A controversy has broken out over this year’s Christmas tree in the Vatican, destined to come from the forests of Val di Ledro in Italy’s northern Trentino region. Almost 40,000 people have signed a petition to stop 40 fir trees from being chopped down, particularly the so-called Green Giant, a 30m-high specimen around two centuries Read more
Posts Tagged ‘St Peter’s Square’
Vatican security alert: armed priest arrested at Regina Caeli
Thursday, May 9th, 2024
A parish priest from the Czech Republic was detained at the Vatican entrance as he attempted to enter St Peter’s Square and take part in Pope Francis’ Regina Caeli prayer. The 59-year-old priest, identified as Father Milan Palkovic, was found carrying an air pistol, two knives, a cutter and a screwdriver. The weapons were identified Read more
Thousands attend pope’s first St Peter’s Square papal audience in two years
Thursday, April 21st, 2022
Thousands of pilgrims from around the world gathered at the Vatican on Wednesday as Pope Francis held his first weekly papal audience in St Peter’s Square since coronavirus hit in early 2020. The 85-year-old was met with cries of ‘Long live the pope’ as he entered the square still decorated with 40,000 flowers laid out Read more
Public returns to St. Peter’s Square; pope calls for defence of environment
Monday, May 25th, 2020The public returned to St Peter’s Square on Sunday to receive Pope Francis’s blessing from his window for the first time in nearly three months as he convoked a year of reflection on the environment. Only a few dozen people went to the square, which was reopened on Monday along with St Peter’s Basilica following Read more
Women priest posters put up near St Peter’s Square
Tuesday, May 31st, 2016
Dozens of posters of illicit women priests were plastered in Rome near St Peter’s Square last week in a provocative campaign. Above the image of one of the women priests were the words “some women disobey”. The putting up of the posters in Rome’s Trastevere neighbourhood and near St Peter’s was part of a “jubilee Read more
Where is Pope Francis steering the Church?
Friday, June 5th, 2015
They’re an experienced team, the three of them. The driver has barely stopped, and already the security guard has grabbed a child from the crowd on the left and is holding it up for the pope. The pontiff bends over, kisses the child — and then it’s over. The whole thing takes mere seconds and Read more
Vatican sources deny gay-rights group had VIP treatment
Tuesday, February 24th, 2015Vatican sources are denying that an American gay-rights activist group received special treatment at a papal general audience last week. The Associated Press and Reuters reported that New Ways Ministry received VIP treatment and were given tickets to be in the front row of the audience. The group said this contrasted with previous occasions when Read more
Pope Francis canonises Sts John XXIII and John Paul II
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
Pope Francis has praised Sts John XXIII and John Paul II as men who modernised the Catholic Church in fidelity to its ancient traditions. The Pope said this during his homily at a canonisation Mass at St Peter’s Square on April 27 before an estimated 500,000 people. A few minutes earlier, he had formally declared Read more
At Easter Pope Francis prays for suffering people around world
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014
In his traditional Easter message, Pope Francis has prayed for people suffering from war, violence, abandonment and disease around the world. An estimated 150,000 people were gathered on Easter Sunday in St Peter’s Square. The Pope delivered his traditional blessing and address Urbi et Orbi, “to the city and to the world” from the balcony Read more