News of pontiff

Pope Francis undergoes colon operation, confirms Vatican

04-07-2021 20:55 Pontiff admitted to Rome's Gemelli University Hospital "for a scheduled surgery for symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon," informs Vatican statement.

COVID-19 VACCINES

Pope backs temporary suspension of vaccine patents

09-05-2021 08:28 Pope Francis offered his support Saturday for waiving coronavirus vaccine patents to boost supply to poorer countries, in a video message to the "Vax Live" concert.

Argentine pontiff

Pope Francis expects to spend his final days in Rome, says new book

28-02-2021 07:01 Asked how he sees his final days, 84-year-old Argentine pontiff tells Nelson Castro: "I will be pope, either active or emeritus, and in Rome. I will not return to Argentina."

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pope Francis appoints first African American cardinal

29-11-2020 08:56 Pope Francis created 13 new cardinals on Saturday – including the first African-American – putting his personal stamp on the body that will one day choose his successor.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pope says supports civil unions for gay couples

21-10-2020 15:35 Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pope meets with Australian cardinal acquitted of child abuse charges

12-10-2020 12:35 Pope Francis met Monday with Australian Cardinal George Pell for the first time since he was jailed – and then acquitted – on child sex abuse charges.

EASTER WEEKEND

Pope Francis guides locked-down world through virtual Easter

10-04-2020 09:51 Church doors will be shut and the Vatican sealed off when Pope Francis leads 1.3 billion Catholics in Easter Sunday celebrations held under a worldwide coronavirus lockdown.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Ex-Brazil president Lula meets Pope Francis at the Vatican

13-02-2020 17:04 Meeting comes one day after Argentine pontiff released his major document on the Amazon, in which he denounced the destruction of the rain forest and the exploitation of indigenous peoples.

DIPLOMACY

Casa Rosada puts brakes on Vatican ambassador nomination

16-01-2020 21:05 Career diplomat Luis Bellando’s nomination – which had already been submitted – withdrawn. Initial reports suggest Holy See rejected on grounds envoy was divorced, but deeper dive reveals a more complex panorama.

THE PRESIDENT & THE PONTIFF

Fernández to meet Pope Francis at Vatican on January 31

14-01-2020 16:33 The meeting – the first between the two since Fernández assumed the presidency – will take place on Friday, January 31 at 11am local time (around 7am in Argentina).

CHURCH SEX ABUSE SCANDALS

Vatican office lifts veil, revealing vast caseload of abuse claims

20-12-2019 17:28 Unprecedented numbers of reports flood the Vatican's central offices. The tribunal is already straining to keep up, and cases from a slough of new regions indicate that this recent surge is only the tip of the iceberg.

RELIGION IN ARGENTINA

Catholicism on the decline in Argentina, says CONICET study

20-11-2019 23:50 Almost 63% of Argentines identify as Catholics today, compared to 76.5% in 2008.

ARGENTINE PONTIFF

Pope demands tech companies prevent kids from viewing porn

14-11-2019 12:45 Pope says tech companies should assume a moral responsibility to protect young people from what he said were the ruinous effects of pornography on their emotional and sexual development.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pope Francis' bodyguard resigns over leak scandal

14-10-2019 11:50 Argentine pontiff said to be furious over publication of internal police notice which featured the photographs of five Vatican employees – including two senior figures – targeted in a probe reportedly into a real estate deal.