Pope Francis opened up about tensions between himself and the private secretary of his predecessor Benedict XVI, German Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who he said made things “difficult” for him. Speaking to Spanish Journalist Javier Martinez-Brocal with ABC Español, Francis addressed comparisons between himself and Benedict, saying such comparisons are normal, and that even Benedict was…
In a new document published Monday, the Vatican presented a “seamless garment” approach to human dignity, uniting Pope Francis’s progressive social agenda with the traditional moral and ethical concerns of his predecessors. Closely associated with the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, the “seamless garment” approach to life issues in the Church consists of a…
Irish Ambassador to the Holy See Frances Collins has praised what she said is a strong relationship between Ireland and the Holy See despite historic tensions with the Catholic Church, saying they share several key foreign policy and humanitarian priorities. In an interview with Crux, Ms Collins addressed a number of topical issues including…
Late last Friday March 22 evening, the Vatican announced that after holding an all-day working session with members of the German bishops, the latter have assured their national reform process will be in keeping with Canon Law and will not move forward without the Holy See’s approval. In a statement published at 8pm local time,…
A top cardinal and leading papal diplomat has said that amid the ongoing war in Gaza, peace in the Holy Land requires a change of mentality in which both sides recognise and respect each other’s right to exist, regardless of whether there is one state or two. “I don’t know if two states are better…
Organisers of Pope Francis’s ongoing Synod of Bishops on Synodality have announced that ten different working groups hadvebeen formed in the Roman Curia to address specific topics that came out of last year’s session. These topics, they said, are restricted to issues mentioned inside of the synod hall and include hot-button questions such as…
When he was elected Successor of Peter in 2013, Pope Francis asked the pontifical academies to study the phenomenon of human trafficking, making the fight against it one of the first and most enduring hallmarks of his papacy. Now, it appears the Pope has set a new topic in his sights: So-called “gender theory”, saying…
After Pope Francis made remarks in a recent interview implying that Ukraine ought to raise a “white flag” and open negotiations in its ongoing war with Russia, his remarks were met with fierce backlash from both Ukrainian civil and ecclesial authorities. Speaking while making a visit to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish of Saint George…
A growing rift between the Vatican and Israel was exacerbated recently when the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See hit back against a top Vatican official who said the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza is disproportionate. On the margins of a February 13 event commemorating the 95th anniversary of the Lateran Pacts, which regularised the…
In a new interview, Pope Francis said he is in good health and denied any plans to resign, saying he has several foreign trips planned for this year, including a summer stop in Polynesia and a potential return trip to Argentina. Speaking of his health, Francis in the interview jested that “I’m still alive” despite…
