Vatican

UPDATED: Pope Francis attends Palm Sunday service after hospital stay

VATICAN CITY, April 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis led a Palm Sunday service the day after he was discharged from hospital following a bout of bronchitis, and urged the world…

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Pope Francis to lead Palm Sunday services day after leaving hospital

Pope Francis will lead Mass in St Peter's Square on Sunday as he kicks off events leading to Easter, just a day after leaving hospital. He was admitted to Rome's…

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Pope Francis: What do we know about his health problems?

Pope in hospital for second time in two years Vatican plays down health concerns Bad knee, bowel ailment take their toll VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - While the Vatican has looked…

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UPDATED: Pope to leave hospital Saturday – Vatican

By Crispian Balmer and Alvise Armellini Pontiff was hospitalised unexpectedly on Wednesday Vatican says he has respiratory infection Illness comes ahead of busy Holy Week starting on Sunday Pope Francis…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis getting better, hospital treatment continues – statement

VATICAN CITY, March 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis's health is improving after he was hospitalised with a respiratory infection and he has resumed working while treatment continues, Vatican spokesman Matteo…

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Pope extends sexual abuse law to include lay leaders

VATICAN CITY, March 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday updated rules on dealing with sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, expanding their scope to include lay Catholic leaders…

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London property was ‘double Via Crucis’ for Vatican

ANSA reports that the London property at the centre of a Vatican trial into alleged mismanagement of the Holy See's financial affairs has been a "double Via Crucis," a key…

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Pope urges ‘respect’ for Orthodox monastery facing eviction in Kyiv

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis called for "respect" of religious sites in Ukraine, as he mentioned the monastery from which the Russian-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is facing eviction.…

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Pope Francis: His 10 years in numbers

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Here are some statistics about Pope Francis, who on Monday marks the 10th anniversary of his election as head of the 1.38-billion-member Roman Catholic Church. The…

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Pope Francis’ papacy in his own words

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Below are some memorable quotes from Pope Francis, who marks the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on March 13. The quotes are arranged according…

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The life and times of Pope Francis as he marks his 10th anniversary as pontiff

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Following are some of the major events of the life and ministry of Pope Francis, who marks the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis marks 10th anniversary with Mass and podcast

VATICAN CITY, March 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis marks 10 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church on Monday celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of the Vatican's…

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Pope says Ukraine war fuelled not just by ‘Russian empire’

VATICAN CITY, March 10 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine is driven by the interests of several "empires" and not just of Russia's, Pope Francis said in an interview published…

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As Francis marks 10 years as Pope, conservatives confront post-Benedict era

Pope Francis marks the 10th anniversary of his election on March 13 having outlasted the conservative opposition that failed to bring him down and which is now at a crossroads, seeking new…

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Stop human traffickers, Pope Francis says after Italy’s migrant shipwreck

VATICAN CITY, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called on authorities to stop human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean, as he expressed his sorrow over last week's migrant…

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Late Pope Benedict’s top aide to be given a new job

ROME, (Reuters) - Pope Francis will decide on a new role for German Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, a critic of the pontiff who was the long-term senior aide to his predecessor…

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Vatican establishes diplomatic ties with Oman, widening outreach to Islam

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican and Oman established diplomatic ties, marking a further widening of the Holy See's official relations with the Arab Muslim World. In a joint statement,…

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Vatican: Pope Francis has bad cold

The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis is suffering from a heavy cold. The Feb. 23 message said that due to a “strong cold,” the pope distributed copies of his…

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Pope urges ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of invasion anniversary

VATICAN CITY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, speaking two days before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on Wednesday called for a ceasefire and peace negotiations, saying…

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Pope Francis again turns screws on use of traditional Latin Mass

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday further tightened the screws on Catholic conservatives over the use of traditional Latin Mass, rebuking bishops who had allowed it to be…

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Jesuits say abuse accusations against priest are highly credible

The Roman Catholic religious order of Jesuits said on Tuesday that accusations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse against a prominent member of the order were highly credible and that restrictions on…

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Popes are for life, resignations should not become a fashion, Francis says

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said that pontiffs resigning instead of ruling for life should not become a "fashion" in the Roman Catholic Church and happen only in…

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Pope Francis had private audience with cardinal on trial for corruption

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in a surprise move, on Thursday granted an official private audience to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the once-powerful Vatican prelate who is on trial for…

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Pope says Church conservatives exploited death of ex-pope Benedict

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said some in the conservative wing of the Roman Catholic Church had exploited the death of the former pope,…

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Pope Francis says laws criminalising LGBT people are a ‘sin’ and an injustice

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that laws criminalising LGBT people are a sin and an injustice because God loves and accompanies people with same-sex…

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Pope calls for Israel, Palestinians to halt “spiral of death”

(Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called on Israel and the Palestinians to engage in dialogue in pursuit of peace, deploring the recent violence in the region. Speaking after the…

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Pope says marriage is between man and woman, basis of the family

ANSA - Christian marriage is that of a man to a woman and the family is based on this, Pope Francis said as he received in audience officials of the…

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Pope tells Order of Malta to strengthen its unity

Pope Francis called on the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to regain harmony and unity on Wednesday in a message to participants at its General Chapter meeting. Last year the…

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Pope condemns Holocaust denial

VATICAN CITY, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned Holocaust denial, as Australia came under pressure to refuse a visa to American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye…

