It seems certain that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will remain Secretary of State until April 27. That is the day when new papal nuncio Ettore Balestrero – previously Undersecretary for Relations with States, heading to the important nunciature of Colombia– will be ordained bishops. In the past, the Pope himself would conduct these ordinations [...]
«The longer the congregations, the shorter the conclave will be,» Card. Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, stated at a media briefing on March 6. Now that the conclave has been set to begin tomorrow, March 12, and there have only been nine general congregations – while, in 2005, cardinals met 12 times – [...]
What will the next Pope be like? Cardinals were already talking about it, long before the Swiss Guards closed the gates of the Pontifical Residence in Castel Gandolfo – at 20:00 on Thursday, February 28. From that moment, the Sede Vacante period officially began. In fact, by the time the General Congregations of [...]
Does the reorganization of the Vatican media amount to Father Federico Lombardi’s soft demise? The director of the Holy See Press Office has lost the direction of the Vatican Television Centre (CTV), and has been assigned a second deputy at the Holy See Press Office. The new Vatican appointments are in addition [...]
In four points, the Holy See has presented «the Catholic Church’s freedom and institutional autonomy» to the European Court of Human Rights. Four paragraphs to underline that «the Church is in no way to be confused with the political community and is not bound to any political system»; that «the distinction between [...]
What will be the agenda of the four bishops the Pope ordained in the solemnity of the Epiphany? Benedict XVI outlined it with these words: «The humility of faith, of sharing the faith of the Church of every age, will constantly be in conflict with the prevailing wisdom of those who cling to [...]
The food crisis, «which is more grave than the financial crisis». The promotion of human life, because «those who insufficiently value human life perhaps do not realize that in this way they are proposing the pursuit of a false peace». And then, the affirmation of social rights, beginning with the right to work; [...]
René Bruelhart is the new director of the Authority for Financial Information (AIF). It is a significant appointment –it shows that the Holy See is moving towards full adherence to international transparency standards. MONEYVAL’s Plenary Assembly – the body of the Council of Europe that evaluates if its member states are meeting [...]
There is more than meets the eye in the trial of His Holiness Chamber Assistant Paolo Gabriele (for aggravated theft) and the Vatican Secretariat of State computer specialist Claudio Sciarpelletti (for abetting) that has just begun in the Vatican. The case reveals a guiding thread that links the Vatican City State legal order [...]
Should Vatican communication be overhauled? Perhaps this notion lead to the decision to appoint Greg Burke, formerly a reporter of Fox News in Italy, as advisor for communication of the Vatican Secretariat of State. In explaining his new job, Greg Burke said that it is «similar to the communication advisor of the [...]