Vatican

Deacons step out of the shadows for a brief, shining moment
- Church, Vatican
- May 28, 2016
ROME— For a long time, deacons have complained of being the “forgotten clergy” of the Catholic Church, usually overshadowed by bishops and priests, despite the fact that there are now around 45,000 permanent Catholic deacons worldwide. While that neglect may be true most of the time, May 2016 is a
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Vatican accuses woman at heart of leaks trial of ‘calumny’
- Church, Vatican
- May 27, 2016
ROME—As the soap-opera of a Vatican trial against three former members of a papal commission and two journalists accused of leaking secret documents continues to unravel, the pope’s spokesman on Thursday said that statements made by one of the defendants during the trial may be “subject to legal action.” On
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No matter how you slice it, pope on women deacons a big deal
- Church, Vatican
- May 27, 2016
It’s no secret that the off-the-cuff remarks of Pope Francis often generate more news than long, labored-over prepared texts. We tend to like our leaders, popes included, to come off as unfiltered, unhandled and unplugged. At a recent meeting of the Superiors General of Religious Women in Rome when asked
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Cardinal who served St. Pope John XXIII dies at 100
- Catholic News Service, Church, Vatican
- May 26, 2016
VATICAN CITY — The former secretary to a saint, and the oldest member of the College of Cardinals, died May 26 at the age of 100. Italian Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla, who served St. John XXIII before and after he became pope, died in Bergamo, near Milan. John XXIII was
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Pope Francis might jettison idea of a ‘just war’
- Associated Press, Church, Vatican
- May 26, 2016
Developed in the fifth century A.D. by St. Augustine, the doctrine of a “just war” empowers rulers to wage war only as a last resort to confront grave wrongs. As Augustine wrote: “Peace should be the object of your desire; war should be waged only as a necessity.” Later, the
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Prayer is no magic wand to fulfill your desires, Pope Francis says
- Catholic News Service, Church, Vatican
- May 25, 2016
VATICAN CITY — Prayer is not a magic wand that fulfills your desires, but it is what helps you keep the faith when you don’t understand God’s will, Pope Francis said. Prayer is meant to be “our daily bread, our powerful weapon and the staff for our journey,” he said
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