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☆ In surprise result, Italy's left picks Elly Schlein to rebuild party
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Italy's opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) picked Elly Schlein, a 37-year-old U.S.-Italian national who grew up in Switzerland, to be its new leader and rebuild the group after its election rout last year. Schlein will lead opposition in parliament to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with two women for the first time in Italian history heading the country's two main parties. Although she has promised a new start for the party, many of the PD's grandees have rallied behind her in recent weeks. Polls suggested he would easily beat Schlein, but in the end he only drew strong backing in the more traditionalist south. Schlein faces a monumental struggle if she hopes to heal divisions within her party and beat Meloni's conservative bloc in the next national election in 2027.

☆ Italy approves clampdown on migrant rescue ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The new set of rules is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's efforts to crack down on the rescue vessels, which her government says encourage people to make the perilous trip across the Mediterranean from northern Africa. Charities deny this, saying migrants set to sea regardless of whether rescue boats are in the vicinity. Under the new law, ships have to request access to a port and sail to it "without delay" after a rescue, rather than remain at sea looking for other migrant boats in distress, and disclose detailed information about their rescue activities. The Roman Catholic Church in Italy last month said the new measures violated international law and should be scrapped. Government data shows 12,667 people have reached Italy so far this year, more than double the same period of 2022.

☆ Popes are for life, resignations should not become a fashion, Francis says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Pope Francis looks at the coffin of former Pope Benedict during his funeral, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiVATICAN CITY, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said that pontiffs resigning instead of ruling for life should not become a "fashion" in the Roman Catholic Church and happen only in truly exceptional circumstances. "This does not, however, in any way mean that popes retiring should become, let's say, a fashion, a normal thing," he said. In 2013, Pope Benedict, citing frail physical and mental health, became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. The tone of Francis' comments to the African Jesuits was in a marked contrast to that which Francis used in the past when discussing the possible resignations of popes, including himself.

☆ The 19th-century 'miracle' heart relic of holy French woman and no trace of disease, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists found no trace of disease in the preserved heart of a French woman who a pope beatified. Pauline Jaricot, whose health was poor, was supposedly "cured" after a visit with the Pope in 1837. Some members of the Catholic Church see the recent findings as a sign of a miracle. Despite living with poor heart health for most of her life, Catholics have said a visit to Pope Gregory XVI in 1837 miraculously "cured" her of heart disease. "No evidence that was inconsistent with natural and spontaneous conservation not mediated by the hand of man, which can be considered a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church, could be retrieved," the scientists said.

☆ Pope says Church conservatives exploited death of ex-pope Benedict
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said some in the conservative wing of the Roman Catholic Church had exploited the death of the former pope, Benedict, in an unethical way for their own gains. Francis used a Spanish expression "Cuento Chino", meaning tall tales, to describe allegations by some conservatives that Benedict was saddened by some of Francis' decisions after Benedict resigned in 2013. The pope said he often consulted Benedict in the nearly 10 years between his resignation in 2013 and his death. Francis did not name any of the conservatives he was referring to. Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, a conservative ally of Benedict who has criticised Francis, also wrote a book in January.

☆ Vatican holds funeral for Cardinal George Pell who decried Pope Francis’ rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The Australian cardinal who decried the papacy of Pope Francis as a “catastrophe” was given a funeral Saturday in St. Peter’s Basilica, with the pontiff imparting a final blessing for the once high-ranking Vatican prelate. Cardinal George Pell, 81, died on Jan. 10, shortly after undergoing hip surgery in a Rome hospital. Pell later returned to his native Australia to be tried on child sex abuse charges over allegations that he molested two choirboys while he was archbishop of Melbourne. As is customary for funerals of cardinals, a final blessing, delivered in Latin, in the form a prayer for mercy and eternal rest, was recited by Pope Francis. Gaenswein unleashed a torrent of criticism of Francis in interviews hours after Benedict died in retirement at the Vatican on Dec. 31 and in a book published days later.

☆ Girl, 7, seriously hurt and others injured in shooting near London church
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Forensics officers work at the scene of a shooting, the attack reportedly happened during a funeral at St Aloysius Church, in London, Britain, January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - A seven-year-old girl was left with life-threatening injuries after she and five others, including another child, were hurt in a drive-by shooting on Saturday near a church in London where a funeral was taking place, British police said. Detectives said the girl had been taken to hospital and remained in a life-threatening condition after the shooting not far from Euston train station in north London. A 12-year-old girl was also among those injured and had been taken to hospital with a minor leg injury but later discharged. "The incident took place in the vicinity of a church where a funeral was taking place," a police statement said.

☆ George Pell, Powerful Australian Cardinal Who Was Charged, Acquitted of Child Sex Abuse, Dies at 81
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Robb M. Stewart | Stuart Condie | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cardinal George Pell , who cast an imposing shadow over the Roman Catholic Church from the gold-mining town he grew up in, across Australia and to Rome before a fall from grace in his 70s, has died. “It is with deep sadness that I can confirm His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell, passed away in Rome in the early hours of this morning,” Anthony Fisher , archbishop of Sydney, wrote in a post on Facebook. “This news comes as a great shock to all of us.”

