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☆ Pope Francis says his conservative critics in the church have a ‘suicidal attitude’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Pope Francis has suggested that his conservative critics in the United States have a “suicidal attitude,” in an interview with CBS News. Asked about criticism from “conservative bishops” in the US who have opposed Francis’ more progressive papacy and efforts to reform the Catholic Church, the Pope paused on the word “conservative,” saying a conservative is “one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that. It is a suicidal attitude.”There is an important difference between taking “tradition into account” and being “closed up inside a dogmatic box,” Francis emphasized. Francis has envisioned a merciful Catholic Church open to everyone, a “field hospital” ready to bind up the wounds of a suffering humanity. Those who oppose Francis say they want a pope instead who lays down the law and presents doctrine in black-and-white terms.

Persons: Pope Francis, ”, Francis ’, Pope, ” Francis, Francis, Cardinal Raymond Burke, Harrison Butker’s, Butker Organizations: CNN, CBS News, Catholic Church, Catholic, CBS, Kansas City Chiefs Locations: United States, Tyler , Texas

☆ Hochul Meets the Pope, and Reflects on Her Father and Irish Catholicism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Claire Fahy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kathy Hochul of New York waited for Pope Francis in Clementine Hall, an ornate room with marble walls and frescoed ceilings in the Vatican’s papal apartments, her thoughts drifted to her father. Ms. Hochul was last in Rome seven years ago with her father, who was celebrating his 80th birthday. He passed away suddenly in October, while the governor was on another diplomatic trip abroad, visiting Israel. “It was a profound experience for me, sitting there reflecting on my family’s teachings,” Ms. Hochul said on Thursday. It was the second such trip taken by a New York leader in a week: Mayor Eric Adams of New York City met with the pope on Saturday.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Pope Francis, Clementine Hall, Ms, Hochul, ” Ms, “, Eric Adams Organizations: Catholic, New Locations: New, Rome, Israel, Italy, New York, New York City

☆ In Rome, Adams Sees a Model for Helping Migrants Assimilate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It didn’t take long for Mayor Eric Adams of New York to articulate what he liked about a welcome center for migrants and asylum seekers that he visited on Sunday in Rocca di Papa, a town about 15 miles outside Rome. “In two months they’re going from migrant to participating in society,” Mr. Adams said after a 30-minute tour of the center, where migrants from countries including Syria and Sudan are processed, take Italian lessons and receive health care before being sent out for job opportunities. The mayor, who has called on the federal government to expedite work permits and relocation assistance for migrants, repeated that appeal after visiting the center, which is run by the Red Cross and receives funding from the Italian government. He said he wanted help from the Biden administration to develop something similar in New York, where more than 190,000 migrants have arrived over the last two years. Mr. Adams’s visit came on the last day of a three-day trip to Rome, where he met Pope Francis at the Vatican and spoke at an international conference on peace.

Persons: Eric Adams, Rocca, “, ” Mr, Adams, Biden, Adams’s, Pope Francis Locations: New York, Rocca di, Rome, Syria, Sudan, Israel

☆ A ‘Sacred Moment’: Mayor Eric Adams on his Meeting With Pope Francis
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mayor Eric Adams, who talks often about his faith, acknowledged on Saturday that he had felt some uncertainty — if not anxiety — about meeting Pope Francis. But at the Vatican, as Mr. Adams stooped before the pope, he felt any disquiet he had wash away. Pope Francis placed his hand on the mayor’s right arm. “I think that some people have a level of aura and energy and the ability to just calm people,” said Mr. Adams, who is Christian but not Catholic. The visit came as the mayor, who is up for re-election next year, faces difficulties in New York City, including lagging poll numbers and a federal investigation into his campaign fund-raising.

Persons: Eric Adams, Pope Francis, Adams stooped, “, ”, Adams Organizations: Mr Locations: Italy, New York, New York City

☆ With Conflicts at Home, Eric Adams Arrives in Rome to Discuss Peace
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With New York City at the center of global issues such as the influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants and the college protests about the Israel-Hamas war, Mayor Eric Adams arrived in Rome on Friday ready to discuss peace. During a three-day trip, the mayor is expected to meet with Pope Francis and attend the World Meeting on Human Fraternity, an event that will bring together Nobel Laureates, athletes and assorted celebrities as a step toward combating the “many forms of violence and wars” around the world. Earlier this week, the mayor said: “I think that His Holiness has a role right now as we all are trying to deal with the global conflicts.”The mayor has made his Christian faith a centerpiece of his politics. He has said that God told him three decades ago the exact date that he would become mayor, and that he did not believe in the separation of church and state. The trip to see Pope Francis is “a very special moment for me as being a Christian,” Mr. Adams said Tuesday.

