Silvano Maria Tomasi, the Holy See Permanent Observer at the UN office in Geneva, provided the figures that tell better than anything else the presence and impact of the Church in the world. He did so in Geneva last week, during the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council. At the time of [...]
Just one day after the death of Pope Pius XI, on February 10, 1939, Msgr. Angelo Pomata stood in front of a cahier’s window at Religious Works (the “ancestor” of the Institute for Religious Works). The cashier was Massimo Spada. Pomata was dispatched there by Eugenio Pacelli – who, after the death of the [...]
Ultimately, is an upstairs/downstairs exercise. Go up a number of steps and then come down a few and meet in the middle. Tawadros II, the new Coptic-Orthodox Patriarch of Egypt, had to go up three steps during his enthronement ceremony. At every step, one of his titles was proclaimed: bishop of bishops, [...]
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 [...]
At the end of the synod for the new evangelization, Benedict XVI personally announced that soon seminaries will be under the administration of the Congregation for the Clergy. Currently, seminaries are under the administration of the Congregation for Catholic Education. Soon, a Papal motu proprio will explain the motives leading to this decision. [...]
The Social Doctrine must be read and lived every day. Its key points come directly from the Gospel – the first and only source of inspiration of the Social Doctrine – and from there get to the key-words: person, subsidiarity, justice and peace, integral human development. These are the key words of the [...]
The Holy See’s International agenda? The common good. Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States of the Vatican Secretariat of State, explained it in an insightful lecture on «The Social Doctrine of the Church in International Relations» to the young students of the Studium Aquinatis-Workshop on the Social Doctrine of the Church [...]
«The governments’ efforts will be judged by how many lives the treaty helps to save.» Christian leaders representing some of the world’s two billion Christians have issued a joint appeal to the 194 governments that negotiated the first global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). But this appeal remained unlistened. Having started on 2 July, [...]
Half of 90s, dinner. The leaders of the most important Central Banks of Europe sit at the same table. They are just talking about the euro to come. «My fellow citizens thinks that euro is Paradise. But euro is not Paradise… Euro will be… » «Hold, Hans… It will be a Purgatory». The [...]
The 6th of January, Benedict XVI announced a consistory – to be held in February, 18th – during the one he will create 22 new cardinals. Four of these new cardinals will not take part to the next conclave, since they are already 80. And good part of the new cardinals got [...]