Voices

Gerard O’Connell is America’s 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.
Signs Of the Times
Cardinal John Tong Hon of Hong Kong has issued “an urgent appeal” to the Chinese authorities in Beijing to halt the demolition of crosses in the province of Zhejiang in eastern China. “The cross is the sign most representative of the Christian faith,” the cardinal reminded Ch
Vatican Dispatch
Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo and the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, signed the accord during an official ceremony at the Government Palace in Dili, the capital city, on August 14.
Dispatches
More than 1,000 crosses have been forcibly removed from churches since early 2014.
Dispatches
Ken Hackett has a distinguished record in the humanitarian field having worked for 40 years with Catholic Relief Services.
Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis is convinced that the Holy Spirit is active in popular movements.
Dispatches
Catholics who have divorced and are remarried “are always part of the church."
Dispatches
The ordination of Father Joseph Zhang Yinlin, 44, as coadjutor bishop of Anyang diocese in Henan province, mainland China, on August 4 was conducted in a way that respects church law and would appear to signal that the Chinese authorities wish to reach an accord with the Holy See.
Dispatches
In what could be a bellwether for Sino-Vatican relations for the first time in three years a bishop approved by the Holy See will be ordained for the Catholic Church in mainland China on August 4 Father Joseph Zhang Yinlin will be ordained then as pastor of the diocese of Anyang in the province of
Vatican Dispatch
I have been on all the foreign trips Francis has made since becoming pope, but his visit in July to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay revealed new dimensions of the man and the impact of his ministry.“We love people, not concepts or ideas,” he declared during a Mass in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. T
Dispatches
ldquo I believe the pope rsquo s visit has the potential to help us continue to pursue what makes this country great a concern for others a willingness to help others and a commitment to tackle tough problems rdquo That is what the new archbishop of Santa Fe John Wester said when I asked him