VATICAN CITY (AP) — The head of St. Peter’s Basilica performed a special rite Saturday after a man stripped naked and hopped on the main altar with the words “Save children of Ukraina” written on his back.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis warned the Vatican’s missionary fundraisers on Saturday not to allow financial corruption to creep into their work, insisting that spirituality and spreading the Gospel must drive their operations, not mere entrepreneurship.
Vatican questions how priest moved $17 million meant for missionary work into investment fund
May 31, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The former monastery on a quiet residential street in Rome once sheltered Jews fearing deportation during World War II. Purchased by the Vatican in 2021 as a dormitory for foreign nuns studying at Rome’s pontifical universities, the building now stands empty, a collateral victim of the latest financial scandal to hit the Holy See.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis skipped meetings Friday because he was running a fever after a particularly busy day, the Vatican said.
The Vatican No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Francis was tired and attributed the fever to the fact that Francis had greeted, one by one, a particularly big crowd of his school foundation Thursday afternoon.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican cardinal on trial in the Holy See’s big financial crimes case complained Friday that he can't properly defend himself from “the nightmare of these accusations” because prosecutors have withheld key evidence from the defense.
Russia acknowledges Vatican peace initiative, says no steps yet for a mission to Moscow
May 26, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Russia on Friday indicated that it views Pope Francis’ Ukraine peace initiative positively, but stressed that there are no immediate plans for a Vatican mission to Moscow.
The statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry to the state RIA Novosti agency was the first public acknowledgment by Moscow of the pope’s move.
Chicago cardinal defends compensation plan, urges info on abusers after Illinois abuse report
May 25, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The archbishop of Chicago urged the Illinois attorney general on Thursday to provide information about newly uncovered cases of clergy sexual abuse that were included in a statewide investigative report, saying he would gladly add the names on his list of credibly accused priests if the claims were substantiated.
Climate activists tell Vatican court they never intended to hurt ancient statue in glue protest
May 24, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Two environmental activists told the Vatican’s criminal court on Wednesday they never intended to damage an ancient statue in the Vatican Museums when they glued their hands to its marble base, in one of a series of flash protests across Europe to draw attention to climate change.
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ peace envoy for Ukraine, a veteran of the Catholic Church's conflict-mediation efforts, blasted war as a “pandemic” on Tuesday and said all Christians are called to be peacemakers.
Vatican: Pope Francis tasks cardinal with mission aimed at paving ‘paths to peace’ in Ukraine
May 20, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis has tasked a leading Italian cardinal with a mission in hopes it can “ease tensions” in the Ukraine war and lead to a path of peace, the Vatican said Saturday.
In a brief written statement, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that Francis had entrusted the mission to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who is close to the pontiff.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The man who drove through a Vatican City gate and kept going ROME (AP) — A car driven by someone with apparent psychiatric problems rushed through a Vatican gate Thursday evening and sped past Swiss Guards into a palace courtyard before the driver was apprehended by police, the Holy See said.
ROME (AP) — The Vatican has recalled a postage stamp promoting this year’s World Youth Day in Portugal following complaints that it celebrated Portugal’s colonial empire and the nationalist dictatorship of Antonio Salazar at a time when the Holy See has been atoning for colonial-era abuses.
Pope takes cellphone call during general audience, meets with clergy abuse survivors
May 17, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s Wednesday general audiences are often chances for ordinary people to get rare access to Pope Francis, and this week’s gathering was no different: A group of LGBTQ+ Catholics got a papal photo, and clergy abuse survivors from Germany who biked to Rome handed Francis a letter demanding a better response from the church to the crisis.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The new head of Caritas Internationalis said Tuesday that the Vatican's preeminent charity would look to the future of its global aid mission, seeking to close out a tumultuous period that prompted Pope Francis to oust the previous leadership team.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Scaffolding in a niche of the Vatican Museums’ Round Hall conceal from view the work of restorers who are removing centuries of grime from the largest known bronze statue of the ancient world: the gilded Hercules Mastai Righetti.
Vatican seeks to assure Caritas that papal firings were necessary, not a criticism of work
May 12, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — A top Vatican cardinal defended Pope Francis’ “drastic” leadership firings at the Holy See’s preeminent charity, saying Friday they were necessary for the wellbeing of staff at Caritas Internationalis and not a condemnation of its work.
Pope could meet with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy on Saturday at Vatican, officials say
May 11, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis could meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican this weekend, a Vatican official said Thursday.
Francis has repeatedly called for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and expressed solidarity with the “martyred” Ukrainian people.
Vatican formally recognizes 21 Coptic Orthodox killed in Libya as martyrs, gives them feast day
May 11, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is formally recognizing 21 Coptic Orthodox workers who were beheaded by Islamic militants in Libya as martyrs with their own feast day, in a significant new ecumenical gesture aimed at forging unity between Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Catholic, Coptic Orthodox popes offer joint Vatican blessing
May 10, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis and the Coptic Orthodox pope, Tawadros II, delivered a joint blessing Wednesday from St. Peter’s Square in a significant ecumenical gesture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of their predecessors.
