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Pope Francis on Friday criticized both former U.S. President Donald Trump over his plan to deport millions of immigrants and Vice President Kamala Harris over her stance supporting abortion rights. Asked about the U.S. presidential election on his flight back to Rome from Singapore, the pope said not welcoming migrants is a “grave” sin, and likened having an abortion to an “assassination.” He said U.S. Catholics would have to “choose the lesser evil” when they vote in November, without elaborating. Francis was speaking in a press conference with journalists after a demanding 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. Although...

BREAKING: Pope Francis: ‘Every religion is a way to arrive at God’Pope Francis told young people in Singapore that being ‘Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian’ are just ‘different paths,’ as ‘every religion is a way’ to God.Pope Francis today told young people of different faiths that “every religion is a way to arrive at God.”Addressing an inter-religious meeting of young people in Singapore just before departing for his return flight to Rome, Pope Francis turned to one of the central themes of his pontificate – inter-religious dialogue.“One of the things that struck me about all of you here is your ability...

ROME — Pope Francis has consecrated his monthly prayer intention to “the cry of the earth” this September, urging Christians to feel the earth’s “pain.” “If we took the planet’s temperature, it will tell us that the Earth has a fever,” the pontiff contends. “And it is sick, just like anyone who’s sick.” But are we listening to this pain?” he asks. “Do we hear the pain of the millions of victims of environmental catastrophes?” he continues. “The ones suffering most from the consequences of these disasters are the poor, those who are forced to leave their homes because of...

ROME — Immigration laws should not be made stricter but rather looser, to allow more immigrants to cross international borders, Pope Francis said Wednesday. “Rather than more restrictive laws and the militarization of borders, what is needed is an expansion of secure and regular means of access,” the pontiff told those present for his weekly General Audience, “and a global governance of migrations based on justice, fraternity and solidarity.” “It must be said clearly: there are those who work systematically and by any means to turn away migrants – to turn away migrants,” the pope stated. “And this, when done...

ROME — Europe is experiencing a crisis evidenced by a “wave of populism” that threatens European universality, Pope Francis warned Saturday. In a message to participants in the European Alpbach Forum, an Austrian nonprofit foundation advocating a strong and democratic Europe, the pontiff said that Europe is “experiencing a time of crisis,” a time “in which various populist movements are enjoying great popularity.” In Europe, “as a result of this ‘wave’ of populism, some ideals have vanished and some principles, with regard to behavior towards the weaker members of society, have been sidelined,” he added.

ROME — Pope Francis received Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez in a private audience in the Vatican Thursday, underscoring his views on climate change. It was an honor for Jeff and me to spend time with His Holiness, Pope Francis, at his home in the Vatican, Sanchez wrote on Instagram. “His wisdom, warmth, and humor were deeply touching.” Sanchez said they “discussed the urgent need for climate action, something he’s passionate about, as are all of us at the Bezos Earth Fund.”

ROME — Pope Francis prayed Sunday for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a topic he has returned to on numerous occasions. In these days we have commemorated “the anniversary of the atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” the pontiff told visitors gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for his weekly Angelus address.

[Catholic Caucus] Blackout in Paris – Light Continues to Shine on the Sacred Heart BasilicaOn Saturday evening, Paris experienced continuous rain and power outages in several districts. The day before, Paris hosted the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, which mocked Christianity.As a fitting symbol of the light of Christ that can't be overcome by the darkness, the light continued to shine brightly on the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.This church was built as reparation for the sins of the Paris Commune.

Religious Neutrality? Olympic Sportsman Banned from Using Christ the Redeemer on SurfboardParis 2024 Olympics officials told Brazilian surfer João Chianca, 23, in early July that he must remove a Christ the Redeemer motif from his surfboard.He is one of the favorites to win a gold medal in Teahupo.The surfboard allegedly violates "Olympic rules". Article 50 reads: "No type of political, religious or racial demonstration or propaganda shall be permitted in any Olympic venue." The Christ the Redeemer statue is the landmark of Rio de Janeiro. Chianca is from the state of Rio de Janeiro.Chianca was informed that "the painting is...

ROME — Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire to armed conflicts to mark the Olympic Games that begin in Paris this week. “Sport also has a great social power, and it can peacefully unite people from different cultures,” the pontiff told crowds gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for his weekly Angelus address Sunday. The pope added that the Olympic Games provide a unique opportunity to bear witness to the “inclusive world we want to build,” and exhorted the Olympic athletes to offer a “sporting testimony” as “messengers of peace and authentic models for young people.”

