Pope Francis is confident Catholics and Orthodox Christians will attain full communion. In a message to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I on Monday, Francis praised Bartholomew’s efforts to promote Christian unity. “We can thank God that relations between the Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate have grown much over the past century, even Read more
President-elect Joe Biden is already being received as a promising ally for Francis’ pontificate. Vatican-U.S. relations have grown increasingly strained in recent years, mainly as a result of the opposing views of Pope Francis and the Trump administration on a wide range of issues, from immigration to the environment. Francis, who has sought to build Read more
“Act like Wonder Woman.” At the bottom of a wooden amphitheatre, the man with salt and pepper hair puts his hands on his hips. With a Roman collar around his neck, he continues to give instructions from behind his black face mask: “Plant your feet firmly on the ground, rotate your body, and shake your Read more
Pope Francis has taken delivery of a hydrogen-powered climate-friendly Popemobile. The latest version of the Popemobile is a Toyota Mirai (meaning ‘The Future’) which he first had the use of on a visit to Japan in November 2019. Toyota customised two of the automobiles for Pope Francis’ visit, and one of these is now part Read more
Pope Francis sought to assure Moneyval inspectors of the Vatican’s financial operation last week that his financial reforms are underway. His assurances followed a financial scandal at the Holy See that resulted in him dismissing a senior cardinal. Speaking to Moneyval inspectors from the Council of Europe’s financial monitoring arm, Francis outlined the recent actions Read more
The Vatican has come out strongly against shared communion between Catholic and Protestant churches in Germany. The issue of Catholics and Protestants being able to receive communion in each other’s churches has long been an issue in Germany and is particularly important for the many German couples who have a partner belonging to either church. Read more
The theme for World Communications Day is particularly relevant for today’s pandemic-isolated world. Even when physical proximity is impossible, Catholic communicators can use the media to reach out to people, help them experience the closeness of the church and invite them to follow Jesus more closely, the Vatican said. “Come and see: Communicating, encountering people Read more
The China-linked threat group RedDelta has continued to launch cyberattacks against Catholic institutions since May 2020 until as recently as last week. A state-sponsored threat group linked to China has been engaged in a five-month long cyberattack against the Vatican and other Catholic Church-related organizations. Attacks have come in the form of spear phishing emails Read more
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has hit out at Pope Francis following the news that diplomats from the Holy See are meeting later this month with members of the Chinese Communist Party to renew a two-year-old agreement between China and the Vatican. Though the Middle Kingdom nominally adheres to the principle of religious freedom, it Read more
The Vatican said Saturday it was “necessary and urgent” to return to in-person Mass as soon as anti-coronavirus measures permit. The head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, Cardinal Robert Sarah, said in a letter to bishops conferences that virtual liturgies, while useful, were no replacement for the real thing. He said physical presence by the Read more