Vatican

Pope says June meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch suspended

VATICAN CITY, April 22 (Reuters) - Plans for Pope Francis to meet in Jerusalem in June with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia's war in Ukraine, have been…

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On ‘Easter of war,’ Pope implicitly criticises Russia over Ukraine

VATICAN CITY, April 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, marking an "Easter of war" on Sunday urged leaders to hear the people's plea for peace in Ukraine and implicitly criticised Russia…

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Text at Pope’s Good Friday service scrapped after Ukrainian protest

ROME, April 15 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian and a Russian woman took part in Pope Francis' Good Friday "Way of the Cross" service, but the meditation they wrote was scrapped…

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Ukrainians want Russians removed from Pope’s Good Friday Via Crucis

VATICAN CITY, April 13 (Reuters) - The Vatican's decision to have both Ukrainians and Russians take part in Pope Francis' "Way of the Cross" procession on Friday has caused friction…

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Pope says war in Ukraine was marked by “the forces of evil”

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine was marked by “the forces of evil” because it was leaving in its wake abominations such…

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Vatican mulling Jerusalem meeting between pope, Russian patriarch -sources

The Vatican is studying the possibility of extending Pope Francis' trip to Lebanon in June so he can fly to Jerusalem to meet there Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia's…

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Pope not expected to take sides if he goes to Kyiv

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said on the possibility of a papal visit to Kyiv that "certainly the Pope would not go to take a stance either in…

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Pope laments UN powerless in war in Ukraine as he reflects on Malta visit

Pope Francis at his General Audience focusing on Malta notes how “the dominant logic are the strategies of the most powerful countries to affirm their own interests.” Malta, he says,…

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Pope apologises to Canadian indigenous for wrongs at residential schools

VATICAN CITY, April 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis apologised to Canadian indigenous peoples on Friday for the Catholic Church's role in residential schools that sought to erase their cultures and…

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Canada indigenous ask pope for residential schools records

Survivors of Canada's residential schools on Monday asked Pope Francis to guarantee unfettered access to Church records on the institutions where indigenous children were abused and their culture denied. Francis…

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Pope says ‘slaughters and atrocities’ committed daily in Ukraine

VATICAN CITY, March 20 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, continuing his implicit criticism of Russia, on Sunday called the conflict in Ukraine an unjustified "senseless massacre" and urged leaders to stop…

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Pope rules any baptised lay Catholic, including women, can head Vatican departments

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis on Saturday issued a new constitution for the Vatican's central administration, known as the Curia, stating that any baptized lay Catholic, including women, can head…

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Pope calls Ukraine war a ‘perverse abuse of power’ for partisan interests

VATICAN CITY, March 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, ramping up his implicit criticism of Russia, on Friday called the war in Ukraine a "perverse abuse of power" waged for partisan interests which…

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Russian Orthodox Church leader discusses Ukraine war with Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY(Reuters) - Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church and Pope Francis discussed the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, Kirill's office said, the first known contact between the two…

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Pope evokes spectre of nuclear war wiping out humanity

VATICAN CITY, March 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday evoked the spectre of a nuclear war, where whoever is left of humanity would have to start all over again…

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UPDATE – “In the name of God I ask you: stop this massacre” – Pope Francis to Putin

VATICAN CITY, March 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis issued his toughest condemnation yet of the invasion of Ukraine, saying on Sunday the "unacceptable armed aggression" must stop. Speaking to thousands of people…

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Vatican protests over expulsion of its ambassador to Nicaragua

VATICAN CITY, March 12 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Saturday protested to Nicaragua over the effective expulsion of its ambassador to Managua, saying the unilateral action was unjustified and incomprehensible.…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis says Ukraine conflict is “not military operation but a war”

Pope Francis on Sunday rejected Russia's assertion that it is carrying out "a special military operation" in Ukraine, saying the country was being battered by war. "In Ukraine rivers of…

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Pope to make often delayed visit to South Sudan in July

VATICAN CITY, March 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will visit South Sudan in July, the Vatican said on Thursday, making a trip he has repeatedly had to delay because of…