Persons: Eric Adams, Pope Francis, “, God, ” Mr, Adams Organizations: New York, Human Fraternity Locations: New York City, Israel, Rome

☆ Opinion | Why Conservative and Liberal Catholics Can’t Escape One Another
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A college of supposedly conservative cardinals elected a surprisingly liberal pope. It seemed as though liberal Catholicism had been merely hibernating, awaiting a new pope, a new spring. But lately, in both Rome and the United States, I’ve had conversations with well-informed Catholics in which the old conservative confidence has made a comeback. The fear that the next pope might be another liberalizer, younger and more ambitious than Francis, has largely receded. This new confidence reflects a specific reading of the waning years (or what are probably the waning years) of the Francis pontificate.

Persons: Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, I’ve, Francis Locations: Rome, United States

☆ Mayor Adams to Meet With Pope Francis in Rome
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Dana Rubinstein | William K. Rashbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mayor Eric Adams will travel to Rome on Thursday to meet with Pope Francis, becoming the latest in a recent succession of New York City mayors to pay respects to the leader of the Catholic Church. The trip comes as Mr. Adams, a moderate Democrat facing languishing poll numbers and a federal criminal investigation, prepares to run for re-election next year in what is expected to be a contested primary. A spokesman for the mayor had no immediate comment when asked about the trip; roughly an hour later, the mayor’s press office released an advisory that Mr. Adams would be in Rome later this week. The advisory mentions “travel to the Vatican City,” but did not specify if he would meet with the pope. But three sources familiar with Mr. Adams’s itinerary confirmed that he would see Pope Francis.

Persons: Eric Adams, Pope Francis, Adams, Frank Carone Organizations: Catholic Church Locations: Rome, New York City, Vatican City, ”

☆ Pope’s Visit to Art Exhibition in Prison Is a First for Venice Biennale
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Landing by helicopter at a women’s prison where the Vatican has mounted its pavilion for the Venice Biennale international art exhibition, Pope Francis on Sunday told the women incarcerated there that they had a “special place in my heart.”“Grazie,” one woman called out. Others applauded. Over the decades, countries participating in the Biennale — the world’s principal showcase for new art — have used deconsecrated churches, former beer factories, water buses and various other sites to display their art, but this was the first time a prison was selected. That made the project “more complex and more difficult to implement,” Bruno Racine, the director of two venues of the Pinault Collection in Venice and a co-curator of the Vatican Pavilion, said in an interview. But the setting is consistent with Francis’ message of inclusivity toward marginalized people, he added.

Persons: Pope Francis, “, ” Francis, ” Bruno Racine, Francis ’ Organizations: Venice Biennale, Sunday Locations: Venice

☆ Venice Biennale: Pope makes landmark visit and proclaims that ‘the world needs artists’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Venice CNN —Pope Francis has become the first pontiff to visit Venice’s contemporary art festival during a trip which saw him visit a female prison and rehabilitate the reputation of a pioneering American nun artist. Francis began his Venice trip by greeting each of the approximately 80 inmates in the prison courtyard, several of whom are involved in the exhibition. For 2024, the Venice Biennale has taken the theme “Foreigners Everywhere” and seeks to highlight artists from marginalized backgrounds. The Venice Biennale was first held in 1895 and takes place every other year, with each country having their own pavilion (the Vatican is the world’s smallest sovereign territory). For 2024, it has taken the theme “Foreigners Everywhere” and seeks to highlight artists from marginalized backgrounds.

Persons: Venice CNN — Pope Francis, Pope, Chiara Parisi, Bruno Racine, —, Francis, Marco Perego, Zoe Saldaña, Saldana, ” Francis, ” Pope Francis, ”, Corita Kent, Kent –, Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois —, ” Kent, Mary, James McIntyre, Saint Mark, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Maurizio Cattelan, Pope John Paul II Organizations: Venice CNN, Vatican Media, Getty, Immaculate, Vatican, biennale Locations: American, Italian, Venice, Los Angeles, St, Portuguese

☆ Moldova Is a Cautionary Tale for Ukraine - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Paula Erizanu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But it would clearly involve freezing the conflict, resigning Ukraine’s occupied territory to Russia in exchange for an end to the fighting. A small western neighbor of Ukraine, Moldova experienced Russia’s first post-Soviet war of aggression, which ended with a cease-fire agreement in 1992. The case shows that Russia simply cannot be trusted. Anyone calling for Ukraine to settle for one should heed Moldova’s cautionary tale. Russia stopped providing Moldova with gas, leaving people in cities to freeze in their apartments and cook their food outside on bonfires.

