“The pope is not homophobic and never was,” the vice president of the Italian bishops’ conference said.
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
Vatican issues apology after Pope Francis’ use of an anti-gay slur
A day after news broke that Pope Francis had allegedly used a derogatory word in a private conversation with Italian bishops about gay men applying to Italian seminaries, the Vatican has issued an official response.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis says Italian seminaries should reject gay applicants
Pope Francis told the Italian bishops’ conference not to allow homosexual men to enter the seminary to train for the priesthood, according to Italian media reports.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis holds first World Children’s Day
Pope Francis decided to hold a World Children’s Day to draw global attention to the plight and suffering of so many of the world’s 2.3 billion children from poverty, war and the effects of climate change.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Vatican hosts conference on Catholicism in China featuring leading Chinese bishop
Marking the centenary of the first plenary council of the Catholic Church in China, the Vatican hosted a conference earlier this week on challenges and opportunities for Chinese Catholics.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
A brief history of the Catholic Church in modern China
An important international conference in Rome on May 21 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in China. Here’s what you need to know.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis on Pentecost: Christians are called to ‘tirelessly proclaim peace’
The pope devoted his entire Pentecost homily to describing how the Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians with both “power and gentleness.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Citing social media and abuses, Vatican updates norms for approving apparitions and visions
Today’s text from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith makes clear that henceforth, as a rule, the Holy See will not declare any alleged spiritual phenomenon, such as an apparition, as authentic‚ that is, “of divine origin.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Hope is the central message of Pope Francis’ decree for Jubilee Year 2025
Pope Francis today promulgated the decree, known as a “Bull of Indiction,” for the Jubilee Year 2025, which he will open in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24, 2024, and close on Jan. 6, 2026.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
The synod can’t succeed without parish priests, Pope Francis says in new letter
Pope Francis wrote a letter of encouragement to parish priests, who were largely missing from the first synod session.