Vatican

Photo Story: Pope Francis leads Catholics into Lent

Pope Francis led the world’s 1.3 billion Roman Catholics into Lent on Ash Wednesday, as they scaled back a centuries-old ritual to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. Francis,…

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Pope urges people to and prays to the Virgin Mary to help children struggling with cancer

Ansa/Vatican News - Pope Francis on Monday, which is the international day against child cancer, tweeted "May the Lord inspire everyone to draw near to those who suffer, especially children,…

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Photo Story – Papal Wind

Pope Francis leads his Sunday Angelus Prayer from his window overlooking Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, on a windy 14 February 2021 Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the…

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Caring for the sick is not an “optional activity” for the Church, but an integral part of her mission – Pope Francis

Vatican News - The healing of St Peter’s mother-in-law is characteristic of Jesus’ miracles of healing, Pope Francis says during his weekly Angelus address. In St Mark’s Gospel, we read…

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Pope appoints woman Under-Secretary at Synod of Bishops

Vatican News - Pope Francis has appointed Sr Nathalie Becquart and Fr Luis Marín de San Martín to be the Under-Secretaries of the Synod of Bishops. Currently headed by Cardinal…

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Carry the Gospel with you every day – Pope Francis

Vatican News - Addressing the faithful on the fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time from the Library of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope reflected on the reading from the Gospel of…

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On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope warns against new nationalism

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday marked the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by urging people to keep a close watch on ideological…

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Pope Francis won’t preside over celebrations due to sciatica

Vatican News - Pope Francis will not preside at several celebrations on Sunday and Monday, according to a statement released by Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office.…

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Former head of Vatican bank guilty of embezzlement, money laundering

A court in Italy on Thursday convicted Angelo Caloia, a former head of the Vatican bank, on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, making him the highest ranking Vatican official…

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Woman with links to deposed cardinal to go on trial, Vatican says

The embezzlement trial of a woman with links to deposed Cardinal Angelo Becciu will start soon, Vatican judicial officials said on Monday, but it was not yet clear if the cardinal will also be tried. Cecilia Marogna, 39, had worked for Becciu, a…

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Ireland to lay bare scandal of baby deaths at Church-run homes

DUBLIN (Reuters) - An Irish inquiry into alarming death rates among newborns at church-run homes for unwed mothers will hand down its final report on Tuesday, laying bare one of…

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Pope Francis, condemns U.S. Capitol assault

Pope Francis said on Saturday people working against democracy must be condemned whoever they are, and lessons should be learned from this week's attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters…

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After 54 years, first Mass on the site of the Baptism of Jesus

St. John the Baptist Chapel, on the West Bank, has announced that it will reopen for Mass in January 2021. For over 50 years, the site has been unapproachable because…

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Pope Francis to take vaccine next week

MILAN (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday he planned to have a COVID-19 vaccination as early as next week and urged everyone to get a shot, to protect not…

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Fabrizio Soccorsi – Pope Francis’ doctor dies after Covid-19 complications

Fabrizio Soccorsi, Pope Francis' doctor died. L'Osservatore Romano explained that the 78-year-old was hospitalised at Gemelli for an oncological pathology, but the death occurred following complications at Covid-19. Bergoglio had…

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Pope Francis encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” makes it to Italy’s Vanity Fair front cover

ANSA - Pope Francis has made the cover of the latest number of the Italian edition of Vanity Fair. The cover cites Francis' recent and third encyclical, All Brothers, a…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis celebrates the Epiphany

Pope Francis (L) celebrates Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, in the Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, 06 January 2021. “In our day,…

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Coronavirus forces cancellation of papal baptisms in Sistine Chapel

A traditional ceremony in which Pope Francis baptises newborn babies in the Sistine Chapel has been cancelled this year because of coronavirus restrictions, the Vatican announced. The ceremony, which involves…

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Pope criticises people going on holiday to flee COVID lockdowns

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis condemned on Sunday people who had gone abroad on holiday to escape coronavirus lockdowns, saying they needed to show greater awareness of the suffering…

