Pope Francis is suffering from “a painful sciatica.”
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 tests negative for Covid-19 after two close advisors were infected
Two cardinals who work closely with Pope Francis tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. The pope’s test came back negative, the Italian news agency ANSA reported today.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis’ friendship with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar inspired the new International Day of Human Fraternity
The United Nations General Assembly decided unanimously that Feb. 4 be observed each year as the International Day of Human Fraternity, starting in 2021.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Two Vatican cardinals close to Pope Francis test positive for Covid-19
Two cardinals who work closely with Pope Francis have contracted Covid-19.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
The Top 7 Pope Francis Stories of 2020
As he enters his 84th year, Pope Francis continues to be an important source of hope and encouragement for countless people in a world where these are in short supply.
Posted inFaith, News
Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, hospitalized in Rome
Cardinal Parolin, 65, was admitted for surgery for an enlarged prostate, common in men over 50, and it is expected to leave the hospital in a few days.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq in March after getting a Covid vaccine
Vatican sources acknowledge the visit, which Pope Francis has long hoped for, is “risky” under current conditions.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
What Pope Francis’ friendship with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar means for Muslim-Christian relations
Cardinal Fitzgerald noted that Francis took inspiration for the encyclical not only from St. Francis of Assisi but also from the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb.
Posted inFaith, Interviews
This Jesuit leadership program is answering Pope Francis’ call for a ‘missionary church’
“The church is in the middle of a seismic change as it moves to a more synodal and discerning approach under the leadership of Pope Francis.”
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
The China-Vatican agreement has been extended. Now, Rome is looking for more from Beijing.
China has gained international prestige because of its relations with the Vatican. The Holy See should now seek to obtain more concrete results from its deal with Beijing.