Latest Vatican City News
Vatican's keffiyeh Nativity scene raises eyebrows and then disappears — at least until Christmas Eve
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis presided over his weekly general audience Wednesday alongside a Palestinian-crafted Nativity scene that was missing its eyebrow-raising signature element: a keffiyeh-draped manger holding the infant Jesus. The wooden Nativity scene in the...
Pope creates 21 cardinals, many of them reformers in their own right, to carry out his reform plans
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday installed 21 new cardinals, many of whom are key figures in his reform agenda: A Dominican preacher who acted as the spiritual father for Francis' recent gathering of bishops, a Neapolitan “street priest” like himself, and a Peruvian bishop who has...
Pope Francis presides over ceremony for new cardinals with wide bruise on his chin
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis was seen with a significant bruise on his chin Saturday, but presided over a ceremony to install new cardinals without apparent problems. A Vatican spokesman said later Saturday that the bruise was caused by a contusion on Friday morning, when...
Pope Francis discusses Ukraine with Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orban
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis met Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Vatican on Wednesday and discussed with him the war in Ukraine, focusing on the humanitarian situation and efforts to promote peace in the region. Francis also discussed other themes with Orban,...
'AI Jesus' avatar tests man's faith in machines and the divine
LUCERNE, Switzerland (AP) — Would you trust an “AI Jesus” with your innermost thoughts and troubles? Researchers and religious leaders on Wednesday released findings from a two-month experiment through art in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland, where an avatar of “Jesus” on...
Pope hopes to visit Turkey in 2025 to mark 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said on Thursday that he hopes to travel to Turkey next year to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council. The visit to Nicaea, today located in İznik on a lake southeast of Istanbul, would come...
Vatican and Microsoft create AI-generated St. Peter's Basilica to allow virtual visits, log damage
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican and Microsoft on Monday unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world’s most important monument’s while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems. ...
Vatican to install a webcam at St. Peter's tomb as part technological outreach for Holy Year
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Roman Catholic faithful will be able to view St. Peter’s tomb remotely as part of the Vatican’s technological outreach with its far-flung flock during the upcoming Holy Year. Pope Francis will inaugurate a webcam on Dec. 2 to be installed beneath the main...
Pope warns the Vatican pension fund needs urgent reform as employees demand transparency
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis, who has imposed a series of cost-cutting measures across the cash-strapped Vatican, warned Thursday that the city state’s troubled pension fund needs urgent reform to guarantee future obligations. Vatican employees responded by expressing concern that...
Bishops and bankers meet to help Catholics seeking to ethically invest
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Religious communities are increasingly seeking to invest in companies that match their faith values and ethical concerns, but experts say the financial market lags in providing the appropriate options. A conference in London on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 11-12)...
