Pope Francis closed on Sunday an assembly of Catholic bishops that revealed deep divisions on how to reach out to homosexuals and divorced people, saying the Church should not be afraid of change and new challenges.
Conservative Roman Catholic prelates have vowed to change a controversial Vatican document that held out the possibility of a major shift in the Church's attitude towards homosexuals.
The Vatican has taken strides in announcing a new change in views towards homosexuals, which according to a Vatican document drafted after a week-long discussion of 200 bishops on family issues, states that homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer.
Pope Francis has dismissed a conservative Paraguayan bishop who was accused of protecting a priest suspected of sexually abusing young people in the United States, the Vatican said on Thursday.
What happened in the Vatican last Saturday when Pope Francis received Argentine president Cristina Fernandez for lunch and a long private talk. According to the visitor the Holy father was concerned about debt and vulture funds harassment and contrary to news from Buenos Aires previous to the trip, the Pope was not at all concerned about governance in Argentina or the democratic process.
Following her meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez arrived in New York, where she is expected to deliver a speech at the UN’s 69th General Assembly on Wednesday.
Argentine president Cristina Fernandez left on Thursday evening for Rome where on Saturday she is scheduled to have lunch with Pope Francis in a meeting that according to Vatican sources has no formal timetable.
Pope Francis is concerned about the political situation and governance in his native Argentina, the Vatican's chief of ceremonies said Tuesday ahead of a visit by President Cristina Fernandez on Saturday.
Diego Maradona and Roberto Baggio were among a host of former soccer stars who played in an interreligious charity match backed by Pope Francis on Monday night. The Argentine pope, an avid soccer fan, did not attend the match but had an audience with both teams earlier in the day and also broadcast a message on the big screens at Rome's Olympic Stadium ahead of kickoff.
Speaking with Argentina TV stations, Vatican Chief of Ceremonial, Guillermo Karcher played down the threats against Francis saying that “the Pope is not giving substance” to the reports. He explained that the Vatican security measures have not been increased since there has been “no official” threat.