☆ George Pell, Powerful Australian Cardinal Who Fell From Grace, Dies at 81
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Robb Stewart | Stuart Condie | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Australian Cardinal George Pell gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters in Rome, Italy December 7, 2020. Archbishop Peter Comensoli, the Archbishop of Melbourne, said Pell had died from heart complications following hip surgery. An Australian appeals court ruling in 2020 quashed convictions that Pell sexually assaulted two choir boys in the 1990s. Pell took pride in having set up one of the world's first schemes to compensate victims of child sexual abuse in Melbourne. The inquiry, known as a Royal Commission, began in 2013 a five-year investigation into child sex abuse in the Catholic Church and other institutions.

☆ Death of former Pope Benedict overshadows New Year at Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Candles stand next to St. Peter's Square after former Pope Benedict died in the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, December 31, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of Peace on Sunday but the start of the new year at the Vatican was overshadowed by the death of his predecessor, Benedict. It will be the first time in many centuries that a sitting pope will preside at the funeral of his predecessor. PRAISE, BUT ALSO CRITICISM FOR BENEDICTOn Saturday night the Vatican released Benedict's two-page "spiritual testimony" written in 2006, a year after his election as pope. Francis on Saturday called Benedict a noble, kind man who was a gift to the Church and the world.

The priest sex-abuse scandal was the albatross around the neck of Pope Emeritus Benedict’s brief eight-year reign as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, according to Vatican analysts. Like his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, Benedict also apologized to the victims and then took some steps to punish the predators. They say Benedict should have known better, because, before he became pope, he ran, for 24 year, the Vatican department that dealt directly with priest sex abuse allegations — the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). “He had an inside view of what was going on,” said David Gibson, the director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, who is the author of “The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World.” “His office dealt with these accusations. When John Paul II’s native Poland was part of the old Soviet bloc, accusations against priests were routinely dismissed as fabrications by the communist secret police to undermine the church.

☆ Pope Benedict XVI Was a Bestselling Author
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Benedict XVI mostly maintained a low profile over the past decade, though some of his occasional recent writings have stirred controversy. ROME—In his seven-decade career as a scholar and church leader, the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote more than 60 books and numerous papal documents, including three encyclicals. An official adviser at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the pivotal event in the Roman Catholic Church during his lifetime, Joseph Ratzinger was a major figure in the theological debates that followed Vatican II. He also had a large nonacademic following, largely of conservative Catholics who increasingly looked to him for guidance and reassurance in the turbulent post-conciliar period. Even after his election as pope, he continued his scholarship, writing a three-volume study, “Jesus of Nazareth,” which became a bestseller.

☆ Two popes in the Vatican - sometimes more crowd than company
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Pope Francis later removed him from a top job in the Vatican. "In the Catholic Church, symbols are important," said Father Tom Reese, a Washington-based Catholic author and commentator for Religion News Service. Reese, a Church liberal, found agreement from an unusual source - conservative Australian Cardinal George Pell, a former Vatican treasurer and close associate of Benedict in his retirement. Reese and others have suggested that a former pontiff be called "bishop emeritus of Rome" and be subject to the rules that cover retired bishops. He has said he would want to be called Bishop Emeritus of Rome and live not in the Vatican but in a home for retired priests in the Italian capital "because its my diocese".

☆ Former pope Benedict, his papacy and retirement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Former pope Benedict, who Pope Francis said on Wednesday was "very sick", resigned in 2013, the first pontiff in 600 years to take such a step rather than rule for life. Days later, Benedict says he was "deeply sorry" about Muslim reaction to his speech, which he says was misunderstood. Former Pope Benedict traveled to his native Germany last week to visit his ailing older brother. Benedict later pardoned Gabriele and the Vatican later found him a job in a hospital. Benedict pope later acknowledges errors occurred and asks for forgiveness.

☆ Pope in 2013 signed resignation letter in case of bad health
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis revealed in a new interview published on Sunday that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if someday severe and permanent health problems made it impossible to carry out his duties. Francis, who turned 86 on Saturday and appears to be in good health except for a knee ailment, made the comment in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC. Francis said he gave the letter to then Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was a holdover from the previous papacy of Benedict XVI. Bertone remained in the position for about six months after Francis was elected on March 13, 2013. Francis has often said that he would resign if health impaired him from running the 1.3 billion-member Roman Catholic Church.

☆ Pope Francis orders return of Parthenon sculptures to Greece
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has decided to return to Greece three 2,500-year-old pieces of the Parthenon that have been in the papal collections of the Vatican Museums for more than a century. The pieces are being returned to Greece as London and Athens continue an artistic tug of war over the so-called Elgin Marbles. Greece has repeatedly called for the permanent return from the British Museum of the 2,500-year-old sculptures, which British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th century when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Greece's then-ruler. Earlier this month a Greek newspaper reported that a deal to return the marbles to Greece was close, but the Greek government said it was not imminent. In March, the United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO urged Greece and Britain to reach a settlement.

