Messages saying Pope Francis is the anti-pope have appeared in the sky above Italy’s most populated beaches this summer. Small planes are being used to deliver them. “Benedict is in sedes impedita” another message said. That was delivered over 350 kilometres of the Adriatic coast on Sunday. It referred to a term known within the Read more
The public prosecutor’s office in Munich has officially closed a preliminary investigation into Benedict XVI concerning allegations that he covered up sexual abuse decades ago when he was cardinal-archbishop in the Bavarian capital. The prosecutors closed the inquiry on March 21, saying they were unable to substantiate the accusations made against Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in Read more
Pope Francis marks the 10th anniversary of his election on March 13 having outlasted the conservative opposition that failed to bring him down and which is now at a crossroads, seeking new direction following the deaths of two of its figureheads. The conservative-progressive divide has been a recurrent theme of the past 10 years, since Read more
Pope Francis has accused some of his critics of exploiting the death of Pope Benedict for their own gain. During a recent press conference, the Pope spoke out against those who sought to score political points in the wake of Benedict’s death on December 31st. “I think Benedict’s death was exploited,” Francis said. “People wanted Read more
Some popes go out with a bang. The announcement of Pope John Paul II’s death in 2005 reverberated around the world, and in Rome, locals will tell you that his funeral was the biggest one in memory: Cars were abandoned mid traffic, as mobs rushed toward St Peter’s Basilica. An estimated 3 million faithful lined Read more
Who was Benedict XVI? The question sounds odd because the answer must be so obvious. For nearly eight years, until his stunning decision to resign on the last day of February 2013, Joseph Ratzinger was pope, the most visible exponent of Catholicism in the world—a universal pastor and renowned theologian, who presented his ideas and Read more
I first met Joseph Ratzinger in June 1994 when he was the cardinal prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. No, I was not being interrogated by the Grand Inquisitor. This was long before I got in trouble with the Vatican as editor-in-chief of America magazine. I was in Rome to interview Read more
When, at this late hour of my life, I look back on the decades I have wandered through, I see first of all how much reason I have to give thanks. Above all, I thank God Himself, the giver of all good gifts, who has given me life and guided me through all kinds of Read more
Christmas and Easter are the two most important liturgical seasons in the Christian Church. And in a sort of symbolic way they served as bookends to the life and death of Joseph Ratzinger, the priest and theologian who eventually became Pope Benedict XVI — the first Roman Pontiff in 600 years to voluntarily renounce the Read more
The Vatican has detailed rituals and procedures to follow when a pope dies, but it has not published such rules for a pope emeritus. As a result, official word Wednesday that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had worsened prompted questions about what happens if and when he dies. The answer is: There is Read more