The president of the “bank” of the Holy See, in this interview with Vatican Radio, opens his campaign to restore credibility to the controversial institution. With more integrity, more transparency, more communication Q: President Ernst von Freyberg, do you like your job, coming from Frankfurt down to Rome, working inside the Vatican? A: It is Read more
“I live like a monk and I’m fine. I pray and I read,” Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI has told a German friend who visited him recently at his new residence in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in Vatican City. Manfred Lutz, a German scholar who is a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and Read more
There will not be a representative from the Vatican to attend the Episcopal Ordination of Archbishop Elect Father Peter Loy Chong. The Vatican representative would normally have been the Apostolic Nuncio but Fiji does not presently have an Apostolic Nuncio. The last Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand and the Pacific, Archbishop Charles Balvo, who was based in New Zealand, finished Read more
A long-awaited agreement between the Vatican and Israel on the status of Church institutions in the Holy Land appears to be near finality, with Israeli sources indicating that the Cenacle in Jerusalem — on the site of the Last Supper — will return to Catholic control. The same sources say that the tax status of Read more
Though the Vatican has denied that Pope Francis exorcised a man in St Peter’s Square on Pentecost Sunday, debate continues over whether the blessing he gave could be classed as an exorcism. After celebrating Mass, the Pope blessed several people in wheelchairs. When he held his hands on one man’s head, the man shuddered and Read more
The patriarch of Syria’s Catholics has said Western nations are responsible for the carnage in Syria, where the morale of Christians is “very, very low”. Syriac Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan said the present situation in Syria is the result of Western nations carrying out a geopolitical strategy “to split Syria and other countries” in Read more
The Vatican will take part for the first time this year in the Venice Biennale, a contemporary art exhibition with a reputation for avant-garde works. The theme of the Vatican’s pavilion, “Creation, Un-Creation and Re-Creation”, will have the aim of promoting modern dialogue on faith. It will use the first 11 chapters of the Book Read more
Pope Francis has agreed that Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct, should leave Scotland “for several months” for the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer and penance. This news, which had been rumoured for some weeks, was confirmed by the Vatican press office in a brief statement issued in both English and Read more
Pope Francis is facing the challenge of a Puerto Rican archbishop who is refusing to obey a Vatican call for his resignation. Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan has not confirmed that he has been asked to step down as leader of the Catholic Church in the United States island territory. But, after local Read more
This weekend marks the Holy Father’s two-month anniversary (!). Vatican Insider sums it up so far: What has Bergoglio done in the two months since he was elected Pope and what kind of a Pope has he been? Fondness and confessions The wave of affection for the new Pope is undeniable, with requests to attend papal audiences Read more