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CNN —The Vatican said Thursday it will hand over evidence in the disappearance of a 15-year-old daughter of one of its employees 40 years ago to the Rome city prosecutor. Emanuela Orlandi, who was the daughter of a prominent Vatican employee and lived within the walls of the holy city, disappeared in the summer of 1983 while on her way home from a music lesson in central Rome. Her father, Ercole Orlandi, who died in 2004, worked for the Institute for the Works of Religion in the Holy See. Her mother, Maria Orlandi, still lives in the family apartment in Vatican City. A year later, the Vatican agreed to exhume the tomb of two princesses thought to be buried in the cemetery of the Pontifical Teutonic College inside the Vatican City.

Persons: Emanuela Orlandi, Alessandro Diddi, ” Pietro Orlandi, Antonio Masiello, Diddi, ”, “, Pietro Orlandi Orlandi, Ercole Orlandi, Maria Orlandi, Pietro Orlandi, Castel Sant ’ Angelo, Pope, Angelus, Orlandi, Mark Lewis, Mehmet Ali Agca, John Paul II, ’ Organizations: CNN, Vatican, Dei Catholic, Institute, Religion, Pontifical Teutonic College, Vatican City Locations: Rome, Vatican, St, Piazza Navona, Vatican City, Italy

☆ Brazil's Lula discusses peace, poverty and inequality with pope
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday and discussed a range of common concerns including peace, poverty, inequality and the environment, the Vatican said. Underscoring this sentiment, the pope gave Lula a bronze sculpture with the inscription: "Peace is a fragile flower." Pope Francis and Lula have both repeatedly called for a halt to the fighting and pitched their respective offices as potential peace brokers. I think too few people are talking of peace," Lula told Corriere della Sera newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday. Lula met a number of Italian leaders during his brief visit to Rome, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Edgar Pena Parra, Pope Francis, Lula, Corriere, Jair Bolsonaro, Giorgia Meloni, Sergio Mattarella, Crispian Balmer, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: General Affairs, State, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Corriere della Sera, Thomson Locations: Vatican's, Ukraine, Russia, Rome, Paris

☆ Kerry meets Pope Francis privately, says he's in great form and spirits
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry arrives for an interview with Reuters after meeting with Pope Francis, near the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, June 19, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. climate envoy John Kerry met Pope Francis on Monday, the first official to have a private audience with him since his discharge from hospital, and told Reuters that he found the pontiff "in great spirits and in great form". "He was in great spirits and great form ... "I found the pope to be very much the pope that I have had the privilege of seeing several times over the last years. He seemed in very good form and good spirits," Kerry, 79, said in an interview in front of St. Peter's Square.

Persons: John Kerry, Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Francis, Kerry, Laudato, Philip Pullella, Toby Chopra, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, CITY, United, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, St, Paris, COP28, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, United Nations, Berlin

☆ Pope Francis orders ex-aide of Pope Benedict to leave Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, June 15 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has ordered Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, the private secretary and long-time aide of the late Pope Benedict, to return to his native Germany by the end of the month without any new assignment, the Vatican said on Thursday. A Vatican statement put an end speculation about what role Gaenswein, a powerful figure in the Vatican for more than a decade before Francis sidelined him after a personal falling out, would have in the Church. Former Pope Benedict died on Dec. 31, nearly a decade after he resigned in 2013, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years. The two-line statement said Francis "had disposed" that the 66-year-old Gaenswein return to his diocese of Freiburg "for the time being". He was Benedict's personal secretary from 2003, when Benedict was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and remained at his side for nearly 20 years, nearly 10 of them after Benedict resigned.

Persons: Pope Francis, Georg Gaenswein, Pope Benedict, Francis, Gaenswein, Benedict, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, Pope Benedict's, Philip Pullella, John Stonestreet, Toby Chopra Organizations: CITY, Church, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Germany, Freiburg, Gaenswein

☆ Vatican court orders climate activists to pay almost 30,000 euros
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Italy's ''Ultima Generazione'' (Last Generation) climate activists block a road to highlight the need to combat the climate crisis, in Rome, Italy, October 31, 2022. REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, June 12 (Reuters) - Two Italian climate change activists who glued themselves to the base of one of the Vatican Museums' most famous statues must pay almost 30,000 euros ($32,232) in damages and costs, a Vatican criminal court ruled on Monday. Guido Viero and Laura Zorzini of the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) group pulled the stunt against the Laocoon statue in August. The Tribunal of the Vatican City State, which has lay rather than religious judges, told Viero and Zorzini to jointly pay 28,148 euros in damages to Vatican authorities, and 1,000 euros in legal costs, a court ruling showed. Ultima Generazione has performed several high profile protests in Italy, often targeting artworks or monuments.

