Rome
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Top Vatican official hopes Trump will promote peace, national unity
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 7, 2024The Vatican secretary of state said his prayer for Donald J. Trump is that God would grant him wisdom “because that is the main virtue of those who govern according to the Bible.”
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During Lent, leave appearances aside and listen to God, says pope
By JUSTIN McLELLAN, Catholic News Service
Published February 14, 2024Lent is a time to cast aside appearances and to find God at work in the depths of the heart, Pope Francis said on Ash Wednesday.
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Pope visits pediatric oncology ward, baptizes infant during hospital stay
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published March 31, 2023Pope Francis used his third day at Rome’s Gemelli hospital to visit children hospitalized in the oncology ward and to confer the sacrament of baptism on a tiny infant named Miguel Angel.
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Pope says Lent is time to let go of the frivolous, to choose truth, love
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published February 22, 2023What matters is the truth and the love that God sees, not what is superficial, showy and self-centered, Pope Francis said during a Mass to mark the beginning of Lent.
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In early morning darkness, pope pays tribute to Immaculate Conception
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 8, 2021An hour before sunrise, Pope Francis set a basket of white roses at the base of a statue of the Immaculate Conception in the center of Rome, praying Mary would help all who suffer.
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Tombs of fallen soldiers are cry for peace, pope says on All Souls’ feast
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published November 2, 2021Pope Francis celebrated Mass on the feast of All Souls, Nov. 2, at the French Military Cemetery in Rome, calling their graves “a message of peace.”
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Hundreds gather outside hospital to greet recovering pope
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published July 11, 2021Pilgrims and well-wishers gathered at Rome’s Gemelli hospital to greet Pope Francis as he made his first public appearance in a week after undergoing intestinal surgery.
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Accountability, transparency, due process still needed, abuse experts say
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published April 16, 2021To help foster a wider discussion on work that still must be done to safeguard minors and vulnerable people in the church, a canon law journal published a series of talks by experts regarding accountability, transparency and confidentiality in the handling of abuse allegations.
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Southeastern bishops celebrate Mass at Rome’s St. John Lateran
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published February 11, 2020The bishops of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina celebrated Mass Feb. 10 during their visit “ad limina apostolorum”—to the threshold of the apostles—to report on the status of their dioceses to Rome.
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Surprise! Pope makes several impromptu visits
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 10, 2018ROME (CNS)—Pope Francis made surprise visits Dec. 7 and 8 to people receiving medical care far from their homes, to a dozen intellectually challenged young people and to the staff of a major Rome newspaper. The late-afternoon visits Dec. 7 to the CasAmica residence for families with a member needing long-term medical care far from […] Full Story
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‘Selfie’ culture leads to alienation, departure from reality, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published May 25, 2018ROME (CNS)—While taking selfies can be an occasion to capture treasured memories, it can also be a sign that young men and women are deprived of meaningful human interaction with others, Pope Francis said. Responding to questions May 14 at a meeting with 1,700 priests and lay leaders of the Diocese of Rome gathered at […] Full Story
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‘Is my dad in heaven?’ little boy asks pope
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published April 23, 2018ROME (CNS)—After circling a massive, crumbling public housing complex on the outskirts of Rome, Pope Francis had an emotional encounter with the neighborhood’s children. Question-and-answer sessions with youngsters are a standard part of Pope Francis’ parish visits. And, at St. Paul of the Cross parish April 15, there were the usual questions like, “How did […] Full Story
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Jesus does not give up on anyone, pope tells prisoners
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published April 11, 2018ROME (CNS)—Before washing the feet of 12 prisoners, Pope Francis told them and hundreds of inmates to remember that Jesus constantly stands before them with love, ready to cleanse their sins and forgive them. “Jesus takes a risk on each of us. Know this: Jesus is called Jesus, not Pontius Pilate. Jesus does not know […] Full Story
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Pope urges children to tell God about their—not others’—sins
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published March 23, 2017ROME (CNS)—Witches don’t really exist, so they can do no harm, Pope Francis told a young girl, but gossip, sin and evil exist and they hurt people every day. “What frightens me?” the pope asked, repeating the question posed by Sara, one of the children at the Rome parish of St. Magdalene of Canossa. “I’m […] Full Story
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Christian witness requires action, pope says during parish visit
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published January 26, 2017ROME (CNS)—Being a real Christian does not mean being a saint, but giving witness to Jesus in word and, especially, deed, Pope Francis told members of a parish on the eastern edge of Rome. Spending more than three hours Jan. 15 at the parish of St. Mary in the Setteville neighborhood, Pope Francis had the […] Full Story
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In Jesuit publications, filmmaker Scorsese talks about his faith
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 22, 2016ROME (CNS)—In two long interviews with Jesuit publications, director Martin Scorsese described his new film “Silence” as a major stage in his pilgrimage of faith, a pilgrimage that included flunking out of the minor seminary, investigating other religions and recognizing that the Catholic Church was his home. Growing up in New York, “I was extraordinarily […] Full Story
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Pope asks Jesuits to teach art of discernment to clergy
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published September 1, 2016ROME (CNS)—When it comes to the Christian life, too many seminaries teach students a rigid list of rules that make it difficult or impossible for them as priests to respond to the real-life situation of those who come to them seeking guidance, Pope Francis said. “Some priestly formation programs run the risk of educating in […] Full Story
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‘Icon of mercy’: Missionaries superior describes Blessed Teresa
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published September 1, 2016ROME (CNS)—Blessed Teresa of Kolkata was a woman who truly felt wed to Jesus, and the freedom she experienced in loving him led her to radical poverty, a courageous outreach and an immense love for the poor, said the superior general of the order Mother Teresa founded. “She was very happy to be a woman […] Full Story
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Washing feet of refugees, pope says it is gesture of brotherhood, peace
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published March 31, 2016ROME (CNS)—In a moving gesture of brotherhood and peace, Pope Francis washed the feet of several refugees, including Muslims, Hindus and Copts. Gestures, like Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, “speak louder than words,” he said during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper March 24. Coming together, he added, is another gesture […] Full Story
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Dialogue, remembrance, peace highlighted as pope visits synagogue
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published January 21, 2016ROME (CNS)—While the Catholic Church affirms that salvation comes through Jesus, it also recognizes that God is faithful and has not revoked his covenant with the Jewish people, Pope Francis said. Interrupted repeatedly with applause at Rome’s main synagogue Jan. 17, the pope said the church “recognizes the irrevocability of the Old Covenant and the […] Full Story