‘A priest who once worked at the Vatican and was purportedly good friends with the late
Pope John Paul II has returned to Canada to face criminal charges involving sex with children decades ago, police told AFP.
Monsignor Bernard Prince, 71, was arrested upon his arrival at the Montreal airport from Italy late Tuesday, said Sergeant Kristine [...]
‘The Vatican newspaper has published an article saying intelligent design is not science and teaching it alongside evolutionary theory in school classrooms only creates confusion.
The article in Tuesday’s editions of L’Osservatore Romano was the latest in a series of interventions by Vatican officials — including the pope — on the issue that has dominated headlines [...]
‘Pope Benedict XVI reinforced his caretaker image Thursday, reappointing the entire Vatican hierarchy chosen by his populist predecessor, John Paul II. At the same time, the new pontiff sought to dispel any impression that he was aloof or dour.
He waved and smiled at crowds gathered along the short stretch between the Vatican gates and his [...]
Just five days after putting them on sale, the Vatican has sold out of special stamps to mark the period between popes.
Everyone from stamp collectors to pilgrims and tourists snapped them up at post offices around St. Peter’s Basilica.
The stamps are only valid until a new pope is chosen.
They feature the traditional Vatican image of [...]
‘ Usually it’s the cardinal who calls on the pope. But Giovanni Battista Re was so close to John Paul II that the late pontiff once interrupted an Alpine vacation to fly to the Italian cardinal’s hometown.
The 71-year-old Re, whose last name means “king” in Italian, ranks high on lists of strong contenders to become [...]
China, which does not recognise the authority of the Vatican, has offered its sympathies on the death of the Pope and says it hopes his successor would act to improve relations.
China broke ties with the Holy See in the 1950s after expelling foreign clergy and all religion was devastated during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. The [...]
Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following statement to journalists:
The general conditions and cardio-respiratory conditions of the Holy Father have further worsened.
A gradual worsening of arterial hypotension has been noted, and breathing has become shallow.
The clinical picture indicates cardio-circulatory and renal insufficiency. The biological parameters are notably compromised.
The Holy Father - with [...]
‘The Vatican’s health minister said Pope John Paul II’s doctors have told him “there is no more hope.”
The Mexican cardinal told a Mexico television station that the pope is about to die.
Pope John Paul has suffered from heart and kidney failure, brought on by a urinary tract infection.
Tens of thousands of people have gathered in [...]
Vatican Radio is reporting that Pope John Paul is reacting well to the antibiotics that have been administered and his condition has stabilized.
Update - the media is picking up this story now (they really should blogging - its a lot faster) - read more at:
Pope apparently stable: Vatican radio.
‘The Vatican has appointed a top cardinal to rebutt what it says are the lies, distortions and errors in Dan Brown’s best-selling thriller — The Da Vinci Code.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Archbishop of Genoa and a possible successor to the Pope, immediately took up the fight yesterday by claiming that the novel was a deliberate [...]
‘A pontiff of few public words returned to his apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square after reassuring the world’s Roman Catholic faithful with his own raspy voice that he is on the mend following surgery for breathing problems.
It was unclear whether Pope John Paul II, who for the past few years managed a heavy workload while [...]
‘Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II greeted pilgrims in a raspy voice Sunday, his first live address to the faithful since he underwent throat surgery last month to ease his breathing, and the Vatican (news - web sites) announced he would leave the hospital later in the day.
The 84-year-old pontiff spoke just a [...]
‘Pope John Paul II plans to give his traditional blessings on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said Tuesday, but left it unclear whether he will actually appear in St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican released a revised Holy Week schedule, with top Vatican officials listed as presiding at services generally led by John Paul. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the [...]
‘The Vatican said it’s going ahead with its regular Holy Week schedule, no matter what the pope’s role is.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 20, with the blessing of palms and a Mass at St. Peter’s Square. On March 24, the Vatican plans to celebrate Holy Thursday with a Mass in St. Peter’s [...]