Persons: Yara, Guido Viero, Laura Zorzini, Troy, Viero, Zorzini, Generazione, Trevi, Alvise Armellini, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Vatican City State, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, ROME, Vatican

The Vatican announced his visit, which many observers see as an uphill effort, in a short statement. It said the main purpose was "to listen carefully to Ukrainian authorities on the possible ways to reach a just peace and support humanitarian gestures that may help ease tensions". At the meeting in May, Zelenskiy asked the pope to back Kyiv's peace plan, which Zelenskiy has repeatedly said is not open to negotiation. "There can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor," Zelenskiy said after his May 13 meeting with the pope. Zuppi hails from the Sant' Egidio Community, a Rome-based peace and justice group which has been instrumental in several peace negotiations, particularly in Africa.

Persons: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Zuppi, Sant, Philip Pullella, Nick Macfie Organizations: CITY, Vatican, Italian Bishops Conference, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Bologna, Russia, Zuppi, Crimea, Rome, Africa, Mozambique

☆ Pope to visit Mongolia, home to just 1,300 Catholics
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last August, Francis named Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, an Italian, the first cardinal to be based in Mongolia, where he is the Catholic Church's administrator. According to Fides, the news agency of the Vatican's missionary activities, there are about 1,300 baptized Catholics in Mongolia among a population of about 3.3 million people. Although the number of Catholics in Mongolia is smaller that most individual parish churches in many countries, the country is significant for the Vatican. Mongolia, once known as Outer Mongolia, was part of China until 1921, when it achieved independence with the help of the then Soviet Union. Francis is due to visit Portugal from Aug. 2-6 to attend the World Youth Day in Lisbon and visit the Shrine of Fatima.

Persons: Pope Francis, Matteo Bruni, Francis, Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, Marengo, Fides, Keith Weir, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter Organizations: CITY, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican, Catholic, U.S . State Department, Fatima, Thomson Locations: Mongolia, China, Rome, Africa, Soviet Union, Inner Mongolia, Western Europe, Portugal, Lisbon, India

☆ Beyond the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums says 'we are much more'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, speaks to a reporter during the opening of a new exhibit of ceramic jars and other utensils used in a 17th century pharmacy that was once at the Benedictine monastery, at the Vatican, May 25, 2023. Jatta wants visitors to slow down and enjoy such... Read moreVATICAN CITY, May 30 (Reuters) - Barbara Jatta, the first woman to head the Vatican Museums, wants visitors to avoid being suffocated by the crowds and take in the lesser-known - but spectacular - attractions she helps to oversee. The Vatican Museums, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that closed or limited openings during the COVID-19 pandemic, have almost returned to their pre-pandemic level of about six million visitors a year. Many, particularly day trippers on fast-paced package tours of Rome, head straight for the Sistine Chapel, bypassing the museums' other wonders. She added that the museums, which close at 6 p.m. on most days, may extend opening hours.

Persons: Barbara Jatta, Jatta, Read, Cecilia, Luca Pesante, Raphael, Pope Francis, Philip Pullella, Gerry Doyle, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Vatican, CITY, UNESCO, Heritage, Sistine, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vatican, Rome, Rome's Trastevere

☆ Vatican chastises bishops who stoke division on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, May 29 (Reuters) - The Vatican urged bishops and high-profile lay Catholic leaders on Monday to tone down their comments on social media, saying some were causing division and stoking polemics that harmed the entire Church. A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media." It condemned polarisation and extremism that had led to "digital tribalism" on social media, saying individuals were often locking themselves in silos of opinion that hindered dialogue and often led to violence, abuse and misinformation. "The Christian style should be reflective, not reactive, on social media. For example, when groups that present themselves as 'Catholic' use their social media presence to foster division, they are not behaving like a Christian community should," the document said.

☆ Pope to visit Portugal in August for World Youth Day, Fatima Shrine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

VATICAN CITY, May 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will travel to Portugal from Aug. 2-6 to attend the World Youth Day and visit the Shrine of Fatima, the Vatican said on Monday. World Youth Day, a global gathering of young Catholics, is being held in Lisbon from Aug. 1-6. The Vatican said Francis would take advantage of the trip to travel also to the Shrine of Fatima in central Portugal on Aug. 5. The Catholic Church teaches that the Madonna appeared to three Portuguese children 100 years ago in what was then an impoverished farming village. The pope last visited the shrine in 2017 when he declared two of the children saints.

☆ Pope asks Italian cardinal to carry out Ukraine peace mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Cardinal Matteo Zuppi attends the opening of the inter-religious meeting "The Cry of Peace" in Rome, Italy, October 23, 2022. REUTERS/Remo CasilliVATICAN CITY, May 20 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has asked Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops' conference, to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, the Vatican said on Saturday. Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2019 and he was elected head of the Italian Episcopal Conference last year. Zelenskiy met Pope Francis at the Vatican last Saturday but afterwards appeared to downplay the possibility of a papal mediation. "With all due respect for His Holiness, we do not need mediators, we need a just peace ... Putin only kills.

