Pope Francis

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With Easter Bloodied, Pope Decries 'Cruel Violence'

Sri Lanka attacks hang heavy over Mass at St. Peter's

(Newser) - Pope Francis denounced the "cruel violence" of the Easter Sunday slaughter of Christians and foreigners in Sri Lanka as he celebrated the most joyful moment on the Christian liturgical calendar by lamenting bloodshed and political violence. Francis skipped his homily during Easter Mass but delivered his traditional "Urbi...

At Easter Vigil, Pope Draws Line on Wealth

Pope Francis urges people not to 'bury hope'

(Newser) - At an Easter vigil in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis on Saturday encouraged people to resist cynicism or pursuing the "glitter of wealth," and to avoid seeking life's meaning in "things that pass away." "Do not bury hope!" Francis exclaimed, after noting...

In Significant Move, Pope Defines the Term 'Vulnerable Adults'

As part of new law requiring Vatican personnel, Holy See diplomats report abuse allegations

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Friday issued sweeping new sex abuse legislation for Vatican personnel and Holy See diplomats that requires the immediate reporting of abuse allegations to Vatican prosecutors, a policy shift aimed at being a model for the Catholic Church worldwide. The mandatory reporting provision, while limited in scope, marks...

Here's Why Pope Wasn't Letting People Kiss His Ring

One word: hygiene

(Newser) - Pope Francis has set the record straight about why he pulled his hand away when throngs of people lined up this week to kiss his ring: for fear of spreading germs. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Thursday that Francis was concerned about hygiene when, after greeting dozens of well-wishers in...

What Did the Pope Do During the Holocaust? We'll Soon Know

Pope Francis announces Vatican archives from Pope Pius XII papacy will be opened in 2020

(Newser) - Three of the four popes who followed Pope Pius XII have since been named saints. The effort to attach the same designation to Pius has stalled, but a big move by Pope Francis could soon change that. Saying "the church is not afraid of history," the pope on...

Pope Francis: Predator Priests Become 'Tool of Satan'

Francis closes out summit on sexual abuse with harsh words, but leaves survivors disappointed

(Newser) - Pope Francis closed out a four-day summit meant to tackle the sexual abuse scandal that has roiled the Catholic Church for decades, reports the AP , promising that abusive priests will face "the wrath of God." The pontiff compared sexual abuse to "the cruel religious practice ... of sacrificing...

Pope at Sex Abuse Summit: 'Listen to Cry of Little Ones'

Skeptics hope his vow for 'concrete and efficient measures' isn't an empty one

(Newser) - "Simple and predictable condemnations" aren't what's needed to fight sex abuse within the Catholic Church; "concrete and efficient measures" are. That's according to Pope Francis, who kicked off on Thursday a four-day global summit on the matter in Rome in front of nearly 200 bishops,...

Vatican's 'Next Scandal': Rules on 'Children of the Ordained'

Spokesman confirms secret rules on how to deal with children fathered by priests

(Newser) - "It's the next scandal" for the Vatican, according to one man right in the middle of it. Just days after Pope Francis admitted there was a problem within the Catholic Church involving nuns impregnated by male clergy, sometimes leading to forced abortions, Vincent Doyle talks to the New ...

Pope Makes 'Almost Revolutionary' Move Against Ex-Cardinal

Theodore McCarrick has been defrocked by Pope Francis

(Newser) - Cardinal Donald Wuerl may have forgotten about sexual abuse allegations against his predecessor, but Pope Francis didn't. The New York Times reports that word has been handed down from the top: Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal of Washington, DC, has been defrocked. "The Holy Father has recognized the...

Book Describes Large Gay Subculture Within Vatican

French author Frederic Martel says it's at the heart of Catholic Church's troubles

(Newser) - A gay French writer has lifted the lid on what he calls one of the world's largest gay communities, the Vatican, estimating that most of its prelates are homosexually inclined and attributing much of the current crisis in the Catholic Church to an internecine war among them. In the...

Pope's Shocker on Nuns: 'Sexual Slavery,' Forced Abortions

'Do we have to do more? Yes. Are we willing? Yes.'

(Newser) - A shocking first emerged from the pope on Tuesday: admission of more sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, this time of nuns at the hands of male clergy. The New York Times notes it's the first time the pontiff has publicly recognized the church's very own #MeToo issue,...

180K Attend Historic Abu Dhabi Mass

Pope wraps up visit to Arabian Peninsula

(Newser) - Pope Francis ministered on Tuesday to the thriving Catholic community in the United Arab Emirates as he concluded his historic visit to the Arabian Peninsula with the first-ever papal Mass here and a call for his flock to remain meek in following God. A day after making a broad appeal...

The Pope Goes on a Historic Journey

Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi

(Newser) - Pope Francis landed Sunday in Abu Dhabi on the first-ever papal trip to the Arabian Peninsula, where he is seeking to turn a page in Christian-Muslim relations while also ministering to a unique, thriving Catholic community, the AP reports. Francis earlier Sunday called for the urgent observation of a limited...

Pope Who Says He's a Tech 'Disaster' Has a New App

'Click to Pray' lets users keep on top of pontiff's prayers, as well as add their own

(Newser) - First we had a drive-thru for Ash Wednesday ; now there's a Pope Francis-sponsored app for praying. The pontiff who once called himself a techie "disaster" launched "Click to Pray" on Sunday, a six-language app for both Android and iPhone that he hopes will keep Catholic constituents around...

Pope Knew of Allegations vs. 'Spiritual Son' in '15: Report

Argentine diocesan officials say bishop was allowed to quietly resign, then promoted

(Newser) - The Vatican received information in 2015 and 2017 that an Argentine bishop close to Pope Francis had taken naked selfies, exhibited "obscene" behavior, and been accused of misconduct with seminarians, his former vicar general told the AP , undermining Vatican claims that allegations were made a few months ago. Francis...

Letter Reveals Vatican's Real Take on Abuse Cases

Rome's reaction stunned sex-abuse survivors

(Newser) - The Vatican blocked US bishops from taking measures to address the clergy sex abuse scandal because US church leaders failed to sufficiently consult with the Holy See beforehand about legally problematic proposals, according to a letter obtained by the AP . The Nov. 11 letter from the Vatican's Cardinal Marc...

Ex-First Lady Passes Torch to Another as 'Most Admired Woman'

Michelle Obama takes crown from Hillary Clinton, winner since 2002; Barack Obama is men's victor

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has been named the most admired woman in Gallup's annual survey more than any other since Gallup started asking in 1946: 22 times, to be exact, including for each year since 2002. This year, however, another former first lady has finally knocked Clinton off the hill. Michelle...

Pope Demands 'Vicious Wolves' Turn Themselves In

Priests who abuse children must face 'human justice,' he says

(Newser) - Pope Francis vowed Friday that the Catholic Church will "never again" cover up clergy sex abuse and demanded that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in. Francis dedicated his annual Christmas speech to the Vatican bureaucracy to abuse, evidence that a year of devastating revelations of...

Vatican Insists US Bishops Delay Sex Abuse Vote

Top Catholics want stateside clergy leaders to postpone till after global meeting

(Newser) - At the Vatican's insistence, US Catholic bishops abruptly postponed plans Monday to vote on proposed new steps to address the clergy sex abuse crisis roiling the church, per the AP . Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was told...

Pope: Safe Drinking Water Is a Human Right

It's 'shameful' that so many lack access to it, he says

(Newser) - Pope Francis has affirmed that access to clean water is a human right and that it's "enormously shameful" that millions of people get sick and die each year for lack of it, the AP reports. In a message to a water management conference Thursday, Francis lamented that war,...

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