In the end, the “revolution” has turned into a renewal, to be carried forward slowly. It could not be different, because in the way in which it was outlined, Curia reform could not possibly meet anyone’s criteria. Not even that of the so-called progressive wing. In the end, some criticism came from them [...]
The week that begins today and ends with the creation of 20 new cardinals may represent the turning point of Pope Francis’ pontificate. The choices of the new cardinals not only show Pope Francis’ sensitivity toward the world’s peripheries and a certain pastoral approach, they also indicate a change concerning the pivotal [...]
Everything for the sake of synodality. This seems to be Pope Francis’ governing program. The Pope has already made it clear that he deems the conversion of hearts to be more important than the conversion of structures. He carefully considers every step to further expand the footprint of synodality, a wider sense of [...]
One can govern without worrying what his enemies are doing. And one can govern by trying to use his enemies, or at least by putting them in a situation where they can’t do any damage. Pope Francis’ strategy seems to be the latter. This is the dominant picture that emerges from the series of [...]
There are five revealing details that emerge from the papal trip to Sri Lanka and Philippines. Five details that perhaps help us to understand better this pontificate, as well the expectations surrounding it. Each of these details can be understood through a single interpretative key, as explained by Pope Francis himself: the Apostolic [...]
Since becoming pope, Francis has asked the Church repeatedly to reach outward toward the peripheries, and he immediately began to show his preference for them. His first papal trip was to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a periphery of the Mediterranean and an asylum for refugees. His first European trip outside Italy [...]
Exceptional Thursday release of MondayVatican. This piece was intended to be published at the beginning of the year. Then Pope Francis announced who were the cardinals he was going to create, and mondavatican.com deemed more important to comment on that.
Among Pope Francis’ challenges for the new year is changing the media’s [...]
With twenty new cardinals, Pope Francis has redesigned further the profile of the College of Cardinals. Anyone who thinks that the only cardinals of import are those who ultimately will be voting in a Conclave is wrong. Pope Francis’ vision seems to be short-term. The need to make reforms, both in pastoral and, [...]
On February 26, 2013, two days before the end of Benedict XVI’s pontificate, the Czech priest Tomas Halik launched in Rome the Italian edition of one of his most important books, “To the far ones nearby.” And on March 13, 2014, while Jorge Mario Bergolio was celebrating his first anniversary as Pope, the [...]
The restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba is Pope Francis’ first diplomatic success, and many commentators are enthusiastically emphasizing that the Holy See is now back as a major player in the international arena. In fact, Pope Francis was able to harvest the fruits of the Church’s commitment to Cuba [...]