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Rome Reports that Pope Francis has ordered Cardinal Bernard Law to stay away from the Basilica of St. Mary Major and is about to ship him off to a monastery are “completely and totally false,” according to a Vatican spokesperson.During a press briefing on Thursday about Pope Francis’ visit to St. Mary Major, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome, Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi said that Law had briefly greeted Francis and then exited the scene.The Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, however, reported that Francis had told Law to stop appearing in public at the basilica, where he retired...

Cardinal Bernard Law in 2008. Boston Catholics (myself included) were rooting for Cardinal Sean O’Malley to ascend to the throne of St. Peter this week. That didn’t pan out, as we all know, but maybe Catholics there received something of a consolation prize.The British tabloid The Daily Mail writes that Italian media is reporting that Boston’s disgraced former archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law, 82, is being banished from his cushy residence by Pope Francis: But first days are all about making a good impression – even when you’re the Pope.So when the appearance of a disgraced cardinal threatened to cast a...

I am not a Catholic, but I find the concerted efforts to smear various Popes to be disgusting and contemptible.  In the case of Pope Francis, according to the Vatican, anti-clerical left-wing outlets are trying to accuse him -- without any evidence -- of wrongdoing during the reign of a military junta from 1976-1983.   Left-wingers in the United States responded predictably, with Michael Moore tweeting out a picture later revealed as a hoax, purportedly of Pope Francis offering communion to an Argentine dictator (to his credit, Moore issued a correction).It should be obvious that the attacks have nothing to...

CAIRO, JERUSALEM // Al Azhar, the 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islam learning, yesterday said it wanted "better relations" with the Vatican after years of acrimony. On Wednesday an Argentine cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergogli, was elected to succeed Benedict XVI. He chose the name Francis. Benedict's eight-year tenure was marked by scandals and controversies, including turbulent relations with the Muslim world. "We are hoping for better relations with the Vatican after the election of the new pope," said Mahmud Azab, an adviser to Ahmed Al Tayyeb, grand imam of Al Azhar. The departing pope angered Muslim leaders in 2006 when, in...

Pope Benedict XVI and Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in 2006 at the Patriarch's residence in Instanbul Tuesday will be a landmark day in the history of Christianity and ecumenical relations: the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople will attend Pope Francis' installation Mass. As if that wasn't enough, three other Orthodox bishops are coming with him! I cannot stress enough what a hugely significant moment this is in Christian history! It is the first time that such a thing has happened since the Great Western Schism in 1054. This is almost impossible to believe!!! Here's the report that is rocking...

(Cardinal Napier, third from left) Paedophilia is an illness NOT a crime, says cardinal just days after papal conclave • Claimed people abused as youngsters who then become paedophiles 'not criminally responsible' • Says paedophilia 'is an illness, not a criminal condition' • Says those people do not deserve to be punished because they are damaged • Pope Francis said that he wants a 'church for the poor' A South African cardinal who helped elect Pope Francis has described paedophilia as a psychological illness and not 'a criminal condition'. The Catholic Archbishop of Durban, Wilfrid Fox Napier, told BBC Radio...

Habemus Papam! We have a pope! That was the word, or rather the words, from St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday, and it wasn't just a worldwide church that had awaited the news, but the world itself. And the news was good, as in the Good News. For suddenly the air in Rome and far beyond seemed filled with a hope that was almost palpable. Habemus Papam! Even as the white smoke was still drifting, spirits were lifting. And then the name that the new pope had chosen for himself was announced: Francis. As in Francis of Assisi, saint and exemplar....

Rome -- "May God forgive you." That's Cardinal Timothy Dolan's translation of a joke that Pope Francis told the College of Cardinals a day after being elected the 267th pontiff. Having watched the prayerful mien of some of the cardinals going into the papal conclave that would elect Argentinean Jorge Mario Bergoglio pope, I have reason to believe that God had something to do with Papa Francisco, as the Romans call their bishop. Others, of course, see it otherwise. "I don't think he's what we need right now in the Catholic Church," Madeline Cuomo, the sister of New York...

Like good wine that improves with age, let us give the youth the wisdom of our lives.” –Pope Francis, on old age, speaking to the assembled cardinals of the Church on March 15, 2013, two days after his election to the throne of PeterPope Francis gave a remarkable reflection today on old age. But before getting to that, first two remarkable videos, courtesy of Rome Reports:1. Pope Francis receives the keys of the papal apartment On Thursday evening, March 14 — 24 hours ago — Pope Francis received the keys to the papal apartments. So the apartments are open again.Cardinal...

