The election of Pope Leo XIV has sparked jubilant celebrations in Peru, where many Peruvians remember him as Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo. For those who worked closely with him, his papacy feels like the culmination of his deep connection with the people of the region. “We screamed,” said Aldo Llanos, a professor at the…
Category: World Report
Synod Secretariat writes publicly to Pope Leo XIV
What will happen to the World Synod project under the new Pope? How will it continue in practical terms and in terms of content? In an unusual letter, the Synod Secretariat outlines its hopes and wishes to Leo XIV. The Secretariat responsible for the World Synod in Rome hopes that Pope Leo XIV will lead…
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David: Standing up for children’s rights
By Fr. Shay Cullen. There are some good Filipino bishops and priests who have stood for human rights, especially those of vulnerable and abused children. One bishop has encouraged people to file criminal charges against clerical child sex abusers. He is Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David of the Diocese of Kalookan. This brave follower of Jesus…
Wise man wanted – Jewish expectations of the new Pope. Wish: Against anti Semitism, for Jewish-Christian dialogue
By: Leticia Witte (KNA) Relations between the world Jewish community and the Vatican are strained – especially since 7 October 2023. What international Jewish organisations now expect from a new pope. It will not be easy for the next Pope to follow in the footsteps of Francis – this is the opinion of Chief Rabbi…
Inside the 2025 Papal Conclave: meet the Cardinal Electors
The papal conclave of 2025 will begin following the passing of Pope Francis, whose 12-year papacy profoundly shaped the Catholic Church. The conclave, expected to take place on May 7, faces the difficult task of selecting a successor—one who must navigate a diverse Church and lead it through a complex global landscape marked by various…
Conclave has most cardinals, widest geographical mix in history
The conclave beginning May 7 is expected to be the largest in history, with 135 cardinals under 80 eligible to vote. By comparison, 115 cardinals participated in the 2005 and 2013 conclaves. The cardinals represent 72 countries, reflecting a wide geographical mix. For example, three Italians are serving outside Italy: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch…
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo: Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding personalities on the African ecclesiastical scene. Since October 2020 a member of the C9 – the Council of Cardinals set up by Pope Francis in September 2013 with the task of helping him in the governance of…
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo: Archbishop of Yangon, Burma
He campaigned for peace in Myanmar, the former Burma, the troubled Southeast Asian country that has always been torn by conflict in its 70-year history. All the more so now, as the country – much loved and often cited by Pope Francis – is torn by civil war after the military coup of 2021, and…
Cardinal Pietro Parolin Vatican Secretary of State
Pietro Parolin is a diplomat of great caliber. His star in the diplomatic service of the church and in the development of realpolitik and pragmatic strategies has been shining for many years. Just to give an example, in 2006, Inside the Vatican magazine named Parolin one of the ‘Top Ten’ of the year, citing his…
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
In Gaza ‘the situation is shameful, catastrophic, we have to say it… the dignity of those 2.3 million people, is not taken into the slightest consideration. We cannot think that they are all colluding with terrorism and crime’. This sentence, is just the latest in a long series of sharp accusations that the Latin Patriarch…