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Pope reappears after pain flare-up, calls for peace in New Year message

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis reappeared on Friday after chronic sciatic pain forced him to miss the Church's New Year services, and made no mention of his ailment as…

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Vatican denies knowledge of $1.8 billion transferred to Australia

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican and the Australian Catholic Church have both denied knowledge of transfers worth US$1.8 billion which Australia's financial watchdog says have been sent from Rome…

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Pope misses leading New Year services because of leg pain flare-up

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, suffering a flare-up of a sciatica condition that causes pain in his right leg, missed a New Year's Eve service on Thursday and will…

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Pope Francis appeals for help for quake-struck Croatia

Vatican News - Pope Francis said he is praying for the victims of an earthquake that struck central Croatia on Tuesday, killing seven people, injuring more than 20 and causing…

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After property scandal, Pope tightens money controls

Pope Francis has issued a new decree making charity funds more transparent and tightening controls on Vatican finances after a scandal over a luxury London property deal. The main target is the…

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Pope calls on nations to share vaccines

VATICAN CITY, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Friday said political and business leaders must not allow market forces and patent laws to take priority over making Covid 19 vaccines available to all, condemning…

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Pope urges help for poor at low-key Christmas Eve Mass curbed by COVID

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis celebrated a low-key Christmas Eve Mass made sombre by the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday and said people should feel obliged to help the needy…

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Pope issues appeal for stricken Lebanon, reiterates wish to visit country

In a letter addressed to the head of the Church in Lebanon, Pope Francis makes an urgent appeal to political and religious leaders and to the international community to help…

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Pope decrees Italian judge murdered by Mafia can be beatified

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis decreed on Tuesday that Italian judge Rosario Livatino, who was killed by the Mafia in Sicily in 1990, was a martyr for the faith…

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Two Vatican cardinals, papal aides, test positive for coronavirus – source

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Two Vatican cardinals, including one who spends most of his time helping Rome's homeless, have tested positive for the coronavirus, a Vatican source said on Tuesday.…

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Vatican City Nativity scene gets thumbs down from Pope

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday appeared to add his own thumbs-down to widespread criticism of an unorthodox nativity scene in St. Peter's Square, telling visitors to instead…

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Rome homeless send sunflowers to pope on 84th birthday

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Rome's homeless sent sunflowers to Pope Francis for his 84th birthday on Thursday and the pontiff marked the day by sending four ventilators to hospitals in…

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‘Education is an act of hope’ – Pope Francis

Vatican News - “Education is always an act of hope that, from the present, looks to the future,” said Pope Francis in the opening words of his video message to…

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Ex-Vatican envoy to France gets eight-month suspended sentence for sexual harassment

PARIS (Reuters) - A French court has found former Vatican ambassador to France Luigi Ventura guilty of sexual harassment against five men in 2018 and 2019 and given him an…

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Pope commits Vatican to net zero carbon emissions by 2050

Pope Francis urged countries to work towards net zero carbon emissions and committed Vatican City - the world's smallest state - to reaching the target by 2050. Francis, who has…

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In Pictures – The Silent Night where all went bright – Vatican City

St. Peter’s Square was aglow on Friday evening, as a host of onlookers beheld the lighting of this year’s creche and Christmas tree. It provided a sign of Advent hope…

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Vatican risks going broke slowly, former treasurer Pell says

ROME (Reuters) - Former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell said the world's smallest state risked slowly "going broke" unless it tamed ballooning deficits, and expressed hope his successor would be…

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Vatican’s number two, Cardinal Parolin admitted to hospital

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State who ranks second to the pope in the Catholic Church hierarchy, went into hospital on Tuesday for a…

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Pope Francis prays for the world at the feed of the Holy Mary

With the first light of dawn, under the rain, Pope Francis placed a bouquet of roses at the base of the column where the statue of the Madonna is, and turned…

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Pope Francis to restart international travel in March with a journey to Iraq