Persons: Pope Francis, Ukraine’s, Russia’s Organizations: Russian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Moldovan, Russian, Transnistria, Moscow

☆ Kim Aris: Aung San Suu Kyi’s son casts doubt on reports Myanmar former leader has been moved from prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Drn/Getty Images Suu Kyi, front center, is seen with her parents and her two elder brothers in 1947. Kyodo News Stills/Getty Images Suu Kyi poses with Burmese comedian Par Par Lay, who was part of the pro-democracy act "The Moustache Brothers." Soe Than Win/AFP/Getty Images Suu Kyi meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Suu Kyi's residence in Yangon in 2011. Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images Suu Kyi is presented with the Congressional Gold Medal while visiting the US Capitol in 2012. U Aung/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images Suu Kyi addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2016.

Persons: Aung, Suu, ”, Kim Aris, Suu Kyi, she’s, ” Aris, CNN’s Anna Coren, “, Michael Aris, ” “, Zaw Min Tun, Min Aung Hlaing, Aris, they’ve, Ma Khin Kyi, Par, Karl Malakunas, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Karp, Price, Luis D'Orey, David Van Der Veen, Jonathan Utz, Michael Wolf, Pornchai Kittiwongsakul, Soe, Hillary Clinton, Paula Bronstein, Minzayar Oo, Kyi, Bono, Peter Muhly, Alex Wong, Barack Obama, Obama, Brendan Smialowski, Chris Ison, Ragnar Singsaas, Romeo Gacad, Lauren DeCicca, Lam Yik Fei, Htin Kyaw, Aung Naing, Min Aung, Aung Htet, Kyaw, Jewel SamadD, John Kerry, Jonathan Ernst, Reuters Suu Kyi, Heath Mitchell, Pope Francis, Elizabeth II, John Stillwell, Mike Pence, Bernat, Myanmar's, Koen Van Weel, ’ Aris, I’d, Suu Kyi’s NLD Organizations: CNN, Aung, National League for Democracy, Aris, Reuters, Burma Independence Army, Kyodo, Stills, Oxford University, Getty, Embassy, Suu Kyi, Panos, Congressional, Capitol, Suu, Xinhua News Agency, United Nations General Assembly, National Park Service, Palace, ASEAN, Court of Justice, Association for Political, United Nations Locations: Myanmar, Britain, Rangoon, Yangon, Myanmar’s, Zaw, heatstroke, Naypyidaw, India, Par Par Lay, England, AFP, Bangkok, Thailand, Bagan, Pathein, Camberley, Oslo, Norway, Kawhmu, New York, Washington ,, Washington, DC, Singapore, Gambia, “, Burma, doesn’t

☆ What to see at the Venice Biennale 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —This week sees the opening of the Venice Biennale, an 8-month-long festival of art and culture staged every other year. For 2024 — the show’s 60th iteration — Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa has chosen the topic of “Foreigners Everywhere,” and announced an intention to spotlight artists from diverse and historically marginalized backgrounds. With the main event running from April 20 to November 24 2024, here’s our pick of what to see if you’re headed to Venice. “Willem de Kooning e l’Italia” — Willem de KooningThe show at Gallerie dell’Accademia will include 75 Willem de Kooning works, including "Screams of Children Come from Seagulls (Untitled XX)," 1975. Yoo Youngkuk Art FoundationThe first exhibition in Europe of one of Korea’s most influential artists, including many works never exhibited before outside Korea.

