Tag Archives: VATICAN

VATICAN RADIO: The new Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium,  Archbishop Augustine Kassujja, who hails from Uganda, is an experienced diplomat who has served the Holy See for many years. Born in 1946, Archbishop Kasujja is the first non-European Nuncio to Belgium. According to the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Archbishop Kasujja leaves …

Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP |  If upcoming Vatican-backed talks between Venezuela’s bitterly antagonistic government and opposition fail, the result could well be “bloodshed,” a papal envoy warned Saturday. “If one delegation or the other ends the dialogue, it’s not the pope but the Venezuelan people who will lose, because …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  An Italian priest has said the recent earthquakes that have shaken the country, killing hundreds and leaving tens of thousands homeless, were “divine punishment” for gay civil unions, earning the Vatican’s wrath. Father Giovanni Cavalcoli, a theologian known for his hardline views, made the comments …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP |  One thousand prisoners — including some lifers — will take part in a special event at the Vatican this weekend, along with 3,000 family members, prison staff and volunteers. The prisoners from 12 countries will have the opportunity on Saturday to confess and …

Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis flies to Sweden Monday on the latest leg of his mission to promote reconciliation and unity within the wider Christian family. The Argentine pontiff is due in the southern city of Lund for an ecumenical service marking the start of a year of …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The Vatican on Tuesday urged Catholics not to scatter the ashes of the dead after cremation and instead to store them in places approved by the Church. The new guidelines published by the Church also say that the ashes of the dead should …

Baku, Azerbaijan | AFP |  Pope Francis on Sunday arrived in mainly Muslim Azerbaijan on the last leg of his peace tour of the volatile ex-Soviet Caucasus region, just months after visiting arch-foe Armenia. The pontiff held a mass for the country’s tiny Catholic community in the capital Baku ahead …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Mother Teresa, the celebrated nun whose work with the poor of Kolkata made her an instantly recognisable global figure, will be proclaimed a saint on Sunday. Pope Francis will preside over a solemn canonisation mass in the presence of 100,000 pilgrims and with …

  Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis surprised 20 former prostitutes on Friday by knocking on their door in Rome and popping in for a chat. The Argentine, who has repeatedly described the human trafficking behind much prostitution as “a crime against humanity”, sat down with the …

Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a commission to study the issue of female Church deacons in a move seen as a potential first step towards women entering the Catholic clergy. The 13-member commission, made up of seven men and six women, will examine the question with a particular focus on …