Pope Francis has phoned an Argentine woman to comfort her and tell her she is not alone after she wrote a letter to him saying she was raped by a policeman. Alejandra Pereyra, 44, told Argentine television that at first she froze and had to ask him to repeat his name when he phoned but Read more
Pope Francis on Sunday called for a solution to the civil war in Syria as he admitted being disturbed by “terrible images” of atrocities in the country. The pope told people gathered in St. Peter’s Square that Syrian and rebel forces must put down their arms. He urged the international community to “put all its Read more
The Vatican this week said Pope Francis will host a meeting of cardinals on September 30 to formally approve the canonization of Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII. Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, said the date for the canonization will be announced after the meeting. He said only Pope Read more
A few weeks ago, returning from World Youth Day, Pope Francis made several interesting remarks to journalists, including an implicit appeal for a theology of women. “We talk about whether they can do this or that: Can they be altar boys? Can they be lectors? About a woman as president of Caritas, but we don’t Read more
Pope Francis called for peace and stability in Egypt, saying he continues to pray for the country which has been witnessing violent encounters between security and Muslim Brotherhood loyalists. In a Sunday service, the pope condemned religious extremism, stressing that faith and violence do not conform with each other. “We continue to pray for peace Read more
Pope Francis met with Barcelona football star Lionel Messi and his teammates on the Argentine national soccer squad and Italy’s national team players at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican early this week. The teams met Wednesday in Rome in a friendly match. The pope told the players to remember they are role models on Read more
Last week, Pope Francis loosed a media tsunami by dropping a pebble of sanity into an ocean of religious angst. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” he told reporters on the flight back to Rome after his trip to Brazil. What did it Read more
Pope Francis on Thursday intensified the fight against corruption in the Vatican by strengthening the law to counter “money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” The pope issued a decree expanding the role and the reach of the Vatican’s Financial Intelligence Authority “in response to a recommendation” of Read more
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney has said that Pope Francis’s popularity with the media is “too good to last.” The Catholic Herald reported that the cardinal made the remark in a reflection on World Youth Day in Rio. His comment followed the Pope being called “awesome” by the men’s magazine Esquire and his face appearing Read more
Pope Francis on Friday called on Muslims and Christians to observe “mutual respect through education” in his message for Muslims at the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values,” Pope Francis said in a statement. “We have to Read more