☆ Pope hopes to send peace envoys to Kyiv, Moscow - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, May 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis hopes to send personal peace envoys to the Ukrainian and Russian presidents to try to broker a ceasefire in the war, a Catholic website reported on Thursday. Il Sismografo, which specialises in Vatican news and has a good track record, said this is the "mission" Francis spoke of cryptically when he was returning from Hungary last month. It said both presidents had agreed to meet with the papal envoys, without citing sources or giving details. Zelenskiy met Pope Francis at the Vatican last Saturday but in comments afterwards he appeared to downplay the possibility of a papal mediation. "With all due respect for His Holiness, we do not need mediators, we need a just peace ... Putin only kills.

☆ Zelenskyy meets with Pope Francis at Vatican, says he sought backing for his peace plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Studio of Paul VI Hall on May 13, 2023 in Vatican City, Vatican. Francis, using a cane for his knee problem, came to greet the Ukrainian president before ushering him into a papal studio near the Vatican's audience hall. And he said he asked Francis to come aboard Ukraine's peace plan. "I also talked about our Peace Formula as the only effective algorithm for achieving a just peace,″ Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy, who also met Italian President Sergio Mattarella, is a one-day trip in Rome, including an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Kyiv estimates nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since February 2022, in what it condemns as illegal deportations. "We must make every effort to return them home," Zelenskiy said in a Tweet afterwards, saying he had discussed it with the pope. Zelenskiy also said he asked the pope to "join" Kyiv's 10-point peace plan. [1/6] Pope Francis shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at the Vatican, May 13, 2023. Zelenskiy flew to Rome on an Italian government plane that was escorted over Italian airspace by fighter jets.

☆ Rare day at Vatican as two popes share stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tawadros, dressed in black robes, was the guest of honour at Francis' general audience in a rainy St. Peter's Square. In his greeting to Tawadros, Francis recalled the 20 Egyptian Copts who were kidnapped and beheaded on a beach in Libya by Islamic State in 2015. Copts comprise about 10 percent of Egypt's mostly Muslim population and there are small Coptic Christian communities throughout the Middle East and Africa. Coptic Orthodox Christians trace their origins to St. Mark the Apostle. Tawadros is due to have a private meeting with Francis on Thursday and visit the Vatican department that promotes Christian unity.

☆ Pope says Argentina government wanted 'my head' when he was in Buenos Aires
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VATICAN CITY, May 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said that when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires more than a decade ago, the Argentine government wanted "to cut my head off" by backing false accusations that he had collaborated with the military dictatorship of the 1970s. Francis has always denied this and when he was elected pope, Jalics issued a statement saying the arrest was not the future pope's fault. In 2010, by which time the future pope had become archbishop of Buenos Aires, he testified before a three-judge panel investigating the period of dictatorship. The pope did not give details but as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he had an often rocky relationship with the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who served in that role from 2007-2015. She accused him of taking sides politically, mostly during his visits to Buenos Aires shanty towns, and once avoided him by shunning a traditional Mass in the Argentine capital.

☆ After acrimonious resignation, Pope tells abuse commission to 'move forward'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Pope Francis addresses a meeting with the members of Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors at the Vatican, May 5, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, May 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday praised the work of an international Vatican commission on sexual abuse prevention, following the recent acrimonious resignation of a high-profile member who accused it of lacking transparency. Zollner, a world-renowned abuse prevention expert, denounced unclear hiring practices, an undefined relationship with the Vatican's doctrine office and "inadequate" financial and decision-making accountability. Zollner also leads a centre for the study of abuse at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and is an adviser on abuse prevention for the diocese of Rome. Last year, the pope incorporated it into the Vatican's doctrinal department, which decides on sanctions for priests convicted of sexual abuse.

☆ Pope meets Moscow Church official after puzzling peace 'mission' comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Pope Francis greets Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, May 3, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, May 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke to a top member of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) days after the pontiff made an intriguing but puzzling comment about the Vatican being involved in a mission to try to end the war in Ukraine. Francis added that he had spoken about Ukraine with Orban and with Metropolitan Hilarion, the chief representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest and Anthony's predecessor as head of the ROC's external relations. Francis, 86, has said previously that he wants to visit Kyiv but also Moscow on a peace mission. He also said he had repeated a standing invitation for the pope to visit Kyiv.

