“The surgery on the pope has finished,” the Vatican press office said in a statement on the evening of June 7. “It was done without complications, and lasted three hours.”
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
Pope Francis returned to Gemelli Hospital today for a scheduled check-up
Because his check-up was on Tuesday, a day on which he normally does not have any audiences in the Vatican, it seems reasonable to say the visit was scheduled in advance.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis’ peace envoy is in Ukraine—but neither side is ready for a ceasefire
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has begun a two-day peace mission in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, today, “as the envoy of the Holy Father Francis,” the Vatican announced on June 5.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis tells Benedict XVI’s controversial private secretary he must leave the Vatican by July 1
According to many in the Vatican, Archbishop Gänswein’s tell-all book published shortly after Benedict’s death revealed a lack of trustworthiness, loyalty and reserve on the part of a man who was meant to be serving two popes.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
What an Argentinian nun has seen on the frontlines of Ukraine after 18 trips
Sister Lucía Caram, an Argentinian nun living in Spain, has made 18 journeys to the war-torn country over the past 15 months, usually bringing humanitarian aid and returning home with refugees or wounded soldiers.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Update: Pope Francis has asked Cardinal Matteo Zuppi to conduct Ukraine peace mission
Pope Francis’ peace mission, which he first announced on April 30, now appears to be underway.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Interview: New Vatican charity leaders look to the future after workplace crisis
Caritas Internationalis held its general assembly in Rome last week and elected a new leadership team to coordinate its work in more than 200 countries.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis meets with President Zelensky in the Vatican for first time since the war in Ukraine began
Pope Francis emphasized in particular “the urgent need for ‘gestures of humanity’ towards the most fragile persons, the innocent victims of the conflict.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Reports: Zelensky could visit Pope Francis in first papal meeting since beginning of war
President Zelensky could visit Pope Francis in his possible trip to Rome this weekend, which would be an extraordinary and highly significant development.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis’ secret Ukraine-Russia peace mission, explained
Gerard O’Connell explains what we know about Pope Francis’ secret peace “mission” to end the war in Ukraine.