Pope Francis urges priests to keep sermons short

Agence France Presse 06/14/2024

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis urged Catholic priests to keep their homilies concise, recommending a maximum length of eight minutes to prevent their audiences from falling asleep. The homily or sermon is the address in which a…

Pope recreates the 2014 Mideast peace prayer in Vatican Gardens to beg for an end to Gaza conflict

06/09/2024

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis gathered the Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors to the Vatican Gardens on Friday to pray for an end to the war in Gaza, marking the 10th anniversary of a similar encounter with the…

Pope Francis used gay slur in meeting with Italian bishops–media

Agence France Presse 05/28/2024

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis used an offensive gay slang word during a meeting with Italian bishops, where he joked about the number of gay men in seminaries, media reports said Monday. During the private meeting one…

Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the Millennial generation

AP 05/25/2024

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.…

Pope Francis appoints Filipino priest as bishop in California

Adrian Parungao 04/21/2024

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino priest in the United States of America was appointed by Pope Francis as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Sacramento, California on Saturday. In the announcement of the Holy See, Father…

Pope will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore in longest trip of papacy

04/13/2024

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in September, the Vatican announced Friday, confirming the longest trip of Francis’ papacy that is sure to test his health, stamina…

Pope soldiers through Easter Vigil after missing procession

03/31/2024

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Saturday soldiered through a more than 2-hour Easter Vigil Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, one of the longest services in Catholic liturgy, amid renewed concerns about the 87-year-old’s frail condition.…

Pope skips Good Friday procession ‘to preserve his health’

03/30/2024

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis cancelled at the last minute his attendance at the Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum, in what the Vatican described as a bid “to preserve his health” ahead of more Easter week…

Pope, looking strong, washes, kisses feet of 12 women inmates on Holy Thursday

Associated Press 03/29/2024

Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 women inmates at a Rome prison during a Holy Thursday ritual meant to emphasize his vocation of service and humility. The 87-year-old Francis performed the ritual from his…

Ukraine, allies slam Pope Francis’ ‘white flag’ comment

Associated Press 03/11/2024

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian and allied officials Sunday criticized Pope Francis for saying that Kyiv should have the “courage” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, a statement many interpreted as a call for Ukraine…

Spanish bishop slams priests who joked about wishing Pope goes to heaven soon

Associated Press 03/01/2024

MADRID — A Spanish bishop rebuked comments made by some priests on a weekly internet program about praying for Pope Francis to die as soon as possible. The priests later apologized. Archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves of Toledo…

Pope urges Catholics to swap social media for reflection as Lent begins

02/16/2024

ROME (Reuters) – Pope Francis urged Catholics to forgo worldly trappings and focus on essentials as he opened the season of Lent with a traditional Ash Wednesday Mass on one of Rome’s historic seven hills. He criticised…

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