Vatican News

Pope Francis pays tribute to ‘courageous’ cardinal who was close to St. John Paul II

Vatican City, Sep 8, 2020 / 05:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis paid tribute Monday to a cardinal whose life was intertwined with that of St. John Paul II.

The pope said in a telegram Sept. 7 that Cardinal Marian Jaworski would be remembered as an “extraordinarily just, sincere, courageous man who, above all, loved the Church.” 

Pope Francis accepts resignation of Duluth Bishop-elect Michel Mulloy after abuse allegation

Vatican City, Sep 7, 2020 / 05:15 am (CNA).- Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Bishop-elect of Duluth, Minnesota, Michel J. Mulloy, after an accusation that he abused a minor in the 1980s surfaced in early August.

Mulloy, 66, was appointed to lead the Minnesota diocese on June 19, and his consecration and installation as bishop were scheduled to take place Oct. 1.

Pope Francis pleads with Catholics not to gossip

Vatican City, Sep 6, 2020 / 05:45 am (CNA).- Pope Francis implored Catholics Sunday not to gossip about one another’s faults, but instead to follow Jesus’ directive on fraternal correction in the Gospel of Matthew.

“When we see a mistake, a defect, a slip of a brother or sister, usually the first thing we do is go and tell others about it, to gossip. And gossip closes the heart of the community, disrupts the unity of the Church,” Pope Francis said in his Angelus address Sept. 6.

Pope Francis to sign a new encyclical on human fraternity on Oct. 3

Vatican City, Sep 5, 2020 / 05:20 am (CNA).- The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis will sign the third encyclical of his pontificate in Assisi on Oct. 3.

The encyclical is entitled Fratelli tutti, which means “All Brothers” in Italian, and will focus on the theme of human fraternity and social friendship, according to the Holy See Press Office.

Cardinal Parolin in Lebanon: The Church, Pope Francis are with you after Beirut explosion

Vatican City, Sep 4, 2020 / 05:00 am (CNA).- Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Lebanese Catholics at a Mass in Beirut Thursday that Pope Francis is close to them, and praying for them, during their time of suffering.

“It is with great joy that I find myself among you today, in the blessed land of Lebanon, to express to you the closeness and solidarity of the Holy Father and, through him, of the whole Church,” the Vatican's Secretary of State said Sept. 3.

Pope Francis: Economics should not ‘sacrifice human dignity to the idols of finance’

Vatican City, Sep 4, 2020 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis told heads of state and business leaders Friday that human dignity and “ecological conversion” ought to shape the future of Europe’s economy. 

“The human person must take its rightful place at the heart of our educational, healthcare, social and economic policies,” Pope Francis said in a message to participants in an economics forum taking place near Lake Como, in northern Italy, Sept. 4-5.

Pope Francis says Amazon synod was for discernment, not fighting on married priests

CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2020 / 12:45 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis did not approve a proposal to ordain married men in the Amazon region because the idea was discussed, and even argued about, but not prayerfully discerned at a 2019 synod of bishops, according to notes from the pope included in an article published Thursday in the Catholic periodical La Civiltà Cattolica.

Vatican official: Human fraternity is the Christian response to identity politics

Vatican City, Sep 3, 2020 / 09:00 am (CNA).- The secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue has argued that as tribalism and identity politics increase, the Catholic Church should cooperate with other religions to promote human fraternity.

“Today we have a problem of identity, an identity crisis. One affirms one’s identity… and excluding the others,” Fr. Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage told CNA earlier this week.

Pope Francis sends condolences after death of Cardinal Simonis

Vatican City, Sep 3, 2020 / 08:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis offered his condolences Thursday after Dutch Cardinal Adrianus Simonis died at the age of 88.

The cardinal led the Archdiocese of Utrecht for nearly 25 years, and is remembered for his dedication to defending Catholic doctrine regarding marriage, the family, and the dignity of each human life. The archdiocese announced his death Sept. 2.

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