Protecting the Pope’s image and official coat of arms “against cases of illicit use and exploitation for unauthorized profit” tops a Vatican to do list. The Vatican said the new focus is not related to the illegal posters and newspapers criticising Pope Francis that have appeared in Rome over the past weeks. The Vatican Secretariat Read more
Pope Francis could “sell out” China’s underground Catholic church, according to Emeritus Cardinal Joseph Zen. Hong Kong-based 85 year old Zen, who is the is China’s highest ranking prelate, said China’s communist rulers want “total surrender” from the Church. Pope Francis “is really naïve” and “doesn’t know the Chinese communists,” he said. “The people around Read more
The Catholic and Jewish communities in Rome have collaborated to create an exhibition of menorah, the seven-candled Hebrew lamp. The menorah is an ancient symbol of faith. Rome’s Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni said the unprecedented joint exhibition, more than three years in the making, showed the “evolution in the dialogue between Jews and Catholics”. The exhibition Read more
Whenever Pope Francis talks about the need to welcome immigrants, to build bridges not walls, and to invest in the countries from which people are fleeing, critics inevitably will ask, “Okay, but what are you doing about it?” From snarky observations about the walls around Vatican city to wry observations about all the under-utilized ecclesiastical Read more
The Vatican froze two million euros last year. Its aim was to prevent the Vatican state being used as a cover for corruption and money laundering. The Vatican has enacted a number of provisions to clean up its finances and make them more transparent in recent years. This has been especially the case since Pope Read more
Palestine’s Vatican Embassy, launched last month, will benefit both Palestine and the Holy See, the Holy See’s diplomatic representative to Jerusalem says. And although there is no official State of Palestine, Issa Kassissieh, the Palestinian ambassador to the Holy See, said the new embassy is “a significant achievement for the Palestinian people.” The Holy See’s Read more
The Vatican’s updated charter for healthcare workers has been published. It provides a clear set of guidelines to modern ethical concerns such as euthanasia and the creation of human-animal chimeras. Read more
A Vatican ruling has banned the leader of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae from having any contact with members of the order. An investigation into allegations of sexual and psychological abuse committed by Luis Fernando Figari,who also founded the order, found him unsuitable to run the order. Accusations against Figari were first lodged in 2011. The investigation Read more
The Vatican’s first female-only association has been formally approved as a Vatican association. Donne in Vaticano (“Women in the Vatican”) is open to all 750 women working for the Holy See and its attached institutions. So far about 50 women have joined. Women make up about a fifth of the Vatican workforce. Most of them Read more
The gay priest ban will continue. The Vatican has updated and reaffirmed its 2005 policy that “persons with homosexual tendencies” cannot be admitted to Catholic seminaries. Spiritual directors “must ‘dissuade’ gay candidates from pursuing ordination”. Pope Francis approved the current policy. It is included in a newly updated document The Gift of the Priestly Vocation Read more