The pope’s 2023: A year of health challenges, travel and the synod December 29, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Francis’ 2023 was a year of important trips made or postponed, a predecessor’s funeral and his own 10th anniversary as pope, a call to the world to act on climate change and a call to the Catholic Church to strengthen its mission by learning “synodality.”
‘Listening is act of love,’ says papal message to European youths December 28, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News The Christian community and society need young people to live out their dreams of a world where people listen to one another, accept each other and build bridges with members of different cultures and religions, Pope Francis told young Europeans meeting to “pray in” the new year.
Cardinal says Vatican is not moving toward accepting gay marriage December 28, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, Marriage & Family Life, News, Vatican, World News The Vatican’s affirmation that a priest can give an informal blessing to a gay couple who asks for one is not a first step toward the Catholic Church recognizing same-sex marriages, said Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Pope encourages persecuted Christians to stay strong in their witness December 27, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News On the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis prayed for people persecuted for their faith or denigrated for living a life marked by Gospel values.
‘The devil is a seducer,’ pope says as he begins new series of talks December 27, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News The devil is sly and sneaky like a serpent and subtly entices people to sin, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience Dec. 27.
Pope’s Christmas message: Say ‘yes’ to the Prince of Peace, ‘no’ to war December 27, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Christmas, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Celebrating the birth of Jesus, the prince of peace, should mean making a commitment to opposing all war, to cherishing human life, feeding the hungry and speaking up for those who have no voice, Pope Francis said.
Welcome Jesus into the manger of your heart, papal preacher says December 22, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Christmas, Feature, News, Vatican, World News The first step toward keeping Christ in Christmas is for Christians to make room for him in their hearts, the preacher of the papal household told Pope Francis and top Vatican officials.
Listening: It’s not a fast-paced game of ping pong, pope tells Curia December 21, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Officials of the Roman Curia must learn how to really listen to others, not treating a discussion as a game of “ping pong” where everything another says is met with a speedy and automatic response, Pope Francis said.
Gay couples can be blessed by priest if it isn’t a formal liturgical blessing December 18, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News A Catholic priest can bless a gay or other unmarried couple as long as it is not a formal liturgical blessing and does not give the impression that the Catholic Church is blessing the union as if it were a marriage, the Vatican doctrinal office said.
Cardinal Becciu, five others sentenced to prison at Vatican trial December 18, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News The Vatican City State criminal court sentenced Cardinal Angelo Becciu to five years and six months in prison on two counts of embezzlement and one of aggravated fraud but found him not guilty of abuse of office or witness tampering.
Celebrating the Incarnation, remember Bethlehem, too, pope says December 18, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Christmas, Feature, News, Vatican, World News When St. Francis of Assisi staged the first Nativity scene 800 years ago, he did so to remind people of the powerful, awe-inspiring truth that God became human in Jesus, Pope Francis said.
Prudent use of Vatican finances is essential for mission, pope says December 13, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News The Vatican’s financial planning, budgeting, auditing, investing and saving are essential for carrying out the Catholic Church’s mission and must be handled with the highest sense of responsibility and prudence, Pope Francis wrote in a letter to the staff of the Secretariat for the Economy.