Onboard his flight to Mongolia, Pope Francis said he knew some people were upset by the remarks, but the church must keep moving forward. “They got angry, but let’s move on, move on.”
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
China forbids Catholic bishops and faithful from joining Pope Francis in Mongolia
No bishop from mainland China has been allowed to travel to Mongolia as Pope Francis makes the first-ever visit by the leader of the Catholic Church to this vast landlocked country sandwiched between China and Russia.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Pope Francis speaks out against his critics in the U.S. Catholic Church
Pope Francis commented that the situation in the Catholic Church in the United States is “not easy,” where “there is a very strong reactionary attitude” that “is organized and shapes the way people belong, even emotionally.”
Posted inFaith, Of Many Things
Pope Francis is one of the oldest popes in history—but he’s showing no sign of slowing down.
87 is the new 60 at the Vatican.
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis makes surprise appointment of missionary as Lisbon Patriarch
Bishop Valério’s nomination came as a surprise to many since Pope Francis had named Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar, auxiliary bishop of Lisbon, a cardinal on July 9. It had been wrongly presumed then that the pope would appoint the cardinal-elect as the new patriarch after the World Youth Day celebrations.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
‘He is helping us!’ Zelensky discusses Pope Francis’ peace efforts in Ukraine in new interview
“I have had two [face-to-face] meetings with Pope Francis, and other members of the government have met him, too,” Ukraine’s President Zelensky said in an interview. “I am most grateful to him for these encounters. He is helping us!”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis at World Youth Day: ‘Live each day with hearts free of fear.’
In his homily for the closing Mass at World Youth Day, Pope Francis preached on The Transfiguration and its lessons for young people. He also announced that there will be a Jubilee for young people in Rome in 2025 and that the next World Youth Day will be held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, in 2027.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis prays for peace at Fátima: Mary ‘always hastens to us whenever there is trouble.’
Though he did not mention Ukraine specifically, Pope Francis used his visit today to the Fátima shrine in Portugal to pray for peace.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis to university students in Portugal: Your degree is a mandate to work for a better society.
“This old man now speaking to you also dreams that yours will become a generation of teachers! Teachers of humanity. Teachers of compassion….Teachers of hope.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
In Portugal, Pope Francis challenges Europe to invest in young people, not weapons
On his arrival in Lisbon for World Youth Day, Aug. 2, Pope Francis issued a heartfelt plea for peace.