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Faith

St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican

Vatican won’t be ‘paralyzed by fear,’ says cardinal

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VATICAN CITY - Even though the Vatican may be a target for terrorism, it won’t be “paralyzed by fear,” said the Vatican’s Secretary of State.

The St. Peter's Square Christmas tree is reflected in a puddle of slush after a five-minute hail storm hit the Vatican Feb. 1.

Vatican nativity scene, tree to be unveiled early for Year of Mercy

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VATICAN CITY - The Christmas tree and Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square will be set up and unveiled earlier than usual this year to be ready for the opening of the Year of Mercy.

St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

Journalist in leaks case denounces Vatican’s ‘medieval rules'

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ROME - An Italian investigative journalist spoke out against what he called a “medieval” Vatican law that might result in a jail sentence of up to eight years for publishing confidential Holy See documents.

In this Sept. 9, 2014, file photo, a young man collects items on Jawahar Lal Nehru Lake after a festival in Bhopal, India. Some doctors say patients have a right to have causes of illness, especially from environmental pollution, studied as part of their care.

People have right to know environmental causes of illness, doctor says

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VATICAN CITY - Patients have a right to a diagnosis that includes the possible causes of their illness, not just treatment addressing the symptoms, said a doctor invited to a Vatican-sponsored congress.

Accepting invite from Rome's Jewish community, Pope to visit synagogue

Accepting invite from Rome's Jewish community, Pope to visit synagogue

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will visit Rome's synagogue and meet with the city's Jewish community Jan. 17, the Vatican announced.
Invited by Rome's Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Pope Francis will be the third pope to visit the synagogue; St. John Paul II made his landmark visit in 1986 and Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2010.

Basilica of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, an underground altar where the Catacombs Pact was signed at a Mass on Nov. 16, 1965

Francis gives new life to ‘Catacombs Pact’

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ROME - On the evening of Nov. 16, 1965, quietly alerted to the event by word-of-mouth, some 40 Roman Catholic bishops made their way to celebrate Mass in an ancient, underground basilica in the Catacombs of Domitilla on the outskirts of the Eternal City.

Retired Italian Bishop Luigi Bettazzi of Ivrea, Italy, is pictured during a press conference at Vatican Radio Nov. 12. Bishop Bettazzi, 92, is the last surviving bishop of the 42 members of the Second Vatican Council who signed a pact in 1965 in the Catacombs of Domatilla promising to live simply and close to the poor.

Back to the catacombs: New emphasis placed on bishops' simplicity pact

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VATICAN CITY - Italian Bishop Luigi Bettazzi is the last surviving bishop of the 42 members of the Second Vatican Council who celebrated a Mass Nov. 16, 1965, in the Catacombs of Domitilla and signed a pact promising to live simply and close to the poor.

A Mexican soldier stands guard outside of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, as soldiers burn tons of drugs in 2010. Pope Francis is exploring the possibility of visiting the previously problematic border city of Ciudad Juarez, where a battle between drug cartels during the last decade cost more than 10,000 lives in a four-year period.

Vatican advance team, in Mexico, visits border city of Juarez

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MEXICO CITY - Pope Francis is exploring the possibility of visiting the previously problematic border city of Ciudad Juarez, where a battle between drug cartels during the past decade cost more than 10,000 lives in a four-year period.

Peacekeeping troops escort a humanitarian aid convoy in mid-February in Bangui, Central African Republic. Catholic Church leaders and Kenyan officials say that security is a top concern for Pope Francis’ Nov. 25-30 African visit.

Security a top concern for Pope Francis’ Africa visit

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NAIROBI, Kenya - From stitching 2,000 vestments to training large-scale security teams, Catholic Church leaders and Kenyan officials say they’re ready to host Pope Francis.

Pope Francis gestures during a meeting with bishops Nov. 10 in the Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy.

To help people, church must be in touch with 'reality,' Pope says

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FLORENCE, Italy - If God and his word are to help people, Christians have to be in touch with what is really happening in people's lives, Pope Francis said during an afternoon Mass.

Pope Francis leaves the Duomo, the Cathedral of St. Maria del Fiore, in Florence, Italy, Nov. 10. Pope Francis attended a meeting of Italy's bishops and cardinals in the Duomo during a one-day visit to Florence Nov. 10. The pope also met young people and was to celebrate Mass at a soccer stadium.

Pope calls for end to economic exploitation, power-hungry church

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FLORENCE, Italy - Meeting workers and addressing a major gathering of the Catholic Church in Italy, Pope Francis demanded an end to economic exploitation, to clerics "obsessed" with power, to apathy among youth and to a cold, fearful church that forgets Christ is always by its side.

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