“I come as a pilgrim of peace and fraternity, in a world that greatly needs it,” the pope said in a video message to the “dear people of Morocco” on the eve of his visit this weekend.
Vatican Dispatch
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis meets with South Sudan president, encourages peace process in the country
The meeting between Pope Francis and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit “aimed at deepening relations between South Sudan and the Vatican.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
French court finds Cardinal Barbarin guilty of not reporting abuser priest
The court imposed a six-month suspended prison sentence on him, meaning he will not have to spend time in prison.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis will open the secret archives on Pope Pius XII
Pius, who was pope from 1939 to 1958, has been strongly attacked for not speaking out publicly against the Holocaust but defended by some for the vast hidden work he did to help many victims of the Nazis, fascists and communists.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
The Vatican summit on the protection of minors is over. What’s next?
The recent Vatican summit on the protection of minors ended on Feb. 24. Since then many have asked, “What’s next?”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Vatican to open canonical investigation into Cardinal Pell, now in Australian prison
If tried and found guilty, the penalties can vary depending on the seriousness of the crime and, often, the age of the accused; possible penalties include removal from office, restricted ministry, “a life of prayer and penance” without any public ministry and dismissal from the clerical state.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Vatican: Cardinal Pell news is ‘painful’ and he has right to defend himself to the end
The Vatican said the conviction is “a painful news that, we are well aware, has shocked very many persons, not only in Australia.” At the same time, “it reaffirmed maximum respect for the Australian judicial authorities.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Despite external pressure, little talk of homosexuality at Vatican abuse summit
“To generalize, to look at a whole category of people is never legitimate,” said Archbishop Charles Scicluna, one of the Vatican’s point man in the fight against sex abuse. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are “human conditions,” he said, adding, “they are not something that predisposes to sin.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis calls for an ‘all-out battle’ against the evil of sexual abuse
“I make a heartfelt appeal for an all-out battle against the abuse of minors both sexually and in other areas, on the part of all authorities and individuals, for we are dealing with abominable crimes that must be erased from the face of the earth,” the pope said.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Journalist at abuse summit: The press is not the enemy of the church
“The faithful do not forgive the lack of transparency because it is a new assault on the victims,” Valentina Alazraki, a Mexican television reporter, told the 190 church leaders attending the Vatican summit on the protection of minors.