Ousted Caritas chief denounces Vatican ‘power grab’
May 9, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s main charitable organization, Caritas Internationalis, is hoping to open a new chapter this week after Pope Francis fired top managers over bullying complaints. But the recently ousted head is fighting back, claiming the Vatican engaged in a “brutal power grab” fueled by a “colonialist” attitude.
Ancient Knights of Malta get their 1st non-aristocratic head
May 3, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — A Canadian lawyer who found his vocation caring for AIDS patients in Harlem was elected the grand master of the Knights of Malta on Wednesday, the first non-European and first non-aristocratic head of the ancient lay Catholic order that provides humanitarian aid around the world.
Vatican No 2 confirms Russia-Ukraine peace mission plans
May 3, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Holy See's No. 2 official confirmed Wednesday the existence of a Vatican peace “mission” to try to end Russia's war in Ukraine, days after Pope Francis raised eyebrows with an offhand revelation of a secret operation that was already underway.
Pope voices willingness to return Indigenous loot, artifacts
April 30, 2023 GMTABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis said Sunday that talks were underway to return colonial-era artifacts in the Vatican Museum that were acquired from Indigenous peoples in Canada and voiced a willingness to return other problematic objects in the Vatican’s collection on a case-by-case basis.
Pope in Hungary meets with Ukrainian refugees, Russian envoy
April 29, 2023 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Pope Francis plunged into both sides of Russia's war with Ukraine on Saturday, greeting some of the 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled across the border to Hungary during a public prayer service and then meeting privately with an envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church that has strongly supported the war.
Ukraine ask pope’s help in getting children back from Russia
April 27, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Ukraine’s prime minister said he asked Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience Thursday to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken to Russia.
Pope allows women to vote at upcoming bishops’ meeting
April 26, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops, an historic reform that reflects his hopes to give women greater decision-making responsibilities and laypeople more say in the life of the Catholic Church.
Pope to visit Hungary amid diverging views on war, migrants
April 26, 2023 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The spiritual priorities of Pope Francis will be on display during a trip this week to Hungary, where the populist government will seek to downplay its diverging views on matters like immigration and minority rights while focusing instead on points where it aligns with the pontiff.
Hong Kong bishop invites head of China’s state-backed church
April 21, 2023 GMTHONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic bishop on Friday said he has invited the state-appointed archbishop of Beijing to visit his city, a symbolic gesture that experts said could strengthen the fragile relationship between China and the Vatican.
Pope’s cathedral ‘regrets’ Anglican ceremony on main altar
April 20, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The pope’s cathedral in Rome, St. John Lateran Basilica, acknowledged Thursday that an Anglican bishop and 50 priests celebrated an Anglican service on the main altar and blamed the “unfortunate” incident on a miscommunication.
Hong Kong bishop hopes for closer ties with Beijing diocese
April 20, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic bishop said in a historic trip to Beijing that he hopes the dioceses of the two cities will have more exchanges and cooperation, local media reported Thursday amid signs of Sino-Vatican strains.
Vatican inaugurates artisan apprentice school for basilica
April 19, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Wednesday inaugurated a new arts and crafts academy inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which revives a centuries-old apprentice system that trained stonemasons, carpenters and artisans to care for the treasures in the world’s biggest Catholic church.
Pope slams ‘insinuations’ against John Paul II as baseless
April 16, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday publicly defended St. John Paul II, condemning as “offensive and baseless” insinuations that recently surfaced about the late pontiff.
Papal official rejects new claims in ‘Vatican Girl’ mystery
April 14, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The Vatican pushed back hard Friday at “slanderous” insinuations against St. John Paul II that were aired following the reopening of an investigation into the 1983 disappearance of the teenage daughter of a Vatican employee.
Pope at Easter: Pray for Ukrainian, Russian people, refugees
April 10, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — In an Easter message highlighting hope, Pope Francis on Sunday invoked prayers for both the Ukrainian and Russian people, praised nations which welcome refugees and called on Israelis and Palestinians wracked by the latest surge in deadly violence to forge a “climate of trust.”
AP PHOTOS: Joyous Holy Week celebrations around the world
April 9, 2023 GMTFrom dressing as Roman soldiers in Antigua, Guatemala, to carrying palm fronds on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, Christians around the world are celebrating Holy Week.
For millions of Christians, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, known as Holy Week, is the most sacred time of the year.
Lourdes shrine reviewing mosaics after Jesuit abuse claims
March 31, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Officials at the Catholic shrine in Lourdes announced the creation of a study group Friday to decide what to do with one of the French sanctuary’s most famous but now controversial attractions: mosaics by a Jesuit artist who has been sanctioned by the Vatican and his religious order for sexually, spiritually and psychologically abusing women.
Vatican: Pope OK to leave hospital, has pizza, baptizes baby
March 31, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis has been cleared by doctors for discharge on Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, the Vatican said, adding that the pontiff had pizza one evening with medical staff and baptized a baby in the pediatrics ward.
