The Pope - Page 2

The archbishop of Lyon, France, and a congregation of French Christians visited the Kurdish city of Erbil, Iraq, on Sunday to recreate the famed Lyonnaise Festival of Lights–the feast of the Immaculate Conception–for thousands of Iraqi Christian refugees fleeing the

Pope Francis has written a preparatory letter for the 8th World Meeting of Families, which he plans to attend in Philadelphia next September, saying that he “looks forward with confidence and hope to this blessed event.” This will be the

Pope Francis has sent a recorded video message to Christian refugees in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon, France, delivered personally on Sunday. The Pope told the refugees that he would

In an extensive interview Sunday, Pope Francis said that much of the unrest generated by the recent Vatican marriage summit came from people only reading “some news in a newspaper, or an article,” rather than reading what the synod actually

In an interview Sunday, Pope Francis weighed in on a recent Pew Research Center study documenting the shift of many Latin Americans away from the Catholic Church and toward Pentecostal Protestant churches. The study showed that despite the “Francis Factor,”

The White House this week issued a statement explaining why it does not view the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. It was in response to an online petitionwhich attracted more than 213,000 signatures in support of designating the Egyptian-based group. The statement

“Continue along the path of voluntary and disinterested commitment,” Pope Francis encouraged international Christian service groups on Thursday. “There is so much need for a witness of the value of giving freely.” But, he warned, “the poor cannot become an

In their meeting this weekend, Pope Francis told Turkish President Erdogan that what is needed now is a worldwide condemnation of Islamic terrorism “from the Muslims themselves.” They need to distance themselves from ISIS and say: “That is not who

“Ten of millions of persons” presently suffer from “physical, economic, sexual and psychological exploitation,” Pope Francis said Tuesday. He declared that this “modern slavery–in the form of trafficking in persons, forced labor, prostitution, and organ trafficking–is a crime ‘against humanity.’”

In a recent interview, Pope Francis’ right-hand man for the reform of the Roman curia said we can expect serious downsizing of the offices that make up the Vatican bureaucracy. Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, the Honduran coordinator of the

Ever since Pope Francis said “Who am I to judge?” when asked about the possibility that some gay clerics may be working in the Vatican, many have assumed that Francis was effecting a major sea change in Vatican politics and

A migrant from Algeria who threatened to set fire to his two daughters and ex girlfriend has been allowed to stay in the UK, because of his “right to a family life”. The man, who cannot be named for legal

Pope Francis urged Muslim leaders worldwide to “clearly” condemn terrorism carried out in the name of Islam, and called for an end to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Francis said he had told Turkish President Recep Tayyip

In Istanbul Sunday morning, Pope Francis employed some of his strongest language against Islamic extremism to date, condemning jihadist violence against the weak and defenseless as “a profoundly grave sin against God.” Francis spoke of the “plea” coming from the

The election of delegations from the US and Spain have Catholic conservatives at least slightly buoyed about their chances of winning the debate at the next and final Synod on family issues in the Catholic Church. The Extraordinary Synod that

In his historic trip to Turkey Friday, Pope Francis decried the “tragic” situation in the Middle East, above all in Iraq and Syria. “Everyone suffers the consequences of these conflicts, and the humanitarian situation is unbearable,” he said. “I think

The Pope traveled to Turkey Friday morning for a long-awaited three-day visit for meetings with religious and political authorities. But upon arriving at the presidential palace in Ankara, the Pope came out swinging, immediately focusing on Turkey’s soft underbelly: religious

Asked whether dialogue with the Islamic State is possible, Pope Francis said it wouldn’t be easy, but that he would never rule it out. Pope Francis tackled this and other issues in his Q&A session with journalists on the plane

VATICAN CITY (AP) — When a pope last visited Turkey — Benedict XVI in 2006 — Muslim-Catholic tensions were so high that the Vatican added a stop at Istanbul’s famed Blue Mosque at the last minute in hopes of showing

A gang of four thugs who beat a law professor so badly he needed facial reconstruction surgery all had previous criminal convictions in Poland, a court has heard. Kingston Crown Court were told that the gang’s ring leader, Dawid Tychon,

As Pope Francis’ was still preparing to travel to Strasbourg to give his first speech to the EU Parliament on Monday, a Femen protester mounted the altar in Strasbourg’s gothic cathedral, flashing her naked torso and waving the EU flag.

It is beautiful “to think of Heaven,” said Pope Francis Wednesday. “All of us will meet there, everyone. It is beautiful; it gives strength to the soul.” At his general audience in St Peter’s Square this morning, before a crowd

In his address Tuesday morning to the European Parliament, Pope Francis issued a powerful plea to Europe to rediscover its religious roots and to place the human person at the center of society. “A Europe which is capable of appreciating

In a long-awaited decision, Pope Francis has tapped a conservative African cardinal, Robert Sarah of Guinea, as head of the Vatican’s liturgical office. This is the second nomination of a conservative African to an influential position in less than a

Pope Francis said that the current economic crisis requires “initiative” to overcome the consequences of economic difficulties and unemployment, avoiding the temptations of “welfarism” and “indifference.” “We must renew working relationships,” Francis said in a video message released by the

American Cardinal Raymond Burke, recently demoted from the highest legal office in the Vatican, told a conference in Ireland that Catholic layman should write to the Pope to voice their opinions about the general Synod of Bishops to take place

The people of God can forgive their priests when they have a weakness, or when they slip up, said Pope Francis Friday. “But there are two things that the people of God cannot forgive: a priest attached to money and

“There is need for hope and light at this time, particularly because of the darkness that sometimes surrounds us,” says Cardinal Timothy Dolan, “and the visit of Pope Francis to the United States is a carrier of this light.” After

No one can say Pope Francis doesn’t practice what he preaches. Even as he daily urges Christians to do more for the poor, he keeps finding ways to help them personally. This time the Pope has decided to raffle off

On Monday morning, Pope Francis personally confirmed that he will visit the United States in September 2015 to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. This will be the Pope’s first visit to the U.S. The Pope made the

Rock legend Patti Smith, the “Godmother of Punk,” will join 17 other artists performing at the Vatican’s annual Christmas concert on December 13, 2014. The concert, at Conciliation Auditorium in Rome, a few steps from St. Peter’s, will be broadcast

In his two addresses today, Pope Francis reiterated the importance of strong, stable families for the future of society, insisting that man and woman are both essential. In his first address, delivered before a group of several hundred scholars and

In his meeting with more some 7,000 accountants Friday, Pope Francis focused on the humanity of their work, reminding them that “behind each piece of paper there is a story, there are faces.” He invited them to “go beyond” numbers

Three members of the feminist protest group Femen took to Saint Peter’s Square yesterday in criticism of Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the European Parliament. Dressed only in black leather miniskirts, the three got down on all fours and simulated

“The reigning mentality sometimes proposes a ‘false compassion,’” said Pope Francis Saturday, “the idea that supporting abortion somehow helps women, or that euthanasia is an act of dignity.” The Pope was speaking in the Vatican to a large group of

Next Monday, work will begin to renovate Vatican restrooms for pilgrims, but Pope Francis has also given instructions for showers to be installed where Rome’s homeless can wash. Bishop Konrad Krajewski, or “Don Conrado” as he is familiarly known, is