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☆ Vatican Walks Back Pope Francis’ Praise for Russian Empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones, francis Locations: russia, vatican

☆ Pope did not intend to glorify Russian imperialism in speech, Vatican says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis did not intend "to exalt imperialist logic," the Vatican said Tuesday, after a speech delivered on Friday drew criticism for references to Russia's imperialist past. "You are heirs of the great Russia — the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, the great Russian empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity," Pope Francis said in the Friday speech, as translated and transcribed by NewsFromUkraine. The pope delivered the prepared speech in his native Spanish, before making these off-script comments in Italian. The pope has previously repeatedly called for a cease-fire in the war in Ukraine and spoken against Russia's actions in the conflict. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the religious leader for "his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians."

Persons: Pope, Pope Francis, Vladimir Putin, Russia —, Peter the Great, Catherine II, NewsFromUkraine, Russia, Oleg Nikolenko, Rome, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Google, Vatican, Roman Catholic, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Tass Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Spanish

CNN —Ukrainian officials have criticized Pope Francis’ recent address to Russian youth, calling his remarks “imperialist propaganda.”The pontiff made a video address to the 10th All-Russian Catholic Youth Assembly in St. Petersburg on Friday, during which he urged them to view themselves as descendants of the Russian empire. You are the descendants of great Russia: the great Russia of saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire – educated, great culture and great humanity. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared himself to Peter the Great during an exhibition dedicated to the first Russian emperor, using the comparison to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years,” Putin said at the time. The pope has previously been criticized for some of his comments about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Persons: Pope Francis ’, Peter I, Catherine II, Russia, ”, Oleh Nikolenko, ‘, Russia ’, ” Nikolenko, Vladimir Putin, Peter the Great, “ Peter the Great, ” Putin, “, Peter, –, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Catherine the Great, ” Shevchuk, Pope, Francis, Darya Dugina, Visvaldas Kulbokas, Francis ’, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Catholic Youth Assembly, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kremlin, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Vatican, La Stampa, NATO, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Sweden, Ukrainian, Italian, Moscow, Rome

☆ Pope Francis laments "reactionary," politicised, US Catholic Church
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 27, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has lamented what he called a "reactionary" Catholic Church in the United States, where he said political ideology has replaced faith in some cases. "You have seen that in the United States the situation is not easy: there is a very strong reactionary attitude. "You have been to the United States and you say you have felt a climate of closure. In other words, ideology replaces faith, membership in a sector of the Church replaces membership in the Church," he said.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Cardinal Raymond Burke, Philip Pullella, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Catholic, U.S . Church, Jesuit, Thomson Locations: United States, Lisbon, Portuguese, Rome

☆ Pope Francis draws criticism for extolling Russian imperialist tsars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience, in Paul VI hall at the Vatican, August 9, 2023. You are heirs of the great Russia - the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, the great Russian empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity. An editorial on Italy's Il Sismografo website, which specialises in Catholic affairs, called the pope's words "odd" at a delicate moment in history. Pope Francis is a Jesuit. The comment prompted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to summon the Vatican's ambassador in Kyiv to protest, saying the pope's words were "unfair" and had "broken Ukraine's heart".

Persons: Pope Francis, Paul VI, Peter the Great, Vladimir Putin, Francis, Catherine II, Russia, Oleg Nikolenko, Nikolenko, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Italy's, Catherine, Catherine the Great, Pope Clement XIV, Last, Putin, Tsar Peter the Great, propounding, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Nexta, Darya, Dmytro Kuleba, Ron Popeski, Tomasz Janowski, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Kremlin, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Rite Catholic Church, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Russia, Crimea, Russian, Estonian, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Pope Francis discusses Ukraine war and peace with US military chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pope Francis meets with U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley at the Vatican, August 21, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis and General Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed the war in Ukraine and hopes for peace there during a private audience at the Vatican on Monday. The general, who is visiting several European countries, said the pope was deeply concerned about the loss of life in Ukraine, particularly of civilians, since Russia invaded in February 2022. Milley has sharply criticized Moscow as mounting "a campaign of terror" against civilians in Ukraine, including by targeting civilian infrastructure as part of its war strategy. A strong advocate for Ukraine's defence against Russian forces, Milley, 65, has championed sending billions of dollars in arms to Kyiv.