Persons: Adriano Pedrosa, ”, Pedrosa, —, you’re, “ Willem de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Kooning, Gallerie, Nick, Berlinde De, Abbazia, Ewa Juszkiewicz Juszkiewicz, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Palazzo, Palazzo Cavanis, Ai, Peter Hujar, della, Carolina, Marcel Duchamp, Franchetti, Cindy Sherman, Louise Bourgeois, Sarah Lucas, Irving Penn, Palazzo Franchetti, Marco “, Zoe Saldana, Marco Perego, Corita, Maurizio Cattelan, Pope Francis, Inuuteq Storch, Louise Wolthers, “, John Akomfrah, John Akmofrah, Yoo, Yoo Youngkuk, Stampalia, M.F, Husain, Picasso, Viktoria Bavykina, Max Gorbatskyi, Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei, Ela Bialkowska, Ai Weiwei, Palazzo Smith, Koo Jeong, Koo, Rick Lowe, Lowe's, Lowe Organizations: CNN, Venice Biennale, Palazzo, Sun, Danish, British, Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation Locations: Venice, Italy, “, Refuge, ” City, San Giorgio Maggiore, San, New York, Santa, San Marco, Marco, Giudecca, Corita Kent, American, Greenland, Europe, Korea, India, Sale, Ukraine, Continua, Bangkok, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, Houston

☆ A look at Taylor Swift’s economic power ahead of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ release
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The commercially successful ‘Eras’ tourThe Eras tour was massively successful in 2023 and it’ll stretch through the end of this year. John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images Swift performs in Glendale, Arizona, during the opening weekend of "The Eras Tour" in March 2023. John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images Swift performs during the "Evermore" section of the show in Sydney in February 2024. John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images Fans apply jewels on their way to Swift's show in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in May 2023. John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images In pictures: Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' Prev NextShe is a generous boss, too, awarding $100,000 bonuses to Eras Tour truck drivers during the summer.

Persons: Washington CNN — Taylor Swift, Swift, It’ll, ” Armen Shaomian, StubHub, “, “ Taylor Swift, hasn’t, SeatGeek, Taylor Swift, Kevin Mazur, Natasha, Ethan Miller, John Shearer, Kevin Winter, Benjamin B, Braun, Jutharat, Phoebe Bridgers, Bridgers, Raymond James, Zack Wittman, Hector Vivas, Don Arnold, TAS24, Rachel Wisniewski, Terence Rushin, Haim, Jeff Kravitz, Erin Clark, Sarah Yenesel, Sabrina Carpenter, Bob Levey, TAS23, Christopher Polk, Allen J, Taylor, ”, that’s, That’s, doesn’t, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Pope Francis, ” Swift Organizations: Washington CNN, Poets Department, Fortune, University of South, CNN, Swift City, Pittsburgh, MetLife Stadium, New York Times, Lincoln Financial, Washington Post, Ticketmaster, Boston Globe, Penske Media, Los Angeles Times, Federal Reserve, ” AMC Locations: University of South Carolina, North America, East Rutherford , New Jersey, Chicago, Las Vegas, Nashville , Tennessee, Glendale , Arizona, Glendale, Swift, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, East Rutherford, Nashville, Tampa , Florida, Mexico City, Kansas City , Missouri, Sydney, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Santa Clara , California, Foxborough , Massachusetts, Coney, Houston, Inglewood , California, Cincinnati, United States, Canada, AMC’s

☆ Italy’s prime minister says surrogacy ‘inhuman’ as party backs steeper penalties
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni says surrogacy is “inhuman” and is backing steeper penalties against the practice, including fines of up to $1 million and multiple-year prison sentences. “I continue to believe that surrogacy is an inhuman practice,” Meloni said at a conference ‘For a Young Europe: Demographic Transition, Environment, Future’ in Rome on Friday. Meloni’s comments against surrogacy fall in line with the views held by the Catholic Church. “The demographic challenge, and the economic sustainability to which it is connected, is one of the main challenges for us,” she said. The move to criminalize surrogacy is largely seen as a move against the LGBTQ+ community.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Meloni’s, “, ” Meloni, ’, Pope Francis, ” Organizations: CNN, Catholic Locations: Italy, Europe, Rome, ”

☆ Four Takeaways From the Vatican’s Document on Human Dignity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The document issued on Monday by the Vatican puts human dignity at the center of Catholic life, but in doing so, it broaches some of the most difficult and sensitive social issues, those that Pope Francis has spent his papacy avoiding. On Monday, though, his church leaned hard into them in the document, called “Infinite Dignity.” It argued that the exploitation of the poor, the outcast and the vulnerable amounted to an erosion of human dignity. Catholics to receive blessings from priests and transgender people to be baptized and act as godparents, has a limit: Catholic doctrine. The pope’s conservative critics have for a decade argued that his tendency to speak off the cuff and in overly welcoming ways toward L.G.B.T.Q. people, the divorced and remarried, along with others who sin in the church’s eyes, had sent the wrong signal.

