Tag: Pope Francis

• Tuesday, March 11th 2014 - 06:37 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez invited to visit Europe and establish a closer dialogue

  

  Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman has revealed that the European Union has requested direct talks with Argentina, after a meeting held between President Cristina Fernández and European Commission vice-president Antonio Tajani on the sides of the official inauguration of Michelle Bachelet as Chilean president.

• Monday, March 10th 2014 - 06:04 UTC

  Pope Francis names finance personalities to the Vatican Economy Council

  

  Pope Francis named top laymen from the worlds of finance and economics to a new Vatican Council for the Economy, intended to improve scrutiny of the Holy See's scandal-plagued accounts.The creation of the 15-member council is a major step in bringing lay people into the Vatican, and reflects a drive by Francis to make changes to an establishment often seen as murky and secretive.

• Tuesday, February 25th 2014 - 04:13 UTC

  Pope overhauls Vatican finances and names Secretariat for the Economy

  

  Pope Francis has taken his boldest step yet to overhaul the Vatican's scandal-plagued finances, creating a new department with broad powers to oversee all of its economic and administrative affairs, the Vatican announced on Monday. The Secretariat for the Economy will answer directly to the pope and will be headed by Australian Cardinal George Pell, currently the archbishop of Sydney.

• Saturday, February 22nd 2014 - 06:06 UTC

  Dilma invites the pope to the World Cup and presents him with a 'verde-amarella' jersey

  

  Pope Francis received Friday in a private audience Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who formally invited the Argentine pontiff to visit her country during the World Cup soccer championship, which begins June 12.

• Monday, February 10th 2014 - 03:33 UTC

  Francis denies any involvement in Argentina's complicated situation: 'pure nonsense'

  

  Pope Francis dismissed on Sunday reports that he had called for a meeting between representatives from President of Cristina Fernández government and members of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) and organized labor CGT union, with the supposed aim of discussing economic issues.

• Thursday, February 6th 2014 - 01:21 UTC

  Queen Elizabeth II to meet Pope Francis in April during her visit to Italy

  

  The Queen of England will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in April during a visit to Italy. Queen Elizabeth II, the formal head of the Church of England, will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 3 during the one-day visit to Italy.

• Wednesday, January 22nd 2014 - 11:36 UTC

  Obama will visit Francis March 27; both leaders have pledged to tackle gap between rich and poor

  

  US President Barack Obama plans to visit with Pope Francis at the Vatican in March during a trip to Europe, the White House has announced. Obama is scheduled to meet with the pope on March 27 in a trip that will include stops in the Netherlands, Belgium and other parts of Italy, it said in a statement.

• Friday, January 17th 2014 - 07:41 UTC

  Vatican questioned by UN child rights watchdog on child sex abuse by priests

  

  The Vatican was Thursday pushed for the first time to provide answers to the UN over its commitment to stamp out child sex abuse by priests. The landmark question-and-answer session before the UN's child rights watchdog in Geneva came as Pope Francis said Catholics should feel “shame”, in an apparent reference to the scandals that have rocked the Church.

• Friday, January 17th 2014 - 07:34 UTC

  Pope reshuffles the Vatican bank and sacks four cardinals from oversight commission

  

  Pope Francis shook up the scandal-plagued Vatican bank, removing four of five cardinals from an oversight body in a break with the clerical financial establishment he inherited from his predecessor. It was his latest move to get to grips with an institution that has often been an embarrassment for the Holy See and which he has vowed to either reform or close.

• Thursday, January 16th 2014 - 09:28 UTC

  Malvinas war veteran plans to visit Falklands cemeteries with a message from Francis

  

  Pope Francis blessed crucifixes and rosaries which will be taken to the Argentine and British cemeteries in the Falkland Islands by an Argentine war veteran. The Pope during the blessings called for peace “among the peoples” of the world.