in Iraq,” the priest who identified himself as Fr Nawar told the Catholic News Agency on August 8. He is currently studying in Rome. His home city of Qaraqosh (Bakhdida) near Mosul fell to ISIS forces Read more