News

Taiwan invites Pope Francis to visit, following landmark China-Vatican pact

Reuters
Posted at Oct 15 06:21 PM

TAIPEI - Taiwan has invited Pope Francis to visit, its President Tsai Ing-wen said, just weeks after the Vatican reached a milestone deal on the appointment of bishops with China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own. Read more »

Pope defrocks two Chilean bishops over sexual abuse allegations

Reuters
Posted at Oct 13 07:57 PM

Defrocking, officially called "reduced to the lay state," means they are no longer priests. Read more »

Pope Francis accepts resignation of US cardinal

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Oct 13 01:44 AM

Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Washington DC archbishop Donald Wuerl, who has been blamed for not doing enough to deal with pedophile priests. Read more »

Pope to make slain Salvadorian, Paul VI saints

Ella Ide, Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Oct 12 12:53 PM

The canonizations come just days before the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17. Read more »

North Korea seeks Pope Francis visit

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Oct 10 02:43 AM

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited Pope Francis to visit, saying he would be "ardently welcomed", South Korea's presidency said Tuesday, adding it would pass on Pyongyang's message to the Vatican. Read more »

North Korea wants Pope to visit, South to tell Vatican

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Oct 09 04:25 PM

When Pope Francis visited South Korea in 2014, he held a special mass in Seoul dedicated to reunification of the two Koreas. Read more »

Pope blames devil for Church divisions, scandals, seeks angel's help

Philip Pullella, Reuters
Posted at Oct 09 01:18 PM

VATICAN CITY - The devil is alive and well and working overtime to undermine the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis says. Read more »

Pope orders ‘thorough study’ of Vatican documents in ex-cardinal abuse case

Reuters
Posted at Oct 06 11:02 PM

Theodore McCarrick became the first cardinal in living memory to resign from his position after a review concluded that claims he had sexually abused a boy were credible. Read more »

Pope opens major bishops meeting in febrile atmosphere of sex abuse scandals

Philip Pullella, Reuters
Posted at Oct 03 08:34 PM

More than 250 other bishops from around the world will attend the month-long meeting with about 40 young people invited to take part as observers Read more »

Pope defrocks priest at center of Chilean sexual abuse scandal

Reuters
Posted at Sep 28 10:28 PM

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has defrocked Father Fernando Karadima, the 88-year-old priest at the center of the vast sexual abuse scandal in Chile, the Vatican said on Friday.   Read more »

Pope calls on Chinese Catholics to reconcile after bishop deal

Charles Onians, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 26 09:18 PM

Pope Francis called Wednesday for all Chinese Catholics to reconcile, while admitting that a historic deal with Beijing on nominating bishops may have caused "confusion." Read more »

Pope Francis warns nations against defining power as military strength

Andrius Sytas and Philip Pullella, Reuters
Posted at Sep 25 11:13 PM

TALLINN - Pope Francis said on Tuesday as he wound up a trip to the Baltic states, all nervous about what they see as a newly aggressive Russia next door, that nations should not measure their strength by their military capability to prevail over others. Read more »

Pope: Outrage over Church's handling of sexual abuse scandals justified

Andrius Sytas and Philip Pullella, Reuters
Posted at Sep 25 07:16 PM

He spoke hours before the Catholic Church in Germany was due to present a report on its sexual abuse record.  Read more »

Cherish and defend hard-won freedom, Pope tells Latvians

Gederts Gelzis and Philip Pullella, Reuters
Posted at Sep 24 04:20 PM

RIGA, Latvia - Pope Francis on Monday urged Latvians, who broke with the Soviet Union nearly 30 years ago, to cherish their hard-won freedom and to not forget the sacrifices of those who died for it. Read more »

Bono saw 'pain' on pope's face over abuse scandals

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 20 04:18 AM

U2 frontman Bono said he could see the pain on Pope Francis's face on Wednesday when he told him "it looks to some people that the abusers are being more protected than the victims".   Read more »

Pope Francis expels Chilean priest accused of child sex abuse

Reuters
Posted at Sep 16 09:57 AM

The Archdiocese of Santiago said the Pope had decided to defrock the Reverend Cristian Precht Read more »

In Sicily, Pope hails 'martyr' priest who defied 'blasphemous' mafia

Catherine Marciano, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 16 02:59 AM

His impassioned plea echoed the words of Jean Paul II who in 1993 trip had also called on mobsters to abandon crime and urged Sicilians to revolt against the mafia. Read more »

Pope meets with US church leaders over clergy sex abuse

Catherine Marciano, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 13 08:55 PM

Pope Francis was set to host US bishops and cardinals on Thursday to discuss the Vatican's response to a new wave of devastating claims of sexual abuse by clergy. Read more »

Pope summons bishops to discuss protection of minors from sexual abuse

Reuters
Posted at Sep 12 08:59 PM

Pope Francis has summoned senior bishops from around the world to the Vatican in February to discuss the protection of minors from sexual abuse, the Vatican said Wednesday. Read more »

Pope Francis says he intends to visit Japan in 2019

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Sep 12 07:29 PM

 Pope Francis announced on Wednesday he intends to visit Japan in 2019, becoming the first pontiff to do so since John Paul II.    Read more »