Vatican News

Father Lombardi steps down from Vatican Radio amid media reform

Vatican City, Feb 23, 2016 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the process of reforming the Vatican's communications is carried out, Fr. Federico Lombardi will step down as director of Vatican Radio at the end of the month, though he will continue to serve as director of the Holy See press office.

A Feb. 22 communique from the Secretariat for Communications announced the decision, and that Alberto Gasbarri, director of administration at Vatican Radio, will also be leaving his post.

Pope Francis against the death penalty: criminals too have the right to life

Vatican City, Feb 21, 2016 / 03:39 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians must work to abolish the death penalty and improve prison conditions, Pope Francis said on Sunday.

After praying the Angelus on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis called on all Christians and people of good will to work “not only for the abolition of the death penalty” but also to improve the conditions in prison. These efforts would respect the human dignity of prisoners, he said.

When Pope Francis looks back at Mexico trip, he sees Our Lady of Guadalupe

Vatican City, Feb 21, 2016 / 08:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Sunday said the visit to Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe was the “central point” of his spiritual pilgrimage to Mexico. He praised the witness of the Mexican faithful and suggested that Guadalupe is part of their “special inheritance” that launched the evangelization of the Americas.

Before the Angelus on Sunday, with thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope reflected on his visit to Mexico.

Make a daily commitment to spreading God’s mercy, Pope Francis says

Vatican City, Feb 20, 2016 / 04:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Saturday Pope Francis held his second Saturday general audience of the Jubilee, encouraging pilgrims to make a daily commitment to spreading God’s mercy both in the small things, and to those most in need.

“My life, my attitude, my way of living, must truly be a concrete sign that God is close to us,” the Pope said Feb. 20.

What did Pope Francis actually say about contraception?

Vatican City, Feb 18, 2016 / 02:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite a rush of headlines claiming Pope Francis is softening the Church's stance on contraception, a closer look at his recent remarks could suggest otherwise.

During an in-flight press conference on his way back from Mexico, Pope Francis was asked by a reporter about the threat of Zika virus in many Latin American countries.

Full text of Pope Francis' in-flight interview from Mexico to Rome

Vatican City, Feb 18, 2016 / 11:00 am (CNA).- In his hour-long inflight news conference on his way from Juarez to Rome, Pope Francis touched on a wide range of hot-button topics, including immigration, pedophilia, the spread of the Zika virus and his meeting with Patriarch Kirill.

In the 60 minute interview, the Pope answered 12 questions posed in English, Spanish and Italian while on his overnight flight from Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez to Rome.

Pope Francis: Abortion is evil, not the solution to Zika virus

Vatican City, Feb 18, 2016 / 10:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On his return flight from Mexico, Pope Francis strongly rejected abortion as a response to the fears surrounding the Zika virus outbreak. 

“Abortion is not the lesser of two evils. It is a crime. It is to throw someone out in order to save another. That’s what the Mafia does. It is a crime, an absolute evil,” the Pope said Feb. 18.

If Trump builds walls he's not Christian, Pope Francis says

Aboard the papal plane, Feb 18, 2016 / 10:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his inflight news conference en route from Juarez to Rome, Pope Francis responded to recent criticism from Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, who called the Pope “political” and has threatened to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel,” the Pope said Feb. 18.

Those letters between John Paul II and a woman? Not so secret, actually.

Vatican City, Feb 15, 2016 / 05:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Experts and friends of Pope St. John Paul II responded quickly to a BBC promotion of a documentary about his friendship with Polish-born female philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka – questioning some of the portrayals of their friendship and outright dismissing others.

“John Paul II's friendship with her was neither secret nor extraordinary,” Poland's national library, which hosts Tymieniecka's letters from the Pope, said Feb. 15.

Pages