Vatican disavows decrees linked to seizure of Native lands
March 30, 2023 GMTResponding to Indigenous demands, the Vatican has formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery” -- papal documents from the 15th century that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands.
Pope showing ‘marked improvement,’ could leave hospital soon
March 30, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis showed a “marked improvement” Thursday after being given intravenous antibiotics for a bronchitis infection and could be released from the hospital in the coming days, the Vatican and his doctors reported.
Vatican rejects doctrine that fueled centuries of colonialism
March 30, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today.
Pope Francis hospitalized with respiratory infection
March 29, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis was hospitalized with a respiratory infection Wednesday after experiencing difficulty breathing in recent days and will remain in the Rome hospital for several days of treatment, the Vatican said.
Founding member of pope’s child protection board resigns
March 29, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — A founding member of Pope Francis’ child protection advisory board resigned Wednesday, citing a host of problems inside the commission and in its relationship with the Vatican bureaucracy.
Posters near Vatican urge pope to stop Latin Mass crackdown
March 28, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Posters calling on Pope Francis to stop his crackdown on the old Latin Mass were plastered near the Vatican on Tuesday, in the latest display of conservative opposition to the pontiff.
Shattered: Catholic community confronts its founder’s lies
March 28, 2023 GMTROCCA DI PAPA, Italy (AP) — The findings of an initial expert report were astonishing: One of the 20th century’s revered Catholic leaders, who built an international movement of community care for people with intellectual disabilities, perverted Catholic doctrine about Jesus and Mary to justify his own sexual compulsions and abuse women.
Pope expands sex abuse law, reaffirms adults can be victims
March 25, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday updated a 2019 church law aimed at holding senior churchmen accountable for covering up sexual abuse cases, expanding it to cover lay Catholic leaders and reaffirming that vulnerable adults and not just children can be victims of abuse when they are unable to freely consent.
Vatican closes embassy in Nicaragua after Ortega’s crackdown
March 18, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the country's government proposed suspending diplomatic relations, the latest episode in a yearslong crackdown on the Catholic Church by the administration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
2nd Vatican official says pope OK’d ransom payments for nun
March 17, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — A second high-ranking Holy See official told a Vatican court on Friday that Pope Francis had authorized spending hundreds of thousands of euros in ransom payments to try to free a nun who was kidnapped by al-Qaida-linked militants in Mali.
Vatican unveils new ethnographic display of Rwanda screens
March 16, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican Museums officially reopened its African and American ethnographic collections Thursday by showcasing intricately restored Rwandan raffia screens that were sent by Catholic missionaries to the Vatican for a 1925 exhibit.
Pope sought to lose ‘as little as possible’ in London deal
March 16, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis gave clear indications to get out of a disastrous London real estate deal by saying the Vatican must “start over and lose as little money as possible," an exit strategy that eventually involved paying off a broker 15 million euros, the Holy See’s No.
Nicaragua proposes suspending Vatican ties after comments
March 12, 2023 GMTMANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaragua ’s government said Sunday it has proposed suspending relations with the Vatican days after Pope Francis reportedly compared President Daniel Ortega’s administration to a communist or Nazi dictatorship amid a crackdown on the Catholic Church in the Central American country.
Pope Francis at 10 years: A reformer’s learning curve, plans
March 11, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — So much for a short pontificate.
Pope Francis celebrates the 10th anniversary of his election Monday, far outpacing the “two or three” years he once envisioned for his papacy and showing no signs of slowing down.
Pope bolsters women at Vatican but resistance remains
March 8, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has significantly increased the Vatican's female workforce, including in high-ranking positions, but women face continued resistance from the all-male Catholic hierarchy to access leadership positions in the church, according to Vatican statistics and independent surveys released Wednesday.
Vatican ‘donating’ its own 3 Parthenon sculptures to Greece
March 7, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The Vatican and Greece finalized a deal Tuesday for the return of three sculpture fragments from the Parthenon that have been in the collection of the Vatican Museums for two centuries, the latest case of a Western museum bowing to demands for restitution.
Pope renews cabinet of cardinal advisers, adds new members
March 7, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis has renewed his cabinet of cardinal advisers from around the world, naming a handful of new members Tuesday and reconfirming others to help him run the Catholic Church.
Francis instituted the Council of Cardinals one month into his papacy, on April 13, 2013, with a primary goal of advising him on the reform of the Vatican bureaucracy.
Pope doubles down on need for financial trials in Vatican
February 25, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis said Saturday that financial misconduct by Vatican personnel harms the church’s mission and scandalizes the faithful, doubling down on the need for trials in the tiny city state to find justice.
Pope nationalizes Vatican assets, property in new reform
February 23, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis has essentially nationalized all assets and property owned by Vatican departments and affiliated institutions, declaring them to be sovereign patrimony owned by the Holy See and not any individual or office.
Pope cancels an appointment, some speeches due to bad cold
February 23, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis canceled one audience and skipped speeches he was set to deliver Thursday because of a bad cold, the Vatican said.
Francis, 86, did meet with young Orthodox priests and monks and members of the Max Planck Society, the German research organization that is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.