Vatican City
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Southern Europe
Pope says he is ready to meet Putin in Moscow
Pope Francis is reportedly ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The church leader tells this in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera. According to the newspaper, the head of the Catholic Church states that he is still waiting for a response from Putin and…
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Southern Europe
Meeting between Pope and Kirill off the table
Pope Francis has dropped plans to meet in June with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. According to Vatican diplomats, such a meeting could lend itself “to much confusion”. In an interview with the Argentinian daily La Nacion, the Pope said that the relationship between the Vatican and the Orthodox Patriarchate is…
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Southern Europe
Pope wants to meet Patriarch Kirill in Jerusalem
The Vatican is preparing a meeting between Pope Francis and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. The two will possibly speak to each other in mid-June in Jerusalem. The Vatican is preparing a meeting between Pope Francis and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. The two will possibly speak to each other…
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Southern Europe
Moscow prefers the Pope not to travel to Kyiv
Moscow wants to prevent a papal visit to Ukraine. That is what the Ukrainian Ambassador at the Vatican, Andriy Jurasch said. Jurasch: “Russia is trying in every possible way that such a visit would be unacceptable for the Kremlin because it would be a clear sign of support for Ukraine.”…
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Southern Europe
Pope Francis and Russian Patriarch Kirill are to meet each other
The Roman Catholic Pope Francis and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, plan to speak to each other. The two clergymen are supposed to meet each other later this year, Hilarion Alfeev, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and president of the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, says. According…
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Central Europe
Pope distances himself from liberal course of German Synodal Way
Pope Francis disagrees with the liberal course of the German Synodal Way. He would have said so during an audience with Archbishop Gadecki, the President of the Polish Bishops’ conference. During the audience, Archbishop Gadecki shared his concerns about the liberal decisions the German Synodal Way took recently. The Catholic…
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Eastern Europe
Pope's consecration of Russia and Ukraine to Mary leads to questions
During the penance of Lent, Pope Francis consecrated Russia and Ukraine to Mary. This leads to alienation of his Protestant counterparts. Standing in front of the statue of Mary in Rome, he said, “Mother of God and ours, we solemnly entrust en consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian president open for mediation by Pope Francis
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, would welcome the pope as a mediator in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Zelensky said so after a phone call with the pope on Tuesday. It is the second time that the Ukrainian president spoke to the pope within a month, Catholic News Agency reports. Zelensky writes…
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Southern Europe
Government offices Vatican also open for women
Women are now allowed to head Ministeries in the Vatican. That is written in a reformed form of the Vatican Constitution, the so-called Curia, which Pope Francis presented recently. According to the new constitution, called Praedicate Evangelium (preaching of the Gospel), every baptised Roman Catholic believer can lead a department…
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Southern Europe
Pope: Celibacy is a gift for the Church
Without friends and prayer, celibacy may become an unbearable burden, Pope Francis says during a symposium about the priesthood. Yet, he sees celibacy as a gift that the Latin Church should preserve. According to the Pope, priestly fraternity and friendship help priests live celibate lives with more serenity, Catholic News…