On the occasion the beatification of Fr. Jose Gabriel Brochero of Cordoba, Argentina, known to locals as the “cowboy priest,” Pope Francis praised him for his open heart. “Brochero was a normal man, fragile, like any of us,” said Pope Francis. But his greatness came from the fact that, “he knew the love of Jesus. Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Pope Francis’
Francis at the six-month mark seems a force of nature
Tuesday, September 17th, 2013
As it’s come to be understood in the 21st century, the papacy is really an impossible job. A pope is expected to be the CEO of a global religious organization, a political heavyweight, an intellectual giant, and a media rock star, not to mention a living saint. Any one of those things is a life’s Read more
Pope stops naming monsignors
Tuesday, September 17th, 2013
Pope Francis has stopped granting priests the honorary title of “monsignor,” the London-based Catholic weekly The Tablet reported. The Tablet’s Rome correspondent Robert Mickens said the pontiff first made the decision in April shortly after his election as pope. The title monsignor is an honorific of sorts normally granted to priests as a reward for Read more
Pope Francis praises Jews in letter to newspaper
Tuesday, September 17th, 2013
Pope Francis praised Jews in an open letter to Rome’s liberal newspaper “La Repubblica.” The letter was published on the front page of its September 11 edition, and acted as a response to editorials that had addressed the pontiff on issues of religion and faith. The pope’s reply calls for a necessary and open dialogue Read more
Pope says calling folks is no big deal
Tuesday, September 17th, 2013
Calling people on the phone is no big deal for Pope Francis, the Catholic News Service said in a report quoting a Vatican official. The pope reportedly said the many calls the journalists have brought to light are just the tip of the iceberg. “Good thing they don’t know about all the ones I have Read more
Pope’s 30 year old new Renault causes stir on social media
Tuesday, September 17th, 2013
As reported by CathNews last week, Pope Francis is now the proud owner of a 1984 Renault 4. Donated by a priest in northern Italy who used it to visit poor parishioners, Associated Press reports he is going to use the 30 year old, manual shift, four-door car, with 300,000 kms on the clock, painted Read more
Pope Francis to drive 20 year old car around Vatican
Friday, September 13th, 2013Pope Francis now has his own mini popemobile which he plans to use to drive himself around the Vatican. He already uses a Ford Focus, but was recently gifted by Fr Renzo Zocca, an Italian priest, a 20-year-old white Renault 4. Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, says Francis accepted the 1984 Renault 4, donated Read more
Off shore confession growth yet to gain real momentum in NZ
Friday, September 13th, 2013
The “confession boom” reported to be hitting Roman Catholic parishes in England and Wales does not yet fully seem to have reached New Zealand. With the exception of the Auckland Cathedral, where the priests report an increase in young people attending the sacrament, a ring-around survey, yesterday, of several New Zealand parishes showed most recorded no Read more
Pope listens to Vatican officials as reforms start
Friday, September 13th, 2013
Pope Francis met for three hours with Vatican officials on Tuesday to hear their questions and suggestions about his ongoing reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. Some 30 people attended the meeting, which included the heads of the Vatican’s eight congregations and 12 councils, as well as top officials from the Church’s tribunals and from the Read more
Vatican welcomes liberation theology ‘founder’
Friday, September 13th, 2013
Pope Francis is set to meet with Peruvian scholar Gustavo Gutierrez, who is considered the founder of liberation theology. A report by the Religion News Service noted that the meeting can be a sign of “increasing favor” for liberation theology, which has been a subject to hostility and censure in the Vatican. Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Read more