Vatican cardinal and nine others will stand trial on charges including extortion, embezzlement and fraud over purchase of property in Chelsea using Church funds Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu will appear before the tribunal of the Holy See The 73-year-old was dismissed from a powerful Vatican job last September Becciu charged with embezzlement, abuse of power … Read more
Vatican tells Italy to stop plans for anti-homophobia laws as they would force Catholic schools to participate in LGBT events Equality laws in Italy will create national holiday celebrating LGBT community Catholic schools would not be exempt from participating in the events That prompted the Vatican to lodge an ‘unprecedented’ protest against rules Holy See … Read more
Pope Francis has ordered cardinals to take a pay cut and reduced the salaries of most other Vatican clerics as the coronavirus pandemic hits the Holy See’s income. Francis issued a decree introducing the proportional cuts starting on April 1, the Vatican said on Wednesday. The pontiff has often insisted that he does not want … Read more
The Pope appoints two women to Vatican posts previously only ever held by men in Francis’s latest show of support for equality Pope Francis have appointed two women to posts previously held only by men One of them now have the right to vote in the all-male assemblies of bishops In 2020, Francis assigned six … Read more
Vatican demands an explanation from Instagram after Pope Francis’s account liked a photo of a Brazilian model dressed as a schoolgirl Instagram users noticed the papal ‘like’ under a racy photo of Natalia Garibotto The Vatican claimed it ‘can exclude that the “like” came from the Holy See’ The Brazilian model joked after the mishap: … Read more
Pope Francis is offering free coronavirus tests at the Vatican to Rome’s poor and homeless people, the Vatican said on Thursday. The announcement comes as part of the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of the Poor activities, which have been reduced this year due to the pandemic. Swabs are being offered at a clinic off … Read more
Pope Francis has been warned of a potential exposure to Covid-19 after a Vatican diplomat was infected with the virus, Australian media reported on Friday. Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, the Holy See’s ambassador to Australia, had a face-to-face meeting with Francis at the Vatican on October 6, less than two weeks before testing positive for … Read more
Mask-free Pope tells faithful he cannot risk greeting them and shaking their hands following coronavirus spike in Italy as four Swiss Guards test positive for Covid-19 Pope Francis apologises to the faithful after waving from a distance at a public audience in the Vatican The 83-year-old, who appeared without a mask, said the unprecedented measures … Read more
Vatican cardinal resigns from his post amid £180m financial scandal following purchase of London apartment block using Church funds Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on Thursday He renounced his rights as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Mr Becciu was implicated in scandal involving Vatican’s investment in property … Read more
The Vatican has set up a council to stop the Mafia from using the Virgin Mary as a prop to claim it has God on its side. The department will work to teach children and families a true theology of Mary with a team of around 40 church and civil leaders, including Italian judges, for … Read more