After postponing his trip last July, Pope Francis has rescheduled for January 31-February 5 his trip to Congo and his ecumenical visit to South Sudan, the Vatican announced. With the Pope’s mobility still impaired, the new schedule for the trip has been trimmed slightly from what was planned in July, according to the scheduled released…
Migration across the Mediterranean Sea is as old as humanity, and while some governments say they want to stop that movement of people, it will not and should not happen, Pope Francis said. “Migration is essential to the well-being of this area and cannot be stopped. Therefore, it is in the interest of all parties…
Prefect of Vatican economy office steps down Three years after Pope Francis appointed him to speed up financial reforms, transparency and budget controls at the Vatican, Jesuit Fr Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves has resigned for health reasons. The Vatican announced November 30 that Fr Guerrero was stepping down as prefect of the Secretariat for the…
The Vatican said on Saturday that Chinese authorities had violated the terms stipulated in its provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops. A statement released on November 26 said that “the Holy See noted with surprise and regret” that Bishop John Peng Weizhao had been installed as an “auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi,” a diocese that…
Cardinal Joseph Zen and five others were found guilty on Friday of failing to register a fund that helped pay for the legal fees and medical treatments of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. The 90-year-old cardinal and former bishop of Hong Kong was fined about $500 (HK$4,000). Each of the other trustees of the now-defunct 612…
Nigerian sisters and their communities are raising awareness about violence against women and child abuse and spreading their prevention mechanisms among young people in Nigeria. Through the African Faith and Justice Network, a Washington-based advocacy organisation, they work with traditional leaders and government departments for stronger legislation against domestic violence targeted at women. Since it…
Ambassador chosen to lead Eastern Churches dicastery Pope Francis has appointed a papal ambassador and expert in Eastern languages and literature to lead the Vatican Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, 67, has been apostolic nuncio to Great Britain since July 2020. The Italian was undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches…
Pope Francis has suspended the secretary-general and other top officers of Caritas Internationalis, appointing a temporary administrator to oversee improved management policies and to prepare for the election of new officers in May. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, whose second term as Caritas president was to end in May, also loses his position, although he is…
Catholic leaders have condemned the November 19 attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that killed at least five people and injured at least 25. Seven of those wounded were in critical condition. The Church leaders – the archbishop of Denver, leaders of religious orders and congregations, and a Catholic outreach group to…
Madrid football head doctor calls Pope Francis ‘very stubborn patient’ The Vatican has recruited the head doctor of a Madrid soccer team among a team of specialists to help treat Pope Francis’ knee problem. José María Villalón, a sports medicine specialist and the head doctor of the Atlético de Madrid soccer team, described the Pope…