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Remember Ukrainians in shelters, Pope says; thanks Poland for refugee help

VATICAN CITY, March 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday asked people around the world to remember Ukrainians in underground shelters seeking protection from bombardments and thanked Poland for taking…

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Vatican judge rejects defence motions; rules fraud trial will go on

The defence at a Vatican corruption trial failed definitively on Tuesday to have charges against their clients dropped and the judge ordered it to begin in earnest with the questioning…

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UPDATED: Vatican says ready to ‘facilitate dialogue’ between Russia and Ukraine

VATICAN CITY, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The Vatican is ready to "facilitate dialogue" between Russia and Ukraine to end the war, its top diplomat said on Monday. Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro…

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‘Heartbroken’ Pope condemns warmongers, urges help for Ukraine

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis on Sunday made an impassioned call for humanitarian corridors to help refugees leave Ukraine and said those who make war should not be deluded into thinking…

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Pope went to Russian embassy to express concern over war to Moscow envoy

VATICAN CITY, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis went to the Russian embassy to the Holy See on Friday and relayed his concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine to Moscow's…

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Pope cancels Florence visit, Ash Wednesday service due to knee pain

ROME, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has been forced to cancel a trip to Florence this Sunday and Ash Wednesday services next week, because of an acute flare up…

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Pope pained by Ukraine crisis, calls for restraint

Pope Francis said Wednesday that he was pained by the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine and called for restrain after Russian recognized two rebel-held 'republics' in the east of…

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Carmelite Martyr Titus Brandsma amongst three to be made saints by Pope Francis

Pope Francis is to hold a Consistory on Friday, March 4 to create three new saints in the Catholic Church, the Vatican said Tuesday. The newly canonized will be Titus…

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Speculation mounts in Vatican press linking Archbishop Scicluna to major post

Pope Francis' visit to Malta could serve as the backdrop for an historic appointment for Maltese clergy, with current Archbishop Charles J Scicluna being touted for an important role in…

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Ukraine would welcome Vatican mediation, wants papal visit soon – ambassador

Ukraine is open to a Vatican mediation of its conflict with Russia and wants Pope Francis to visit as soon as possible, even in the current situation, Kyiv's new ambassador…

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Pope to visit Malta on April 2-3, Vatican confirms

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis will visit Malta on April 2-3, the Vatican said on Thursday, a trip that was originally to have taken place in 2020 but was postponed because…

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Photo Story: Papal hug

Faithful watch Pope Francis (R) being embraced by a child during his weekly General Audience inside of Paul VI Hall in Vatican City, 09 February 2022. Pope Francis on Wednesday…

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Ukraine’s Catholic leader invites Pope to visit and help bring peace

The leader of Ukraine's Eastern-rite Catholics said he has invited Pope Francis to visit the country, calling it a huge gesture that would help being peace at a time of…

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Former Pope Benedict acknowledges ‘errors occurred’ in handling of Munich abuse allegations

Former Pope Benedict on Tuesday acknowledged that errors occurred in handling sexual abuse cases when he was Archbishop of Munich and asked for forgiveness, as his lawyers argued he was…

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Pope denounces “concentration camps” in Libya, urges EU to find solution to migration

VATICAN CITY - Dumping plastic in waterways is "criminal" and must end if humanity wants to save the planet for future generations, Pope Francis said in a television interview on…

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Pope praises Moroccans for showing unity over boy trapped in well

VATICAN CITY, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday praised the people of Morocco for coming together to try to rescue a small boy trapped in a well and…

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UPDATED: Man interrupts papal audience, taken away by police

Pope Francis on Wednesday urged the faithful to pray for a mentally disturbed Irishman who disrupted his weekly general audience by shouting out things in English that were incomprehensible to…

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Italy chief chaplain condemns call for COVID disobedience by police

Italy's national Catholic military chaplain has hit back at a renegade, vaccine-denying archbishop, accusing him of inciting insubordination among the armed forces and police over their role in enforcing COVID-19…

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Pope blesses those everyone loves to hate – tax collectors

