Voices
Gerard O’Connell is America’s Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History. He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.
Vatican Dispatch
‘You know that I am preparing an encyclical on ecology; be assured that your concerns will be present in it,” Pope Francis told 150 representatives of grassroots movements from 80 countries when he met with them in the Vatican on Oct. 28.As pastor in Buenos Aires, he knew the potential o
Dispatches
Pope Francis has sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott who will chair the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the world rsquo s 20 largest economies that will be held in Brisbane Nov 15-16 The G20 includes the 19 major developed and developing economies of the w
Dispatches
In a series of top level changes in the Roman Curia Pope Francis has appointed the English-born Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher as Secretary for Relations with States ndash the third highest position in the Vatican nbsp nbsp nbsp He succeeds the Moroccan-born Archbishop Dominque Mamberti wh
Vatican Dispatch
'When the church...expresses herself in communion, she cannot err.'
Dispatches
Cardinal heads now 'obligated' to present resignation at 75.
Vatican Dispatch
The recent extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops is likely to go down as a milestone in the history of the church. It was the first time since Paul VI established this organ of collegiality on Sept. 15, 1965, that the assembly “truly functioned as a synod and not a staged gathering of
Vatican Dispatch
The next 12 months will be an enriching and challenging period for local churches.
Dispatches
Pope Francis was given a five-minute standing ovation after he delivered an awesome address to the 253 participants at the closing session of the synod of bishops on October 18 in which he identified five temptations that he had seen at the synod and told them ldquo we have one year to mature rd
Dispatches
The Final Report of the synod on the family revealed that the synod has closed no doors all the main questions are still on the table and an absolute majority of the synod fathers are with Pope Francis in favor of a Church that like the Good Samaritan reaches out to care for all her ldquo wounde
Dispatches
The atmosphere is tense around the Vatican on the eve of the vote on the Final Report of the extraordinary synod on the family nbsp It has revived memories of what happened in the early days of the Second Vatican Council those who were here at that time tell me nbsp A number of synod fathers ha