Vatican

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Pope Gives Sleeping Bags to Homeless for His Birthday

Pontiff handed out 400 sleeping bags to Rome's destitute to celebrate his 78th

(Newser) - Pope Francis spent his birthday last year by going to church with four homeless locals . This year he upped the ante, celebrating his 78th birthday on Wednesday by donating 400 sleeping bags—complete with an imprinted papal coat of arms—to homeless people around Rome, ABC News reports. Volunteers and...

Median Age of US Nuns: Mid- to Late 70s

Vatican report praises their work

(Newser) - A Vatican investigation of American nuns that many sisters feared would be highly critical ended up being "generally appreciative" instead, reports the New York Times . But it still laid out some stark numbers: The US now has about 50,000 Catholic nuns, down from the peak of 125,000...

Vatican Uncovers Hundreds of Millions 'Tucked Away'

Finance chief says balance sheet 'healthier than thought'

(Newser) - In what skeptics might say sounds suspiciously like a financial miracle, the Vatican has uncovered huge sums of money "tucked away" in accounts that didn't appear on the main balance sheets. "We have discovered that the situation is much healthier than it seemed, because some hundreds of...

After Man Tells Bishop He Smells, Vatican Takes Action

3 public showers to be installed

(Newser) - Pope Francis made headlines last year when he said that he would like a "poor church, and for the poor." Now, after a man declined an invitation to dine with a bishop because, the man said simply, "puzzo"—or "I smell"—the pope is...

Brittany Maynard's Death 'Reprehensible,' Says Vatican

Ending one's life isn't 'dignity': spokesman

(Newser) - The Vatican has made its views on Brittany Maynard's death very clear: The decision to end her own life was "reprehensible," says the Vatican's bioethics chief. "Assisted suicide is an absurdity," Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula tells ANSA . As for Maynard's support for...

Justin Bieber Gets Scolded by the Vatican

For kicking a soccer ball around its halls

(Newser) - Justin Bieber is apparently still not over his " annoying teenager " phase, and his latest unholy behavior reportedly got him reprimanded by the Vatican. CTV News reports that Bieber took a private after-hours tour of Vatican City earlier this month, including visits to the Vatican Museums and the Papal...

Pope Francis Beatifies Paul VI

Says 'God is not afraid of new things'

(Newser) - Pope Francis today beatified Pope Paul VI, concluding the remarkable meeting of bishops debating family issues that drew parallels to the tumultuous reforms of the Second Vatican Council which Paul oversaw and implemented. Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI was on hand for the Mass. The bishops failed to reach consensus on...

Bishops Scrap Friendlier Views on Gay Catholics

They vote down revision to draft document

(Newser) - Catholic bishops scrapped their landmark welcome to gays today, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Pope Francis to chart a more merciful approach to ministering to Catholic families. The bishops failed to approve even a watered-down section on ministering to homosexuals that stripped away...

Sistine Chapel Private Concert Goes to ... Porsche

It's part of automaker's tour of Italy for car owners

(Newser) - Michelangelo didn't know it at the time, but his work in the Sistine Chapel would one day provide the backdrop for a sacred gathering of Porsche enthusiasts. Tomorrow, those who shelled out about $6,400 a head to the automaker will hear a concert of classical music in the...

Vatican Pulls Back on Gay-Friendly Views

Emphasizes Monday's report was a 'working document'

(Newser) - The Vatican made waves this week with a seemingly more open stance toward gay and divorced people—but now, Catholic officials are pulling back from Monday's statement amid a backlash from conservatives, CNN reports. The Vatican's earlier comment that "homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to...

Vatican Warming Toward Gay and Divorced Catholics

Synod urges Church to appreciate 'positive aspects of civil unions,' 'gifts' of gay Catholics

(Newser) - The Vatican, in the latest sign that this is not your daddy's Catholic Church , appears to be opening its arms to gay and divorced Catholics, urging its priests to make "courageous pastoral choices" that are inclusive to a bevy of family models outside the traditional one. The shift...

Sistine Chapel Getting Better Lights

Given the surge in visitors, it needs a new A-C system, too

(Newser) - Michelangelo probably never would have imagined: His masterpiece on the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel soon will be illuminated by 7,000 LED lights, reports the Wall Street Journal . Visitors have been complaining that the current lighting is so bad they can't make out details of the...

Vatican Charges Ex-Archbishop With Pedophilia

Jozef Wesolowski's arrest is first ever in Vatican for child sexual abuse

(Newser) - The Vatican arrested former Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski yesterday on pedophilia charges and placed him under house arrest until trial—the first official charges within the city-state's walls for child sexual abuse, Reuters reports. It's the latest step for Pope Francis, who has a "zero tolerance" philosophy for...

Pope Figures He'll Live '2 or 3' More Years

Doesn't rule out retirement

(Newser) - Pope Francis thinks he's got only a few years left to live, and that seems OK with him. "Two or three years, and then I'll be off to the Father's house," he told reporters aboard a flight to the Vatican. He was speaking in lighthearted...

Don't Mess With the Pope When It Comes to Money

Pontiff's business savvy is shining through as he tries to address Vatican's finances

(Newser) - It's obvious by now that Pope Francis is a practical guy who's trying to keep up with modern society, help the poor , and make inroads with issues that have plagued the church, all while humbly shrugging off his rep as a rock star among religious leaders. Based on...

After US Woman's Son Dies, the Vatican Calls

Stephany Nicolo got quite the unexpected voicemail

(Newser) - Pope Francis has offered an American woman a "big hug and a blessing" after the death of her son, according to a Vatican official. Stephany Nicolo, a devout Catholic from Wakefield, Mass., says she called the Vatican after her 25-year-old son, Eric, died from an epileptic seizure in May....

Pope Peeved by Ex-No. 2's Posh Digs: Report

Retired cardinal isn't exactly retiring to a humble abode

(Newser) - Pope Francis is a frugal guy, but some of the Vatican's higher-ups are apparently having a hard time following his example. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the church's recently retired No. 2 and secretary of state under the less austere Pope Benedict, is renovating an apartment in which to spend...

Pope to Meet Sex Abuse Victims, Declares 'Zero Tolerance'

Vatican abuse probe is looking at three bishops: Francis

(Newser) - Pope Francis announced today he would meet soon with a group of sex abuse victims at the Vatican and declared "zero tolerance" for any member of the clergy who would violate a child. Francis also revealed that three bishops are currently under investigation by the Vatican for abuse-related reasons,...

Pope Prays at West Bank Barrier

Israeli, Palestinian presidents accept invitation to Vatican

(Newser) - The pope's Holy Land visit has been full of surprises. In an unplanned move today, Pope Francis stopped to pray at the concrete wall dividing Bethlehem and Jerusalem—a wall which, to Palestinans, symbolizes oppression by Israel, Reuters notes. Graffiti where he prayed read, "Free Palestine." The...

Exorcist Author's Georgetown Gripe 'Well-Founded,' Says Vatican

William Peter Blatty doesn't think his alma mater is Catholic enough

(Newser) - William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist and a Georgetown graduate, doesn't think his alma mater is Catholic enough—and the Vatican just may be on his side. Blatty submitted a petition to the Vatican last fall asking that the school be stripped of its "Catholic" and "...

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