Nicole Winfield
Nicole Winfield is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Nicole Winfield
Street artist of ‘Super Pope’ fame gets new stamp of Vatican approval
By Nicole Winfield — February 1, 2024
ROME (AP) — Street artist Maupal, whose cartoon-like depictions of Pope Francis as a “Super Pope” have graced buildings around the Vatican for a decade, got an official stamp of approval on Thursday when he appeared at a Vatican news conference.
Africa’s Catholic hierarchy refuses same-sex blessings, says such unions are contrary to God’s will
By Nicole Winfield — January 11, 2024
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The controversy has deepened a growing chasm between Francis’ progressive, reform-minded papacy and the conservative church in much of the world
Vatican’s doctrine chief is raising eyebrows over his 1998 book that graphically describes orgasms
By Nicole Winfield — January 9, 2024
ROME (AP) — “The Mystical Passion,” published in Mexico in 1998, is a short expose about mystical-sensual experiences with God.
Pope Francis calls for a universal ban on surrogacy. He says it exploits mother and child
By Nicole Winfield — January 8, 2024
ROME (AP) — He said the life of the unborn child must be protected and not “suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking.”
Pope recalls Benedict XVI’s love and wisdom on anniversary of death, as secretary reflects on legacy
By Luigi Navarra and Nicole Winfield — January 2, 2024
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Speaking at the end of his weekly noon blessing, Francis said the faithful feel “so much love, so much gratitude, so much admiration” for Benedict.
After approving blessings for same-sex couples, Pope asks Vatican staff to avoid ‘rigid ideologies’
By Nicole Winfield — December 22, 2023
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis urged Vatican bureaucrats Thursday to avoid “rigid ideological positions” that prevent them from understanding today’s reality.
Vatican prosecutor appeals verdict that largely dismantled his fraud case but convicted cardinal
By Nicole Winfield — December 22, 2023
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi filed his appeal this week of the three-judge tribunal's decision in a complicated financial trial that aired the Vatican's dirty laundry and tested its peculiar legal system.
Activists hope pope’s approval of same-sex blessings could ease anti-LGBTQ+ bias and repression
By Nicole Winfield — December 21, 2023
ROME (AP) —The pope's decision to officially spell out his approval could send a message of tolerance to places where gay rights are far more restricted.
Pope Francis’ 87th birthday closes out a big year of efforts to reform the church, cement his legacy
By Nicole Winfield — December 18, 2023
ROME (AP) — Alongside the synod, Francis this year appointed an unusually progressive theologian as the Vatican’s chief doctrine watchdog.
Pope, once a victim of AI-generated imagery, calls for treaty to regulate artificial intelligence
By Nicole Winfield — December 14, 2023
ROME (AP) — Francis added his voice to increasing calls for binding, global regulation of AI in his annual message for the World Day of Peace, which the Catholic Church celebrates each Jan. 1.
The pope says he wants to be buried in the Rome basilica, not in the Vatican
By Nicole Winfield — December 13, 2023
ROME (AP) — Francis has already said if he retires, he would want to live outside the Vatican somewhere in Rome in a residence for retired priests.
Pope cancels trip to Dubai for UN climate conference on doctors’ orders while recovering from flu
By Nicole Winfield — November 29, 2023
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope revealed Sunday that he had lung inflammation but said at the time that he still planned to go to Dubai.
For this group of trans women, the pope and his message of inclusivity are a welcome change
By Trisha Thomas and Nicole Winfield — November 21, 2023
TORVAIANICA, Italy (AP) — For the marginalized trans community of Torvaianica, it was just the latest gesture of inclusion from a pope who has made reaching out to the LGBTQ+ community a hallmark of his papacy.
Pope Francis removes a leading US conservative critic as bishop of Tyler, Texas
By Nicole Winfield — November 11, 2023
ROME (AP) — Strickland, 65, has emerged as a leading critic of Francis, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of “undermining the deposit of faith.”
The pope’s absolute power, and the problems it can cause, are on display in 2 Vatican trials
By Nicole Winfield — October 19, 2023
VATICAN CITY (AP) — On Thursday, the Vatican’s long-running financial fraud, extortion and corruption trial resumes, with defense attorneys offering final arguments ahead of a verdict expected before the end of the year.
