Vatican
The Synod on Synodality called for better liturgy. Will anyone listen?
By Thomas Reese — February 6, 2024
(RNS) — If the church is to have a Eucharistic revival, its liturgical texts should promote active participation by all people.
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.
Pope’s comments on surrogacy land ‘like a ton of bricks’ after allowing same-sex blessings
By Claire Giangravé — January 22, 2024
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis said surrogacy is deplorable, but some claim he is missing the context.
The Vatican’s top expert on AI ethics is a friar from a medieval Franciscan order
By Frances D'emilio — January 18, 2024
ROME (AP) — Benanti is the Vatican's go-to person on the technology and he has the ear of Pope Francis as well as some of Silicon Valley's top engineers and executives.
Vatican’s doctrine czar faces opposition for past and present decisions
By Claire Giangravé — January 16, 2024
(RNS) — Taking point position on Pope Francis' insistence on opening the church to those who transgress traditional sexual morality, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández has been bushwhacked by critics who point to his own writings on sexuality.
Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez and 18 priests arrive in Rome from prison, guests of Vatican
By Associated Press — January 16, 2024
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Bishop Rolando Álvarez and the other clergy were jailed more than a year ago, in most cases, as part of a crackdown on the opposition and Catholic church by Ortega.
Vatican launches massive restoration effort of baldachin in St. Peter’s Basilica
By Claire Giangravé — January 11, 2024
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Restorers plan to complete the work in time for the start of the Jubilee of 2025.
High-ranking Vatican official says priests should be allowed to marry
By Claire Giangravé — January 9, 2024
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna said he has already made his case for married priests at the Vatican.
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.
The most important stories from the Vatican in 2023
By Claire Giangravé — December 27, 2023
(RNS) — Francis has continued to push for changes in the church, braving daunting opposition and several medical scares.
For LGBTQ Catholics, new declaration on blessings is welcome — but complicated
By Jack Jenkins — December 22, 2023
(RNS) — Some LGBTQ couples were blessed by Catholic priests before the Vatican declaration came down — whether or not the Vatican approved.
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.
Pope Francis’ approval of blessings for LGBTQ+ couples is a historic gesture, according to a Catholic theologian
By Steven P. Millies — December 20, 2023
(The Conversation) — In emphasizing the church’s love for all, including people in LGBTQ+ relationships, the pope has sidestepped thorny doctrinal issues.
On same-sex blessings, some Catholics celebrate change while others point to limits
By Claire Giangravé — December 19, 2023
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The Vatican’s declaration allowing blessings for ‘irregular’ couples seems to have deepened an already strong divide between conservatives and progressives in the church.