Pope begs God’s forgiveness for Church sins in Rwanda genocide Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Monday begged for God’s forgiveness for “the sins and failings of the Church and its members” implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. The pontiff “conveyed …
Read More »Pope Francis to visit Egypt on April 28-29
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis will visit Cairo on April 28-29 at the invitation of the Egyptian president and the grand imam of the capital’s famed Al-Azhar mosque, the Vatican said Saturday. The pontiff had hosted the grand imam, Ahmed al-Tayeb, at the Vatican last May, …
Read More »Pope tells priests to call in exorcists when needed
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Friday advised priests who hear troubled confessions from parishioners to not hesitate to call on the services of an exorcist. A good confessor has to be very discerning, particularly when he has to deal with “real spiritual disorders,” the 80-year-old …
Read More »Pope considering Egypt trip
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The Vatican is examining the possibility of Pope Francis visiting Egypt, but no dates have been set, his spokesman said Saturday after Italian reports suggested the trip would happen in May. “A trip by the Holy Father to Egypt is under study but …
Read More »Bishops ask Radio Vatican to restore services to Africa
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | African bishops have asked Radio Vatican, the official radio of the pope, to restore shortwave transmissions to the continent, the Catholic agency Fides reported on Friday. Catholics are estimated to number more than 150 million in Africa, the poorest of all continents, and …
Read More »Pope Francis says may consider making married men priests
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Pope Francis said in an interview published Thursday that the church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote areas faced with a shortage of priests. “We must think about whether viri probati are a possibility,” Francis said referring to older, …
Read More »VIDEO: Pope makes historic visit to Rome Anglican church
Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis attended a service at the All Saints’ Church in Rome on Sunday, becoming the first pontiff in history to visit an Anglican church in the Italian capital. Francis’s visit marked the 200th anniversary of the All Saints’ church, furthering a rapprochement between the …
Read More »Pope calls for quick accord to end DR Congo violence
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Sunday urged leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo to act quickly to resolve its political crisis and curb violence, condemning in particular the use of child soldiers. Violence has flared across the country in recent months, including deadly confrontations …
Read More »Vatican ‘House of Cards’ as pro and anti-pope factions clash
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | A real-life version of the hit political drama “House of Cards” is unfolding at the Vatican, from cardinals openly defying the pope to anonymous posters sullying his name. In the latest episode, a group of powerful Princes of the Church released a statement …
Read More »Pope Francis urges compassion for children at Christmas
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis urged the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics to feel compassion for children, notably victims of war, migration and homelessness in his Christmas Eve mass but also those “not allowed to be born”. Addressing a 10,000-strong crowd late Saturday, the pontiff urged worshippers …
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