Pope Francis - CDE News - The Dispatch

Pope decries violence in the name of God as ‘greatest blasphemy’

UR, Iraq, March 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis walked down a narrow alleyway in the holy city of Najav to hold a historic meeting with Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric and…

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Pope Francis meets Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric, visits birthplace of Prophet Abraham

UR, Iraq (Reuters) - Pope Francis entered a narrow alleyway in Iraq's holy city of Najaf to hold a historic meeting with the county's top Shi'ite cleric and visited the…

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Pope urges Iraqis to shun past violence and give peace a chance

BAGHDAD, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, making the first trip by a pontiff to Iraq, made an impassioned call on Friday for an end to the militant violence, fratricide…

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UPDATE – Pope Francis leaves Rome to start historic pilgrimage in Iraq

ROME, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis left Rome on Friday to start a four-day trip to Iraq, his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012 and the first visit by…

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Pope says he must go to Iraq because people cannot be let down

Pope Francis said on Wednesday he is going to Iraq, where his predecessor John Paul was not allowed to go in 2000, because “the people cannot be let down for…

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“There is only one Pope”- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Vatican News / Corriere della Sera - Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s resignation from the papacy, which became effective eight years ago, [28 February 2013] was a “difficult choice,” but made…

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Five injured in Baghdad protest ahead of Pope visit to Iraq

BAGHDAD, March 1 (Reuters) - At least five people were injured on Monday when Iraqi security forces wielding clubs broke up a street protest in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square, security…

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In Iraq, pope to visit Mosul churches desecrated by Islamic State

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - In Mosul, adjacent to the Biblical city of Nineveh, four churches representing different denominations occupy a small square surrounded by low-rise houses, testament to the role…

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Pope’s visit to Iraqi Ziggurat to bring together several faiths

Pope Francis is due to hold an inter-religious prayer service at the ancient Mesopotamian site of Ur when he visits Iraq next week - an event local archeologists hope will…

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Iraqi Christians prepare for Pope’s visit

Iraqi Christians are busy scrubbing churches, practising hymns and preparing for mass ahead of the first ever papal visit to the country, a four-day trip next month that is going…

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Pope pays surprise visit to home of elderly Holocaust survivor

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis paid a surprise visit on Saturday to the home of Edith Bruck, a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor and author, and paid homage to all those…

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Watch – Twenty years since Bergoglio became Cardinal

Vatican News Twenty years ago, on 21 February 2001, Pope Saint John Paul II created forty-four new Cardinals – including the then-Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Vatican News…

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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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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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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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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 calls Maradona a fragile poet

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis has hailed fellow Argentine Diego Maradona as a “poet” on the pitch, but also acknowledged his frailty away from the sport. In a wide-ranging interview…

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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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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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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 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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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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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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In Pictures – Vatican Consistory ceremony

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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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Future of Church takes shape with Pope’s new cardinals

Pope Francis on Saturday installed 13 new cardinals, including the first African-American to hold the high rank, further expanding the pontiff’s impact on the group that will one day elect…

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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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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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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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Pope appeals for peace in Ethiopia and Libya

Pope Francis appealed to Ethiopian authorities to choose the path of peace and expresses his hope that the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Tunis may yield peace and stability in…

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Pope shakes up running of Vatican funds after London property scandal

Pope Francis has stripped the Vatican's Secretariat of State of control over its own funds, moving them to the supervision of its economic offices in an attempt to contain the…

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Papal prayers on All Souls’ Day

Pope Francis' prayer on the tombs of the popes buried in the Teutonic cemetery in Rome, 2 November 2020. Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass on All Souls' Day for the…

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Pope Francis expresses dream of a Europe of solidarity and respect for all peoples

Pope Francis, in a letter to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, shares his visions of a Europe of the future, marked with solidarity, friendship and unity, and true…

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No public for Pope’s Christmas’ liturgies

Pope Francis' Christmas liturgies at the Vatican will be offered without public participation this year, as countries continue to react to the coronavirus pandemic. According to a letter seen by…

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Pope Francis announces the appointment of 13 new cardinals

The Church will have thirteen new Cardinals. Nine of them are younger than 80 and therefore, have the right to participate in a future conclave. Four others are older than…

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Pope wears mask for first time at public event

Pope Francis wore a mask for the first time at a public function on Tuesday when he and other religious leaders attended a prayer service for peace around the world.…

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Pope expresses support for detained Italian fishermen in Libya

Pope Francis expressed support on Sunday for 18 fishermen held in Libya, weighing in on a standoff between Italy and the administration of Khalifa Haftar, one of the North African…

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Pope Francis tells faithful to respect COVID-prevention rules

Pope Francis told the faithful to respect the authorities' COVID-19 prevention rules at the end of his weekly general audience in the Vatican on Wednesday. "I'd like to do what…

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Pope meets Cardinal Pell after abuse conviction overturned

Pope Francis met on Monday with Australian Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican's former economy minister who has returned to Rome after the firing of an Italian cardinal whom Pell had accused of obstructing financial…

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Pope Francis – “Pull investments from companies not committed to environment”

Pope Francis on Saturday urged people to pull investments from companies that are not committed to protecting the environment, adding his voice to calls for the economic model that emerges…

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Pope calls for clean finance in Moneyval meeting

Pope Francis insisted on the need for clean finance which serves humanity, especially the weakest memebrs of society. While addressing evaluators of the Moneyval Programme, the Head of the Catholic…

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