Asia Europe World

As rumours swirl, Pope Francis names new cardinals

Editorial Bureau August 25, 2022

Pope Francis, who recently raised the possibility of retiring due to his declining health, will create 20 new cardinals on Saturday — many of whom could one day choose his successor. It is the eighth consistory since the 85-year-old was elected in 2013 but is closely watched for signs of

Europe World

Pope visits Nunavut for final apology of his Canadian tour

Editorial Bureau July 30, 2022

Iqaluit (Nunavut)- Pope Francis travelled to the edge of the Arctic on Friday to deliver an apology to the Inuit people for the “evil” of Canada’s residential schools, wrapping up his week-long “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada with a dramatic visit to the remote territory of Nunavut to meet with school survivors. Francis landed in Iqaluit, […]

Europe World

Pope’s apology to Indigenous people won’t redeem the abuses- Canada

Editorial Bureau July 28, 2022

Quebec City (Canada)- The Canadian government made clear Wednesday that Pope Francis’ apology to Indigenous peoples for abuses in the country’s church-run residential schools didn’t go far enough, suggesting that reconciliation over the fraught history is still very much a work in progress. The official government reaction came as Francis arrived in Quebec City for

Europe World

Pope apologizes for ‘catastrophic’ school policy in Canada

Editorial Bureau July 26, 2022

Maskwacis (Canada)- Pope Francis issued a historic apology Monday for the Catholic Church’s cooperation with Canada’s “catastrophic” school policy of Indigenous residential schools, saying the forced assimilation of Native peoples into Christian society destroyed their cultures severed families and marginalized generations. “I am deeply sorry,” Francis said to applause

Europe World

Indigenous tour of Pope signals a rethink of mission legacy

Editorial Bureau July 23, 2022

Vatican City- Pope Francis’ trip to Canada to apologize for the horrors of church-run Indigenous residential schools marks a radical rethink of the Catholic Church’s missionary legacy, spurred on by the first pope from the Americas and the discovery of hundreds of probable graves at the school sites. Pope Francis has said his weeklong visit, […]

World

Pope to visit Canada to apologize for Indigenous abuses

Editorial Bureau May 14, 2022

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who has been using a wheelchair because of a bad knee, is going ahead with plans to visit Canada this summer so he can apologize in person for abuse suffered by Indigenous people at the hands of the Catholic church. The Vatican on Friday announced that Francis will head to […]

Europe

Cardinal: Pope OK’d spending 1M euros to free kidnapped nun

Editorial Bureau May 6, 2022

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis authorized spending up to 1 million euros to free a Colombian nun kidnapped by al-Qaida-linked militants in Mali, a cardinal testified Thursday, revealing previously secret papal approval to hire a British security firm to find the nun and secure her freedom. Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s bombshell testimony could pose serious security […]

World

Pope’s Ukraine diplomacy a political and spiritual tightrope

Editorial Bureau May 5, 2022

VATICAN CITY — His appeals for an Orthodox Easter truce in Ukraine went unheeded. His planned meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was canceled. A proposed visit to Moscow? Nyet. Even his attempt to showcase Russian-Ukrainian friendship fell flat. Pope Francis hasn’t made much of a diplomatic mark in Russia’s war in […]

World

Pope offers to meet Putin, still waiting to hear back

Editorial Bureau May 4, 2022

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has told an Italian newspaper that he has offered to travel to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin to try to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but that he hasn’t yet heard back. Francis said he made the offer about three weeks into Russia’s invasion, via the Vatican secretary […]

Europe

Pope appoints key posts, including nun in development office

Editorial Bureau April 24, 2022

ROME — Pope Francis made key appointments in his newly reformed Vatican bureaucracy Saturday, naming new deputies for the doctrine office and confirming the highest-ranked woman in the Holy See as the No. 2 in the development office. The appointments are some of the first since Francis last month issued his long-awaited overhaul of the […]