To understand the significance of the Jubilee and its seven-centuries-old tradition in the Catholic Church, it is necessary first to recall its biblical origins and the historical events that have shaped it.
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 inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis to U.S. Catholic bishops: Oppose mass deportations
The letter also stated that Francis disagrees with identifying the illegal status of migrants with criminality, and called on the bishops “to walk together” and defend the human dignity of the migrants in their country.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
New Vatican document on A.I. warns against ‘creating a substitute for God’
As the United States and China vie for primacy in the field of artificial intelligence, the Vatican today issued a wide-ranging reflection on “the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence.”
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis assures Donald Trump of his prayers, but says mass deportations would be a ‘disgrace’
Pope Francis sent “cordial greetings” and “assurance of my prayers” to Donald J. Trump on Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
As ceasefire begins, Pope Francis prays for reconciliation and peace between Israel and Gaza
Pope Francis expressed the hope that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19, “would be respected immediately by all the parties [involved]” and would lead to “the release of all the hostages” and the rapid provision of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Cardinal ‘Ambo’ David: ‘We’re not Catholic if we believe that God wants to save only Catholics’
“I think the synod is Francis’ way of concretizing his challenge to get [us] out of self-referentiality in the church, that we don’t just stick to our churchy language and deal only with fellow Catholics,” Cardinal David tells ‘America.’
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis falls, suffers bruise but no fractures
The fall resulted “in a contusion to the right forearm, without any fracture,” but “the arm has been immobilized as a precautionary measure,” the Vatican stated.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Interview: Why Cardinal ‘Ambo’ David received ‘a lot of death threats’ in Duterte’s Philippines
In an exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell, Cardinal Pablo ‘Ambo’ David describes serving the poor in the Philippines during President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis addresses war, fake news and our reasons for hope in New Year address to diplomats
Warning of “the increasingly concrete threat of a world war,” Pope Francis called for “the diplomacy of hope” in his address to the ambassadors of the 184 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Historic first: Pope Francis appoints woman as prefect of Vatican dicastery
In a groundbreaking decision, Pope Francis has appointed the Italian missionary nun, Simona Brambilla, M.C., as prefect of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.