Rome, Italy | AFP | Former nuns “abandoned” by the Catholic Church, including some who became prostitutes to survive, have been sheltered at a Vatican residence for more than a year, a Brazilian cardinal said. Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz confirmed the house’s existence at an undisclosed location in Vatican City …
Read More »Ex-pope’s shadow Vatican role in the spotlight
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Ex-pope Benedict XVI seems to have broken his silence recently over key Catholic issues and his comments have raised serious questions within the Church about the extent to which there are, in fact, two “men in white” at the Vatican. In 2013, Benedict became …
Read More »Dispute over former pope’s role in controversial book
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The Vatican was gripped Tuesday by a dispute over whether elderly ex-pope Benedict XVI was being used by the Catholic Church’s ultra-conservative wing to undermine his successor Pope Francis. At least three Vatican correspondents cited a source close to Benedict saying the former pontiff …
Read More »Church is losing influence, pope warns
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Saturday called on church leaders for a “change in mentality”, saying the Christian faith is less heeded, even ignored, in the modern world. New methods were needed to help “reposition our ways of thinking and our attitudes”, the pope warned in …
Read More »Pope to visit Hiroshima on anti-nuclear weapon mission
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis, who years ago hoped to be a missionary in Japan, travels to the sites of the world’s only atomic attacks this week seeking a ban on nuclear weapons. The Argentine pontiff, 82, flies to Asia on Tuesday, where he will first visit …
Read More »Catholic institutions asked to rethink higher education approaches
Mpigi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Papal nuncio to Uganda, Archbishop Luigi Bianco has challenged catholic founded institutions to rethink their way of teaching and front an ‘integral education in a fragmented world, full of contradictions.’ The Papal nuncio says that challenges stirred by development and the evolution of technology …
Read More »POPE FRANCIS: Every person should have access to adequate food
COMMENT | POPE FRANCIS | The yearly celebration of World Food Day makes us hear the dramatic plea of those of our brothers and sisters who suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Despite efforts made in recent decades, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is yet to be implemented in many parts of the world. …
Read More »Pope to elevate British convert Newman to sainthood
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis creates five new saints on Sunday, including Britain’s Cardinal John Henry Newman — one of the Catholic Church’s most renowned converts — and a nun dubbed the “Mother Teresa of Brazil”. Heads of state from across the world are expected at the …
Read More »Catholicism in Africa
Churches face competition and a troubled legacy as they grow | JOSEPH HELLWEG | Pope Francis recently completed a seven-day tour of three African countries: Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. It was a significant trip for a number of reasons. During his visit, the pope spoke on issues of peace and …
Read More »Pope ‘not afraid’ of schism in Catholic Church
On board the papal plane, Undefined | AFP | Pope Francis said Tuesday he was “not afraid” of a schism in the Roman Catholic Church, in reference to attacks by conservative cardinals who frequently take aim at his papacy. “I’m not afraid of schisms. I pray that there won’t be one, …
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