Vatican News

Analysis: Argentine letter on Amoris is in the Acta. Does that change things?

Vatican City, Dec 5, 2017 / 05:19 pm (CNA).- Despite the recent inclusion of Pope Francis' 2016 letter to the Buenos Aires bishops on Amoris laetitia in the Holy See's official text of record, neither the Church's discipline nor its doctrine have changed.

Pope appoints Washington auxiliary as new bishop of Richmond

Vatican City, Dec 5, 2017 / 04:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday the Vatican announced Pope Francis’ appointment of Bishop Barry C. Knestout, until now one of three auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington, as the next bishop of the Diocese of Richmond.

He fills the vacancy left by Bishop Francis Xavier DiLorenzo, who died Aug. 17.

The perfect Christmas gift: a wedding dress for a poor bride

Quito, Ecuador, Dec 4, 2017 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- A Catholic wedding planner has encouraged married women in Ecuador to “put a smile on the face of a poor bride” by donating their wedding dresses this Christmas.

“The goal is to have women give up their wedding dresses, since they don't have a real use for them anymore. What's better than keeping them is to give them to someone who needs one,” Maria Alejandra Guerra told ACI Prensa.

Pope Francis: God is calling you. Don’t make excuses.

Vatican City, Dec 4, 2017 / 11:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Do not wait to begin living out your vocation, Pope Francis said on Monday, encouraging people to stop making excuses for not answering God’s call to share in his mission in a particular way.

“The joy of the Gospel, which makes us open to encountering God and our brothers and sisters, does not abide our slowness and our sloth,” the Pope said in a message released Dec. 4.

Pope Francis is praying for grandparents this December

Vatican City, Dec 4, 2017 / 10:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his prayer video for the month of December, Pope Francis prays for grandparents and the elderly, urging people to respect and support them, that their wisdom may continue to be passed down to new generations.

“A people that does not take care of grandparents, that does not treat them well, has no future!” the Pope said in the video. “The elderly have wisdom.”

Mexican-born priest appointed auxiliary bishop of Brownsville

Vatican City, Dec 4, 2017 / 05:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Monday the Vatican announced Pope Francis' appointment of Oratorian Fr. Mario Alberto Aviles as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville.

He joins Bishop Daniel E. Flores, who has served as the sixth bishop of Brownsville since February 2010.

Advent is a time to prioritize God, overcome indifference, Pope says

Vatican City, Dec 3, 2017 / 04:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis kicked off the Church's Advent season saying it is a time to let go of the worldly distractions that take us away from God, and focus on growing closer to him through prayer and concern for others.

Full text of Pope Francis’ in-flight press conference from Bangladesh

Vatican City, Dec 2, 2017 / 06:15 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In a 58-minute conversation with journalists on his return flight from Bangladesh to Rome on Saturday, Pope Francis discussed the Rohingya people of Burma, evangelization, nuclear warfare, and plans for future travel, among other topics.

Here is CNA's full transcript of the Pope's in-flight press conference:

Pope Francis: We’ve reached an ethical limit to nuclear weapons

Vatican City, Dec 2, 2017 / 04:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Aboard his flight from Bangladesh to Rome on Saturday, Pope Francis said that the destructive potential of nuclear weapons is so great that humanity has reached the limit of morally possessing them or using them as deterrents.

Pope: What I don't say in public, I say behind closed doors

Vatican City, Dec 2, 2017 / 04:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On his return flight from Bangladesh to Rome, Pope Francis offered journalists an insight into his communication strategy, saying that when it comes to a sensitive topic, at times he prefers to hold his tongue publicly so that his message gets across, but be more open in private conversations.

Retreat House Bandra