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.
In All Things
I have been on many papal trips to foreign countries over the past thirty years and have experienced some profoundly moving and faith-filled moments on several of them but I had never before seen a Pope so overcome with emotion that he wept But that is what I witnessed on Sunday evening September
In All Things
Pope Francis drew enthusiastic and prolonged applause when in his homily at mass in Mother Teresa Square in Tirana the capital of Albania attended by some 300 000 people mdash most of them Catholics but also very many Orthodox and Muslims mdash he greeted them saying ldquo May peace be in your
News
Pope Francis has given a new direction to the American Church by appointing the bishop of Spokane, Blase Joseph Cupich, 65, as the ninth archbishop of Chicago.The archbishop-elect is a highly-talented leader, a pastor with vision, together with long, varied and successful pastoral and administrative
In All Things
Pope Francis is going to Albania on Sunday Sept 21 It is his first visit to a European country and he has chosen to go to the only majority Muslim country on the periphery of the old continent where Christians and Muslims who suffered under communism now live together in harmony and have formed
Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis wants to stop the downward spiral of inhumanity, and believes the media can play an important role.
In All Things
Pope Francis has invited the President of China Xi Jinping to meet him in the Vatican to discuss world peace but he has also expressed his own willingness to travel ldquo tomorrow rdquo to Beijing for this same purpose if that were preferable He issued the invitation in a letter which he signe
In All Things
"We have to tell people, tell politicians, to work harder because peace is possible."
Vatican Dispatch
Some Chinese youths risked their security to see the pope and attend Asian Youth Day.
In All Things
The Vatican has published the names of the 253 persons who will participate at the Synod of Bishops on the Family October 5-19 Among them are cardinals bishops priests men and women religious 14 married couples and representatives of the other Christian churches Since this is an Extraordinary
In All Things
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Sean Brady the Primate of All Ireland less than a month after he turned 75 the official age of retirement for a bishop The Vatican gave no reason for the pope rsquo s decision but informed sources say it is directly linked to the cardinal rsq