Latest Vatican City News

Vatican questions how priest moved $17 million meant for missionary work into investment fund

May. 31, 2023 14:38 PM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The former monastery on a quiet residential street in Rome once sheltered Jews fearing deportation during World War II. Purchased by the Vatican in 2021 as a dormitory for foreign nuns studying at Rome’s pontifical universities, the building now stands empty, a collateral...

Vatican singles out bishops in urging reflective not reactive social media use

May. 29, 2023 07:55 AM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Monday urged the Catholic faithful, and especially bishops, to be “reflective, not reactive” on social media, issuing guidelines to try to tame the toxicity on Catholic Twitter and other social media platforms and encourage users to instead be “loving...

Pope Francis resumes regular appointments after canceling schedule with a fever

May. 27, 2023 15:52 PM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis resumed regular appointments on Saturday, one day after canceling his schedule due to a fever. The pontiff held a number of private meetings, including with visitors from Georgetown University who were in town for a conference with a Jesuit-run...

Pope Francis skips meeting because he is running a fever, the Vatican says

May. 26, 2023 14:54 PM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis skipped meetings Friday because he was running a fever after a particularly busy day, the Vatican said. The Vatican No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Francis was tired and attributed the fever to the fact that Francis had greeted, one by one, a...

Cardinal blasts vendettas, 'plots against me' in Vatican financial trial

May. 26, 2023 13:03 PM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican cardinal on trial in the Holy See’s big financial crimes case complained Friday that he can't properly defend himself from “the nightmare of these accusations” because prosecutors have withheld key evidence from the defense. Cardinal Angelo...

Pope taps successor as archbishop of Buenos Aires, again says he might finally return home to visit

May. 26, 2023 07:56 AM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday tapped an Argentine bishop with years of ministry in the country’s prisons as his successor as archbishop of Buenos Aires, a day after again saying he might finally visit his home country next year. Bishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva,...

Russia acknowledges Vatican peace initiative, says no steps yet for a mission to Moscow

May. 26, 2023 07:23 AM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Russia on Friday indicated that it views Pope Francis’ Ukraine peace initiative positively, but stressed that there are no immediate plans for a Vatican mission to Moscow. The statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry to the state RIA Novosti agency was the...

Chicago cardinal defends compensation plan, urges info on abusers after Illinois abuse report

May. 25, 2023 17:38 PM EDT

ROME (AP) — The archbishop of Chicago urged the Illinois attorney general on Thursday to provide information about newly uncovered cases of clergy sexual abuse that were included in a statewide investigative report, saying he would gladly add the names on his list of credibly accused priests if...

Climate activists tell Vatican court they never intended to hurt ancient statue in glue protest

May. 24, 2023 12:51 PM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Two environmental activists told the Vatican’s criminal court on Wednesday they never intended to damage an ancient statue in the Vatican Museums when they glued their hands to its marble base, in one of a series of flash protests across Europe to draw attention to climate...

Pope's Ukraine peace envoy blasts war as a 'pandemic' that affects everyone

May. 23, 2023 06:32 AM EDT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ peace envoy for Ukraine, a veteran of the Catholic Church's conflict-mediation efforts, blasted war as a “pandemic” on Tuesday and said all Christians are called to be peacemakers. In his first public comments since being named Ukraine envoy,...