Pope Francis has discussed the possibility of ordaining proven married men as priests, a South American bishop says. Bishop Erwin Krautler, whose diocese of Xingu is in the Brazilian rainforest, spoke with Pope Francis on April 4 in a rare private interview. The desperate shortage of priests in the bishop’s huge diocese was one of Read more
Pope Francis has asked for forgiveness for the damage that abusive priests have inflicted on children. He was speaking on April 11 to the International Catholic Child Bureau, a French Catholic network that works to promote the rights of children. The Pope’s remarks, which were unscripted, appear to be his strongest yet on the subject Read more
Pope Francis gave away tens of thousands of free pocket-sized copies of the gospels to crowds filling St Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus on April 6 It was given as an encouragement to read the Word of God, reported the Catholic News Agency. They were handed out among the crowd by volunteers. “Last Sunday Read more
Pope Francis will wash the feet of 12 disabled and elderly people when he celebrates Mass on Holy Thursday evening, the Vatican has announced. This will be at the Father Carlo Gnocchi Foundation’s Our Lady of Providence Centre, a rehabilitation and care centre on the outskirts of Rome for people with disabilities and the elderly. Read more
Queen Elizabeth has met Pope Francis for the first time and gave the bemused pontiff culinary delights from the royal estates, including a dozen eggs and a bottle of whisky. “I’ve also brought something from all our estates, which is for you personally,” said the Queen, wearing a lavender dress and a purple hat, as Read more
Do you recall The Great Jubilee Year 2000? For a few years before the turn of the century, almost every statement by a bishop or other church leader or organization contained some paean to the jubilee. The pope had called for it, and so all sorts of people either sincerely or for show acted as Read more
An American archbishop has bowed to pressure from his flock against plans for building a US$2.2million, 575 square metre mansion. Altanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory has apologised to Catholics in his archdiocese for failing to consider the pastoral implications of his plans. He regretted the impression his new home sent to Catholics in his area who Read more
Pope Francis has criticised “anaesthetised” Catholics whose “attitude is crippling the apostolic zeal”. At a Mass on April 1 in the chapel of the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta guesthouse, he also slammed as hypocrites those Christians who are only interested in formalities. Continue reading
United States President Barack Obama and Pope Francis met for 52 minutes at the Vatican on March 27, in the first meeting between the two leaders. They discussed international conflicts and the importance of humanitarian and international law, as well as issues of poverty and injustice. According to the Vatican, “the parties discussed questions of Read more
During an audience with people who are blind and deaf on March 29, Pope Francis called for a “culture of encounter” and rejected a “culture of exclusion”. “The sick or disabled person, because of their fragility, limits, can become a witness of this encounter: the encounter with Jesus, which opens us to life and faith, Read more