Two men gave remarkable testimonies of faith to the world during 2013: Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned his office on February 28, and Pope Francis, who was elected to be his successor on March 13. Pope Benedict, in his courageous decision to step down, taken after a long period of meditation and reflection, gave an example [...]
The Holy Father met with the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches at the Vatican on November 21. As Bishop of Rome, the Pope meets with the heads of the Churches in communion with him to be updated on the life of particular Churches. Prior to announcing his trip to the Holy Land, the Pope met [...]
Pope Francis. Only three Popes have visited the Holy Land. Now it has been announced that Pope Francis, walking in Paul VI’s footsteps, will visit Christ’s homeland May 24-26. Fifty years after Paul VI, the first ever Pope to set foot in Jesus’ birthplace, made his 1964 journey to the Holy Land, Pope Francis [...]
In this exclusive interview, Pope Francis speaks about Christmas, hunger in the world, the suffering of children, the reform of the Roman Curia, women cardinals, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), and his upcoming visit to the Holy Land. “For me Christmas is hope and tenderness....” Francis talks to La Stampa and Vatican Insider [...]
The late Benny Lai. Benny Lai, the dean of the journalists accredited to the Holy See, a prolific essayist and author, died in Rome on December 12 at the age of 88. He had been covering Holy See affairs for more than 60 years, since the early 1950s. Lai had been sick for some [...]
Interview with René Bruelhart, director of AIF, the Financial Information Authority of the Holy See, on the good results of recent financial reforms. René Bruelhart is the Director of the AIF, the “Financial Information Authority” of the Holy See/Vatican City State, and was a member of the Holy See Delegation led by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary [...]
The first months of Pope Francis’ pontificate and the new view of the Vatican and the Church. The text was first published on the Il Sismografo website on December 20. Geopolitics is synthetically, but appropriately, referred to as the discipline dealing with the relation between politics and geography. Also, a country’s foreign policy is deeply affected [...]
American Cardinal Raymond L. Burke marches with pro-life demonstrators during the third annual national March for Life in Rome May 12, 2013. Pope Francis did not renew the memberships of some well-known cardinals to the Congregation for Bishops, which is in charge of the choices of bishops worldwide. The reasons are not yet clear, [...]
Pope Francis during Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on December 24 (Gaazka photo) 1. ”The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:1). This prophecy of Isaiah never ceases to touch us, especially when we hear it proclaimed in the liturgy of Christmas Night. This is not simply an [...]
Pope Francis waves a he delivers his Christmas blessing (to the city and the world) form the central balcony at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican December 25. At St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis celebrates his first solemn Christmas midnight Mass as pontiff. Celebrating the first Christmas since his election, Pope Francis preached the [...]