☆ Pope sacks leadership of worldwide Catholic charity, names commissioner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday fired the entire leadership of the Roman Catholic Church's worldwide charity arm following accusations of bullying and humiliation of employees, and appointed a commissioner to run it. The surprise move involved the executives of Caritas Internationalis (CI), a Vatican-based confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social services organisations working in more 200 countries. "Real deficiencies were noted in management and procedures, seriously prejudicing team spirit and staff morale," it said. The former staffer said employees had left jobs at the headquarters because of a climate of bullying, fear and "ritual humiliation". Apart from Tagle and one priest, all members of the CI executive were lay people.

☆ Ivana Trump's townhome that just hit the market for $26.5M was purchased on the heels of a messy divorce and reflects the opulence of Trump's 'The Art of the Deal' era
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ivana Trump's Upper East Side townhome has an asking price of $26.5 million. She purchased the home in 1992, the same year she finalized her divorce from Donald Trump. The interior reflects a bygone era of Donald Trump's celebrity and one of his favorite colors: gold. Ivana Trump finalizes her tumultuous and very public divorce from Donald Trump that followed two years of finger-pointing and accusations of "fraudulent" prenuptial agreements and slander. Ivana Trump reaped the rewards of auxiliary fame as well when she was married to Donald Trump.

☆ ‘Here comes the bride’: White House to host its 19th wedding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON — “Here Comes the Bride” will be heard at the White House very soon. Stewart McLaurin, president of the historical association, said special occasions at the White House aren’t soon forgotten. “It’s like being part of the American fabric.”A White House wedding is no guarantee of a lasting marriage. Lynda Johnson Robb said she never thought about a White House wedding, but circumstances practically dictated that she and Marine Capt. Red is her signature color and December nuptials meant the White House was already decorated for Christmas.

☆ Pope hosts lunch for Rome's poor and homeless
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis hosted a lunch for 1,300 poor and homeless people on Sunday, the day the Roman Catholic Church marks the World Day of the Poor. The pope's guests were brought to the Vatican by charity groups who help them daily. The pope established the day in 2016 to bring more attention to poverty, particularly in wealthy nations. Catholic parishes and groups around the world hold events to help the poor in local communities. Reporting by Philip Pullella Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French cardinal says abused 14-year girl, withdraws from functions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 7 (Reuters) - French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said on Monday that he had abused a 14-year-old girl decades ago and he would withdraw from his functions. "Thirty-five years ago, when I was a parish priest, I behaved in a reprehensible way with a young girl aged 14. Ricard asked for forgiveness and said he would withdraw from his functions and be available for legal and church authorities. In total, 11 bishops or former bishops, including a former bishop in Creteil, near Paris, Michel Santier, are currently targeted by abuse investigations, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, head of the French bishops' conference, told a news conference on Monday. read moreReporting by GV De Clercq and Ingrid Melander, Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Women managers have improved Vatican more than men, pope says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The pope made his comments during an airborne news conference on the plane returning to Rome from his four-day trip to Bahrain. "I have noticed that every time a woman is given a position (of responsibility) in the Vatican, things improve," he said. He also cited the impact of five women he appointed to a department that oversees Vatican finances. "A society that is not capable of (allowing women to have greater roles) does not move forward." Francis has also appointed women as deputy foreign minister, director of the Vatican Museums, deputy head of the Vatican Press Office, as well as four women as councillors to the Synod of Bishops, which prepares major meetings.

Kathy O’Neil, 68, told NBC News at a campaign stop in Erie that she felt Shapiro has "done so much for us." His support from law enforcement, including the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association and Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police — two groups that have endorsed Oz in the Senate race — stood out to her, too. (Mastriano, 58, has said Shapiro has a “grudge” against the church, while some Catholic organizations believe Shapiro went too far). To take on Shapiro, Mastriano has struggled greatly to raise money and draw financial support from outside Republican groups to boost his campaign. During a campaign stop in Clarion, Shapiro pledged to advocate for "forgotten" parts of the state.

☆ Pope visit a dream come true for woman whose father helped build Bahrain church
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Hamad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Najla Uchi poses for a photo on her altar in her home in Manama, Bahrain, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File PhotoMANAMA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - When Pope Francis visits Bahrain this week, it will be a dream come true for many Christians in the Gulf Arab country, but especially for Najla Uchi, whose father helped build the first Roman Catholic church in the island state. Lighting a candle at her home altar lined with religious icons, 78-year-old Najla Uchi said she had been saying a daily prayer for Pope Francis, who is due to arrive on Thursday. In the Sacred Heart Church yard, people pose for pictures in front of posters of Pope Francis. In 2019, Pope Francis visited Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the first pontiff to visit the Arabian peninsula and say a Mass there.

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