Persons: Pope Francis, Mark A, Mark Milley, Milley, Dave Butler, Francis, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Phil Stewart, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: U.S, Joint Chiefs, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, U.S . Joint Chiefs of Staff, Catholic, Russian, Army, cautioning, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, Crimea, Beijing

☆ World Jesuit leader condemns Nicaragua government closure of university
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A guard mans the access to the Jesuit Central American University (UCA) in Managua, Nicaragua August 16, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsAug 18 (Reuters) - The superior general of the worldwide Jesuit religious order has condemned the closure of its university in Nicaragua as part of a government attempt to "suffocate" the Catholic Church and civic institutions in the Central American country. The United States has condemned the confiscation of the assets of the Central American University (UCA) as a further erosion of democracy. The government's action against UCA, other Catholic institutions and civic organisations, was aimed at "suffocating, closing or appropriating them", Sosa said. Vatican officials see the oppression of the Church in Nicaragua as one of the worst since the Cold War, when many communist countries in Eastern Europe persecuted the Church.

Persons: Stringer, Father Arturo Sosa, Sosa, Father Jose Domingo Cuesta, Daniel Ortega, Arturo, Philip Pullella, Christian Schmollinger, Robert Birsel Organizations: Jesuit Central American University, UCA, REUTERS, Catholic Church, Central American, order's Central, Reuters, The United, Central American University, Nicaraguan, Central America, Nicaragua's Catholic Church, Thomson Locations: Managua, Nicaragua, The United States, Rome, Venezuelan, Eastern Europe, Antonio

CNN —A video of a tourist climbing into Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain to fill her water bottle has circulated online. After filling her bottle from a spout of the fountain, she attempts to walk away, before a guard blows a whistle and paces towards her. It remains unclear what happened to the tourist after the incident, and whether she was arrested or fined. Tourists can be fined up to 500 euros for entering the fountain, which is widely considered one of the city’s best known landmarks. Around 3,000 euros ($3,200) a day are thrown into the fountain during busy tourist months, according to Rome’s tourism board.

Persons: Trevi, Rome skyrockets, surfed Organizations: CNN, Catholic, Caritas, Maserati, Vatican Museum Locations: Rome, Covid, Saudi, Italy, Australian, American

☆ Pope Francis denounces 'pain and shame' of Mediterranean migrant deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 13, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSMILAN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday urged politicians to address the "open wound" of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, saying he had been praying for the 41 people who died in a shipwreck earlier this month. More than 22,000 people have died or gone missing in its waters since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration. Port officials on the Italian island of Sicily recovered one body on Sunday after a boat carrying 13 migrants capsized on Saturday night off the nearby island of Marettimo, ANSA news agency reported. The pope also called for prayers for Ukraine and for the victims of the wildfires in Maui in Hawaii.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Valentina Za, Frances Kerry Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Sunday, International Organization for Migration, Thomson Locations: REUTERS MILAN, Europe, Sicily, Marettimo, France, Britain, Ukraine, Maui, Hawaii

☆ William Friedkin’s Movie ‘The Exorcist’ Understands Old-Time Catholicism - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Matthew Walther | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is one of those strange accidents of history that the best film ever made about the Roman Catholic Church was directed by a Jewish agnostic. When it came out, “The Exorcist” didn’t just shock audiences with lurid scenes of projectile vomiting and spinning heads. It also forced them to acknowledge a tension, most acutely felt in the Catholic Church but omnipresent in Western society, that had grown between two rival conceptions of religion. Is religion an expression of a transcendent moral and metaphysical order? “The Exorcist” came down on the side of tradition.

Persons: William Friedkin, ”, Friedkin Organizations: Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church, Catholic, Vatican Council

☆ Months after an AI deepfake of the pontiff in a puffy coat went viral, Pope Francis is warning about the dangers of AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One of the biggest AI moments this year involved a deepfake image of the Pope in a big coat. Now the Vatican has released a statement where Pope Francis warns against AI's dangers. The Pope said AI could lead to discrimination, but there should be an open dialogue to ensure it benefits humanity. Pope Francis was at the center of one of this year's most viral AI controversies, and now he's warned against the dangers of the budding technology. Instead, the Pope said AI should be "at the service of humanity and the protection of our common home."

