Vatican News

Viganò criticizes Pope Francis' handling of abuse allegations

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2019 / 02:47 pm (CNA).- Recently published remarks from Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano take aim at two situations described by the former nuncio as “allegations of offenses against minors during Pope Francis’ tenure.”

In fact, in both cases described by Vigano, the alleged sexual abuse and initial accusations to Church authorities occured before Pope Francis became pope in March 2013.

Analysis: Vatican calls for trust, Catholics wait for transparency

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2019 / 08:00 am (CNA).- This week, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, issued a document defending the sacramental seal, as civil governments in California, Australia, and other places attempt to pass laws that would force priests to reveal what they hear in the confessional.

Analysis: The Amazon synod and the English language

Vatican City, Jul 4, 2019 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- Three months from now, the bishops of the Amazonian region will meet for a regional synod that has already garnered international attention. The synod is controversial because it has become to some theologians and Churchmen a kind of “proving ground” for theological and canonical agendas that are not directly connected to the Amazon.

Putin visits Pope Francis on July 4th

Vatican City, Jul 4, 2019 / 08:30 am (CNA).- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Pope Francis at the Vatican July 4 for a 55-minute private discussion.

Pope Francis and Putin discussed current affairs in Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, as well as environmental issues and questions concerning the Catholic Church in Russia, according to the Holy See Press Office.

Pope Francis gives relic of St. Peter's bones to Orthodox patriarch

Vatican City, Jul 3, 2019 / 10:50 am (CNA).- Pope Francis gave unexpectedly a reliquary containing what are believed to be bone fragments of St. Peter to Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, an ecumenical gesture that has generated controversy among some Catholics.

The pope took the reliquary from the chapel in the papal apartments, where Pope Saint Paul VI had placed the bronze reliquary containing eight bone fragments after they were discovered in a 1952 dig under St. Peter’s Basilica.

Analysis: New Vatican constitution to centralize power in state secretariat

Vatican City, Jul 2, 2019 / 03:15 pm (CNA).- Last week, Bishop Marcello Semeraro, secretary of the pope’s C6 Council of Cardinal Advisors announced that the group hoped to present Francis with a final draft of a new Vatican constitution in September.

Praedicate Evangelium, as the new governing document for the Roman curia is to be called, completes the reforming work already begun of combining various smaller Vatican departments into a more streamlined structure.

Seal of confession is an 'intrinsic requirement,' Vatican says

Vatican City, Jul 1, 2019 / 09:30 am (CNA).- The head of the Vatican’s Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary released a note Monday reaffirming the inviolability of the seal of confession and the importance of other forms of secrecy in the life of the Church.

The text follows action by governments in Australia, California, and other parts of the world, to undermine the sacramental seal.

Blessed John Henry Newman to be canonized October 13

Vatican City, Jul 1, 2019 / 04:00 am (CNA).- The Vatican announced Monday that Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman will be canonized on October 13 in Rome.

During a consistory of cardinals July 1, Pope Francis decreed that Newman and four other blesseds will be canonized together in St. Peter’s Square.

As Trump and Kim meet in North Korea, Pope Francis prays for peace

Vatican City, Jun 30, 2019 / 05:30 am (CNA).- Pope Francis prayed for peace and the successful outcome of the meeting Sunday between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the DMZ.

“In the last few hours we have witnessed a good example of the culture of encounter in Korea,” Pope Francis said June 30 at the end of his Angelus address.

Pope Francis: The Catholic Church belongs to Christ

Vatican City, Jun 29, 2019 / 07:35 am (CNA).- The Catholic Church is Christ’s beloved bride, Pope Francis said Saturday on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

“To the Lord we are not a group of believers or a religious organization, we are His bride. He looks at His Church with tenderness, He loves it with absolute fidelity, despite our mistakes and betrayals,” Pope Francis said June 29.

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