Pope Francis I has said he wants “a poor Church, for the poor” following his election as the next pontiff. The Pope said he chose the name Francis after 12-13th Century St Francis of Assisi, who represented “poverty and peace”. The pontiff urged journalists to get to know the Church with its “virtues and sins” and to share its focus on “truth, goodness an…
Mar 16 2013 | Posted in
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…The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires shocked many onlookers when it was revealed on Wednesday. Although he reportedly came second to Pope Benedict XVI during the 2005 conclave, few had predicted the election of the first pope from outside Europe in 1,300 years. Pope Francis I will return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon, scene of his election, to c…
…The ring is second hand and is made of silver-plated gold, not the solid gold worn by Francis’ predecessor. With the reception of the pallium and ring, Francis officially began his office as the 266th pope. The Pope then received the obedience of the cardinals, and the Mass formally began. Pope Francis then delivered his homily, in Italian. It began by focusing on Joseph and his role as prot…
…horter than usual, which the Vatican said was in line with Pope Francis’ preference for shorter Masses. Pope Francis, formerly Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected on March 13, becoming the first non-European pope for almost 1,300 years. He replaced Pope Benedict XVI, who held the office for eight years and became the first pontiff in more than 700 years to resign, sayi…
…portant, correspondents say, as the existence of a living retired pope has prompted fears of a possible rival power. Pope Francis will be installed officially in an inauguration Mass on Tuesday, March 19, the Vatican added….
…their eyes when Queen Elizabeth accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh walked into the room moments after they had tied the knot at Manchester Town Hall. The royal couple had been attending a lunch with 200 local volunteers in an adjacent room, and the Queen had asked if she could pop in to congratulate the bride and groom. Delighted bride Frances Canning said: “It was bizarre that she knew our name…
Mar 25 2012 | Posted in
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…insisted he will not live in the lavish Papal apartment, a 12-room property on the top floor of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. On seeing the apartment, Pope Francis said: “But there is room for 300 people in here.” Instead, Pope Francis has chosen a modest two-bedroom hotel-style residence at the Domus Santa Marta building. The newly-elected Pope has also signaled that he wants to lead the…
…previously said that the Church has a special duty to defend the poor. “I would like a Church that is poor and is for the poor,” he said following his election as head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics two months ago. The Pope said he had chosen the name Francis in a direct reference to St Francis of Assisi, the Italian founder of the Franciscan Order who was devoted to the po…
…he plans to tackle a number of other issues including scandals involving the sexual abuse of children around the world. The actions of a small minority of individuals has tainted the reputation of the 1.2 billion member church. Sadly, those problems have been exacerbated by the failure of Church leadership to cooperate with local authorities and to protect children in some cases. It is expected th…
…positive relations with Muslims in the region in his brief comments at the end of the ceremony. Standing on a platform overlooking the procession route, Pope Francis recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s 2012 visit to Lebanon when “we saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others….
Mar 30 2013 | Posted in
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…citing ill health. There is no public record of any previous meeting between a Pope and a former Pope, as the new head of the Catholic Church is usually elected after the death of his predecessor. In 1294, former hermit Celestine V resigned after five months as Pope. Boniface VIII was elected days later, and had his predecessor imprisoned. Celestine was dead within a year. In contrast, Pope Franc…
mplicity to the Vatican. He has broken with tradition for the foot-washing ceremony, which is normally performed on lay people in one of Rome’s basilicas. Pope Benedict XVI visited the centre in 2007, but not for the Holy Thursday Mass. Only for the first two years of his pontificate did he perform the feet-washing himself, after which the task was delegated to priests. Easter is the most im…
…sed to move into the Bishop’s Palace. Preferring more modest accommodation, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio also often cooked his own meals. Since the reign of Pope Pius X at the beginning of the 20th Century every pope has occupied the palatial penthouse apartment with more than a dozen rooms, staff quarters, a terrace and extensive views over the city of Rome. Pope Francis has renounced th…
Mar 27 2013 | Posted in
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Pope Francis I has delivered his first Angelus prayer and blessing before a crowd of many thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome. The pontiff also delivered off-the-cuff remarks, about God’s power to forgive, instead of reading a written speech. It was the Pope’s second official appearance before the general public since he was elected on Wednesday. Earlier, Pope Franci…
…the fact that he used to collect all the rubber bands that were wrapped around his newspapers. “At the end of the month, he always brought them back to me,” said Luis Del Regno. “All 30 of them!” Pope Francis has already stamped his humble style on the papacy – spurning a special car to take a bus with his cardinals after he was elected, and insisting on returning to…
Mar 23 2013 | Posted in
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han any of his predecessors. Among those canonized on Sunday were two Latin American nuns – Laura Montoya from Colombia and Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala from Mexico – who both died in the 20th Century. Colombia’s first saint, Mother Laura Montoya dedicated her life to helping indigenous people while the woman named by Pope Francis as Mother “Lupita” sheltered Catholi…
…abuse are concerned, promoting, above all, measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past (and) the necessary procedures against those who are guilty”. In 2011, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith called on bishops’ conferences around the world to submit guidelines for helping victims; protecting children; selecting and training priests an…
…Normally feet-washing Masses before Easter are held in the Vatican or a Rome basilica. However, Pope Benedict XVI held a feet-washing Mass at the same Casal del Marmo youth detention centre in Rome in 2007. Pope Francis will stage his feet-washing ceremony at Casal del Marmo on the afternoon of March 28. The washing of feet on the Thursday before Easter is a Christian tradition dating back to the…
Mar 21 2013 | Posted in
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…se. “I asked for his intervention to avoid problems that could emerge from the militarization of Great Britain in the south Atlantic,” Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner told reporters after a 15-20 minute meeting and lunch with the Pope. “We want a dialogue and that’s why we asked the pope to intervene so that the dialogue is successful.” There has been no word yet as t…
…ivided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st Century.” The new Pope has reinforced his image as a man of simple, down-to-earth tastes, not wearing the more ostentatious of papal costumes and, for the moment, not moving into the grand…
Stacy Francis offered more details about her recent night club spat with Whitney Houston, a squabble that happened just two days before the singer’s death. In an interview with “Extra,” the former X Factor contestant talked about the February 9 tussle. Stacy Francis explains that “there was an exchange, but it wasn’t a violent exchange…She didn’t push me…
Mar 12 2012 | Posted in
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…last month. Pope Paul VI undertook the last major reform of the Vatican bureaucracy in 1967. The new group is to have its first meeting on October 1-3. Earlier this week the pontiff met personally all 300 staff members of the Vatican’s secretariat of state, the body responsible for carrying out Church policies. Some radical reforms are expected soon, although Pope Francis is moving cautiousl…
…reat city in Brazil.” The gathering in Rio would, Pope Francis said, be a “sign of faith for the whole world”. Pope Benedict XVI attended the last such festival, in Madrid, in August 2011….
Mar 24 2013 | Posted in
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…tacy called me last night and told me that if anyone wanted a response from her with regard to Oprah’s interview with the Houstons, to tell them, <<I have nothing to say>>.” Then, on March 12, someone tweeted: “They giving @stacyfrancis hell LOL!,” presumably about the Oprah’s Next Chapter interview, which aired March 11 on Oprah’s OWN Network. Stacy Francis replied moments later, sayi…
Mar 14 2012 | Posted in
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Pope Francis has begun the Catholic Church’s most important liturgical season with a Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican. 250,000 pilgrims crowded St Peter’s Square for the outdoor Mass marking the start of Holy Week.that marks the start of Holy Week. Sprigs of olive trees have been distributed to the faithful in remembrance of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem before his cruci…
