Roman catholic church
Cardinal Pell walks free after Australian court acquittal
The High Court ordered Pell's convictions be quashed and verdicts of acquittal be entered in their place, ending the most high profile case of alleged...
Francis slammed the door on a progressive proposal offered by the region's bishops during a synod on the region in October.
In his sermon at a closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis criticised those who consider indigenous people 'backward and of little worth' instead of acknowledging what their cultures can teach others.
Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka, an old friend of the pope, said Francis would now know "how to present the Pharisees".
Twenty-three journalists and 13 media companies face fines and prison terms for allegedly breaching a gag order not to report on last year's trial of Pell for child sex abuse.
The document, still in its early stages, would be the second official pronouncement by Pope Francis on the global sexual abuse crisis since he presided at a summit of senior bishops at the Vatican in February.
The pope's decision, which was confirmed by the Vatican, triggered sharp surprise from the chairman of the Bishops' Conference of France, who termed the situation 'unheard of'.
The Vatican’s daily list of papal audiences confirmed that the meeting took place but gave no details. It did not say if the pope had accepted any resignation.
Speaking to reporters aboard a plane returning from Panama, he restated that he was open to further study of the possibility of ordaining older married men in exceptional circumstances in remote areas with a severe shortage of priests.
The new app, called Click to Pray, will inform the user what the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Roman Catholics is praying for, such as world peace or the population of a country hit by a natural disaster, so they can join him.
The pope has previously used the Christmas address to denounce cases of corruption and mismanagement in the Curia.
The case is the latest in a litany of child sexual abuse scandals to have rocked the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.3 billion followers around the world.
The sound of nails being deftly hammered into wood mingles with music in the makeshift workshop of the overcrowded La Joya prison, northeast of Panama City.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, said the Vatican's decision aimed to make sure that "our decisions can be informed by listening to our brother bishops from around the world."
With Pope Francis set to elevate to slain Salvador Archbishop Oscar Romero and free love naysayer Pope Paul VI to sainthood, this the process one follows to become a saint.
The pope is so convinced that Satan is to blame for the sexual abuse crisis and deep divisions racking the Church that he has asked Catholics around the world to recite a special prayer.
Last year, Australia completed a five-year government-appointed inquiry into child sex abuse in churches and other institutions.
On his flight home from Ireland on Sunday, Francis told reporters he would “not say one word” about the accusations.
Francis, speaking to reporters on the plane returning from a trip to Dublin, said dismissively that a statement containing the accusations “speaks for itself”.