I’ve just returned from St Peter’s Square where I was packed in shoulder-to- shoulder with 150,000 others for Benedict’s final general audience. Saying farewell to a Pope who hasn’t actually died makes this experience of farewell a rather unusual one – at least it hasn’t happened for centuries. Benedict has said clearly that he will Read more
Hong Kong’s retired Cardinal Joseph Zen has accused Vatican officials of “a policy of appeasement and compromise” that allowed Communist China’s control of the Church there. Cardinal Zen said Pope Benedict XVI set appropriate policies, but “his work was wasted by others close to him, who did not follow his line”. “Saying ‘others’ I mean Read more
The “Vatileaks” scandal was one in a long series of recent Vatican scandals, and sadly it was not the last. Something of the dark irony of the scandal – “the Butler done it” – may have prevented people from seeing the seriousness of the incident. In reality it’s one of the most serious security breaches Read more
New evidence that Venerable Pius XII saved Jews from the Holocaust has been unearthed by a British author who was given access to previously unpublished Vatican documents and tracked down victims, priests and others who had not told their stories before. A report in The Guardian newspaper says Vatican insiders believe this new evidence will Read more
As days pass since the announcement of Benedict XVI’s resignation, it becomes clear that his decision is one whose profound significance will only gradually become clear. Benedict is a teacher, a writer, a scholar, for whom words are never trivialized. Vatican observers are listening carefully to each of his speeches, and watching every gesture and Read more
As Catholics, the media and people from all around the world try and digest Pope Benedict’s resignation, I think it’s fair to ask ‘why’, and ‘why now.’ Benedict says his health is not up to it. That seems fair. If the Pope says he’s not up to it, I think we have to believe him Read more
The Vatican and the Italian government have concluded an agreement over the escape route used by popes to flee the Vatican when Rome was invaded. The 800-metre Passetto di Borgo is a covered corridor running on top of the walls joining the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo, the towering cylindrical fortress on the edge of the Read more
This column probably ought to carry a warning label: “The following piece of writing contains an apples-and-oranges comparison that may be hazardous to your intellectual health.” I’m going to compare two fights among senior churchmen, but the purpose is not to suggest they’re identical. Rather, it’s to understand what makes them different. The first term Read more
A Swiss banking group’s agreement to process bank-card transactions at Vatican City locations has broken a stalemate that reportedly cost the city state $NZ47,000 a day. Vatican City officials were caught off guard by the bank-card freeze caused by a January 1 announcement that Italy’s central bank would no longer process electronic payments from the Read more
There was “absolute silence” this morning when the Pope told cardinals that he decided to resign, according to Mexican prelate Monsignor Oscar Sanchez, who witnessed his resignation. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the pope took his decision “aware of the great problems the church faces today”. His decision showed “great courage” and “determination”, Lombardi said. Lombardi Read more