An Australian priest backing the Indigenous Voice referendum to parliament fears the result will leave Australians divided. That will be a tragedy, he says. Father Frank Brennan (pictured), a Jesuit priest and human rights lawyer, blames leadership on both political sides for not seeking common ground. He hopes a “reconciling spirit” will blow through parliament’s Read more
Working quietly in his Chicago-area home during the lull of the pandemic in 2020, Rocco Buttliere cobbled together 67,000 tiny, plastic Lego pieces to create an improbably realistic 3D replica of Vatican City State. He said the most challenging aspect of the Vatican piece was figuring out how to create the dome of St. Peter’s Read more
Vatican City is making plans to gradually ease the quarantine restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has been meeting with the Roman Curia to discuss gradually reopening Holy See offices as Italy prepares to end its national lockdown on 4 May. The heads of Read more
St Peter’s Square has been closed to the public. The Diocese of Rome has cancelled masses until 3 April and announced a day of prayer and fasting. Instead of meeting thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis held his general weekly audience and delivered his catechism via livestream from the privacy of his Read more
Vatican City’s first coronavirus (COVID-19) case has been confirmed. A number of precautionary measures have been implemented to contain the disease, a Vatican spokesman says. These include: Closing some of the Vatican’s offices. Shutting down and disinfecting the Vatican health clinic. Putting a Vatican official into a protective quarantine after he came into contact with Read more
The Vatican City state consumes more wine per capita than any other country in the world. According to statistics from the California-based Wine Institute, the Vatican consumed 74 litres of wine per person in 2012. This is about double the per capita consumption of Italy as a whole. A standard bottle of wine is about Read more
The Vatican City State has adopted a new law cracking down on financial transactions that could enable money-laundering and imposing a new level of transparency and supervision. The Holy See Press Office said the new norm, Law XVIII, “strengthens the current internal system for the prevention and countering of money laundering and the financing of Read more
The Holy See has recovered from one of its worst deficits to post a $NZ3.6 million surplus for 2012, a good news story announced in a week in which “clear failings” were revealed in the processes of the Vatican Bank. In its annual financial statement, the Holy See said better management had helped it recover Read more
It was just another weekend at the office for Pope Francis, more of the series of actions, words and gestures that have kept him a fixture in the international media since his March 13 election. On June 15 he took a major step toward reforming the scandal-wracked Vatican bank by appointing his own man, Msg. Read more
After passing a financial transparency audit by European bank inspectors, the Holy See says it is still working towards a robust and sustainable system to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The audit by Moneyval, a department of the Council of Europe, followed a request by the Holy See last year for an Read more