The news, though ground-breaking, went largely unnoticed. The Vatican has given its clearance to open the cause on May 3 for the canonization of Dom Hélder Câmara, the “bishop of the poor” and one of the most influential Latin American church leaders of the 20th century.Cardinal Angelo
Gerard O’Connell
Gerard O’Connell is America’s senior Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History. He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.
Posted inDispatches
O’Malley Brings Question of Accountability to Francis’ Cardinal Advisors
Cardinal Sean O rsquo Malley put the question of the accountability on the table of this week rsquo s meeting of the pope with his ldquo Council of Nine rdquo cardinal advisors His intent is to find a juridical and competent way to deal effectively with bishops and religious superiors who abuse t
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis calls 1915 massacre of Armenians a ‘genocide’
Turkish authorities protest the pope’s characterization of the mass killing
Posted inDispatches
Pope Proclaims Jubilee, says: ‘The Church is to be a Sign and Instrument of God’s Mercy’
ldquo This is a time for the Church to rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day of Easter to be a sign and an instrument of the Father rsquo s mercy rdquo Pope Francis said in St Peter rsquo s Basilica on April 11 after publishing the Bull of Indiction for t
Posted inDispatches
Pope Appeals for Peace in Middle Eastern and African countries and the Ukraine
In Easter message to the world, a forceful appeal for peace
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis at the Coliseum Remembers Today’s Persecuted Christians
Pope Francis speaking at the end of the Way of the Cross at Rome rsquo s Coliseum prayed for the Christian men women and children ndash ldquo our brothers who are persecuted beheaded and crucified for their faith in you Jesus before our eyes and often with our silent complicity rdquo Tens
Posted inDispatches
Cantalamessa: Christians Are Being Killed in Many Countries and the World is Silent.
Jesus over came violence by ‘exposing all its injustice and futility.’
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis Washes the Feet of Women and Men Inmates in Rome Prison
Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 inmates ndash six women and the child of one of them and six men ndash in Rome rsquo s Rebibbia prison on Holy Thursday and shook hands kissed and embraced hundreds of the detainees amid scenes of great emotion The prisoners welcomed him with v
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis Tells Priests how to Deal with ‘Tiredness’
Pope Francis on Holy Thursday spoke about the ldquo tiredness rdquo or quot weariness quot that Catholic priests experience in their daily ministry often in very difficult and dangerous situations and offered advice on how they should deal with it He did so in an incisive and profound homily
Posted inVatican Dispatch
The Quality of Mercy
On March 13, Pope Francis surprised the world by proclaiming a year-long Jubilee of Mercy. Since then he has begun to give indications, in homilies and talks, as to what this entails.As I write, the formal bull of indiction has not yet been published. That will be done on April 12, the Second Sunday