Persons: Pope, Pope Francis, Francis, MiqkcLQ8Bd, Nikita S, Pablo Xavier, Buzzfeed, Sam Altman Organizations: Intelligence, Guardian, Wall Street Locations: Brooklyn, Chicago, Kenya

☆ Pope warns against potential dangers of artificial intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pope Francis gestures on the day he meets with aid and charity representatives at "Centro Paroquial de Serafina" during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday called for a global reflection on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), noting the new technology's "disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects." Francis, who is 86 and said in the past he does not know how to use a computer, issued the warning in a message for the next World Day of Peace of the Catholic Church, falling on New Year's Day. The Vatican released the message well in advance, as it is customary. Reporting by Federico Maccioni, editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pope Francis, Violeta Santos Moura, Francis, hasalso, Federico Maccioni, Alvise Organizations: Centro, REUTERS, CITY, Catholic Church, Vatican, Microsoft, IBM, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Vatican

CNN —Vatican investigators looking into sexual abuse allegations at a Roman Catholic society in Peru have completed the first stage of their audit and will issue a report in the coming months, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNN Friday. SCV said its members, who were summoned by the Vatican’s envoys, have “collaborated diligently” and reiterated its commitment to working with the Vatican. Peruvian prosecutors said in the case of sexual abuse, none of the alleged victims came forward and the crime fell under the statute of limitations. A criminal case against Figari and other SCV members, alleging kidnapping, serious psychological injuries, and illicit association to commit a crime, is still ongoing. SCV said in 2017 Figari had been removed from the community, banned from contacting members, and prohibited by Vatican authorities from returning to Peru.

Persons: Matteo Bruni, “, ” Bruni, Pope Francis said, Pope Francis’s, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Jordi Bertomeu, ”, Luis Fernando Figari, Figari, ” Figari, –, Peru’s, Miguel Cabrejos Organizations: CNN, Vatican, Catholic, de, Cristiana, Peru’s Episcopal Conference Locations: Peru, Peru’s, Lima, America, Rome

[1/5] Pope Francis waves to pilgrims at the end of the Holy Mass on the last day of World Youth Day (WYD) at Parque Tejo in Lisbon, Portugal, 06 August 2023. About 1.5 million people attended his closing Mass at a riverside park in the Portuguese capital, the Vatican said, quoting local authorities. "Dear friends, allow me, this old man, to share with you young people a dream that I carry within me: it is the dream of peace, the dream of young people praying for peace, living in peace and building a peaceful future," Francis said. Francis, who was returning to Rome on Sunday evening after an event to thank volunteers at the World Youth Day festival, met a delegation of 15 young people from Ukraine during his trip. The pope announced that the next World Youth Day would be held in Seoul, South Korea in 2027.

Persons: Pope Francis, Read, Francis, Marina Sylvester, DJ, Guilherme, Philip Pullella, Frances Kerry Organizations: Parque Tejo, Catholic Youth, Church, Thomson Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, LISBON, Ukraine, Rome, pope's, Argentina, Seoul, South Korea

A group of people shows posters in front of the Parque Tejo stage for the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal August 5, 2023. The Church is no exception, said 29-year-old Braga, who linked the issue to racism rooted in slavery and colonialism. "The Church has great power to turn the tables," said Braga, who at Saturday's evening vigil with Francis wore a T-shirt saying "Jesus was Black". "Our ancestors built these spaces and today we are a minority here," said Vanessa Pitangui, who held a Black Lives Matter sign. Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Michael Francis Gore and Pedro Nunes; Editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Nunes LISBON, Pope Francis, Francis, Tamara Braga, Braga, Jesus, Vanessa Pitangui, Catarina Demony, Michael Francis Gore, Pedro Nunes, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Catholic Church, Thomson Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Brazil, American, Rio de, Asia, Africa, Europe, Americas

☆ Pope says Church open to everyone, including LGBT people, but has rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis attends a press conference onboard a plane en route to Rome, at the end of the XXXVII World Youth Day in Lisbon, August 6, 2023. ANSA/Maurizio Brambatti/Pool via REUTERSABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, and that it has a duty to accompany them on a personal path of spirituality but within the framework of its rules. "The Church is open to everyone but there are laws that regulate life inside the church," he said. He said ministers in the Church had to accompany all people, including those not conforming to the rules, with the patience and love of a mother. The Church teaches that women cannot become priests because Jesus chose only men as his apostles.

