Vatican News

Curia reform may include an office for negotiations in the Secretariat of State

Vatican City, Mar 11, 2015 / 06:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican Secretary of State suggested Wednesday that an ‘office for pontifical mediation’ may established within the ranks of the Secretariat of State, in order to function as a link between the on-the-ground commitment of papal diplomacy and its commitment within international institutions.

Archbishop Romero, Salvadoran martyr, to be beatified May 23

Vatican City, Mar 11, 2015 / 12:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- May 23 will be the beatification date for El Salvador’s Archbishop Oscar Romero, an outspoken advocate for the poor and repressed who was martyred in 1980 while celebrating Mass.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the postulator of Archbishop Romero’s cause, was expected to announce the beatification date on Wednesday, according to Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference.

Pope Francis carries his late grandma's words with him every day

Rome, Italy, Mar 11, 2015 / 08:23 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Wednesday that the elderly play a key role in the lives of the youth, and revealed that he still keeps the letter his grandmother wrote him for his ordination in his daily prayer book.

“I still treasure the words my grandmother wrote to me on the day of my ordination. I carry them with me to this day inside my breviary,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his March 11 general audience.

Economic progress for Syria's women proves a silver lining amid war

Vatican City, Mar 11, 2015 / 04:32 am (CNA).- The destruction of Syria’s ongoing war has unearthed an unexpected jewel in the refugee camps of Lebanon: the chance for women to gain an education and the tools for rebuilding their homeland.

“We're empowering women,” Syrian refugee Reem Alhaswan told CNA March 8, so that when they return to their home country, “they can build their society in a better way.”

Simplicity, humility, divinity – God never makes a scene, Pope says

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2015 / 08:11 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- If there’s one thing that marks the presence of God, it’s humility rather than making a scene, Pope Francis said Monday.

“This is how the Lord acts: He does things simply. He speaks silently to you, to the heart,” Francis told attendees of his March 9 daily Mass, held in the chapel of the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse.

Vatican declines ransom offer for stolen Michelangelo letters

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2015 / 02:23 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- After receiving an offer from a former employee to regain missing letters signed by Michelangelo for a price, the Vatican has said that it is not biting the bait, but is cooperating with police.

“Years ago certain documents by Michelangelo (one written by him, another with his signature) were found to be missing from the Archives of the Fabbrica of St. Peter's,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said in a March 8 statement to journalists.

Pope Francis: We can't fool Jesus

Rome, Italy, Mar 9, 2015 / 09:51 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians cannot hide their lives from Jesus, Pope Francis has said. Instead, they must recognize their sins and trust in the mercy of God.

During the season of Lent, the Pope said, we should ask ourselves: “Does Jesus trust me, or do I lie to him?” Do I behave as a Catholic who then “lives as a pagan?” One might say “Jesus does not know, no one will tell him.” But he knows.

“We cannot fool Jesus,” the Pope said, because “he knows us from within.”

Marginalizing women leads to sterile society, says Pope

Vatican City, Mar 8, 2015 / 05:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Women across the globe received a special greeting on Sunday from Pope Francis, who stressed the importance of their unique perspectives on the world.

“A world where women are marginalized is a sterile world,” the Pope said during his address  to the crowds who had gathered in St. Peter's Square to take part in the recitation of the Angelus with the Pope.

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