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Summary Pontiff was hospitalised unexpectedly on WednesdayVatican says he has respiratory infectionNot clear if pope will be able to lead Easter servicesVATICAN CITY, March 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis spent a peaceful night in a Rome hospital after suffering from a respiratory infection, a Vatican source said on Thursday. Bruni has said Francis would have to stay at Rome's Gemelli hospital for "a few days" for "appropriate" medical treatment. An official update on his condition was expected in late morning, the Vatican source said. Last year, the pope attended but did not preside at some of the Easter services due to his knee pain. Francis, who this month marked 10 years as pope, is sometimes short of breath and generally more exposed to respiratory problems.

☆ Vatican repudiates colonial-era 'doctrine of discovery'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, March 30 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Thursday formally repudiated the colonial-era "doctrine of discovery", used centuries ago to justify European conquests of Africa and the Americas, saying "it is not part of Catholic Church teaching". The Vatican acknowledged in a statement from its culture and human development departments that papal documents from the 15th century were used by colonial powers to give legitimacy to their actions, which included slavery. The Vatican departments admitted that the bulls, which gave political cover to Spanish and Portuguese conquests in Africa and the Americas, "did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples". Argentine-born Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, has made several outreach gestures towards indigenous people. Last year, he travelled to Canada's Arctic region to apologise for the oppression of the Inuit people.

☆ Pope Francis has respiratory infection, needs hospital treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Pope goes for medical tests to hospitalVatican says pope has infection, rules out COVIDPope to spend "a few days" in hospitalVATICAN CITY, March 29 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has a respiratory infection and will need to spend "a few days" in hospital for treatment, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday. "Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer," the Vatican said. The statement came hours after the pope was unexpectedly taken to hospital for tests. Earlier in the day, the pope attended his weekly general audience at the Vatican and had appeared in good health. Pope Francis suffers from diverticulitis, a condition that can infect or inflame the colon, and had an operation at the Gemelli hospital in 2021 to remove part of his colon.

☆ Honduras forms diplomatic ties with China after Taiwan break
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The national flags of Honduras and Taiwan are seen at the Republic of China Square in Tegucigalpa on March 15, 2023. Honduras formed diplomatic ties with China on Sunday after breaking off relations with Taiwan, which is increasingly isolated and now recognized by only 13 sovereign states, including Vatican City. Relations between Taiwan and Honduras were once stable, he said, but China had not stopped luring Honduras. "The Castro government dismissed our nation's longstanding assistance and relations and carried out talks to form diplomatic ties with China. The U.S. doesn't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but has maintained that Taipei is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific.

☆ Factbox: And then there were 13: Taiwan's diplomatic allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 26 (Reuters) - Honduras has ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan and said it only recognised China, leaving Taiwan with formal diplomatic relations with only 13 countries. China views democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan's government strongly disputes. Over the years, China has slowly whittled away at the number of countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Following is a list of states that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan:LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEANBelizeGuatemalaParaguayHaitiSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesPACIFICMarshall IslandsNauruPalauTuvaluAFRICAEswatiniEUROPEVatican CityReporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pope extends sexual abuse law to include lay leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] People reach out to touch Pope Francis' hand during his meeting with the faithful of parishes from Rho at the Vatican, March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiVATICAN CITY, March 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday updated rules on dealing with sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, expanding their scope to include lay Catholic leaders and spelling out that both minors and adults can be victims. BishopAccountability.org, a not-for-profit organisation looking to document the abuses within the Roman Catholic Church, said the revision was "a big disappointment" and fell short of the "extensive revamping" the policy against the abuses would have required. The updated provisions have been unveiled a month after the Roman Catholic religious order of Jesuits said that accusations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse against one of its most prominent members were highly credible. Rupnik has not spoken publicly of the accusations, which have rattled the worldwide order, of which the pope is a member.

☆ Factbox: Taiwan's diplomatic allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 15 (Reuters) - Taiwan faces losing another diplomatic ally after Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Tuesday she had instructed the country's foreign minister to bring about the opening of official relations with China. China views democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan's government strongly disputes. Over the years, China has slowly whittled away at the number of countries which maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. If Honduras does end relations with Taiwan, it will leave the island with only 13 diplomatic allies. Here is a list of the states that still maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan:LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEANBelizeGuatemalaHondurasParaguayHaitiSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesPACIFICMarshall IslandsNauruPalauTuvaluAFRICAEswatiniEUROPEVatican CityWriting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Four Seasons and Miami Developer to Open Vatican City Hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Craig Karmin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Pope Francis marks 10th anniversary with Mass and podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VATICAN CITY, March 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis marks 10 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church on Monday celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel where he has lived since his election. The Argentina-born Francis, 86, became the first Latin American pontiff on March 13, 2013, succeeding Benedict XVI who had become the first pope in six centuries to resign. With his 10 years as pontiff, Francis has now reigned longer than the 7.5 years average length of the previous 265 pontificates. After that comes the papacy of John Paul II, who reigned for more than 26 years between 1978 and 2005. The shortest is believed to be that of Urban VII, which lasted 13 days in 1590.