Persons: Pope Francis, ANSA, Maurizio Brambatti, Francis, Jesus, Philip Pullella, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Catholic, Vatican, Thomson Locations: Rome, Lisbon, Portugal

☆ Newly discovered ancient creature may have been the heaviest animal ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

This week, scientists shared discoveries of ancient species that lived and died tens of millions of years ago, providing tantalizing insights into creatures never documented until now. The colossal ancient whale, which swam the seas about 39 million years ago, likely weighed two to three times more than the blue whale. NASA/ESA/Joseph Olmsted (STScI)When the Hubble Space Telescope initially observed a young planetary system 32 light-years from Earth, it didn’t reveal any surprises. And the James Webb Space Telescope spied new details within the colorful, iconic Ring Nebula. The fruit flies in the groundbreaking study don’t typically reproduce through virgin births, also called parthenogenesis, although many animal species do.

Persons: Alberto Gennari, Michael Brecht, ” Brecht, Joseph Olmsted, Euclid, James Webb, —, Hala Alarashi, Alice Burkhardt, Ba, Emperor Nero, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Canadian Rockies, Humboldt University, NASA, ESA, Hubble, Telescope, Petra Museum, CNN Space, Science Locations: Ica, Berlin, Jordan, East Coast, United States

FATIMA, Portugal, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis visited the revered Catholic shrine of Fatima in Portugal on Saturday, praying the rosary with about 200,000 people at the site where the Church says the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in 1917. The 86-year-old pope skipped reading a key speech that was on the programme of his two-hour visit to the world-famous shrine north of Lisbon. The omission did not appear to indicate that the pope was experiencing any health issues. Francis flew in from Lisbon - the venue of a Catholic youth festival - to make his second visit as pope to the shrine that draws millions of pilgrims a year. [1/6]Pope Francis greets a child as he meets with people at the Chapel of Apparitions of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Fatima, Portugal, August 5, 2023.

Persons: FATIMA, Pope Francis, Virgin Mary, Matteo Bruni, Francis, Bruni, Fatima, FATIMA Fatima, Francisco, Jacinta Marto, Lucia Dos Santos, Madonna, Sister Lucia, Pope John Paul, Catarina Demony, Philip Pullella, Michael Gore, Pedro Nunes, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry Organizations: Catholic, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Fatima, Lisbon, Vatican, Castelo Branco, Russia

☆ UFOs are going mainstream. Here are 5 spots to visit if you're looking for aliens.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Gabriel Rivera | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A former military officer testified at a congressional hearing last week that the US has evidence of alien life. The country's fascination with aliens and UFOs has translated into big money for some tourism sites. From Pennsylvania to California, here are some locations to visit to take a trip into the unknown. The growing belief in the extraterrestrial translates into big dollars for some of the hottest UFO tourism spots nationwide. If you're feeling a sense of intergalactic wanderlust, here are some of the most popular UFO tourism sites in the US:

Persons: — Organizations: Gallup, Roswell's Public Affairs Department Locations: Pennsylvania, California, Roswell , New Mexico

☆ Fact Check-False Pope Francis quote about euthanizing to fight climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pope Francis did not say that people with disabilities and alcoholism should be euthanized to fight climate change, contrary to posts shared online. The posts include the headline: “Pope Francis Says Alcoholics, Autistic and Disabled People Should Be Euthanized To ‘Fight Climate Change,’” which belongs to an article published by The People’s Voice (archive.li/Q2vMJ) on July 28, 2023. “We must accompany death, not provoke death or help any kind of suicide,” Pope Francis said at a general audience on Feb. 9, 2022, in reference to terminally ill patients in Italy. “We confirm that this is fake news,” said Trevor Chueu, a representative for the World Economic Forum, in an email to Reuters. Pope Francis has not called for people with disabilities or alcohol use disorders to be euthanized.