[Catholic Caucus] Rupnik artwork must come down, says top US cardinal as he breaks ranks with RomeAmerican Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston issued a statement saying he has asked the heads of all offices in the Roman Curia to take down the artwork of a famed priest and artist accused of abusing dozens of adult women.The statement came from the Pontifical Commission for Protecting Minors (PCPM), for which O’Malley serves as President, and said in that capacity, the cardinal has written to the heads of all Vatican departments asking that “pastoral prudence would prevent displaying artwork in a way that...

ROME — In preparation for World Refugee Day, Pope Francis declared Wednesday that all of us are “required” to welcome anyone who knocks on our door. World Refugee Day, an annual United Nations commemoration celebrated on June 20, should be “an occasion to turn an attentive and fraternal gaze to all those who are compelled to flee their homes in search of peace and security,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience. “We are all required to welcome, promote, accompany, and integrate those who knock on our doors,” the pope contended.

Heads up! President Biden embraced a surprised-looking Pope Francis with an intimate forehead-to-forehead hug on Friday during the G7 summit in Italy. Biden, a devout Catholic, had met privately with the pontiff, who is the first pope in history to attend a G7 gathering to discuss world issues.

ROME — Modern migrants share many similarities with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, Pope Francis asserts in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2024. The biblical narrative of Exodus, depicting the Israelites on their way to the promised land, “naturally comes to mind” when thinking of immigrants today,” the pontiff states in his message, released by the Vatican Monday. “The images of the biblical exodus and of migrants share several similarities,” the pope continues. “Like the people of Israel in the time of Moses, migrants often flee from oppression, abuse,...

ROME — Pope Francis received a group of some 30 “Palestinian and Ukrainian children” in the Vatican this weekend, the Vatican reported. The children came “predominantly from war zones,” mostly Palestine and Ukraine, and highlighted a new initiative of Pope Francis to engage children in the quest for peace, Vatican News said. Some of the children visiting the pope were missing limbs but were “happy for once to be in a place where they can marvel at a beautiful building rather than live in fear of bombs,” the Vatican related.

ROME — Pope Francis congratulated California governor Gavin Newsom for his refusal to carry out the death penalty and for California’s leadership in fighting climate change, the governor’s office reported. “I was struck by how he immediately brought up the issue of the death penalty and how proud he was of the work we’re doing in California,” Newsom said after a May 16 meeting with the pontiff in the Vatican. “I was struck by that because I wasn’t anticipating that, especially in the context of this convening.” Shortly after his inauguration in 2019, Newsom issued an executive order imposing a...

ROME — Pope Francis told CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell that conservatives are willfully blind and manifest a “suicidal attitude” in their narrowmindedness. In an interview set to air Sunday on 60 Minutes, the pope asserts that a conservative “is someone who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that. It is a suicidal attitude.” “One thing is to take tradition into account and consider situations from the past but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box,” he adds. The Pope addresses his conservative critics in the church. “Conservative is one who clings to...

ROME, Italy — Climate change has brought the world to the “breaking point,” Pope Francis asserted in his introduction to a 3-day climate summit to be held in the Vatican in May. A firm believer in the climate “crisis,” the pontiff wrote that he has “heartfelt concerns” for “our suffering planet,” contending that “the world in which we live is collapsing” because of humanity’s failure to adequately address the crisis.

ROME — Pope Francis lamented the West’s continued demographic decline, insisting on Friday that fewer children signals a lack of hope in the future. Countering “outdated” myths of dangerous overpopulation, the pontiff contended that far from being a problem, human beings are the solution to the world’s difficulties. Without naming names, the pope seemingly referred to characters like Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich, who penned the 1968 doomsday bestseller The Population Bomb, which sparked hysteria over the future of the world and the earth’s ability to sustain human life.

New document in the Zanchetta case complicate the Church's case The Vatican was aware of the allegations against the ex-bishop before giving him a position, they say, and he is accused of abuse and commercial mismanagement with the Pope's "endorsement". Internal Church documents show that Church authorities, including Pope Francis, were aware of allegations of sexual abuse and economic mismanagement against the now ex-Bishop of Oran, Gustavo Zanchetta, before giving him a high position in the Vatican and transferring him to Rome.