☆ Pope Francis to gather cardinals to mark his 10th anniversary as pontiff
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VATICAN CITY, March 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will mark his 10 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church on Monday celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel where he has lived since his election. The Argentina-born Francis, 86, became the first Latin American pontiff on March 13, 2013, succeeding Benedict XVI who had become the first pope in six centuries to resign. Francis has said he would be ready to step down if severe health problems prohibited from running the 1.38-billion-member Church. With his 10 years as pontiff, Francis has now reigned longer than the 7.5 years average length of the previous 265 pontificates. The shortest is believed to be that of Urban VII, which lasted 13 days in 1590.

☆ Nicaragua closes Vatican embassy in Managua, Nicaraguan embassy to Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A bishop sprinkles water on the catholic parishioners at the Metropolitan Cathedral, as a suspension of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and the Vatican has been proposed according to a Nicaragua's foreign ministry statement, in Managua, Nicaragua March 12, 2023. REUTERS/StringerVATICAN CITY, March 12 (Reuters) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has ordered the closure of the Vatican Embassy in Managua and that of the Nicaraguan Embassy to the Vatican in Rome, a senior Vatican source said on Sunday. Nicaragua signalled that the move, which came a few days after Pope Francis compared the Nicaraguan government to a dictatorship, was "a suspension" of diplomatic relations. The Vatican source said that while the closures do not automatically mean a total break of relations between Managua and the Holy See, they are serious steps towards that possibility. A year ago, the Vatican protested to Nicaragua over the effective expulsion of its ambassador, saying the unilateral action was unjustified and incomprehensible.

☆ Nicaragua closes Vatican embassy in Managua, Nicaraguan embassy to Vatican - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Pope says Ukraine war fuelled not just by 'Russian empire'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, March 10 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine is driven by the interests of several "empires" and not just of Russia's, Pope Francis said in an interview published on Friday. Francis said the conflict was fuelled by "imperial interests, not just of the Russian empire, but of empires from elsewhere". He expressed a readiness to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for peace. Extracts were published on Friday by Italian dailies La Repubblica, La Stampa and Corriere della Sera. I have less physical resistance, the knee (problem) was a physical humiliation, even if the recovery is going well now," he said.

☆ The life and times of Pope Francis as he marks his 10th anniversary as pontiff
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/3] Pope Francis greets people as he attends the weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, March 8 (Reuters) - Following are some of the major events of the life and ministry of Pope Francis, who marks the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on March 13. 2017Jan. 2 - Pope Francis says in a letter bishops must show zero tolerance to clergy who sexually abuse children. May 18 - In unprecedented move, all Chile's bishops offer to resign after attending crisis meeting with Pope Francis. In March 2022, he introduces a reform saying Catholic women could in future take charge of most departments.

☆ Pope says equal opportunities for women are key to a better world
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Gavin Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, March 8 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday decried violence and prejudice against women and said granting equal pay and opportunities could help create a more peaceful and sustainable world. Francis has condemned discrimination against women in the past but, like his predecessors, he has ruled out a female clergy. "Women's thinking is different from men's," the pope wrote in the preface to a book entitled: More Women's Leadership for a Better World. "Women know that they give birth in pain to achieve a great joy: to give life and open vast, new horizons. He said women need to get equal remuneration with men for equal roles and described ongoing pay gaps as "a serious injustice."

☆ Stop human traffickers, Pope Francis says after Italy's migrant shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called on authorities to stop human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean, as he expressed his sorrow over last week's migrant boat disaster off Italy's Calabrian coast, in which dozens of people were killed. May traffickers of human beings be stopped," the pope said in his weekly address to crowds in St. Peter's Square. Three alleged traffickers were arrested this week and prosecutors began looking into the way emergency services responded to the disaster, after accusations that authorities were slow to react. "I pray for the many victims of the shipwreck, for their families and for those who survived," the pope said. The government was "continuing to deploy all necessary forces to combat human traffickers and stop deaths at sea," she said in a post on Facebook.

