Pope Francis used the e-word against the mob for the first time this weekend. The Holy Father was celebrating mass on Saturday in Calabria, a mob-heavy region in southern Italy, when he deviated from his prepared remarks and announced that the mafia are excommunicated. “Those who go down the evil path, as the Mafiosi do, are Read more
Italy’s Catholic bishops have condemned a proposed law that would fast-track divorce in their country. Legislation to allow divorce in 6 months where both parties agree, and 12 months where they don’t, has passed in Italy’s lower house of Parliament. It now heads to Italy’s Senate, where it is expected to pass. “Speedy divorce will Read more
The Leonardo Express rumbles from Rome’s airport right to the city centre. After 32 minutes, it arrives at its final destination, Termini, the city’s central station. An ad in a pedestrian tunnel at the station reads, “Roma Termini — a Place to Live.” Some have taken the message quite literally. It’s 11:10 p.m. Stranded people Read more
It was a gift first thing in the morning. I noticed on my Facebook newsfeed a story about an Sr Cristina Scuccia, an Italian member of the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family, and her stunning performance of “No One” (originally by Alicia Keys) on the Italian version of the popular tv show, The Voice. Her Read more
Sister Candida Bellotti turned 107 years old on Thursday, and she is believed to be the oldest living nun in the world. Naturally, she has a thing or two to say about longevity and living well. Born in 1907 in Verona, Italy, Candida joined the Camillian nuns more than 80 years ago and has spent Read more
They come seeking refuge, but when asylum seekers cross into the European Union, they often find little compassion. In Greece, they are held in squalid detention camps, while in Italy they often end up on the street. Here is what they face at entry points across the EU. They know they are putting their lives Read more
Giulio Tremonti, a former economy minister in Italy, said he was suing 30-year-old journalist Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, a member of the new Vatican financial reform panel, over tweets she made claiming he is gay. Tremonti said he was also suing Alessandro Sallustri, editor-in-chief of Il Giornale daily that printed tweets by Chaouqui. Chaouqui has been Read more
A crisis of sorts is developing in the appointment of Catholic bishops worldwide as a backlog of 187 sees (excluding China) remain vacant, writes Edward Pentin in the National Catholic Register. Half of Scotland’s ordinaries — four out of eight — have yet to be appointed. The Philippines has nine sees without a bishop, and Read more
Last September, Il Partito Democratico, the Italian Democratic Party, asked me to talk about politics and the internet at its summer school in Cortona. Political summer schools are usually pleasant — Cortona is a medieval Tuscan hill town with excellent restaurants — and unexciting. Academics and public intellectuals give talks organised loosely around a theme; Read more
On Monday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti met Benedict XVI at the pope’s retreat in Castel Gandolfo, signifying the end of the summer doldrums. A brief Vatican statement said the exchange focused on the “European situation,” understood to mean the Eurozone’s massive debt crisis, high unemployment and generally dismal economic outlook. It was the fifth Read more