Would it be possible to eject the Holy See from the international organizations? This not such a new idea. In 2007, The Economist - English weekly which is widely read in government foreign offices – ended an article about the Vatican diplomacy with this advice for the Holy See: «It could renounce its special [...]
«Now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!» Benedict XVI underlines these latter words, moved from a deep emotion. Not all Popes reach the goal to beatify their predecessor. Moreover, not all Popes are able to beatify a [...]
«For all the shame we feel over our failings, we must not forget that today too there are radiant examples of faith, people who give hope to the world through their faith and love. When Pope John Paul II is beatified on 1 May, we shall think of him, with hearts full of thankfulness, [...]
«A praise to God». That’s how Pope Benedict XVI defined the Sagrada Familia, which he consecrated the last November. Sagrada Familia remained under construction for about 128 years. Andoni Gaudì, a Catalan architect, was the genius who projected that monumental church. He died ran over by a streetcar, leaving his masterpiece unfinished.
Sagrada [...]
«Stop the bloodshed. Let the peace process begin». It’s the 6th of April 2011 and while Pope Benedict launches this last appeal for peace in Ivory Coast, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, president of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, was flying back to Rome from Accra, Ghana. Sent by Pope Benedict one week [...]
Porta San’t Anna, Vatican City. It’s the 1st of April and a non-Catholic patriatch is crossing the border between the Italian and the vatican States. He is known there, and familiar with the environment. He is carrying a suitcase. Just after passing the Vatican Gendarmerie, he turns left towards the Torrione Niccolò V, the [...]
«In a particular way, in Asia and in Africa, the chief victims are the members of religious minorities, who are prevented from freely professing or changing their religion by forms of intimidation and the violation of their rights, basic freedoms and essential goods, including the loss of personal freedom and life itself». Benedict XVI [...]
Imagine this scenario: on one side you have Card. Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, stating that «according to the Gospel, intervention is necessary when somebody’s in difficulty». On the other side you have the Secretariat of State, where they prefer not to take an official, diplomatic stance. And, in the middle, you [...]
The crucifix exposed in Italian classrooms cannot be considered an «indoctrination». Furthermore, «a crucifix on a wall is an essentially passive symbol and this point is of importance in the Court’s view». Since every country can decide by itself «whether crucifixes should be present in State-school classrooms is, in principle, a matter falling within [...]
It is not just a book about the life of Jesus. It is a book that put the life of Jesus in the midst of everyone’s everyday life. It is a book that tells something about the life of Benedict XVI. Through Jesus life, we can understand the life of a Pope.
The second [...]