Pope Francis is set to break a 15-month hiatus from international travel with what is sure to be a historic visit to the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq. The Director…

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Photo Story: Christmas tree from Slovenia goes up in St. Peter’s Square

The traditional Christmas tree is up in place in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. The Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square is from the southeastern region of Slovenia. It…

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Cardinal Mario Grech describes his experience in the latest consistory in interview

“I felt that Jesus’ eyes were set again on me, to recreate me again as a Christian” says Cardinal Mario Grech describing his experience at the consistory on 28 November.…

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Pope cancels traditional pre-Christmas ceremony due to COVID-19

Pope Francis has cancelled a ceremony that traditionally begins Rome's Christmas season on Dec. 8 at the Spanish Steps because of coronavirus restrictions, the Vatican said on Monday. The pope…

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Pope Francis and the new Cardinals concelebrate Mass on the First Sunday of Advent

Celebrating Holy Mass on the First Sunday of Advent together with 11 new Cardinals who received their red hats from him just hours earlier, Pope Francis invited the faithful to…

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One Photo – 13 Cardinals and 2 Popes

Handout pictures provided by the Vatican Media shows Pope Francis (R) and cardinals visit the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI (L), in the chapel of the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, Vatican City,…

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The Church still has its roots in the heart of our nation – Cardinal Mario Grech

Message by Cardinal-Elect Mario Grech "I confess to you that I was a little overwhelmed by our nation's reaction to the announcement made by Pope Francis when he said that…

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Pope Francis remembers fellow Argentine Maradona affectionately, praying for him

Pope Francis remembers soccer legend and fellow Argentine Diego Maradona with affection and is keeping him in his prayers, the Vatican said on Wednesday. Maradona, who died on Wednesday at his home…

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Pope, for first time, says China’s Uighurs are ‘persecuted’

In a new book, Pope Francis for the first time calls China's Muslim Uighurs a "persecuted" people, something human rights activists have been urging him to do for years. In…

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Pope Francis says anti-maskers incapable of moving outside of their own little world of interests

Pope Francis took to task people protesting against coronavirus restrictions, insisting there was no justification to their demonstrations. He compared such protests to the "healthy indignation" which was shown in…

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Russia to investigate Jehovah’s Witnesses

Russia on Tuesday opened a new criminal case into Jehovah's Witnesses, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Tuesday, adding that the religion's management centre had illegally resumed working. Russian investigators said searches…

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Pope says his brush with death helps him relate to Covid victims

Pope Francis says in a new book that he can relate to people in intensive care units who fear dying from coronavirus because of his own experience when part of…

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Let us not give up on great dreams – Pope to youths

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of Christ the King, observed annually on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. “Before pouring out His love…

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Vatican seeks explanations from Instagram after Brazilian model gets ‘papal’ like

The Vatican said it was seeking explanations from Instagram after Pope Francis’s official account liked a photo of a scantily dressed Brazilian model. The Guardian reports that it was unclear when the…

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EU Bishops call for solidarity and hope on path towards better future

The Bishops of Europe have addressed a message of hope and a call to solidarity to European Institutions and Member states amid the health crisis that has overwhelmed the world…

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Polish cardinal accused of sexual abuse dies aged 97

A Polish cardinal who was accused of sexually abusing a minor has died at the age of 97, Poland's Roman Catholic Church said on Monday. Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, the former…

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God entrusts talent to each one according to his or her abilities. Use it for good – Pope Francis

On the penultimate Sunday of the liturgical year, Pope Francis reflected on the Parable of the Talents in St Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus shares this parable in His discourse on the…

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Photo Story: Pope celebrates a Mass marking the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of the Poor

Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated Mass to mark the World Day of the Poor, and urges Christians to spend our lives in prayer, charity, and witness to the Gospel on…

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Pope Francis congratulates Biden, stepping into political fray

Pope Francis offered his “blessings and congratulations” to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden in a phone call on Thursday, seeking to rebuild rapport with Washington after four years of sometimes contentious…

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