Pope

Pietro Parolin, Career Diplomat Leading Race to be Pope

A seasoned diplomat who worked with Pope Francis for 12 years, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is well-known in Rome and abroad, and a serious contender to be the next pontiff. The 70-year-old Italian was Secretary of State -- the Vatican's effective number two -- for almost the entire Francis pontificate, and its most visible exponent on the world ...

Electing a New Pope: Glossary of Key Terms

Cardinals will take part in a conclave in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope. Here is a brief glossary of the event's key terms: - Camerlengo: Between the death or resignation of a pope and the election of his successor, the cardinal camerlengo takes over the day to day running of the Vatican. Dublin-born Kevin Farrell, appointed by ...

Vatican Braces for Huge Crowds Ahead of Pope's Funeral

The Vatican will make final preparations Friday for Pope Francis's funeral as the last of the huge crowds of mourners file through St Peter's Basilica to view his open coffin. Many of the 50 heads of state and 10 monarchs attending Saturday's ceremony in St Peter's Square, who include US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr ...

Pope Recognizes 'God's Architect' Gaudi as 'Venerable'

The Catholic Church has put Antoni Gaudi, the designer of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica nicknamed "God's architect", on the path to sainthood, the Vatican said Monday. Pope Francis recognized the Catalan architect's "heroic virtues" and authorized a decree declaring him "venerable", the Vatican said in a statement. This acknowledgement ...

Charles Malek 2/3

After discussing the first three gifts –Mount Lebanon, Lebanon and Christian freedom of worship (as covered in the previous article) – Charles Malek then addressed what had been entrusted to the Maronites, hence mentioning the topics of Bkerke, Rome, liturgy and heritage. Fourth gift: Bkerke Malek explained that the Maronites have been ...

600,000 People Attend Pope's Mass in East Timor

Pope Francis hosted a mass for hundreds of thousands of devotees in East Timor on Tuesday, rallying the faithful of the most Catholic country outside the Vatican in tropical heat. Pilgrims have clamoured to the capital to catch a glimpse of the 87-year-old pontiff, greeting him with a rapturous reception in a coastal area of Dili ahead of his ...