Pope Francis and the Grand Imam al-Azhar signed a declaration on human fraternity during the first-ever papal visit to the Arabian peninsula last week. They signed the declaration in front of a global audience of religious leaders from Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other faiths. The declaration covers the need to work for peace, protect religious freedom, permit Read more
Pope Francis has given his blessing for the feast day for St. Paul VI has been added to the universal calendar. His feast day will be on the anniversary of his ordination – 29 May. St. Paul VI was pope from 1963 to 1978. Read more
Pope Francis has released three cardinals from the C9 – his Council of Cardinals. Members of the Council (known as the C9 because there are nine cardinals making up the papal advisory group) advise the pope on Church governance and reform. Its work places a special emphasis on the reform of Pastor Bonus, the apostolic Read more
Catholics in India are celebrating the resignation of a corrupt Catholic bishop. Pope Francis agreed to the resignation of the bishop who is facing allegations of stealing funds to maintain his “secret family.” Read more
Pope Francis and Palestine’s president Mahmoud Abbas, who met on Monday at the Vatican, discussed a number of topics including Christian persecution, the status of Jerusalem and a two-state solution for the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Vatican says the good relations between the Holy See and Palestine were noted during the meeting, “as Read more
Pope Francis’s custom-built 2018 Lamborghini Huracan coupe is up for sale again. The car – autographed by Francis is currently featuring on an online fundraising platform, because the final bidder for it when it was initially auctioned by Sotheby’s in Monaco in May did not finalize the transaction and the promised $800,000 sale fell through. Read more
A clerical sexual abuse survivor calls a summit on child protection that will take place at the Vatican Feb. 21-24, involving presidents of all bishops’ conferences around the world as well as the pope’s own top aides, a “last chance” for the Vatican to be taken seriously. “If this 2019 meeting ends with nothing more Read more
Closed churches – empty and unused – and what to do with them, is a vexing problem. Sacrilegious redevelopment has become an especially pressing issue to the Vatican because thousands of Catholic churches around the world have closed during the past two decades. Some have been turned into discos, gelaterias or have been demolished. Last Read more
Pope Francis says Philippines is among the great Catholic nations in the world. He made the statement in his letter of appointment for Osaka Archbishop Thomas Manyo Cardinal Maeda as his envoy to the upcoming 60th anniversary celebration of the Manila Cathedral. Read more
No one has the right to demand a pope’s resignation or launch a formal accusation against a pope, German Cardinal Gerhard Muller says. Public attacks put into question the church’s credibility, he says. Read more