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☆ Former Pope Benedict's condition remains grave but stable - Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Former Pope Benedict's condition remains "grave" but stable, the Vatican said on Thursday, adding in a statement that he had rested well during the night and was lucid and aware. "The Pope Emeritus managed to rest well during the night, he is absolutely lucid and aware, and today, even though his condition remains grave, the situation is at the moment stable," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. "Pope Francis renews his request to pray for him and to accompany him in these difficult hours," Bruni said of the 95-year-old former pontiff. The statement, the second since Francis disclosed on Wednesday that his predecessor was "very sick", did not provide any specifics about Benedict's condition. Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Alison Williams and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pope Francis says ex-pope Benedict is 'very sick', asks for prayers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Pope Francis asked for prayers for former pope Benedict on Wednesday, saying he is "very sick". Francis made the surprise appeal at the end of his general audience, giving no details. Benedict, 95, in 2013 became the first pope in some 600 years to resign. "I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church. He is very sick, asking the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end," Francis said, speaking in Italian.

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

VATICAN CITY, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Following are some facts about former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday:- Benedict, the first German pope in 1,000 years, was elected on April 19, 2005 to succeed the widely popular Pope John Paul II, who reigned for 27 years. Benedict said he stood down because bad health prevented him from bearing the full weight of the papacy. [1/2] Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrate a mass at Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba, March 28, 2012. The Vatican under Pope John Paul II had failed to take action against Maciel despite overwhelming evidence of his crimes. Some loyalists failed to accept that he had resigned the papacy willingly and continued to consider him "my pope".

☆ Factbox: Former pope Benedict, his papacy and resignation
▼ + 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. - Benedict, the first German pope in 1,000 years, was elected on April 19, 2005 to succeed the widely popular Pope John Paul II, who reigned for 27 years. The Vatican under Pope John Paul II had failed to take action against Maciel despite overwhelming evidence of his crimes. Some loyalists failed to accept that he had resigned the papacy willingly and continued to consider him "my pope". Pope Francis, by contrast, also loves classical music but appreciates Italian pop songs from the early 1960s and also likes tango music from his native Argentina.

☆ 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.

☆ World is starving for peace, Pope Francis says in Christmas message
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis called for an end to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts in his Christmas message on Sunday, saying the world was suffering from a "famine of peace". "Our time is experiencing a grave famine of peace..." he said. Francis called for a resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, the place of Jesus' birth. As many sat around "a well-spread table", huge amounts of food daily go to waste and resources are spent on weapons, he said. He again condemned the use of food as a weapon of war, saying the war in Ukraine had put millions at risk of famine, mentioning Afghanistan and countries in the Horn of Africa.

☆ Remember the war weary and the poor, pope urges on Christmas Eve
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Francis, celebrating the 10th Christmas of his pontificate, presided at a solemn Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. It was the first with a capacity crowd of about 7,000 following several years of restricted attendance because of COVID. About 4,000 other people participated outside in St. Peter's Square on a relatively warm night. Earlier this month, the pope urged people to spend less on Christmas celebrations and gifts and send the difference to Ukrainians to help them get through the winter. The pope marked his 86th birthday last week and, apart from the knee ailment, appears to be in overall good health.

☆ Pope denounces psychological abuse as Jesuit case rocks Church
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday denounced psychological violence and abuse of power in the Church, as the case of a prominent priest accused of exploiting his authority to sexually abuse nuns has rocked the Vatican. The 86-year-old pope made his comments in his annual Christmas address to cardinals, bishops and other members of the Curia, the central administration of the Vatican. Francis has often used the occasion to decry perceived flaws in the top bureaucracy, such as gossip, cliques and infighting. After mentioning wars, the pope said: "Besides the violence of arms, there is also verbal violence, psychological violence, the violence of the abuse of power, the hidden violence of gossip." He added that no one should "profit from his or her position and role in order to demean others".

