Pope Francis has appointed Juan Carlos Cruz—a well-known Chilean victim of abuse, international advocate for survivors of clerical abuse and a gay man—to the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors.
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: Moral theology must concern reality and people, not just principles
“It is necessary that knowledge becomes practical through listening and welcoming of the least ones, the fragile ones, and the one who is considered discarded by society,” the pope said in a message to moral theologians today.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis spoke out against oppression in Myanmar. Why is he silent on China and Hong Kong?
This is the second installment of a three-part series of interviews with Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq was a historic breakthrough. But will it lead to greater peace in the Middle East?
An interview with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, on Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq and what’s next for Vatican diplomacy in the Middle East.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Vatican sources suspect Pope Francis was distancing himself from CDF statement on same-sex unions in address
According to three sources, it was significant that Francis called on Christians and the church to give witness to Jesus “not with theoretical condemnations but with gestures of love.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Vatican, with Pope Francis’ approval, says priests cannot bless same-sex couples
The Vatican has issued a statement in which it declares that “the church does not have, and cannot have, the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex.” It said Pope Francis “was informed and gave his assent” to its publication.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis celebrates 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines
Pope Francis recalled that when the Christian message first arrived, “You received the joy of the Gospel: the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
The Vatican restricts Traditional Latin Mass and suppresses private Masses at St. Peter’s Basilica
A new Vatican instruction seeks to ensure that there is order in the celebration of the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and that Masses are celebrated in accordance with the norms and spirit of the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican Council.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis signs off on Vatican budget with a multimillion-dollar deficit
The Holy See’s income for 2021 is down 30 percent, so it has to draw on reserves to cover the budget deficit and avoid layoffs.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis says Iraq trip brought him ‘back to life’ after a year in Covid prison
In an hour-long press conference on the plane to Rome, Francis spoke about how he felt he had “come back to life again” during the visit, after more than a year in “prison” when he could not meet people.