Papal Transition
Faithful throw big farewell at pope’s last general audience
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The last general audience in St. Peter’s Square turned into a farewell party with balloons, flowers, flags, posters, cheers, standing ovations and a touching thank-you speech from Pope Benedict XVI. Authorities estimated about 130,000 people were in attendance, most of them packed in the square, with some spillover onto the long […]
Pope delivers personal, emotional farewell address at audience
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- On his last full day as pope, Pope Benedict XVI delivered an unusually personal and emotional farewell address, thanking the faithful around the world for their support and assuring them that he would remain in their service even in retirement.
Former doctrinal enforcer used pontificate to crack down on sex abuse
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's disgust over the abuse scandals marring the church was made evident even before his election as pope. In his forceful Way of the Cross meditations, which he wrote as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the few weeks before his election as pope in 2005, he wrote for the world to hear: "How much filth there is in the church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him."
Cardinal Wuerl: Confronting secularism a priority for next pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The man cardinals choose as the next pope must be someone with the requisite energy and mastery of modern communications media to promote a revival of the faith in increasingly secular societies around the world, said Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington. The cardinal, who will vote in the upcoming papal […]
Conclave start date might not be known until after March 4
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — It is possible the world’s cardinals will not begin meeting at the Vatican until March 4, and they cannot set a start date for the conclave until they have met, the Vatican spokesman said. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, will […]
Preparing for conclave, Cardinal Rigali stresses action of Holy Spirit
Cardinal Justin Rigali, who departed for Rome Feb. 26 to be present for the official retirement of Pope Benedict XVI and to participate in the conclave that will elect his successor, never expected he would have this duty. At age 77 and almost 78, he is eldest among the American cardinals eligible to be electors.
Pope Benedict to be ‘pope emeritus’ or ‘Roman pontiff emeritus’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI will continue to be known as Pope Benedict and addressed as “His Holiness,” but after his resignation, he will add the title “emeritus” in one of two acceptable forms, either “pope emeritus” or “Roman pontiff emeritus.” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said decisions about how the […]
New York’s Cardinal Dolan: Happy warrior of the new evangelization
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Popes are elected by members of the College of Cardinals, not by the general Catholic population and certainly not by the media. Yet Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan's presence on practically every journalist's list of potential next popes bespeaks a real and important influence among his peers. The most obvious reason is the New York archbishop's ebullient, extroverted personality and quick, frequently self-deprecating wit -- traits that forcefully contrast with the formality typically associated with princes of the church, but which visibly charmed other participants at the February 2012 consistory at which Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal.
Young, new Philippine cardinal has extensive international ties
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At 55, Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila, Philippines, is one of the youngest and newest members of the College of Cardinals, but he is also one of the cardinals most frequently mentioned as a possible pope. His youthful energy, his pastoral experience, his theological training and his communications skills impressed cardinals and bishops from around the world even before Pope Benedict XVI inducted him into the College of Cardinals last November.
Cardinal Ravasi, Bible scholar, uses culture as bridge to unite people
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A prominent voice at the Vatican in the run-up to the papal election, Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi is a well-known biblical scholar who can quote just as easily from Sufi poets, Dante and Danish philosophers as he can from sacred Scripture. The 70-year-old president of the Pontifical Council for Culture has been leading the universal church's efforts to develop a nonconfrontational dialogue with nonbelievers, trying to make Christianity intelligible to the modern mind and build a reason-based consensus on key moral issues.