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Pope Francis says being gay is a sin but ‘not a crime’, praises Benedict as a “gentleman”

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome…

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Pope calls for end to violence in Peru, respect for human rights

VATICAN CITY, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to violence in Peru, where nearly 50 people have been killed during anti-government demonstrations in the…

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Pope calls missile attack on Ukraine apartment building heartbreaking

VATICAN CITY, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the Russian missile strike on an apartment building that killed 45 people, including young children, in the eastern Ukrainian…

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Cardinal Pell lies in state, funeral plans overshadowed by memo revelation

VATICAN CITY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Australian Cardinal George Pell was lying in state on Friday, with funeral preparations overshadowed by revelations that he was the author of an anonymous…

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Pell wrote secret memo calling Francis’ papacy ‘catastrophe’,

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The late conservative Australian Cardinal George Pell was the author of an anonymous memo condemning Pope Francis' papacy as a "catastrophe" where political correctness held sway…

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UPDATE – Cardinal George Pell dies at 81

ROME, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Australian Cardinal George Pell, a leading Roman Catholic conservative and former top Vatican official who was acquitted in 2020 of sexual abuse accusations, died on Tuesday at…

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Peace demands that we defend life – Pope Francis

Peace demands that we defend life, Pope Francis said. Addressing a host of international themes in his annual new year's meeting with the Diplomatic Corps, the pontiff said that life…

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Pope Francis meets Benedict’s top aide as memoir rattles Vatican

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday privately met Archbishop Georg Ganswein, former Pope Benedict's closest aide, who has rattled the Vatican with a…

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Pope says wars like that in Ukraine are ‘crime against God and humanity’

VATICAN CITY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday said wars like the one in Ukraine where civilian areas are subjected to what he called indiscriminate destruction are "a…

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Pope Francis could be ousted in ‘secret plan’ by Vatican hardliners

Vatican conservatives are waging a “secret plan” to put Pope Francis under such stress that he resigns, it has been claimed. The campaign against the Argentinian pontiff began just days…

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Benedict’s death clears path for Pope Francis to retire of old age in future

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Six months ago Pope Francis brushed off speculation he was about to resign due to health problems, but even if he had toyed…

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Public now can see Benedict’s tomb at St. Peter’s Basilica

The public can now visit the tomb of Pope Benedict XVI in the grottoes under St. Peter’s Basilica. The pontiff was buried on Jan. 5 immediately following a funeral in…

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Maltese Archbishop Scicluna: Benedict XVI was ‘instrumental in tackling clerical sexual abuse’

Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna says Pope Francis continues to build on the progress made under Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s papacy in the Church’s response to clerical abuse cases through many…

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Book by Benedict’s top aide reveals tensions in Vatican

VATICAN CITY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Although Pope Francis often compared having former Pope Benedict living in the Vatican to having a grandfather in the house, a book by Benedict's closest aide…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis presides over Benedict’s funeral as supporters seek sainthood

Pope Francis presides at funeral of his predecessor Benedict wanted simple funeral, Vatican says Ex-pope was standard-bearer for traditionalist Catholics Pope Benedict to be buried under St. Peter's Basilica VATICAN…

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Guide to the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict on Thursday

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis will preside at a funeral Mass in St. Peter's Square on Thursday for his predecessor former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday at the…

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Pope Francis praises Benedict as Vatican prepares for funeral

VATICAN CITY, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Wednesday served up a surreal moment in which a living pope spoke to some of the faithful in one part of…

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Benedict funeral to be similar to that of reigning popes

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Tens of thousands more people paid homage to former Pope Benedict on Tuesday on the second day his body lay in state, and the Vatican announced…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: The Vatican

An aerial view taken from an Italian Police's helicopter of the Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy. Via EPA-EFE/ETTORE FERRARI

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Crowds view body of former Pope Benedict in St. Peter’s

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Jan 2 (Reuters) - A steady stream of tens of thousands of people filed into St. Peter's Basilica on Monday to pay their respects to…

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UPDATED: Faithful pay respects to former Pope Benedict in St. Peter’s

VATICAN CITY, Jan 2 (Reuters) - A steady stream of people filed into St. Peter's Basilica on Monday to pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI, whose body will…

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18 Catholic missionaries killed in 2022

Eighteen missionaries lost their lives violently across the world this year: twelve priests, one brother, three women religious , one seminarian, and one lay person. Nine missionaries were killed in Africa,…

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Two Popes in the Vatican – sometimes more crowd than company

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - When Pope Benedict shocked the Roman Catholic Church in 2013 by announcing he would resign instead of ruling for life, he promised to stay in the…

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UPDATED: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died, funeral will be held on 5 January

The Vatican has just announced that The 95-year-old Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away on Saturday at 9:34 AM in his residence at the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery The Holy…

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Pope Francis in 2013 signed resignation letter in case of bad health

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis revealed in a interview published earlier in December that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if…

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FACTBOX-Key facts about Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

VATICAN CITY, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Former pope Benedict, who died on Saturday, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the post rather than rule for life.…

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Vatican in uncharted territory for former Pope Benedict’s funeral

The funeral of Benedict XVI will be held on Thursday 5 January and will be presided over by Pope Francis, the Vatican has said. The Vatican has confirmed Pope Benedict…

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EU Commission President von der Leyen and EP President Metsola pay tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to Benedict. Von der Leyen said “he had set a strong signal through his resignation” in 2013. “He saw himself first…

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