His Excellency Archbishop Martin Krebs, apostolic nuncio to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, arrived in Wellington on Thursday (11 July). Krebs was born in Essen, Germany, in 1956. He was ordained priest in 1983 and Bishop in 2008. He joined the Vatican’s diplomatic corps in 1991. He has been described as “possessed of what’s Read more
A United Nations body charged with child protection has posed a list of tough questions to the Holy See about child abuse by Catholic priests. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has for “detailed information on all cases of child sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy, brothers, or nuns” as Read more
A Vatican monsignor arrested on a money-smuggling charge lived in such luxury that police were shocked when they visited his apartment and saw his art treasures. “We asked ourselves how did this monsignor come to own this place and possess these expensive works of art,” an investigator said. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, who lived in an Read more
It was just another weekend at the office for Pope Francis, more of the series of actions, words and gestures that have kept him a fixture in the international media since his March 13 election. On June 15 he took a major step toward reforming the scandal-wracked Vatican bank by appointing his own man, Msg. Read more
Pope Francis has appointed eight cardinals to assist him in reorganizing the Vatican’s administration. One of them is the archbishop of Sydney, Australia, George Pell. Many think he was chosen simply because he is the only cardinal in Oceania and it appears that the pope wanted one from each continental region. When asked in an Read more
The Holy See has said it will co-operate fully with a fraud and corruption investigation into the money-smuggling activities of a senior cleric who headed the office that oversees Vatican property and investments. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano was arrested on a charge of attempting to smuggle €20 million ($NZ33.5 million) into Italy illegally. He was already Read more
A report that Pope Francis told Latin American religious about a “gay lobby” in the Vatican has overshadowed other remarks the Pope made to the group about points of tension in the Church between religious orders and the hierarchy. The report of what the Pope told leaders of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Read more
Harley-Davidson bikers who flocked to the Vatican to see Pope Francis came away struck by his friendliness and closeness to the people. “To be here and see the Pope is absolutely amazing. He’s so friendly, he’s just so friendly,” Bob from the Lakeside, England, chapter told the Catholic News Agency. His fellow Lakeside member Harry Read more
Representatives of the Holy See and the Vietnamese government will soon begin a fourth round of meetings devoted to the establishment of diplomatic relations. In a brief statement, Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Holy See Press Office, expressed hope in the two days of meetings, which begin on June 13 at the Vatican. Read more
The President of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women (CLAR) has apologised to Pope Francis for the leaked notes of a private conversation with the Holy Father over the weekend. In a statement released on the CLAR website, Sr Mercedes Homes Leticia Sanches said there was no record of the conversation Read more