Clergy Archives

Pope again flexes papal muscle to keep tabs on cardinals
- Associated Press, Vatican
- June 16, 2017
Pope Francis has revived what has been called a “noble tradition” of asking cardinals to inform him when they leave town and where they’re going. This show of papal muscle comes after the pope wrote a letter asking for obedience to a rioting diocese in Nigeria and the tensions with the Knights of Malta.
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Vatican tailors, cobblers try to adapt to Francis’s ‘papal athleisure’
- Vatican
- June 12, 2017
Pope Francis’s emphasis on simplicity and frugality is a hit all around the world, but it’s produced just a bit of backlash among fashion-conscious Italians, including an exclusive club of tailors and shoemakers who outfit pontiffs — some of whom are a little nostalgic for the days when being pope also meant dressing to the nines.
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Pope Francis: ‘I too know moments of emptiness’
- Religion News Service, Vatican
- March 11, 2017
Pope Francis has been particularly open to hearing proposals for the ordination of married men and in Rome last November, as his Year of Mercy drew to an end, he also met with men who had left the priesthood to marry and have their own families.
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What clergy are hearing from Francis: ‘Presence, mercy and service’

Based on a variety of contacts with clergy from around the Catholic world over the last month, the basic takeaways they seem to be drawing from Pope Francis can be expressed in three words: Presence, mercy and service. That may not be the totality of his agenda, but as a basic orientation, one could probably do worse.

Why would anybody not want a sweet Vatican gig?

From the outside it might seem counter-intuitive that any Catholic bishop or priest wouldn’t want a Vatican job, but there are at least five good reasons why many actually don’t. As a result, popes have to consider not just who has the competence, but who’s prepared personally and emotionally to give it their best.