Tag Archives: Vatican

NBC News reports: A solemn procession of patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, canons and other priests chanted the names of the saints in Latin as they carried Pope Francis to St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of his funeral. He will now lie in state for three days, and the first of tens of thousands of mourners began filing in to pay their …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals. Cardinals met at the Vatican to schedule Pope Francis’ funeral and burial, planning the conclave to elect his successor and make other decisions about running the Catholic Church …

The Associated Press reports: Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with the Vatican’s No. 2 official amid tensions over the U.S. crackdown on migrants, with the Holy See reaffirming good relations but noting “an exchange of opinions” over current international conflicts, migrants and prisoners. “There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, …

USA Today reports:  Vice President JD Vance arrived in Rome on Good Friday with second lady Usha Vance and their three children on the first leg of a six-day foreign trip that includes discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a visit to the Vatican. Vance, who is Catholic, will attend the Good Friday service on April 18 at …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis made his first public appearance in five weeks before being discharged Sunday from the hospital, where he survived a severe case of pneumonia that twice threatened his life and raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral. The 88-year-old pontiff offered a Sunday blessing from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where a huge crowd gathered …

NPR reports: Pope Francis experienced further respiratory trouble and went on noninvasive ventilation on Monday, the Vatican said, as the head of the Roman Catholic Church battles double pneumonia in the hospital. The pope suffered two episodes of acute respiratory crisis, with a “significant accumulation” of mucus in his lungs and bronchial spasms, the Vatican said in a statement. It …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis had a good night’s rest early Monday after apparently overcoming a setback in his recovery from pneumonia: He is stable, off mechanical ventilation and shows no sign of new infection following a respiratory crisis late last week. “The pope rested well all night,” the Vatican said in its update from Gemelli hospital, where Francis …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis suffered an “isolated breathing crisis” on Friday, the Vatican said in a statement. The development marks a setback in the 88-year-old pontiff’s two-week long battle against double pneumonia. “This afternoon … the Holy Father experienced an isolated bronchospasm crisis,” said the latest update about Francis’ condition. The pope also had “an episode of vomiting with …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis was sitting upright and receiving therapy for double pneumonia Wednesday, the Vatican said, as Argentines, Romans and others kept up the steady stream of prayers for his recovery. Francis remained in critical condition but the Holy See machinery ground on, with the announcement of new bishops and a new church fundraising initiative. The Vatican …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis, in critical condition battling double pneumonia, had a “tranquil” night, was alert and had rested after a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions, the Vatican said on Sunday. “The night was tranquil, the pope rested,” the Vatican said in a one-sentence update on Sunday without providing further information. The pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican said. Francis, who has been hospitalized for a week with a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions after tests showed a condition associated with anemia, the Vatican said in a late update. …

The New York Times reports: Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both lungs and will not participate in activities through the weekend because of his health issues, the Vatican announced on Tuesday. Francis, who was admitted to a hospital in Rome on Friday, had initially been diagnosed with a polymicrobial infection, which means he has a mix of microbes, like …

The Associated Press reports: The Vatican on Tuesday canceled papal audiences through the weekend and delegated others to cover for Pope Francis as the 88-year-old pope remained hospitalized with a multi-pronged respiratory infection. Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital in a “fair” condition on Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. On Monday, medical personnel determined that he …

The Associated Press reports: The Vatican’s charity voiced outrage Monday at what it called the “reckless” and “unhuman” U.S. plans to gut USAID, with Pope Francis’ point-man on development aid insisting that the Trump administration remember Christian principles about caring for others as it begins governing. Cardinal Michael Czerny, a Czech-born Canadian Jesuit, is one of the cardinals most closely …

The New York Times reports: The Vatican has approved new guidelines for Italy that say that an applicant for the seminary cannot be rejected simply because he is gay, as long as he remains celibate. The guidelines say that seminary directors should consider sexual orientation as only one aspect of a candidate’s personality. They do not change the Roman Catholic …

The Washington Post reports: The Vatican named one of the United States’ leading liberal Catholic prelates Monday to run the prominent D.C.-area archdiocese, sending to the nation’s capital, as a second Trump administration begins, a cleric known for a pastoral approach to migrants and for the “radical inclusion” of the LGBTQ+ community. San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy, who for a …

Reuters reports: A Catholic Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness and pardon. They normally occur every 25 years. Pilgrims coming to Rome during the year can obtain special indulgences, or remission of their sins. This Jubilee will run through Jan. 6, 2026. “The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us …

Politico reports: President-elect Donald Trump said Friday that he is picking the head of a right-wing Catholic advocacy group and critic of Pope Francis to serve as ambassador to the Holy See, potentially teeing up tensions with the Vatican. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Brian Burch, head of the group Catholic Vote, “loves his Church and …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis faced calls to overturn the Catholic Church’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender people on Saturday when he held talks with LGBTQ activists at the Vatican. The 80-minute meeting, held privately at the guesthouse where the pope lives, included a Catholic sister who works with LGBTQ people, a member of the transgender community, and a U.S. …

CBS News reports: Pope Francis promised Saturday to “offer all the help we can” to aid clergy sexual abuse victims, after a group of Belgian survivors told him first-hand of the trauma that had shattered their lives and left many in poverty and mental misery. Francis’ visit to Belgium has been dominated by the abuse scandal, with King Philippe and …