On Nov. 8, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing that Silvio Dissegna, a 12-year-old Italian boy who died from bone cancer on Sept. 24, 1979, had lived the Christian virtues to a heroic degree and can therefore be called venerable.The signing of that decree may seem an insignificant event in the
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 inVatican Dispatch
Good Stewards
‘You know that I am preparing an encyclical on ecology; be assured that your concerns will be present in it,” Pope Francis told 150 representatives of grassroots movements from 80 countries when he met with them in the Vatican on Oct. 28.As pastor in Buenos Aires, he knew the potential o
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis reminds G20 leaders of ‘responsibility for the poor and the marginalized’
Pope Francis has sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott who will chair the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the world rsquo s 20 largest economies that will be held in Brisbane Nov 15-16 The G20 includes the 19 major developed and developing economies of the w
Posted inDispatches
Pope Appoints Archbishop Gallagher as Secretary for Relations with States, Replaces Cardinal Burke with Archbishop Mamberti
In a series of top level changes in the Roman Curia Pope Francis has appointed the English-born Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher as Secretary for Relations with States ndash the third highest position in the Vatican nbsp nbsp nbsp He succeeds the Moroccan-born Archbishop Dominque Mamberti wh
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Who’s Afraid of the Synod?
‘When the church…expresses herself in communion, she cannot err.’
Posted inDispatches
Pope Francis revises resignation norms for bishops and cardinals
Cardinal heads now ‘obligated’ to present resignation at 75.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
An Unlikely Gathering
The recent extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops is likely to go down as a milestone in the history of the church. It was the first time since Paul VI established this organ of collegiality on Sept. 15, 1965, that the assembly “truly functioned as a synod and not a staged gathering of
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Looking to the 2015 Synod
The next 12 months will be an enriching and challenging period for local churches.
Posted inDispatches
Pope Given Standing Ovation at End of Synod
Pope Francis was given a five-minute standing ovation after he delivered an awesome address to the 253 participants at the closing session of the synod of bishops on October 18 in which he identified five temptations that he had seen at the synod and told them ldquo we have one year to mature rd
Posted inDispatches
Synod on Family Closes No Doors; Absolute Majority Is With Pope Francis
The Final Report of the synod on the family revealed that the synod has closed no doors all the main questions are still on the table and an absolute majority of the synod fathers are with Pope Francis in favor of a Church that like the Good Samaritan reaches out to care for all her ldquo wounde