Persons: Pope Francis, Pope Francis ’ Organizations: Vatican

☆ Gender-affirming surgery threatens ‘unique dignity’ of a person, Vatican says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” it adds. The latest Vatican document identifies various “violations” to human dignity, including in the digital world, pointing to the trends where people’s personal lives are laid bare and “combed over” anonymously. “There is a widespread notion that euthanasia or assisted suicide is somehow consistent with respect for the dignity of the human person,” the document states. He also pointed out that church opposition to abortion is not down to “fanaticism” but a consistent defense of the human person. He pointed out that the new document lists violence against women before abortion in its list of violations against human dignity.

Persons: Pope Francis, ”, Francis, “, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández –, ” Francis DeBernardo, ” Pope Francis, Cardinal Fernández, Cardinal Fernández’s Organizations: CNN, New Ways Ministry Locations: Torvaianica, Rome, Vatican, Africa

☆ Vatican Document Casts Gender Change and Fluidity as Threat to Human Dignity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Vatican on Monday issued a new document approved by Pope Francis stating that the church believes that gender fluidity and transition surgery, as well as surrogacy, amount to affronts to human dignity. The sex a person is assigned at birth, the document argued, was an “irrevocable gift” from God and “any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.” People who desire “a personal self-determination, as gender theory prescribes,” risk succumbing “to the age-old temptation to make oneself God.”Regarding surrogacy, the document unequivocally stated the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition, whether the woman carrying a baby “is coerced into it or chooses to subject herself to it freely.” Surrogacy makes the child “a mere means subservient to the arbitrary gain or desire of others,” the Vatican said in the document, which also opposed in vitro fertilization. The document was intended as a broad statement of the church’s view on human dignity, including the exploitation of the poor, migrants, women and vulnerable people. The Vatican acknowledged that it was touching on difficult issues, but said that in a time of great tumult, it was essential, and it hoped beneficial, for the church to restate its teachings on the centrality of human dignity.

Persons: Pope Francis, ” Organizations: Catholic, Vatican

☆ What Happened When This Italian Province Invested in Babies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Gaia Pianigiani | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a municipal building in the heart of the alpine city of Bolzano, Stefano Baldo clocked out of work early for his breastfeeding break. “It’s clear I don’t breastfeed,” Mr. Baldo, a 38-year-old transportation administrator, said in his office decorated with pictures of his wife and six children. But with his wife home with a newborn, one of the parents was entitled by law to take the time, and he needed to pick up the kids. But the Alto Adige-South Tyrol area and its capital, Bolzano, more than any other part of the country, bucked the trend and emerged as a parallel procreation universe for Italy, with its birthrate holding steady over decades. The reason, experts say, is that the provincial government has over time developed a thick network of family-friendly benefits, going far beyond the one-off bonuses for babies that the national government offers.

Persons: Stefano Baldo, Mr, Baldo, “, Giorgia Meloni, Pope Francis Locations: Bolzano, Italy, Europe, South Tyrol

☆ Pope Francis presides over Easter Mass amid concerns over his health
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Christopher Lamb | Sophie Jeong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Pope Francis presided over Easter Mass on Sunday amid renewed concerns over the health of the 87-year-old pontiff. The Pope had been leading Holy Week liturgies and, on Saturday, presided over Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica. Papal watchers have been closely monitoring the octogenarian’s well-being since last year, when he had an operation on his abdomen and was hospitalized with bronchitis. The Pope has been hospitalized for tests in recent weeks. He has also relied on his aides to read out some of his speeches at times when he was suffering from colds, the flu or bouts of bronchitis.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, ” Francis, Pope, ” Organizations: CNN Locations: St, Europe, Peter’s, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine

☆ Amid Health Concerns, Pope Delivers Strong Easter Message Calling for Gaza Cease-Fire
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Amid renewed concerns about his health, Pope Francis presided over Easter Sunday Mass, and with a hoarse but strong voice, he delivered a major annual message that touched on conflicts across the globe, with explicit appeals for peace in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine. The appearance came after the pope decided to reduce his participation in two major Holy Week events, seemingly at the last minute. Those decisions seemed to mark a new phase in a more than 11-year papacy throughout which Francis has made the acceptance of the limits that challenge and shape humanity a constant theme. Now, he seems to have entered a period in which he is himself scaling back to observe, and highlight, the limits imposed by his own health constraints, and to conserve strength for the most critical moments. On Sunday after the Mass, Francis took a prolonged spin in his popemobile around St. Peter’s Square before ascending to a balcony overlooking it to deliver his traditional Easter message.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Peter’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, St