☆ Pope allows women to vote at bishops meeting for first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Pope Francis leaves following the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneApril 26 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in a historic move that could lead to more inclusiveness in decision-making in the Roman Catholic Church, will allow women to vote for the first time at a global meeting of bishops in October. The revolutionary rules, announced on Wednesday, allow for five religious sisters with voting rights. The 70 priests, religious sisters, deacons and lay Catholics will be chosen by the pope from a list of 140 people recommended by national bishops' conferences. In another last year, he named three women to a previously all-male committee that advises him in selecting the world's bishops.

☆ Pope Francis calls 'insinuations' against John Paul II unfounded
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, April 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday rejected as offensive and unfounded what he called insinuations by the brother of a Vatican schoolgirl who went missing 40 years ago about one of his predecessors as pontiff, Saint John Paul II. The voice of the alleged gangster says that more than 40 year ago, girls were brought into the Vatican to be molested and that Pope John Paul knew about it. Sgro told Reuters on Sunday that John Paul did not come up in her conversation with Diddi, adding in a text message: "I have never questioned the sanctity of John Paul II". Orlandi told Reuters on Sunday by telephone that it was "correct that Francis defended John Paul II". (This story has been refiled to make clear John Paul II was not Pope Francis' immediate predecessor, in paragraph 1)Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pope wants light shed on 40-year-old mystery of missing Vatican girl
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The daughter of a Vatican usher whose family lived in the Vatican, Orlandi, then 15, failed to return home on June 22, 1983 following a music lesson in Rome. The case, which has been the subject of on-and-off investigations in Italy and the Vatican, has drawn fresh worldwide attention following the release late last year of the Netflix series "Vatican Girl". In January, Vatican chief prosecutor Alessandro Diddi reopened a previous inconclusive Vatican investigation after he inherited files from his retired predecessor. Emanuela's older brother Pietro and the family lawyer, Laura Sgro, were meeting with Diddi in the Vatican on Tuesday afternoon. In an interview in Corriere della Sera ahead of the meeting, Diddi said Pope Francis wants "the truth to emerge without any reservations".

☆ Pope hopes Northern Ireland accord can be 'consolidated' to benefit all Ireland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, April 10 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Monday he was praying that the Good Friday agreement signed 25 years ago that largely ended violence in Northern Ireland can be "consolidated" to benefit the people of all of Ireland. "Today marks the 25th anniversary of the so-called Good Friday agreement, or of Belfast, which brought an end to the violence that for decades troubled Northern Ireland," Francis said. Angry about post-Brexit trade rules that treated the province of Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the United Kingdom, the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest pro-British party, has boycotted the power-sharing devolved government central to the peace deal for more than a year. Last month, Britain's MI5 intelligence agency increased the threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic terrorism to "severe" - meaning an attack was considered highly likely. Additional reporting by Michael Holden in London; editing by John Stonestreet, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pope appeals to Russians on Ukraine, decries Middle East violence, in Easter message
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

VATICAN CITY, April 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis appeared to ask Russians to seek the truth about their country's invasion of Ukraine in his Easter message to the world on Sunday and appealed for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians following recent violence. Honour units of Vatican Swiss Guards and Italian Carabinieri police - both in ceremonial dress - stood at attention. "Help the beloved Ukrainian people on their journey towards peace, and shed the light of Easter upon the people of Russia," he said. As he has done every Easter, Francis called for peace in the Middle East, his appeal made more urgent by recent violence in Jerusalem and cross-border exchanges of fire involving Israel, Lebanon and Syria. The government, which has suspended diplomatic relations with the Vatican, banned outdoor Holy Week processions this year.

☆ At Easter vigil, Pope Francis encourages hope amid 'icy winds of war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Pope Francis presides over the Easter Vigil in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Remo CasilliVATICAN CITY, April 8 (Reuters) - Pope Francis led the world's Roman Catholics into Easter at a Saturday night vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, decrying the "icy winds of war" and other injustices. The 86-year-old Francis skipped an outdoor event on Friday night because of unseasonably cold temperatures in Rome. Francis appeared to be well during the Easter Vigil service, during which he baptised eight adult converts to Catholicism. Easter is the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar because it commemorates the day the Bible says Jesus rose from the dead.

☆ Factbox: Diplomatic competition between Taiwan and China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 5 (Reuters) - Taiwan and China have engaged for years in competition for diplomatic recognition, but the pendulum has long swung decisively in Beijing's favour. Honduras last month ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan and said it only recognised China, leaving Taiwan with formal diplomatic relations with just 13 countries. Here are some facts about the diplomatic feud between Taiwan and China:* Following the communist revolution in China in 1949, the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan, insisting that it remained the sole legal representative of the Chinese people. China says Taiwan is merely one of its provinces and only Beijing can represent the island on the world stage. * Some countries have swapped between Taiwan and China more than once, including Liberia and the Central African Republic.

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