Tag: Vatican

• Monday, May 20th 2013 - 07:09 UTC

  Pope Francis and Merkel talk economics: ‘rules of the social market have not been observed”

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Pope Francis and, apparently responding to his criticism of a heartless “dictatorship of the economy” and the “cult of money”, called for stronger regulation of financial markets.

• Friday, May 17th 2013 - 06:40 UTC

  Pope Francis condemned the global ‘cult of money’ and the ‘new idols’

  

  Pope Francis has condemned the global “cult of money” and urged world leaders to do more for the poor. In his first major speech on finance and the economy, the pontiff said money should be made to “serve” people, not to “rule” them.

• Wednesday, May 15th 2013 - 22:09 UTC

  Vatican promises transparency and annual reports from the scandal-hit IOR

  

  As part of ongoing efforts to promote transparency and chip away at the myths surrounding what is commonly called the Vatican bank, its new president announced it will have a website by the end of the year and will publish its annual report, according to the Catholic Sentinel.

• Wednesday, May 8th 2013 - 09:34 UTC

  Francis will visit a favela, meet young prisoners when he arrives in Brazil for World Day of Youth

  

  Pope Francis will visit a favela (slum) and meet young prisoners when he travels to Brazil on his first international trip as pontiff in July, the Vatican announced on Tuesday. The Argentine born pope who has said he wants to make concern for the poor a hallmark of his papacy, will visit the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro on the fourth day of his July 22-29 trip to the world's largest Catholic country.

• Monday, May 6th 2013 - 00:54 UTC

  Mujica wants to meet Pope Francis: social programs, housing and abortion in the agenda

  

  Uruguay has formally requested Pope Francis to receive President Jose Mujica when he travels at the end of the month to China, Spain and Italy. Mujica is an agnostic and Uruguay is one of the few Latinamerican countries in which the Catholic Church has been separated from the State for almost a century.

• Tuesday, April 9th 2013 - 07:12 UTC

  Francis underlined Baroness Thatcher’s commitment to promoting freedom among the family of nations

  

  Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and appreciative of the Christian values that underpinned her commitment to service and promotion of freedom.

• Saturday, March 23rd 2013 - 10:55 UTC

  Timerman denies any Argentine government plot to discredit election of Francis

  

  Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman rejected allegations about an alleged “discrediting operation” by Argentina’s ambassador to the Vatican Juan Pablo Cafiero to stop the election of former Buenos Aires city archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pope and denied that the government has changed its opinion about now Francis.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 23:09 UTC

  The Pope is Argentine, but God is Brazilian, says Rousseff; Francis is expected in Rio next July

  

  Argentines are lucky because they have a great Pope, but “if the Pope is Argentine, God is Brazilian”, said Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday following her half hour meeting with Francis and asked by Argentine reporters her impression of the new pontiff.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 08:50 UTC

  Francis calls on world leaders ‘to be protectors of one another and of the environment’

  

  Under bright sunshine in St. Peter's Square, the Argentine pope insisted with his constant message since he was elected by a secret conclave of cardinals last week: that the Church's mission was to defend the poor and disadvantaged. Francis also called on leaders to protect the people and respect the environment.

• Tuesday, March 19th 2013 - 02:27 UTC

  Falklands: UK recalls that Vatican policy is they have no role to play in the dispute

  

  The United Kingdom played down the request made by Argentine President Cristina Fernández to Pope Francis to intervene in the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty dispute and recalled the recent referendum with an overwhelming support from Islanders to remain a British overseas territory.