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.”
WASHINGTON (RNS) Pope Francis is known now for his keep-it-simple style and focus on the poor. But once he starts making appointments and taking action, his favorable ratings may change.
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.
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.
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 [...]
(RNS) Since the moment of his election on March 13, Pope Francis has been warmly embraced by his own flock and even the media. But some constituencies in the church are decidedly cautious or even unhappy with Francis, and their grumbling may portend future troubles for the pope.
ROME (RNS) Francis is the church’s first Jesuit pope, and Jesuit traditions favor simple cuisine — one of the rules of the order is for diners to fill up on bread because it avoids the “disorder” that comes from being “tempted by other foods.”
(RNS) Now that Pope Francis has been duly installed, his next order of business is doing something no other pope has had to do in centuries: pay homage to the guy he replaced.
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Ahead of his formal installation on Tuesday, Pope Francis is continuing to send clear signals that he intends to lead a papacy markedly different from his predecessor’s reign — and perhaps different from that of any other pope in modern times.
ROME (RNS) Addressing the entire College of Cardinals, Pope Francis noted that “maybe half of us are in old age, which I consider to be the seat of wisdom.”
