Rome, Italy, Mar 3, 2015 / 08:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Later this month Pope Francis will head to Pompeii: a city which lays claim to the curious story of a former Satanist priest – now on the way to sainthood – and his miracle-working Maria... Read more

Rome, Italy, Mar 3, 2015 / 05:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis has appointed San Francisco’s native auxiliary bishop, Robert W. McElroy, as the new head of the diocese of San Diego. McElroy will succeed B... Read more

Vatican City, Mar 2, 2015 / 09:51 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Statutes of the Vatican Council for Economy, Secretariat for the Economy, and General Auditor went into effect March 1, having been signed Feb. 22 by Msgr. Bryan Wells, assessor of the Secretariat of State. The text of the statutes have not been released by the Holy See Press Office, but can be seen in the Vatican's Courtyard of San Damaso, where they are displayed. The statutes of the Secretariat for the Economy stressed over which Vatican bodies the Secretariat exercises its functions of financial control and oversight, and clarified its relations with the Council of the Economy. The statutes of the Council for the Economy clarify functions and competences of the Council. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, one of the members of the Council for the Economy, told CNA Feb. 13, “the Council for the Economy will be mostly entrusted with providing financial policies that the Secretariat for Economy will then foster.” The issuance of the statutes has been characterized by a harsh internal discussion, which also brought a leak of some of the Secretariat for the Economy's receipts, targeting Cardinal Pell. The Italian weekly L’Espresso dedicated last week two articles to the issue, headlined “Peccati cardinali” (Cardinal sins) and “I lussi del moralizzatore” (The luxuries of a moralizer). According to L’Espresso, the Secretariat had spent around $560,000 between July last year and January this year, and alleged that Pope Francis had queried the purchase of a $5,000 kitchen unit with Cardinal Pell. The leaks were faulted in an official statement Feb. 27 by Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office. Fr. Lombardi said that “leaking confidential documents to the press for polemical ends or to foster conflict is not new, but is always to be strongly condemned, and is illegal.” The director of the Holy See Press Office stressed that “the fact that complex economic or legal issues are the subject of discussion and diverse points of view should be considered normal. In light of the views expressed, the Pope issues guidelines, and everybody follows them.” “The article makes direct personal attacks that should be considered undignified and petty,” Fr. Lombardi underscored. He then said, “it is untrue that the Secretariat for the Economy is not carrying on its work with continuity and efficacy. In confirmation of this, the Secretariat is expected in the next few months to publish the financial statements for 2014 and the estimated budgets for 2015 for all of the entities of the Holy See, including the Secretariat itself.” The following day, the Secretariat for the Economy rejected accusations that Cardinal Pell has made excessive expense claims, and dismissed as “completely false” the reports that Pope Francis has discussed the expenses with Cardinal Pell. A spokesperson for the Secretariat for the Economy said that “since March 2014 when the Secretariat was initiated, the operational costs of the Secretariat, which include some initial set up costs, were in fact below the budget set when the office was established.” The release also pointed out that “the Secretariat currently has twelve staff working on implementing new financial management routines to improve transparency and accountability. The Secretariat will shortly present to the Council for the Economy the Audited Financial Statements for 2014. This will include a detailed account of all Vatican entities, including the Secretariat for the Economy.” Read more

Vatican City, Mar 2, 2015 / 05:33 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Monday encouraged the bishops from northern Africa to dialogue with and encounter other groups, fostering hope for good relations between Muslims and Christians in the region. “Interreligious dialogue is an important part of the life of your Churches,” Pope Francis said March 2, addressing the bishops of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya during their ad limina visit to Rome. “The most effective antidote to any form of violence is education in the discovery and acceptance of difference as richness and fertility. Therefore, it is essential that priests, religious and laypeople in your dioceses are well-prepared in this area” he said, adding it is important to “deepen dialogue in truth and love between Christians and Muslims.” In each of these nations, Muslims constitute at least 97 percent of the population, and in none of them are Catholics more than 1 percent, which suggests the importance of interreligious dialogue to the Christian communities there. Both Tunisia and Libya experienced revolutions in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring; Libya has been in chaos since then, a fact to which Pope Francis referred near the beginning of his address: “For several years your region has been experiencing significant changes, which offer hope that aspirations to greater freedom and dignity may be fulfilled and which favour greater freedom of conscience. But at times these events have led to outbursts of violence.” “I wish to mention, in particular, the courage, loyalty and perseverance of the bishops of Libya, as well as the priests, consecrated persons and laypeople who stay in this country despite the many dangers. They are genuine witnesses of the Gospel. I thank them with all my heart and encourage them to continue their efforts in contributing to peace and reconciliation throughout the region.” He reminded the bishops that the priests working in their dioceses “are from many countries, and at times it is difficult for them to adapt to new situations. Therefore, it is particularly important to be close to them and to be attentive to their continuing formation so that they can live their ministry fully and serenely.” “At the heart of your mission and at the origin of your hope there is, above all, the personal encounter with Jesus Christ and the certainty that he is at work in the world where you have been sent on his behalf. The evangelical vitality of your dioceses depends, therefore, on the quality of your spiritual and sacramental life.” He drew particular attention to Augustine of Hippo and Cyprian of Carthage, early saints of the region, as well as to Bl. Charles de Foucauld, a hermit who was killed in Algeria in 1916. He then mentioned “closer to us, those religious men and women who have offered everything to God and to their brothers, to the point of sacrificing their own lives. It is your responsibility to develop this spiritual heritage first among your own faithful, but also by opening it up to all.” Pope Francis commended the restoration of Christian churches in Algeria in recent years, concluding that “by welcoming all, kindly and without proselytizing, your communities show that they wish to be a Church with open doors.” “In the sometimes difficult situations which face your region, your pastoral ministry has numerous joys,” he reminded them. “Thus, welcome the new disciples who join you, having discovered the love of God made manifest in Jesus; it is a beautiful sign from the Lord. By showing their compatriots concern for the building up of a society always more fraternal and open, they demonstrate they are all children of one Father.” Speaking of interreligious dialogue, Pope Francis said the “imagination of charity can open up countless ways of bringing the breath of the Gospel to the most diverse cultures and social sectors. As you are aware, mutual ignorance is the source of many misunderstandings and even conflicts.” “A Church of encounter and dialogue, you also wish to be at the service of all without distinction,” he noted. “Often with modest means, you manifest the charity of Christ and all the Church towards the poor, the sick, the elderly, women in need, and the imprisoned. Thank you for your work in the assistance of the many immigrants from Africa who seek in your countries a place of transit or of welcome. Recognizing their human dignity and working to awaken consciences before so many human tragedies, you show God's love for each one of them.” Pope Francis also assured the bishops of the universal Church's support. “You are in 'the peripheries', with your special service of making manifest the presence of Christ and his Church in this region. Your testimony of life in simplicity and poverty is an eminent sign for all the Church. Be assured that the Successor of Peter accompanies you on your rough road, and encourages you always to be men of hope.”   Read more