As the situation deteriorated in Hong Kong following police crackdown on protestors over the weekend Cardinal John Tong Hon the local bishop issued ldquo an urgent appeal rdquo to the government there ldquo to put the personal safety of fellow citizens as her prime concern rdquo and ldquo to
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 inIn All Things
Cardinal Kasper: Some Fear a Domino Effect at the Synod on the Family
nbsp Not since the Second Vatican Council has a gathering of representatives of the world rsquo s Catholic bishops sparked such interest and controversy as the extraordinary synod of bishops on the family which opens in the Vatican on October 5 While the agenda is very wide public interest has ma
Posted inIn All Things
Pope Calls on Fellow Jesuits to “Row Together” With Him
Pope Francis issued a heartfelt call to his brother Jesuits worldwide to ldquo row together rdquo with him as he rows with considerable effort in lsquo the barque of Peter rdquo and to ldquo pray a lot rdquo because ldquo the night and the powers of darkness are always close rdquo nbsp H
Posted inIn All Things
Pope Deposes Controversial Bishop Of Ciudad Del Este In Paraguay
Pope Francis has deposed the controversial bishop of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay Monsignor Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano by relieving him of his duties as bishop of that diocese and declaring the see vacant nbsp The bishop was accused not only of incardinating a priest into his diocese in 2005
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Moves to Protect Minors
Recent appointments make clear that the safeguarding of children and minors is a top priority of Francis’ pontificate.
Posted inNews
Former Vatican Nuncio Placed Under House Arrest
The former nuncio to the Dominican Republic Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski was placed under house arrest on Sept 23 to prevent him from escaping justice or tampering with evidence the Director of the Vatican Press Office Fr Federico Lombardi S J told reporters today He will be tried at the end
Posted inNews
Medical Condition Leads to House Arrest for Former Nuncio: Case appears ‘not to have modern precedent’
The Vatican has announced that the Holy See’s former nuncio to the Dominican Republic, Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, has been placed under house arrest inside the Vatican City State for the abuse of the minors in the Latin American state.The decision, which appears not to have a precedent in mo
Posted inIn All Things
Pope Francis Weeps As He Honors Albania’s Martyrs
I have been on many papal trips to foreign countries over the past thirty years and have experienced some profoundly moving and faith-filled moments on several of them but I had never before seen a Pope so overcome with emotion that he wept But that is what I witnessed on Sunday evening September
Posted inIn All Things
Pope in Albania: ‘Authentic Religion is a Source of Peace’
Pope Francis drew enthusiastic and prolonged applause when in his homily at mass in Mother Teresa Square in Tirana the capital of Albania attended by some 300 000 people mdash most of them Catholics but also very many Orthodox and Muslims mdash he greeted them saying ldquo May peace be in your
Posted inNews
A Pastor Committed to the Culture of Encounter and the Poor: In his most important decision to date in the United States, Pope Francis has chosen Bishop Blase Cupich for Chicago
Pope Francis has given a new direction to the American Church by appointing the bishop of Spokane, Blase Joseph Cupich, 65, as the ninth archbishop of Chicago.The archbishop-elect is a highly-talented leader, a pastor with vision, together with long, varied and successful pastoral and administrative