☆ Pope soldiers through Easter Vigil after missing procession
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis presides the liturgy of the light during Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on March 30, 2024 in Vatican City. Pope Francis on Saturday soldiered through a more than 2-hour Easter Vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica, one of the longest services in Catholic liturgy, amid renewed concerns about the 87-year-old's frail condition. The pope is also restricted in his mobility due to a knee ailment, and regularly uses a wheelchair or a cane. Holy Week consists of several solemn ceremonies leading to Easter on Sunday, the most important festivity in the Christian calendar, celebrating the day in which the faithful believe Jesus rose from the dead. Francis is set to conclude Easter celebrations on Sunday with Mass in St. Peter's Square and his twice-annual "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing and message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Vatican, Jesus Locations: St, Peter's, Vatican City, St Peter's, Christendom's

☆ Pope Francis skips Good Friday event at last minute ‘to preserve health’ for Easter rituals
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Christopher Lamb | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Pope Francis pulled out of a Good Friday service at the last minute, the Vatican said, “to preserve his health” ahead of major Easter events over the weekend. The 87-year-old pontiff’s well-being has been watched closely following an operation on his abdomen last year. The stations mark various stages of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, with the pope seeking to apply the biblical account to contemporary concerns. War, online hatred and the exploitation of women are among the themes tackled by Pope Francis in his Good Friday meditations this year. In them, he reflects on the judgment of the crowd watching the crucifixion, linking it to online hatred.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Jesus Christ’s, ”, Jesus Organizations: CNN, Vatican Locations: Peter’s

☆ Pope skips Good Friday event to preserve health ahead of Easter, Vatican says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum to protect his health, the Vatican said, making a last-minute decision that added to concerns about his frail condition during a particularly busy period. But just as the event was about to begin, the Vatican announced that Francis was following the event from his home at the Vatican. Brian Hopp, a visitor from Chicago, noted that Francis has had his health challenges this year. I think a lot was taken into it and I think he probably prioritized his health for Easter, which I think is a very responsible thing to do," Hopp said. On Thursday, he left the Vatican to preside over the Holy Thursday foot-washing ritual at a Rome women's prison.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, Marlene Steuber, Brian Hopp, Hopp, Peter's Organizations: Vatican, Casa Santa Locations: Costa Rica, Rome, Chicago, St, Peter's

☆ Pope Francis breaks with tradition in annual ritual by washing the feet of women only
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Pope Francis on Thursday has washed the feet of 12 women at a prison in Rome during a ceremony emphasizing humility. It is the first time the pope has washed the feet of women only during the special annual service. Since his election, the pope has taken this ceremony out of Vatican territory and celebrated by washing the feet of prisoners, refugees and the disabled. Over the years, Francis has washed the feet of women and Muslims. His predecessor, Benedict XVI, only washed the feet of men, and later switched to washing only the feet of priests.

Persons: Pope Francis, Jesus, Francis, Michael Walsh, Fr Anthony Ruff, Nadia Fontana, Benedict XVI Organizations: CNN, Vatican Media, AP, Vatican Locations: Rome

☆ Pope Lets Silence Speak for Him as He Skips a Palm Sunday Speech
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As tens of thousands of faithful holding palm fronds in St. Peter’s Square looked on, the moment arrived in the Palm Sunday Mass for Pope Francis to deliver his homily in a service marking the beginning of Holy Week, one of the most demanding and significant on the Christian calendar. “And now we hear the words of the Holy Father,” said the commentator on the Vatican’s media channel. Instead, the crowd outside and all of those tuning in heard Francis breathing and the wind blowing over the square, as the pope, 87, decided at the last moment to forgo the homily, the sermon that is central to the service, and remain silent. Francis’ choice to skip the strenuous speech at the outset of a week that culminates in the Easter celebration of the resurrection of Christ amounted to a highly unusual move that immediately raised concerns about the pope’s health, which is increasingly frail. In recent years, he has undergone an intestinal surgery, moved to a wheelchair and often has respiratory problems.

Persons: Peter’s, Pope Francis, ”, Francis, Francis ’ Locations: St

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