For Iraqi Christians, Pope Francis’ visit was a rare moment of hope
Baghdad, Iraq AP The death of Pope Francis has sent shockwaves through Iraq’s Christian community, where his presence once brought hope after one of the darkest chapters in the country’s recent history. His 2021 visit to Iraq, the first ever by a pope, came after years of conflict and displacement. Just a few years before that, many Iraqi Christians had fled […]
Essay: Pope Francis the diplomat relied on personal encounters that had global reach
Author and correspondent VICTOR GAETAN, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the man who would be one of the most travelled popes in history once was known for avoiding travel, keeping to weekend trips to local shantytowns. But Francis proved to be a pope of surprises…
Tears, memories as fervently Catholic East Timor mourns Pope Francis
Dili, East Timor Reuters More than 1,500 people packed into a cathedral in East Timor on Tuesday and an overspill of hundreds swarmed outside as one of the world’s most devoutly Roman Catholic nations mourned the passing of Pope Francis. Francis, who died on Monday, received a rock-star reception in the half-island nation last September, […]
Pope Francis, the Argentine pontiff, never returned home
Buenos Aires, Argentina Reuters Argentines long waited for Pope Francis to visit the homeland he left in 2013 to become the head of the Roman Catholic Church. With his death on Monday at the age of 88 after a long illness, those hopes for his return end unrealised. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis, the […]
Pope reveals he was target of suicide bomb attempt during 2021 Iraq visit
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis has revealed he was the target of an attempted suicide bombing during his visit to Iraq three years ago, the first by a Catholic pontiff to the country and probably the riskiest foreign trip of his 11-year papacy. In an excerpt published on Tuesday from a forthcoming autobiography, Francis said […]
Vatican unveils program for Pope Francis’ trip to Belgium and Luxembourg in September
Rome, Italy AP The Vatican released on Friday the program for Pope Francis’ trip to Belgium and Luxembourg in late September, where he will celebrate Mass for the faithful, as well as meeting with religious and political authorities. During the four-day visit, on 26th to 29th September, he will also hold private talks with his […]
Essay: What the Pope’s visit to Mongolia says about his priorities and how he is changing the Catholic Church
In an article first published on The Conversation, scholar of Roman Catholicism KRISTY NABHAN-WARREN looks at what Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the East Asian nation reveals…
Pope Francis calls steps against clerical abuse irreversible, despite resistance
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis has acknowledged that there is resistance by some national Catholic Churches on implementing measures to protect children from sexual abuse by clergy but said that there is no turning back on an “irreversible” path. Sexual abuse in the Church and measures to combat it were among one of the many […]
Cypriot official: Pope Francis to visit Cyprus in December
Nicosia, CyprusAP Pope Francis will visit Cyprus in December, making him the second Roman Catholic pontiff to ever travel to the eastern Mediterranean island nation, a Cypriot official said Tuesday. The official said the pontiff’s two-day visit will take place on 2nd to 3rd December when he will hold talks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades. […]
Pope in isolation: What happens when pandemic locks down a globe-trotting pontiff?
NICOLE WINFIELD, of Associated Press, reports on how the coronavirus pandemic has curbed the travels of Pope Francis…