Alessandro Speciale
Alessandro Speciale has been covering the Vatican since 2007 and wrote for Religion News Service from 2011-2013. Born in Rome, he studied literature at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy, and journalism at City University, London. He has appeared as an expert on Vatican affairs on CNN, BBC World and Al Jazeera English.
All Stories by Alessandro Speciale
Former Pope Benedict XVI to return to the Vatican on Thursday
By Alessandro Speciale — May 1, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Benedict XVI's return to Vatican City will present church leaders with the unprecedented situation of a reigning pope and a retired pope living a short distance from each other, both sharing the same top aide.
Pope Francis’ preaching style is low-key and mostly private
By Alessandro Speciale — April 22, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) One of Pope Francis' innovations that has mostly remained off the radar screens so far: Every day at 7 a.m., he celebrates Mass with Vatican workers, and people are clamoring to learn more about his simple (and popular) homilies.
Pope Francis redirects employee bonuses to charity
By Alessandro Speciale — April 18, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis apparently meant what he said when he spoke of a "poor church, for the poor": Vatican employees won't get the $1,300 bonus many were expecting with the election of a new pope.
Pope Francis orders overhaul of US nuns to continue
By Alessandro Speciale — April 15, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The decision to continue a Vatican overhaul of U.S. nuns, while not entirely unexpected, could nonetheless bring an end to Pope Francis' honeymoon with the many American Catholics who had viewed the crackdown on nuns as heavy-handed and unnecessary.
Pope sets up cardinals’ group to advise on Vatican reform
By Alessandro Speciale — April 13, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Exactly one month after his election to the papacy, Pope Francis on Saturday (April 13) set up a working group of eight cardinals from all over the world to advise him on the running of the Catholic Church and on how to reform the scandal-ridden Roman Curia, the church's central administration.
Senior cardinal says Francis will bring new life to Vatican II
By Alessandro Speciale — April 12, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis has ushered in a new phase in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, shifting the focus of the Catholic Church from the concerns of the industrialized North to the “problems of the Southern hemisphere."
Vatican gets behind adult stem cell research
By Alessandro Speciale — April 9, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Wading into one of the most controversial fields of modern medicine, the Vatican is promoting adult stem cells as an ethical and scientifically more promising approach to genetic therapy than embryonic stem cells.
Can Pope Francis really reform the Vatican?
By Alessandro Speciale — April 5, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis has won widespread acclaim thus far in his nascent papacy with popular gestures like washing the feet of juveniles during Holy Week and refusing many papal perks. But now comes the hard part of his new job: reforming the Vatican.
Pope Francis says women play a ‘fundamental’ role within the church
By Alessandro Speciale — April 3, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) While the new pope stopped far short of calling for women's ordination or giving women more decision-making power in the church, his remarks nonetheless signaled an openness to women that's not often seen in the church hierarchy.
Vatican defends Pope Francis’ washing of women’s feet
By Alessandro Speciale — March 29, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican dismissed criticism of Pope Francis' decision to wash the feet of two women during a Maundy Thursday Mass at a Rome youth prison.
Pope washes feet of two girls, two Muslims at youth prison
By Alessandro Speciale — March 28, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis on Thursday (March 28) washed the feet of 12 young inmates, including two girls and two Muslims, during a Maundy Thursday Mass at a youth detention center in Rome.
Pope Francis calls on Catholics to leave their comfort zone
By Alessandro Speciale — March 27, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) In his first general audience since his election to the papacy, Pope Francis on Wednesday (March 27) urged Catholics to leave their comfort zone to search for “lost sheep.”
Pope Francis opts for Vatican guesthouse instead of papal apartment
By Alessandro Speciale — March 26, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) With his move to a Vatican guesthouse, Pope Francis becomes the first pope since 1903 not to live in the regal papal apartment that overlooks St. Peter's Square.
Muslim convert quits Catholic Church, says it’s too weak against Islam
By Alessandro Speciale — March 25, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A high-profile Italian Muslim who converted to Catholicism and was baptized by Pope Benedict XVI says he's leaving the church to protest its soft stance against Islam.
Francis and Benedict embrace as “brothers” in first meeting of two popes
By Alessandro Speciale — March 23, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis on Saturday (March 23) hailed his predecessor Benedict XVI as a “brother” in a historic first meeting between two living popes in more than 700 years. Francis left the Vatican by helicopter to visit Benedict, who has been living in the papal summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo since his resignation […]