Persons: Pope Francis, “ Pope Francis Says, “ Pope Francis, Francis, ” Pope Francis, “, ”, Trevor Chueu, Read Organizations: People’s, Reuters, World Economic, “ Locations: Italy

[1/7] Pope Francis attends the "Stations of the Cross" procession with young people at Parque Eduardo VII during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon Portugal, August 4, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSLISBON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of young people reflected on their anxieties, enslavement to the "tyranny" of social media and yearning to save the planet at a huge outdoor rally with Pope Francis on Friday. SCAFFOLD DANCINGPeople performed modern dance routines that included dangling from scaffolding above the pope as they moved a large cross around a structure that resembled a construction site. When the meditation about climate change was read, they donned gas masks as white smoke simulating air pollution engulfed the scaffolding. Francis started Friday by hearing the confessions of three young Catholics, from Spain, Italy and Guatemala, in one of the parks hosting the festival.

Persons: Pope Francis, Parque Eduardo VII, Edward VII, Jesus, Francis said, Francis, Philip Pullella, Louise Heavens, Leslie Adler Organizations: Parque, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Catholic, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon Portugal, REUTERS LISBON, Via, Catholic Woodstock, Lisbon, Spain, Italy, Guatemala

[1/5] Pope Francis paints a mural during a meeting with young members of Scholas Occurrentes in Cascais, Portugal, August 3, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSLISBON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, whose predecessors commissioned the Vatican's Sistine Chapel centuries ago, tried his hand at painting on Thursday when he put the final touches on a 3 km long mural while visiting a school west of Lisbon. The mural is part of the "Life between Worlds" project by Scholas Occurrentes, an international educational movement that links about half a million schools on five continents. About 30 murals painted by students and community members were brought together to form a single work in the seaside town of Cascais. "It's very virtual but not very physical," José María Del Corral, president of Scholas Occurrentes, joked between the pope's first and second attempts.

Persons: Pope Francis, Scholas, Scholas Occurrentes, Francis, Del Corral, Pope Sixtus IV, Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, Philip Pullella, Conor Humphries Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Cascais, Portugal, REUTERS LISBON, Lisbon, Mozambique

[1/5] Pope Francis attends a welcome ceremony at Parque Eduardo VII during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 3, 2023. The crowd, which police said numbered about half a million, was the largest in Lisbon since celebrations in 2016 when Portugal's men won the European soccer championships. Thursday's early evening event was the first of several with the pope for World Youth Day, a gathering that takes place every three years in a different city. One of the young people who addressed the pope before he spoke asked him "to put things right in the Church for a better future". He told the crowd the Church had room for everyone, "including those who make mistakes, who fall or struggle", and led them in a chant of "Todos, todos, todos!"

Persons: Pope Francis, Parque Eduardo VII, Portugal mobbed Pope Francis, Francis, Edward VII, Mariana Moreira, God, Philip Pullella, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Parque, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, REUTERS LISBON, Barcelos

Francis was speaking in Lisbon at the start of a five-day visit to the country in which he hopes to energize young Catholics during World Youth Day, the world's largest Catholic festival. The Vatican added the victims were accompanied by some representatives of institutions of the Portuguese Church responsible for the protection of minors. YOUNG CATHOLICS CONVERGE ON LISBONThe pope landed in Lisbon to a sea of young Catholics who have poured into the city from around the globe for the World Youth Day festival, held every two or three years in a different city. In Lisbon, young believers jumped and sang as they proudly waved their country's flag outside the Vatican embassy, where the pope is residing. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneWorld Youth Day "is a sign of faith and union in which all of us get together for a cause," said 20-year-old Carlos Hernandez.

Persons: Pope, Francis, Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Carlos Hernandez, Australian Andrew De Santos, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alison Williams, Conor Humphries, Grant McCool Organizations: Catholic, Wednesday, Catholic Church, Vatican, Bishops, Conference, Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, LISBON, Lisbon, Portuguese, Vatican, Australian, Brazil, Rome, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Bishop Accused of Abuse Gets Married After Bid to Quit Church Is Denied
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Ed Shanahan | More About Ed Shanahan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the leader of a diocese with its headquarters in New York’s capital, Bishop Hubbard was a political as well as a religious figure. In 2004, he was accused of having sexual relationships with several men and a street hustler decades earlier. An outside investigation he requested subsequently cleared him of sexual misconduct. He was informed in March that the Vatican had denied his request, he wrote on Tuesday. “I was encouraged to wait patiently and prayerfully and to continue to abstain from public ministry until seven civil lawsuits against me alleging sexual misconduct had been adjudicated,” he said.

Persons: Bishop Hubbard, “, ”, Vatican Locations: New York’s

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