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Vatican

Pope Francis' Informal Exorcism, Latin American Style

R. Andrew Chesnut | Posted 05.22.2013 | Religion
R. Andrew Chesnut

As shocking as it may be to some observers and Catholics in the Global North, Pope Francis' informal exorcism neatly captures the rise of the Global South, where prayers for deliverance from evil are common Catholic currency.

Crime May Affect Popular Tourist Attraction

The Huffington Post | Ryan Grenoble | Posted 05.21.2013 | Travel

Of all places to not obey the Ten Commandments, the Vatican's Sistine Chapel may be the worst. Yet a scourge of petty thieves is ignoring "thou shalt ...

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

Mark DeCarlo | Posted 05.20.2013 | Travel
Mark DeCarlo

Our Family Style feast was incredible. We ordered nothing, and ate everything. Pasta, vegetables, meats, cheeses, tomatoes -- each simple dish was more sumptuous than the last, the ingredients fresh and colorful as a box of crayons.

Why Christians Were Denied Access To Their Bible For 1,000 Years

Bernard Starr | Posted 05.21.2013 | Religion
Bernard Starr

Wouldn't you assume that the newly established Church would want its devotees to immerse themselves in the sanctioned New Testament, especially since the Church went to great lengths to eliminate competing Gospels?

Pope: 'If Banks Fail It is A Tragedy, If People Die Of Hunger It's Nothing'

Reuters | Posted 05.18.2013 | Religion

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, May 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis shared personal moments with 200,000 people on Saturday, ...

Death to Santa Muerte: The Vatican vs. The Skeleton Saint

R. Andrew Chesnut | Posted 05.18.2013 | Religion
R. Andrew Chesnut

Having closely monitored the development of Saint Death's burgeoning cult on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, I had expected a condemnation by the Vatican, although I am somewhat surprised that it came before any such statement made by U.S. bishops.

Vatican Exhibit A Tribute To Pope Francis' Homeland

AP | Posted 05.17.2013 | Religion

VATICAN CITY -- If Pope Francis is feeling a bit homesick these days, he need only go downstairs to St. Peter's Square. The Vatican on Friday opened ...

Pope Francis Slams Global Financial System's 'Cult Of Money' Tyrannizing The Poor

AP | Posted 05.16.2013 | Religion

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has denounced the global financial system, blasting the "cult of money" that he says is tyrannizing the poor and turning ...

Vatican: Santa Muerte Is Blasphemous

AP | Posted 05.09.2013 | Religion

MEXICO CITY — The Vatican's culture minister says Mexico's folk Death Saint is a blasphemous symbol that shouldn't be part of any religion. Car...

Puerto Rican Catholics Rally Around Beleaguered Archbishop

AP | DANICA COTO | Posted 05.08.2013 | Religion

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Roman Catholics in Puerto Rico rallied Wednesday around an archbishop who is apparently under pressure from the Vatican ...

Vatican: Denies Internal Split On US Nun Crackdown

AP | NICOLE WINFIELD | Posted 05.08.2013 | Religion

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on Tuesday denied there were any internal divisions over its crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. nuns aft...

Lay Catholics Are Changing The Hierarchy's Position On Same-Sex Relationships

Francis DeBernardo | Posted 04.29.2013 | Religion
Francis DeBernardo

The choice before our bishops now is whether to continue a divisive battle that will only diminish their own authority, or to follow where the laity has led.

The Council Of Trent, 450 Years Later

John W. O'Malley | Posted 04.29.2013 | Religion
John W. O'Malley

The sad fact is that even many theologians, Catholic and other, have only a generic grasp of the council as a historical happening, and, hence, are led to pronounce judgments on it that are misleading and, generally, more negative than the council deserves.

Vatican Official Denounces Santa Muerte As 'Sinister And Infernal'

R. Andrew Chesnut | Posted 04.22.2013 | Religion
R. Andrew Chesnut

The confluence of theological concerns, religious competition, new Latin American influence at the Vatican and media coverage have resulted in Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi's condemnation of the cult of Santa Muerte as the embodiment of Latin America's "culture of death."

The Skeleton in the Papal Closet

Edward Jay Epstein | Posted 04.24.2013 | World
Edward Jay Epstein

The new Pope Francis is clearly a well-intentioned man. But all his austerity measures, personnel changes, and efforts at transparency will do little to change its century-old insolvency problem. Now, more than ever, the Vatican needs money.

Was This Anti-Nazi Pope Murdered?

Peter Eisner | Posted 04.15.2013 | Religion
Peter Eisner

When people think of the Vatican and World War II, they think immediately of Pius XII, the controversial pontiff between 1939 and 1958. But before him, there was a little-remembered pope, Pope Pius XI, who was loudly outspoken against the Nazis and was determined to call the world's attention to their atrocities.

Vatican To Hold Dialogue With Nonbelievers

AP | Posted 04.12.2013 | Religion

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican says it will hold a dialogue with nonbelievers in three Mexican cities next month. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, who heads ...

Funny Thing Happened On Our Way to the Vatican

Mark DeCarlo | Posted 04.11.2013 | Travel
Mark DeCarlo

You've seen it in pictures. You've read about it in clever, witty blogs. But you can't fully appreciate the majesty of human endeavor until you see the Colosseum through your own eyes. Avanti!

Smoke Signals: Secret Notes From Inside Conclave

Laurence Hughes | Posted 04.10.2013 | Comedy
Laurence Hughes

he abashed cardinal attributed his mischievous deed to "too many spaghetti Westerns." As penance, he is required to give up both spaghetti and Westerns.

INFOGRAPHIC: Meet Pope Francis and Get to Know Vatican City

Viator | Posted 04.09.2013 | Travel
Viator

How much do you know about the new pope and Vatican City? Here's your infographic introduction to Vatican City and its new pope. 2013-04-09-vaticancity

WikiLeaks Hits Vatican With Latest Document Dump

The Huffington Post | Peter Finocchiaro | Posted 04.08.2013 | Religion

Gen. Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship was responsible for the deaths of as many as 3,200 people in Chile in the 1970s, but the Vatican dismiss...

'Francis, Rebuild My Church': Will Pope Francis Heed The Call?

John L. Esposito | Posted 04.04.2013 | Religion
John L. Esposito

Pope Francis now faces an institutional church in need of substantial rebuilding and reform: a deeply divided church theologically; an entrenched and flawed, some would say incompetent, Vatican bureaucracy; a legacy of decades of scandals (in particular pedophilia) and of deception by members of the hierarchy; and an exodus of Catholics in Europe and America.

China's New President and the Vatican's New Pope

Jeffrey Wasserstrom | Posted 04.03.2013 | World
Jeffrey Wasserstrom

In both cases, Western reporters spoke of complex bureaucratic organizations that had been rocked by scandals, that many outsiders viewed as plagued by corruption, and that had traditionally been loathe to admit that they had made mistakes.

A Muslim Message To Pope Francis

Common Ground News Service | Posted 04.02.2013 | Religion
Common Ground News Service

I hope that Pope Francis will do what he can to work with Muslims and others in order to build an ark that will save this common humanity of ours. May God bless us all to be friends to one another.

Humanism's Moment of Opportunity, Going to Waste

Clay Farris Naff | Posted 03.28.2013 | Religion
Clay Farris Naff

The evidence is in, and it is clear: New Atheists have been a media success and a societal failure.