Rome, Italy, Mar 15, 2013 / 11:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- He thought it was a joke. The young doorman at the Jesuit motherhouse in Rome never expected to receive a phone call from Pope Francis. The Holy Father had to patiently and kindly convince the doorman who he was in order to speak with the Father General of the Jesuits to thank him for a letter the Pontiff received upon his election. According to Father Claudio Barriga, SJ, who recounted the incident in an email to fellow Jesuits around the world, the unexpected phone call from Pope came around 10:15 a.m. Rome...

In the Monday, April 4, 2005 Mullings I wrote: I am not certain why I feel as strongly as I do about the passing of Pope John Paul II. I am not Catholic. I am not even Christian. I felt the same way watching the coverage of the Conclave in the Vatican to choose a man to replace Pope Benedict I. I'm not sure why I was so taken by the process and so eager to see who would be chosen. I have proven over the past four or five months that my understanding of American politics is a little...

(Vatican Radio) Addressing the media as “dear friends”, Pope Francis spoke of how the role of mass media continues to grow and how it is indispensible for telling the stories of contemporary society. The Pope thanked the media for the service they have rendered over these past days, jokingly remarking on how hard the media has been working. He spoke about the complexity of recounting historical events like the election of a pope and of how important it is to present such an event in the light of Faith. “The Church” – he said – “does not respond to an...

Video at link.

I compiled this for a friend to pass on to her family, comprised of mostly fallen-away Catholics. She implored me to share it so others could pass it on. Pope Francis is both an Italian, and from Latin America. He combines the intellectual training of the Jesuits with the soul of a Franciscan. As archbishop of Argentina's most important diocese, he could have lived in a mansion on the cathedral's grounds; instead, he lived in a flat in an apartment building miles away, sharing his home with an elderly, crippled Jesuit. He rode the busses and subways to work, dressing...

In West Hollywood, Pope Francis' Stand On Gays Is Unimpressive March 14, 2013 For Giancarlo Urey, a 29-year-old lawyer who spent the day in West Hollywood when Pope Francis was named to the papacy, the new leader's anti-gay stance is not a good sign. Like his predecessor in the Vatican, Francis is equally committed to conservative, traditional doctrine, people who know him say, a sensibility fostered in part by his theological studies in Germany. He was a staunch opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage, issues that an increasingly secular Argentina has embraced. He once said allowing gay couples to adopt...

First the good news; the Catholic Church has a new pope. Now the better news; Pope Francis is a strong conservative who has expressed strong opinions about what constitutes adherence to Catholic doctrine. The elevation of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina as the new Pope, who is now known as Pope Francis, (not Francis I because there has never been another Pope Francis) is a clear signal that the Roman Catholic Church has taken a decided turn to the right. Pope Francis will redefine the roll of priests to one that is more inclusive of evangelizing in an increasingly...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine woman who grew up as the neighbor of the future Pope Francis says she was very briefly the object of his affections when they were just 12 years old. Amalia Damonte is now 76, just like the pope, and she still lives in a house just four doors down from where Jorge Mario Bergoglio grew up in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires. clear from the start that he was thinking about dedicating his life to God. Damonte especially remembers a handwritten letter he left for her, because it got her into a lot...

The metropolitans of Argentina and Italy will accompany Bartholomew. Moscow Patriarchate hopes in closer cooperation with Rome but excludes for now a meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill.Istanbul (AsiaNews) - The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I will attend Pope Francis's inaugural Mass. The Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office informed AsiaNews about the decision, noting that this is the first time such an event occurs since the Catholic-Orthodox split in 1054, an important sign for Christian unity. The ecumenical patriarch will be accompanied by Ioannis Zizioulas, metropolitan of Pergamon and co-president of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between...

In covering the selection of Pope Francis I, many in the media speculated as to whether the new head of the Roman Catholic Church would take a more liberal theological position on homosexuality and abortion. But in his regular Thursday appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, Mark Steyn, author of “After America: Get Ready for Armageddon,” viewed that media speculation along with other “trivial” aspects of the coverage to be ridiculous considering the church has held those same beliefs for thousands of years now. “Well, you know, I think the papal coverage in the so-called serious media, particularly in the...

ATICAN CITY (AP) — Three rounds of ballots had been cast with no winner, but it was becoming clear which way this conclave was headed. When the cardinals broke for lunch, Sean O'Malley of Boston sat down next to his Argentine friend, Jorge Bergoglio. "He seemed very weighed down by what was happening," O'Malley said.