Gerard O’Connell

Pope Francis said ldquo the unjust aggressor rdquo against the minorities in Iraq ldquo must be stopped rdquo but he added no one state can decide to intervene by itself nbsp The crime of aggression has to be taken to the UN to decide which are the best means to stop the aggressor He made c

Pope Francis opened new horizons for the Catholic Churches in Asia with a groundbreaking talk to 70 bishops from 36 countries of this vast continent on August 17 in which he encouraged them to engage in a dialogue that is based not only on identity but which also has to be done with ldquo empathy

Vatican Correspondent Gerry O’Connell reports from South Korea.

Pope Francis addressed the downside of the prosperous highly competitive South Korean society on the second day of his visit here He did so in words that went to the root of the concerns that are growing in the hearts of very many people here both Christian and non and especially of the young He

Pope Francis is not a man to ignore the real problems that touch people rsquo s lives It came as no surprise therefore that on his first day in Korea he zoned in with passion on the urgent need for peace and reconciliation in this divided peninsula The urgency was highlighted even more by the fact

On the flight from Rome to South Korea 40 minutes after take-off a smiling Pope Francis came to the back of the plane to greet the 72 journalists from 11 countries including 10 from South Korea who were traveling with him He was greeted with applause and smiles but then a shocked silence descen

On his first visit to Asia as pope Francis is going to South Korea He left the Rome airport at four o rsquo clock in the afternoon local time today August 13 on board an Alitalia flight His main reason for visiting Korea is to participate in the sixth Asian Youth Day that is being held in Daej

An interview with Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Pope Francis will travel to Korea from Aug 13 to 18 He is going there for a meeting with young people from 30 Asian countries at the Sixth Asian Youth Day and to beatify 124 Korean martyrs from the first 50 years of the Catholic Church rsquo s existence in this East-Asian nation that was evangel

Holy Land bishops want “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.