Frances X. Rocca
Frances X. Rocca is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Frances X. Rocca
Pope expected to weigh in on economics of rich and poor
By Frances X. Rocca — November 8, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ With his conservative pronouncements on issues of sexuality, liturgy and interfaith dialogue, Pope Benedict XVI has frustrated many Roman Catholics in the church’s progressive wing. But Benedict’s views on economics, as expounded in an expected papal document, should be a lot more to liberals’ liking. Benedict’s encyclical […]
Muslims chide pope for not moving faster on dialogue
By Frances X. Rocca — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News ServiceVATICAN CITY _ Muslim leaders who attended an interfaith peace conference with Pope Benedict XVI chided the pope for not responding to a recent olive branch from Muslim scholars, and complained that the reaction of a high Vatican official “misses the very point of dialogue.”Their complaints stem from an open letter, […]
Pope to meet _ but not pray _ with interfaith leaders
By Frances X. Rocca — October 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Twenty-one years ago this month, Pope John Paul II met in Assisi, Italy, with more than 150 leaders of different religions to pray for peace. Images of the white-robed pontiff worshipping in the Basilica of St. Francis alongside colorfully garbed Tibetan Buddhists, Japanese Shintoists and representatives of […]
John Foley, always the American-in-waiting, finally gets a red hat
By Frances X. Rocca — October 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Of the 23 men whom Pope Benedict XVI will make cardinals on Nov. 24, probably none has waited longer for a cardinal’s red hat than Philadelphia’s John Patrick Foley. Since becoming an archbishop in 1984, Foley, 71, has attended eight consistories (as the ceremonies for creating cardinals […]
Cleaning St. Peter’s Requires a Careful, Acrobatic Touch
By Frances X. Rocca — August 10, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ As the tomb of the first pope and the principal church of most of his 264 successors, St. Peter’s Basilica is Roman Catholicism’s greatest shrine. It’s also a treasure trove of artistic riches, with works by such artists as Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini. At over 600 feet […]
The Holy See Is Going Green
By Frances X. Rocca — July 26, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ The Holy See announced earlier this month that it would soon become the world’s first “carbon neutral” sovereign state, planting trees in a Hungarian national park to offset the carbon-dioxide emissions and energy use of Vatican City. It was only the latest of several recent statements and […]
Vatican Moves Downplay 1960s Church Reforms, Observers Say
By Frances X. Rocca — July 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ In making two controversial decisions earlier this month _ opening the door to wider celebration of the “Latin Mass” and asserting the Roman Catholic Church as the one true “Church of Christ” _ the Vatican insisted that no essential Catholic belief or practice had been changed. In […]
Pope Says Protestants Not Churches `In the Proper Sense’
By Frances X. Rocca — July 11, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ The Vatican on Tuesday (July 10) reasserted the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, calling other Christian churches defective and saying Protestant denominations are not even churches “in the proper sense.” The statement, which was “ratified and confirmed” by Pope Benedict XVI and published with his approval, […]
Pope’s Latin Mass Decree Pleases Traditionalists, Worries Jews
By Frances X. Rocca — July 10, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Pope Benedict XVI’s decree that makes it easier for priests to celebrate the “old Latin Mass” has fulfilled the hopes of many traditionalist Roman Catholics _ as well as the apprehensions of those opposed to more widespread use of the older liturgy. “I am very, very happy. All is […]
Pope Hopes Latin Mass Will Spur `Reconcilation’ and `Reverence’
By Frances X. Rocca — July 7, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In a long-awaited document to be released Saturday (July 7), Pope Benedict XVI will make it easier for priests to celebrate the “old Latin Mass,” a practice sidelined in the 1960s when Catholic Church officials made local-language Mass the norm. In a letter to the world’s bishops, Benedict says […]
Pope Urges Reconciliation Between China and Rome
By Frances X. Rocca — July 3, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In an open letter to Chinese Catholics on Saturday (June 30), Pope Benedict XVI called for unity among the faithful and offered conciliatory words to China’s communist government. But he reiterated the Vatican’s longstanding demand that the Chinese church be free of state control, and emphatically described government-approved bishops […]
Vatican Tells Drivers: Thou Shalt Cool the Road Rage
By Frances X. Rocca — June 20, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ The Vatican, taking a detour from its usual pronouncements on faith and morals, on Tuesday (June 19) issued a set of “Drivers’ `Ten Commandments”’ in an effort to promote greater traffic safety. The commandments were part of a document, “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road,” […]
Bush Discusses Global Concerns with Pope
By Frances X. Rocca — June 11, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ President Bush met Pope Benedict XVI for the first time on Saturday (June 9) in a half-hour closed-door meeting that that touched on the plight of Christians in war-torn Iraq and efforts to combat AIDS in Africa. Bush’s visit to Rome came the day after his attendance […]
Bush to Meet Pope for First Time on Saturday
By Frances X. Rocca — June 6, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ When President Bush visits Rome Saturday (June 9), he will pay respects to the president and prime minister of Italy and spend time with an old friend, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. But the president’s most significant encounter in the Eternal City will undoubtedly be his half-hour […]
Bush to Meet With Catholic Anti-War Group in Rome
By Frances X. Rocca — June 2, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) President Bush is scheduled to meet leaders of a Roman Catholic lay organization prominent for its work on peace, health and human rights during a visit to Rome next Saturday (June 9). In between his meetings with Pope Benedict XVI and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Bush […]