☆ Anti-abortion priest Frank Pavone defrocked for blasphemous posts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has defrocked an anti-abortion U.S. priest, Frank Pavone, for what it said were “blasphemous communications on social media” as well as “persistent disobedience” of his bishop who repeatedly told him to stop his partisan activism for Donald Trump. Even before then, Pavone successfully appealed 2011 restrictions on his ministry that Amarillo Bishop Patrick Zurek had placed on him. Pavone remained a firm supporter of Trump and in 2020 disputed the outcome of the election won by Joe Biden. Ahead of the election, the Amarillo diocese denounced Pavone’s use of social media for political ends, distanced the diocese from him and said his positions weren’t consistent with Catholic teaching. The statement said Pavone was given “ample opportunity to defend himself” as well as to submit to his bishop.

☆ Vatican dismisses Trump-supporting, anti-abortion leader from priesthood
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Father Frank Pavone, a leader of the U.S. anti-abortion movement and a strong supporter of former president Donald Trump, has been dismissed from the Catholic priesthood for "blasphemous" social media posts and disobedience to bishops. The Vatican defrocked Pavone in November, according to a letter sent to U.S. bishops from its ambassador to Washington. Pavone was defrocked for "blasphemous communications on social media and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop," the letter says. After Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020, Pavone was among Trump supporters who questioned the validity of the elections. He said he still had not received any official communication from the Vatican on his dismissal and criticised the Vatican for "talking to the media before you talk to the priest".

☆ 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.

☆ Oscar-winning comic Roberto Benigni hams it up for Pope Francis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Pope Francis meets with Italian actor Roberto Benigni during a private audience at the Vatican, December 7, 2022. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Oscar-winning Italian comic and actor Roberto Benigni brought a bit of his trademark whacky levity to the Vatican on Wednesday, hamming it up for Pope Francis. Benigni had a private meeting with the pope before his weekly general audience and there were laughs all around. When Benigni cracked that the pope was "lucent ... emanating light", the pope responded, "Don't exaggerate!" Besides his comic works, Benigni, whose film "Life is Beautiful" won three Oscars in 1999, has also done shows on Italian epic poet Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

☆ Vatican website down in suspected hacker attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The official Vatican website was taken offline on Wednesday following an apparent hacking attack, the Holy See said. "Technical investigations are ongoing due to abnormal attempts to access the site," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said, without giving any further information. The suspected hack came a day after Moscow criticised Pope Francis's latest condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with a Jesuit magazine, the pope had singled out troops from Chechnya and other ethnic minorities in Russia for their particular "cruelty" during the war. Reporting by Crispian Balmer Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pope urges Israelis, Palestinians, to seek dialogue after surge in violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday urged Israeli and Palestinian authorities to make greater efforts to seek dialogue following recent deadly bomb attacks in Jerusalem and clashes in the occupied West Bank. Speaking to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his Sunday blessing, Francis said violence was "killing the future" for both. Late on Tuesday night, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes in the Israeli occupied West Bank city of Nablus. The pope mentioned both incidents, calling the Jerusalem blasts "vile", and saying that he was concerned about the increase of violence in the past few months. "Violence kills the future, interrupting the lives of the youngest and weakening the hopes for peace.

☆ Vatican says China violated pact on bishops, wants explanation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Aly SongVATICAN CITY, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Saturday accused Chinese authorities of violating a bilateral pact on the appointment of bishops by installing one in a diocese not recognised by the Holy See. A statement said the Vatican learned with "surprise and regret" that the bishop of another district had been installed as auxiliary, or assistant, bishop in Jiangxi. The unauthorized installation appeared to be one of the most serious violations of a 2018 agreement between the Vatican and Beijing on the appointment of bishops. The Vatican was expecting an explanation from Chinese authorities and was hoping that the "similar episodes are not repeated," the statement said. The Vatican statement came a day after a Hong Kong court found Zen and five others guilty of failing to register a now-disbanded fund for pro-democracy protesters.

☆ Ukraine needs to be 'far-sighted' to secure peace, pope says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Ukraine's leaders will have to be "far-sighted" to secure peace, Pope Francis said on Friday, suggesting that Kyiv would have to make concessions to end the war with Russia. The pope earlier this month called for a ceasefire to avert the risk of escalation of the conflict and asked God to "hurry up" to end it. "On them lies the duty to govern the country in tragic times and to make far-sighted decisions for peace and to develop the economy during the destruction of so much vital infrastructure." President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that Ukraine was ready for peace, but only on its terms that would restore all occupied territory. In a newspaper interview also released last week, the pope said the Vatican was ready to do anything possible to mediate and put an end to the war.

