A day in the fast lane would be a fair description of Pope Francis’s day in Milan. During the whirlwind trip on Saturday, Francis found time to visit a housing project, Muslim families and elderly people. He also spoke with clergy and religious, had lunch at a prison and finished off by meeting newly confirmed Read more
Last Friday Pope Francis met the President of Fiji, Jioji Konousi Konrote, in a private audience at the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Konrote presented Pope Francis with a lali (Fiji wooden gong) carved from a mahogany tree that once stood outside Fiji’s state-house that was destroyed by Cyclone Winston. “The wooden lali carving was symbolic to Read more
The canonisation of Fatima children Jacinta and Francisco Marto will take place when Pope Francis visits the Portuguese shrine in May. Read more
Some self-declared Catholic traditionalists have been complaining bitterly that there is much confusion and division within the Catholic Church. They blame it all on Pope Francis and especially on the challenging program he has launched for ecclesial renewal and reform. In doing so, they are de facto opposing the pope—especially his more merciful and pastoral Read more
Water is a treasure and we must protect it, says Pope Francis. During yesterday’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, he especially welcomed visitors participating in the “Watershed” Conference. Timed to take place on 22 March – World Water Day – the conference focus was on “replenishing water values for a thirsty world”. Francis told Read more
The Pope has begged the Rwandan President Paul Kagame for forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s part in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Francis said the Vatican acknowledges the church was in part to blame for the genocide, as were some Catholic priests and nuns. He said these priests and nuns had “succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying Read more
Pope Francis explained what a good confessor’s like to hundreds of priests last Friday. There are three particular characteristics Francis highlighted when speaking to the priests at the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican court. The Apostolic Penitentiary deals with issues concerning the sacrament of confession. Francis says the first characteristic is the priest “must be a Read more
Pope Francis is making progress in cleaning up the Vatican’s hidden financial corners. He has invited international financial watchdog, Moneyval, to check the accounts. He has also had the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (AIF) have a look at the Holy See’s finances. The AIF has found 23 cases of suspected financial irregularity. It has sent Read more
Pope Francis will definitely visit Egypt next month. The Vatican has confirmed Francis will visit Egypt on 28 and 29 April. He will visit to the Al-Azhar university and mosque in Cairo, widely considered the most significant center of learning in the Sunni Muslim world. Read more
More nonsense about the Pope is doing the rounds. The Vatican said most people will realise the current story is “absurd”. The latest nonsense is said to have started at a fake news site called RealNewsRightNow.com The story says Francis said God told him to revise the Ten Commandments. Francis agreed to do so and Read more