ROME — Pope Francis asked a bishop in the U.S. state of Minnesota to resign after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said Tuesday. The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner on Tuesday and...
Pope Book Backs George Floyd Protests, Blasts Virus Skeptic
ROME — Pope Francis is supporting demands for racial justice in the wake of the U.S. police killing of George Floyd and is blasting COVID-19 skeptics and media organizations that spread their conspiracies in a new book penned during the Vatican’s coronavirus lockdown. In “Let Us Dream,” Francis also criticizes...
Vatican Breaks Silence, Explains Pope’s Civil Union Comments
ROME — The Vatican says Pope Francis’ comments on gay civil unions were taken out of context in a documentary that spliced together parts of an old interview, but still confirmed Francis’ belief that gay couples should enjoy legal protections. The Vatican secretariat of state issued guidance to ambassadors to...
‘We’re Working on It:’ Pope’s COVID Advisers and the Mask
ROME — Pope Francis’ decision to forego wearing a mask has been noticed, with some concern, by the commission of Vatican experts he appointed to help chart the Catholic Church’s path through the coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath. The Rev. Augusto Zampini, one of the key members of the pope’s...
Plot Thickens Over Origins of Pope’s Civil Union Endorsement
VATICAN CITY — Questions swirled Thursday about the origins of Pope Francis’ bombshell comments endorsing same-sex civil unions, with all evidence suggesting he made them in a 2019 interview that was never broadcast in its entirety. The Vatican refused to comment on whether it cut the remarks from its own...
Pope Endorses Same-Sex Civil Unions in New Documentary Film
ROME — Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty,...
Australian Court Upholds Sex Abuse Verdict of Cardinal Pell
MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian appeals court Wednesday upheld convictions against Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic to be found guilty of sexually abusing children, in a decision cheered by scores of abuse survivors and victims' advocates demonstrating outside the court. A unanimous jury in December found Pope Francis'...
Pope Nixes French Cardinal Resignation After Cover-Up
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has declined to accept the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin as archbishop of Lyon after he was convicted of failing to report a known predator priest to police, the Vatican said Tuesday. Barbarin had traveled to the Vatican on Monday to present his resignation...
Pope Francis Appoints New Catholic Leader in Fresno
Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a new bishop to lead the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, the Most Rev. Joseph V. Brennan, who is one of five auxiliary bishops in the LA archdiocese. Brennan has served 39 years in the Los Angeles area, most recently as the episcopal victor of...
Analysis: Pope's Sex Abuse Summit: What It Did and Didn't Do
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis' summit on preventing sexual abuse was never going to meet the expectations placed on it by victims groups, the media and ordinary Catholics outraged over a scandal that has harmed so many and compromised the church's moral authority so much. Indeed, no sweeping new law...