The Vatican’s outgoing Secretary of State has lashed out at the “vipers” in the curia who undermined him – a day after Pope Francis named his successor. Asked about his seven years in office by the Ansa news agency, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said: “I see the record of the past seven years as positive. Of Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Bertone’
Parolin a telling choice as Pope Francis’ No 2
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013
Vatican watchers and even cardinals have been anxious to see how effective Pope Francis will be in tackling much-needed Curia reforms, and on Saturday he made what might be the single most important appointment in his tenure – and one that gives every sign that the Argentinian pontiff means business when he talks about change. Read more
Media muzzle dampens cardinals’ New Evangelization effort
Friday, March 8th, 2013
Shutting down the US Cardinals’ media briefing is akin to shutting down efforts in New Evangelisation. This is how conservative Catholic columnist George Weigel, writing in the National Review Online, describes the media blackout on Cardinals that came into force yesterday. In the name of transparency, U.S. cardinals had held a series of parallel news briefings with the Read more
Vatican spokesman: Wiretapping limited and insignificant
Monday, March 4th, 2013
The Vatican, Thursday confirmed reports that it had ordered wiretaps on the phones of some Vatican officials. The wiretaps were part of its Vatileaks investigation. The admission came as Panorama magazine reported Thursday, that the Vatican Secretariat of State had ordered wiretaps on the phones of several Vatican prelates as part of an investigation into Read more
Opinion: New pope, new opportunities at Vatican
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
As Catholics, the media and people from all around the world try and digest Pope Benedict’s resignation, I think it’s fair to ask ‘why’, and ‘why now.’ Benedict says his health is not up to it. That seems fair. If the Pope says he’s not up to it, I think we have to believe him Read more
Top Vatican official calls for free universal access to AIDS therapy
Tuesday, June 26th, 2012The Vatican secretary of state called for free universal access to AIDS drugs and AIDS therapy, and insisted it begin by giving the drugs to HIV-positive pregnant women. “We cannot continue to tolerate the deaths of so many mothers; we cannot but think of thousands of babies as a lost generation,” said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Read more
Under attack Vatican Department has great unity – Bertone
Friday, June 22nd, 2012
The Vatican’s under-fire top official, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, says there is great unity in his department. “Personally, I don’t sense any sign of cardinals or church personalities being involved in any conquest of some phantom power,” he said. Bertone admitted the Secretariat of State is facing difficult times, but went on the Read more
Vatileaks, LCWR, Farley — and Benedict in Milan
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
In moments of crisis, there’s a natural desire among many Catholics to rally around the flag, meaning to show support for the church and the pope. It’s not about denial, because Catholics are nothing if not sober realists about the church’s failures. It’s instead about saying to the world that despite it all, there’s still Read more
Under-siege Vatican PM speaks for first time about Vatileaks
Friday, June 8th, 2012
Speaking for the first time on the topic of Vatileaks, the Vatican’s Secretary of State (Prime Minister), Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, told an Italian television interviewer that Pope Benedict is not overly worried by the scandal. “He doesn’t allow himself to be frightened by attacks, of any sort, nor by the hard accumulation of prejudices,” Bertone Read more
More Vatican leaks
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
New leaks from the Vatican over the weekend meant there was no respite for Pope Benedict, in Milan to celebrate an event focusing on family values. In its Sunday edition, Rome newspaper La Repubblica published more documents saying it received them anonymously after the arrest of the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele. The paper also received a Read more