History was made in the Vatican today when Pope Francis and other leaders of the world rsquo s main religions mdash Christianity Islam Hinduism Buddhism and Judaism mdash signed a joint declaration to work together to eradicate modern slavery in its various forms by the year 2020 nbsp nbsp Pope
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
Pope Assures Orthodox: We Want Unity, Not Assimilation or Submission.
Pope Francis stated unequivocally in Istanbul on November 30 that he as Bishop of Rome and the worldwide Catholic Church desire unity ndash lsquo full communion rsquo – with the 300 million member Orthodox Churches and he added that the only condition for achieving this is ldquo the shared pr
Posted inDispatches
Transcript of Part of Pope’s Press Conference on Plane
Pope Calls on Muslim Leaders to Condemn Terrorist Attacks and Violence Done in the Name of IslamPope Francis called on Islamic political religious academic and intellectual leaders to condemn terrorist attacks and violence done in name of Islam nbsp nbsp He did so in a 45 minute press conferenc
Posted inDispatches
Pope Asks Orthodox Patriarch in Istanbul to Bless him and the Church of Rome
Pope Francis took everybody by surprise at the end of the solemn Orthodox prayer service in the church of St George in the Fanar Istanbul nbsp on the evening of November 29 by asking the ecumenical patriarch of the 300 million member Orthodox Church nbsp Bartholomew I ldquo to pray for me an
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis Prays in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul
Pope Francis prayed for some moments in the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul on the second day of his visit to Turkey nbsp He did so standing nbsp alongside the Grand Mufti of this city nbsp head bowed eyes closed ldquo It was a moment of silent adoration rdquo the Vatican spokesman Fr Fed
Posted inDispatches
Pope in Turkey Calls for ‘The Solidarity of All Believers’ to Counter Fundamentalism, Fanaticism and Irrational Phobias.
On his first day in Turkey Pope Francis emphasized the urgent need to bring an end to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and in particular in Syria and Iraq and called for ldquo the solidarity of all believers rdquo to counteract ldquo fanaticism and fundamentalism as well as irrational
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Visits Turkey to Promote Christian-Muslim Relations, Christian-Orthodox Reconciliation, Peace in Middle East
Pope Francis rsquo three-day visit to Turkey November 28-30 was intended primarily as an ecumenical visit to the center of the Orthodox world with an important Muslim-Christian dimension nbsp It has taken on considerable political significance however because of the dramatic situation in the
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Call to Conversion
Pope Francis’ call has clearly disturbed some cardinals and a number bishops.
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis Gives Message of Hope and Encouragement to Europe
Pope Francis sought to inject new life into the old continent by delivering ldquo a message of hope and encouragement to all the citizens of Europe rdquo when he spoke to the European Parliament and to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg France on November 25 nbsp Speaking ldquo as a pastor
Posted inDispatches
Three Priests and a Lay Person Arrested in Abuse Scandal in Granada, Spain, after Pope’s Intervention
Three Catholic priests and a layman have been arrested by the police in Granada Spain charged with the sexual abuse of minors the Spanish Ministry of the Interior confirmed on November 24 The arrests came after the Spanish media last week revealed that Pope Francis had intervened directly in the