The destruction of Benedict XVI’s vineyard in the Papal Residence of Castel Gandolfo is the symbol of the closing of an era. Benedict XVI received the vineyard from the farmers of an Italian national association. The Pope emeritus wanted it planted under the statue of Jesus the Good Shepherd, in the gardens. The [...]

The first Papal speech of the year is by tradition the speech delivered to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. The address provides the guidelines of the pontifical diplomacy for the coming year. For this reason, it is often described as “the speech on the state of the world.”

Pope Francis [...]

The seventh-year itch is a well-documented phenomenon in weddings. We do not know if there will be a seventh-year itch between Pope Francis and the faithful. It seems certain, however, that in his seventh year of the pontificate, Pope Francis can finally shape his idea of Church.

Pope Francis is expected in 2020 to [...]

An old Latin adage notes: motus in fine velocior, movement is faster toward the end. We do not know if we are approaching the end of Pope Francis’ pontificate. This will only depend on God’s will or the Pope’s intention to ever decide to renounce the papacy. Yet it is noteworthy that Pope Francis [...]

Some thought that the post-Synodal exhortation of the Special Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region would have come out before Christmas. A date was rumored: December 18th. It would have been a surprise, because at the end of the synod it was speculated that the Pope would publish the exhortation between March and April. Now, [...]

The veil of silence on the trial against Cardinal George Pell in Australia was broken by a very well known Australian journalist, though a non-believer. This journalist shed light on all the contradiction of the guilty verdict against Cardinal Pell. Andrew Bolt, in an episode of his Bolt Report on Sky News Australia, [...]

The news that the beatification of Fulton Sheen has been postponed is a warning that must not be underestimated. The postponement of the beatification came after a request of some bishops in the US, and in particular of the bishop of Rochester (diocese that Fulton Sheen administered), because the famous American television [...]

Rather than beginning a new phase, Pope Francis has seemingly gone back to the old one. The appointment of Carmelo Barbagallo as president of the Vatican Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF) must be interpreted together with the selection of Giuseppe Pignatone as president of the Vatican tribunal. These two appointments show the comeback of strong [...]

René Bruelhart had been president of the Vatican Financial Intelligence Authority since 2014. His exit represented the end of an era. Bruelhart joined the Vatican in 2012 as an ad hoc advisor for anti-money laundering. Later, he was appointed director of the Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF) when the Holy See was transitioning [...]

The appointment of the Jesuit Fr. Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves as Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy fills one of the most critical ‘gaps’ in the Roman Curia organizational chart.

The Prefect of the Secretariat had been, since its establishment, Cardinal George Pell. When Cardinal Pell went back to Australia to defend [...]