Pope Francis

Key PointsPope Francis says there is room to relax the requirement for celibacy among priests.The pontiff has been asked repeatedly over the years if the rule can be relaxed.The German Synodal Assembly for the Reform of the Catholic Church is pushing for the change.Pope Francis can, in principle, imagine abolishing…

ROME (RNS) — In an interview published Friday (March 10), Pope Francis called celibacy in the priesthood a gift from God but also a “provisional” discipline observed mostly in the Western Church that is not essential to ordination. The pope’s comment came as an interviewer with the Argentine news agency…

DHAKA: Rohingya refugees said on Monday their citizenship and basic rights must be guaranteed before returning to Myanmar, as the first step of a potential repatriation got underway. Around 1.2 million Rohingya people are living in squalid camps in the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, most of whom…

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis marks 10 years as head of the Catholic Church on Monday, hugely popular but facing internal dissent after a decade of reform, even if he has left basic doctrine intact. When he appeared at the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on March 13, 2013 in…

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis marks the 10th anniversary of his election on March 13 having outlasted the conservative opposition that failed to bring him down and which is now at a crossroads, seeking new direction following the deaths of two of its figureheads. The conservative-progressive divide has been a…

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Pope Francis names new archbishop for Archdiocese of Capiz Pope Francis has appointed Diocese of Baguio Bishop Victor Bendico as the new archbishop of the Archdiocese of Capiz. Bishop Victor Benedico (Facebook) The 63-year-old Church leader, who currently serves as the bishop of the Baguio diocese, replaces Jose Cardinal Advincula…

Published March 2, 2023 3:00am VATICAN CITY - Catholic cardinals will no longer enjoy free Vatican apartments under a rule change ordered by Pope Francis to save money, Vatican News reported on Wednesday. The pontiff said the current economic climate required "sacrifice" as he also ordered an end to discounted…

Already have Rappler+? to listen to groundbreaking journalism. Pope Francis greets children during the weekly general audience at the Vatican, February 22, 2023. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS The new rules are summarized in a note written by Maximino Caballero Ledo, a Spanish layman who heads the Vatican's finance ministry. It is…

Pope Francis breaks down in tears while discussing Ukraine warRead More