News/International

MANILA, Philippines - Authorities announced that at least 24 "penitents" are expected to be nailed on the cross on Good Friday, an annual ritual meant to atone for sins and give thanks to God for blessings.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but to live in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he has been since the beginning of the conclave that elected him, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - With a warm embrace, a helping hand, shared prayer, a long discussion and lunch together, Pope Francis spent several hours with retired Pope Benedict XVI March 23 at the papal summer villa.

ROME - The simplicity of Pope Francis and his paternal goodness is a sign of hope for the Church, said Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine.

ROME - Jesus must have been a lot like our new Pope, Francis. I’ve been in Rome since March 15 and have been observing him and listening to him as he interacts with individuals and crowds. I see many traits of Jesus Christ.

The world was both surprised by, and speculated on, the new Pope’s choice of the name Francis. The initial reaction was that it signified his devotion to St. Francis of Assisi, renowned for his practice of the virtue of poverty and a life of simplicity. (That turned out to be correct.) But others suggested that it reflected the Pope’s formation as a Jesuit, well aware of the evangelizing efforts of that great Jesuit co-founder, St. Francis Xavier who died in 1552.

ROME - Ministering in a time of war in his hometown, the Chaldean Catholic bishop of Aleppo, Syria, said: "Deep down, I'm not frightened, I'm not scared. I'm sad."

Smart journalists won’t tell you they chose this career because they wanted to experience history first hand. It sounds like the self-serving, grand fantasy of a delusional paranoid narcissist. So we lie.

VATICAN CITY - Even though Pope Francis is very close to his family, he would often skip their barbecues to spend Sundays or holidays in Buenos Aires' slums, the pope's sister said.

If casual observers and ordinary Catholics were surprised by a Jesuit Pope, they weren’t alone. The world’s 17,000 Jesuits were surprised too.