Cardinal Bo expressed his immense joy, and that of the 750,000 Catholics in this majority-Buddhist country of 52 million people, that Pope Francis has decided to celebrate Mass for peace in Myanmar on Sunday, May 16, in St. Peter’s Basilica.
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
Lay people have been passing on the Catholic faith for 2,000 years. Now Pope Francis has made it an official ministry
The lay ministry of catechist, the pope said, gives recognition to “those lay men and women who feel called by virtue of their baptism to cooperate in the work of catechesis.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Vatican sends letter to U.S. bishops: Don’t rush the debate on Communion, politicians and abortion
Cardinal Luis F. Ladaria, S.J., the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has sent a letter to Archbishop José H. Gomez that may lead to a reconsideration of the plan of some bishops to get the conference to approve a document regarding “the worthiness to receive Communion” of Catholic politicians.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis calls for an end to clashes in Jerusalem
Pope Francis: “I pray that Jerusalem may be a place of encounter and not of violent clashes, a place of prayer and of peace.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Cardinal Czerny remembers famous Hungarian Cardinal Mindszenty on 46th anniversary of his death
“The 1950s were a time of recovery, the beginning of prosperity in the West,” Cardinal Czerny told the congregation, among whom were Hungarian clergy and laity, and diplomats from other countries. “There was even hope of new freedom in the Communist world
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Cardinals and bishops to lose special legal privileges under new papal decree
With today’s decree, Pope Francis abolished privilege in matters of civil and penal matters, making it possible for ordinary Vatican tribunals to judge cardinals and bishops.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis issued a sweeping anti-corruption decree. How will it affect Vatican operations?
Pope Francis introduces significant changes to the “General Regulations of the Roman Curia,” to prohibit Vatican officials and related entities from accepting or soliciting money or gifts valued at more than 40 euros (around $50), either for themselves or for someone else.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Where else will Pope Francis travel in 2021?
Francis shocked the world when he traveled to Iraq earlier this year despite the ongoing pandemic. And the 84-year-old pope hopes to visit several more countries in the second half of 2021.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis appoints San Diego’s Bishop McElroy to board of Vatican office promoting human development
Besides Bishop McElroy, there are four other Americans on the board, including Mary Haddad, R.S.M., the president and C.E.O. of the Catholic Health Association of the United States.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
An inside look at how Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar have revolutionized Catholic-Muslim relations
A new book takes readers behind the scenes of the unlikely friendship between the leader of the Catholic Church and the head of the most prestigious and influential Islamic institute in the world.