☆ Vatican court hears cardinal's secretly taped phone call with pope
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A court at a Vatican corruption trial on Thursday heard a secretly recorded telephone call between the main defendant, embattled Cardinal Angelo Becciu, and Pope Francis. The money was sent to a company she had set up in Slovenia and she received some in cash, the court has been told. He told the court how he was ordered to make payments he considered unusual. The trial revolves around the purchase of a building in London by the Secretariat of State. The 10 defendants include former Vatican employees and Italian middle men who the prosecution says extorted the Vatican.

☆ Pope compares Russia's war in Ukraine to 1930s famine inflicted by Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday that Ukrainians were suffering today from the "martyrdom of aggression" and compared Russia's war in Ukraine to the "terrible genocide" of the 1930s, when Soviet leader Josef Stalin inflicted famine on the country. "This Saturday marks the anniversary of the terrible genocide of the Holodomor, the extermination by famine of 1932-33 that was artificially caused by Stalin," he said. "Let us pray for the victims of this genocide and let us pray for so many Ukrainians - children, women, elderly - who are today suffering the martyrdom of aggression," he said. The Holodomor was a result of Stalin's efforts to collectivise agriculture and root out Ukraine's fledgling nationalist movement. Last month the pope for the first time directly begged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the "spiral of violence and death" in Ukraine.

☆ 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.

☆ German Catholic Bishops Face Vatican Critics, Refuse to Stop Questioning Church Teachings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

VATICAN CITY—Germany’s Catholic bishops vowed to continue their national debate about changes to church teachings on controversial topics, including homosexuality and the ordination of women, defying a Vatican call to halt their discussions. The bishops met on Friday with several of the Vatican’s highest officials, who expressed their “worries and reservations” about a process that could throw into question “nonnegotiable” elements of church teaching, according to a joint statement issued by the Vatican and the German Bishops’ Conference,

☆ Women priests, homosexuality, not closed debate in Church, German bishop says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A leading German Catholic bishop on Saturday contested the Vatican's view that debates about women priests and homosexuality were closed, saying they will have to be confronted in the future. "As far as the ordination of women is concerned, for example, (the Vatican's) view is very clear, that the question is closed. The Catholic Church teaches that women cannot be priests because Jesus chose only men as his apostles and that while same-sex attraction is not sinful, homosexual acts are. "Popes have tried to say the question (of women priests) is closed but the fact is that the question exists. Many young women say 'a church that refuses all of this cannot be my church in the long run,'" he said.

☆ Scrooge Christmas averted as new tree found for Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People gather for the lightning of the Vatican Christmas tree during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square, with protocols in place due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Vatican, December 11, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - It could have been a not so merry Christmas for the Vatican this year. Rosello has trees but apparently not as majestic. Forest officials saved the day, offering to give Rosello a tree from their property in another part of the Abruzzo mountains so that the town can donate it to the pope. "It will be a happy Christmas after all," Col. Gianluca Grossi of the area's forest police told Reuters.

☆ Pope says "deeply saddened" by deadly blast in Istanbul
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday sent his condolences to the families and friends of those who died in Sunday's explosion in Istanbul, saying he was "deeply saddened" by what happened, the Vatican said in a statement. The 85-year-old pontiff added he prayed that no act of violence would discourage the efforts of the people of Turkey "to build a society based on the values of fraternity, justice and peace". Turkey on Monday blamed Kurdish militants for Sunday's blast that killed six people and injured more than 80. Reporting by Agnieszka Flak, editing Federico MaccioniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Vatican hit with $9.25 million claim by ousted auditor and deputy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Thursday he had no comment on the lawsuit, which was filed last week with the Vatican prosecutor's office by lawyers for Libero Milone and Ferruccio Panicco. Becciu told Reuters in 2017 that Milone "went against all the rules and was spying on the private lives of his superiors and staff, including me". Milone denies this, saying he just was seeking information he had a right to see as auditor general. The Vatican's prosecutor's office said it had recently re-opened an investigation about events at the time of the sacking in 2017. Becciu's lawyers said Milone had given a "a completely unfounded reconstruction" of events in the legal filing.

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