•Mardi Gras doughnutsCredit: Julia Metkalova/Shutterstock Sunday, Jan 28, was Septuagesima Sunday, followed by Sexagesima on Sunday, Feb. 4, and now Quinquagesima on Sunday, Feb. 11, is the last Sunday before Shrovetide, which culminates in Shrove Tuesday — more popularly known…
Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals to help carry out Catholic Church reforms
Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals at a ritual-filled ceremony Saturday, including key figures at the Vatican and in the field who will help enact his reforms and cement his legacy as he enters a crucial new phase in running the…
Ex-Pope’s Cross stolen in German church
A cross bequeathed by the late Pope Benedict XVI to a parish in his German home region of Bavaria has been stolen from the church where it was exhibited, police said Tuesday. A display case on the wall of the…
Thousands pour into St Peter’s Square for funeral of Benedict XVI
Mourners have poured into Saint Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to pay their final respects to the German theologian and attend a rare requiem mass for a dead pontiff presided over by a living one.…
Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95
Former Pope Benedict XVI has died at his Vatican residence, aged 95, almost a decade after he stood down because of ailing health. He led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first…
Pope Francis asks for prayers for his predecessor Pope Benedict and says he is ‘very sick’
Pope Francis has said his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI is “very sick” and asked the faithful to pray for the retired pontiff so God will comfort him “to the very end”. Francis did not elaborate on Benedict’s condition as he…
Former Pope Benedict warns against relaxing priestly celibacy rules (Guardian)
The former pope Benedict XVI has spoken out against allowing married men to become priests, in a move that could jeopardise a potential plan by Pope Francis to change the centuries-old requirement in areas of the Amazon. Benedict, who implied…
