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White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday, signaling that a new pope has been elected. The decision came as 133 cardinals gathered for a historic conclave at the Vatican. A two-thirds majority — at least 89 votes — was required to elect the new pope. The identity of the new pope has not yet been revealed, but he is expected to appear soon on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to offer his first blessing to the faithful gathered in the square.

New Pope Elected.

An American Pope Leo 14th

VATICAN CITY, — Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church for the past 12 years, has died at age 88. The head of the Catholic Church died Monday morning at 7:35 a.m. He had been the pope for 12 years, ascending to the head of the papacy on March 13, 2013.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has died...

As Pope Francis approaches death, millions of Catholics around the world put aside their differences with the man to pray for him. Some pray for what Catholics call a “happy death” free from mortal sin. Some pray for his return to health. Some pray for his conversion or repentance.“It’s a sad thing to say but there should be no controversy whatsoever about people sincerely praying for the salvation of the pope’s soul,” said Frank Wright, a British Catholic journalist. “I see nothing but good intentions for that. I pray for the soul of the pope myself. It’s our duty.”It might...

Addressing the controversy surrounding the Vatican's decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples, Pope Francis said the critics of the guidance, except for Africans, belong to "small ideological groups."The pontiff claimed that even in Africa, the resistance is more cultural, as homosexuality is generally not tolerated, Reuters quoted him as saying in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa.Francis was referring to the December 2023 document "Fiducia Supplicans" issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which has sparked widespread debate within the Catholic Church. The guidance stated that priests may bless same-sex couples that approach them...

BREAKING: Pope Francis publishes norms for clergy to ‘bless’ homosexual couplesPope Francis’ new document allows clergy to bless any homosexual couple, in contradiction to the unchangeable Catholic teaching that the Church cannot bless sinful relationships.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández have issued a text allowing “blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex” in contradiction to the unchangeable Catholic teaching that the Church cannot bless sinful relationships.The Declaration “Fiducia Supplicans,” issued without warning on December 18, the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith’s new prefect, Cardinal Victor...

Pope: “The Church Has to Change”In a new interview, the Roman Pontiff has elaborated on the synodal dream of Cardinal Martini, taking place now in Rome. But before we get to that, we should be fair and say that he also said a few good things:We were all unexperienced young people once, and sometimes young boys and girls hold onto miracles, to a messiah, to things being solved in a messianic way. There is only one Messiah who saved us all. The rest are all clowns of messianism. None of them can promise a solution to conflicts, unless it’s emerging...

The pope's latest scandalous comments contradict the teachings of the Church Fathers on the existence of Hell.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — In an interview to mark his 10-year anniversary, Pope Francis appeared to deny the existence of Hell, saying that “is not a place” but is instead simply “a state of the heart” and “a posture towards life.” The pontiff’s comments formed part of a lengthy conversation conducted by Argentinian news site Perfil, one of a number of recent interviews the Pope granted journalists to mark his decade upon the papal throne. Touching on a number of topics he discussed with...

Prayer for the End of the Francis Pontificate Many of you may be familiar with the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, about life in a small Jewish community of a pre-revolutionary Russian village. One by one the Jewish father of five daughters watches painfully as the religious and cultural traditions of the village collapse around him. In the opening scene of the musical, the rabbi’s son asks, “Is there a proper blessing for the czar?” The rabbi responds: “A blessing for the czar? Of course! May God bless and keep the czar . . . far away from us!”Like...

In a novel in-air press conference with the head of the Church of England and the head of the Church of Scotland, Pope Francis repeated his remarks first made on January 25 about the need for an end to anti-sodomy laws.Noting that some 50 countries have anti-sodomy laws, Francis said as he was returning from a six-day trip to Africa, “The criminalization of homosexuality is a problem that cannot be ignored.”While the laws criminalize behaviors and not inclinations, Pope Francis conflated the two concepts in his remarks, saying of the anti-sodomy laws: “Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God....

The AP Interview: Pope says homosexuality not a crimePope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of “sin.” But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said...

Pope Francis: 'If I look at the Gospel purely sociologically, I'm a communist' In an interview with the Jesuit magazine 'America', Francis rejected polarizations as 'not Catholic'.Rome (kath.net/jg)"If I look at the gospel in a purely sociological way, then yes, then I am a communist, and Jesus is one too." With these words, Pope Francis answered a question about the background to his criticism of capitalism in an interview with the US Jesuit magazine America .The Pope gave an extensive interview to the magazine on November 22. Outgoing editor-in-chief Matt Malone SJ confronted him with criticism from the US. The...

When will the pope resign?For many Catholics unhappy about the direction of travel of the Church under Pope Francis, if and when he will resign are perhaps the most asked questions. This is not distasteful or idle court gossip. The Catholic Church is a hierarchical organisation directed in outlook and ideology by its leader, who a small College of Cardinals elect. This doesn’t mean the College can ignore sentiment within the Church, especially in an era when attendance is falling – including in unlikely places – and with the power of social media Catholics have a megaphone. So, it is...

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, July 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that his advancing age and his difficulty walking have ushered in a new, slower phase of his papacy and repeated that he would be ready to resign one day if serious health problems prohibited him from running the Church. "I don't think I can continue doing trips with the same rhythm as before," he said in answers to reporters' questions aboard the plane returning to Rome from a week-long trip in Canada. read more For the past few months Francis, 85, has been using a wheelchair, a...

Right-wing televangelist Kenneth Copeland is begging viewers to send him cash to support his private jet so he won’t have to deal with coronavirus vaccine mandates to travel, which he called “the mark of the beast.” Copeland, who in the past has claimed that he needed a private jet to avoid demons on commercial flights, made the claim during his VICTORYthon fundraiser on Tuesday. “You get into this situation, ‘We’re not gonna let you fly unless you’re vaccinated,’” he said. “Well, to me, that’s the mark of the beast.” Copeland added that it wasn’t the vaccine itself that was the...

Pope Francis Blesses a Lesbian, Her Family, and Her Writing For KidsOnce again Pope Francis makes a human gesture that challenges the Church orthodoxy. Will official teachings change? The latest in a long list of dust-ups came this week when Francis apparently gave his blessing to Francesca Pardi, a children’s book author who happens to be lesbian and who has a title on the list of banned books in the Venice school district that has sparked a feud between Venice mayor Luigi Bugnaro and the likes of Elton John. In the wake of the fiasco in Venice, during which one...

Where Francis Leads, We Can’t Follow “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable because of it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.”That’s a quote from Pope Francis. Pope Francis—the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ, the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. And not only has he come out in support of civil unions for same-sex couples: he has also...

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pontiff while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination. “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” Francis said in one of his sit-down interviews for the film. “You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their...