Last Saturday’s meeting between Pope Francis and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Latter Day Saints) president Russell M. Nelson was the the first such meeting between leaders of the two churches. The historic meeting was held the evening before the Latter Day Saints dedicated a new temple in Rome. Although the Vatican Read more
Female leaders from the secular world and some of the highest-ranking women in the Vatican spoke positively of the pope and the church at International Women’s Day events in Rome last week. One of those women, Australian journalist Geraldine Doogue, lent her support to major institutions including the Catholic Church. Speaking at an event organised Read more
Pope Francis says the Vatican archives on Holocaust-era Pope Pius XII will be opened next year. Pius’s role – helping or ignoring the plight of Jews during the holocaust – has been much debated. On the one hand, he has often been criticised by Jews for his apparent silence during the holocaust. On the other, Read more
Pope Francis says service, not party affiliation, makes a politician Catholic. This involves dedication to promoting the common good, particularly through listening to and empowering people who are often overlooked. The pope was speaking to a group of young Latin American leaders attending a course on politics and the social teaching of the church. The Read more
A priest and author of a new book on the “Hail Mary” says papal devotion to Mary reflects their belief that she’s most feared by the devil. Read more
Catholics must be recognise their own sins and shortcomings when giving correction and guide to others, Pope Francis says. “So many times, we all know, it is easier or more convenient to discern and condemn the defects and sins of others, without being able to see our own with just as much clarity,” he said Read more
The Vatican summit on the protection of minors has ended and the Church’s future direction is set. In his final address at the Summit, Pope Francis committed the church to do everything possible to eradicate sexual abuse. He said he wants it gone – not just from the church itself but from society as a Read more
The Vatican’s rules for priests who father children will not be made public. Alessandro Gisotti, a Vatican spokesman, says a 2017 document synthesised a decade’s worth of procedures and that its “fundamental principle” was the “protection of the child”. The document is for internal use only. Gisotti explains the rules say a priest who fathered Read more
Pope Francis has lifted sanctions imposed on Fr Ernesto Cardenal of Nicaragua in 1984. On Monday, Archbishop Waldemar Sommertag, the Vatican nuncio in Nicaragua, said Pope Francis had “granted with benevolence the absolution of all canonical censures” imposed on Cardenal. Cardenal (94) was suspended from his priestly ministry and duties by St John Paul II Read more
A New Zealand sexual abuse survivor, Darryl Smith, has gone to the Vatican to take part in survivor meetings, coinciding with a gathering of the leaders of bishops’ conferences from around the world. Smith is hopeful of an audience with Pope Francis while in Rome. With him he is carrying a letter of introduction from Read more