Pope Francis on Monday encouraged the people everyone loves to hate - tax collectors - telling them that while they will never win popularity contests, they were vital for the…

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Vatican has signed contract to sell London building at core of corruption trial

VATICAN CITY, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The Vatican said on Friday it had signed a contract to sell a luxury building, in an exclusive London neighbourhood, which is at the…

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Pope’s appeal to the media: Check facts but always respect people

Pope Francis denounced fake news about COVID-19 and vaccines Friday, blasting the “distortion of reality based on fear” but also urging that people who believe such lies are helped to…

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On day of prayer for Ukraine, Pope recalls country’s historical suffering

VATICAN CITY, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday led a day of prayer for peace in Ukraine, calling for dialogue to prevail over partisan interests to resolve the…

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Support your children if they are gay, Pope tells parents

VATICAN CITY, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday that parents of gay children should not condemn them but offer them support. He spoke in unscripted comments at…

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Vatican fraud trial to resume with boost for prosecution

The Vatican's landmark fraud and embezzlement trial resumes after a long break on Tuesday with the beleaguered prosecution buoyed by two favourable decisions in related cases by Swiss and Italian…

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UPDATED: Ex-Pope Benedict acknowledges faulty testimony in German abuse case

VATICAN CITY, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Former Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged on Monday he had been at a 1980 meeting over a sexual abuse case when archbishop of Munich, saying…

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Conservatives in Catholic Church defend ex pope Benedict after report but experts see legacy dented

Conservatives defended former Pope Benedict against charges of mishandling sexual abuse cases decades ago, but victim groups and experts said the findings of a German report had tarnished the legacy…

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Pope confers lay ministries on women, formalising recognition of roles

VATICAN CITY, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday for the first time conferred the lay Roman Catholic ministries of lector and catechist on women, roles that previously many…

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Pope calls for world day of “prayer for peace” over Ukraine crisis

VATICAN CITY, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for an international day of "prayer for peace" on January 26 to stop the Ukraine crisis from worsening, saying…

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Ex-Pope Benedict criticised in Munich Church abuse report

Former Pope Benedict XVI failed to take action against clerics in four cases of alleged sexual abuse in his archdiocese when he was Archbishop of Munich, a report found on…

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Two close aides of Pope Francis test positive for COVID-19, Vatican says

The second and third ranking Vatican officials under Pope Francis have tested positive for COVID-19, the Vatican said on Tuesday. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is secretary of state, had slight…

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Pope congratulates reporter who saw him at record shop

Pope Francis has congratulated the reporter who caught him visiting old friends who run a Rome record shop this week, joking that it was his "bad luck" that the news…

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WATCH: Pope Francis slips out of the Vatican to visit Rome record shop

Pope Francis, a lover of classical music, slipped out of the Vatican on Tuesday evening to visit old friends who run a Rome record shop and came away with a…

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Pope backs COVID immunisation campaigns, warns of ideological misinformation

VATICAN CITY, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday condemned "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, backing national immunisation campaigns and calling health care a moral obligation. Francis spoke…

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Pope calls for dialogue, justice to end unrest in Kazakhstan

MILAN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis called on Sunday for dialogue and justice to put an end to violent unrest in Kazakhstan, adding he was saddened by news about…

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Pope decries Church conservatives encased in “suit of armour”

VATICAN CITY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis took an apparent dig at conservatives resisting change in the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, lamenting those whose religion he said was…

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Pope Francis calls for simplification of adoption rules

Pope Francis on Wednesday called for the simplification of adoption rules. Speaking at his weekly general audience in the Vatican, Francis said "we must not be afraid of choosing the…

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Violence against women insults God, Pope says in New Year’s speech

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis used his New Year’s message on Saturday, January 1, to issue a clarion call for an end to violence against women, saying it was insulting…

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Pope scraps St Peter’s Crib visit amid Omicron fears

Pope Francis scrapped his scheduled Friday vsit to the Nativity Scene in St Peter's Square amid fear of gatherings causing COVID contagion due to the Omicron variant surge, the Vatican…

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