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.
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 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.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Cardinal McElroy to lead D.C. archdiocese, Vatican announces
Pope Francis has appointed San Diego’s Cardinal Robert W. McElroy—seen in Rome as one of the intellectual heavyweights in the U.S. hierarchy—as the new archbishop of Washington D.C.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis urges war-torn world to walk through ‘door of peace’ on Christmas
Pope Francis prayed that the Jubilee Year may become “a season of hope” and reconciliation in a world at war and suffering humanitarian crises as he opened the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis delivers Christmas greeting to Roman Curia: ‘Speak well of others’
In Francis’ 12th Christmas address to the Roman Curia, he reminded them, “An ecclesial community lives in joyful and fraternal harmony to the extent that its members walk the path of humility.”
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis reveals he survived two assassination attempts during visit to Iraq
In a new autobiography, Pope Francis revealed that he escaped two assassination attempts during his visit to Iraq in March 2021, including one involving a young woman who was believed to be attempting a suicide bombing.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis praises popular piety in first-ever visit to Corsica
Pope Francis, on his first visit to Corsica, praised the island people’s deep faith and tradition of popular piety. On December 5, thousands of Corsicans gathered in Ajaccio to welcome the first pope ever to visit the island.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
After skipping the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris, Pope Francis heads to Corsica. Here’s what to expect.
Pope Francis’ visit to Corsica will be his third visit to France, though he has yet to visit Paris.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
A busy weekend for Pope Francis: The Immaculate Conception, a consistory and prayers for death row inmates in the United States
Pope Francis offered a heartfelt appeal for death row prisoners in the United States, which significantly comes as Joe Biden, the second Catholic president in the country’s history, nears the end of his term.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Exclusive: an interview with the cardinal-elect archbishop of Tokyo
When Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi receives the red hat and cardinal’s ring from Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, he will be the seventh Japanese cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church.