☆ Pope Francis again turns screws on use of traditional Latin Mass
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday further tightened the screws on Catholic conservatives over the use of traditional Latin Mass, rebuking bishops who had allowed it to be said in parishes without previous permission from the Vatican. Francis issued a brief but unequivocal decree underscoring sections of a document he issued in 2021, when he overturned liberalising decisions by his two predecessors, who had been more lenient towards the traditional Latin Mass. Some also had closed an eye to the regulation that priests ordained after 2021 needed special permission from the Vatican to say the old-style Latin Mass. Some conservatives in the Church have used the Latin Mass as a battle cry in their general opposition to the reforms of the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, which included the introduction of Mass in vernacular languages. Many missed the Latin rites' sense of mystery and awe and the centuries-old sacred music that went with it.

☆ 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.

☆ Pope voices his concern for imprisoned Nicaraguan bishop
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday spoke of his concern over the imprisonment of Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison in the Latin American country. The Pope's comments about Alvarez, who is a vocal critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, were made in his weekly blessing to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square. Ortega has accused Catholic leaders of attempting to overthrow him after protests that killed about 300 people in 2018. Since then, the government of the former Cold War-era Marxist rebel has expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries. Alvarez was convicted on Friday of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges.

☆ In surprise, Pope Francis receives cardinal on trial for corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in a surprise move, on Thursday granted an official private audience to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the once-powerful Vatican prelate who is on trial for corruption and embezzlement. Becciu is one of 10 defendants at the corruption trial, which revolves around the purchase of a building in London by the Secretariat of State. Pope Francis fired Becciu from another senior clerical post in 2020 for alleged nepotism, an accusation he also denies. This included the right to enter a secret conclave to elect the next pope after Francis's death or resignation. In one of the most recent hearings of the trial, last November, the court heard a secretly recorded telephone call between Becciu and the pope.

☆ Pope Francis to visit two fragile African nations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Pope Francis attends the Vespers prayer service to celebrate the conversion of St. Paul at St. Paul's Basilica in Rome, Italy. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Pope Francis starts a trip on Tuesday to two fragile African nations often forgotten by the world, where protracted conflicts have left millions of refugees and displaced people grappling with hunger. Both countries are rich in natural resources - DRC in minerals and South Sudan in oil - but beset with poverty and strife. DRC is getting its first visit by a pope since John Paul II travelled there in 1985, when it still was known as Zaire. Trott, a former ambassador in South Sudan, said he hoped the three Churchmen can convince political leaders to "fulfil the promise of the independence movement".

☆ Taiwan’s president says war with China is ‘not an option’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Taipei, Taiwan on Dec. 27, 2022. Tensions between China and Taiwan have been rising in recent years. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen told Pope Francis in a letter that war with China is "not an option" and said constructive interaction with Beijing, which claims the island as part of its territory, depends on respecting self-ruled Taiwan's democracy. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment. A former Taiwanese vice president under Tsai, Chen Chien-jen, represented the island at this month's funeral of former Pope Benedict.

☆ Pope calls for end to violence in Peru, respect for human rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, January 22, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to violence in Peru, where nearly 50 people have been killed during anti-government demonstrations in the past few weeks. Protests have flared in Peru since President Pedro Castillo was ousted in December after attempting to dissolve the legislature to prevent an impeachment vote. "I encourage all sides to take the path of dialogue among brothers of the same nation, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law," Francis said. Resistance movements, some armed, have emerged across the country, which the military has countered with lethal force.

☆ Pope Francis Mourns Cardinal Pell, Who Called His Reign a ‘Catastrophe’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pope Francis on Saturday said prayers at the funeral of Cardinal George Pell in St. Peter’s Basilica. VATICAN CITY— Pope Francis said the final prayers at Cardinal George Pell’s funeral on Saturday, but didn’t lay to rest the grievances of many conservatives for whom the late cardinal was a leading spokesman. Cardinal Pell, a pugnacious Australian who died on Tuesday, served Francis as Vatican finance minister but differed sharply with the pope’s progressive approach, including his leniency on divorce and homosexuality. The late cardinal bluntly criticized his boss in a memo, published last year under a pseudonym, which described the current pontificate as “a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe.”

☆ Pell's secret memo casts shadow at cardinal's funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] Pope Francis attends a funeral of Cardinal George Pell in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, January 14, 2023. About 300 people attended Pell's funeral Mass in a secondary chapel of St. Peter's Basilica. In keeping with tradition for deceased cardinals, the Mass was said by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Italian Giovanni Battista Re. But Pell was given a standard solemn Vatican funeral for a cardinal. Father Joseph Hamilton, Pell's personal secretary, declined to comment on Magister's report and Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said it had no comment.

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