“We wish him much wisdom,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said about Donald J. Trump, the day after he was elected as the 47th president of the United States of America.
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
Interview: Why Cardinal McElroy is ‘very happy’ with the results of the synod
Cardinal McElroy shared his reflections on the synod with America Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell in this wide-ranging interview at the North American College in Rome.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis’ new encyclical is a window into his own love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus
In his fourth encyclical, “Dilexit Nos,” Pope Francis calls on believers to rediscover devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and, through it, to love our brothers and sisters in the church and world.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Interview: Why Hong Kong’s Jesuit cardinal Stephen Chow has hope for Vatican-China relations
In an exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell, Cardinal Chow discusses the renewal of the Vatican-China deal, signs of growing trust between the two parties and the Communist Party’s push to “sinicize religion.”
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod diary: Predictions on what the final doc might say, and what Pope Francis will do with it
“There is no going back!” That is the message I am hearing from many delegates during the final week of the Synod on Synodality as they refine the proposals of the draft final document.
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
There’s confusion at the synod. That might be a good sign.
Confusion at this stage in the synod may not be a bad thing. As Pope Francis has often said, the Holy Spirit first creates confusion and then brings harmony.
Posted inFaith
Pope Francis calls on Israel to ‘respect’ U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon
Pope Francis appealed for “respect” for the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon that have been hit by Israeli forces this past week.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.
Pope Francis will create 21 new cardinals on December 8, 20 of whom can vote for a new pope. Among them are Frank Leo, archbishop of Toronto, and Timothy Radcliffe, former master of the Dominicans.
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: The synod’s call to conversion
Conversion is never easy, but participants from all continents must undergo conversion if the synod is to successfully carry out its task, Gerard O’Connell writes.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis addresses war in the Middle East, sexual abuse and abortion on plane home from Belgium
Pope Francis answered questions on Israel, sexual abuse, the role of women in society and abortion.