Surprise announcement from Pope Francis
Priests now can bless same-sex unions.
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Priests now can bless same-sex unions.
Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the first cardinal ever prosecuted by the Vatican criminal court, was sentenced him to 5 ½ years in prison.
Francis, who will turn 87 next month, confirmed the lung inflammation but said he'd still travel to Dubai later this week to address a climate change conference.
For the auxiliary bishop of Managua, fellow priests and many in the pews who have had to flee or were exiled from Nicaragua recently, the Sunday afternoon Mass at a Miami parish is not only a way to find solace in community.
Catholic Church prelates gather for Synod 2023 after Pope Francis stirs controversy by suggesting possibility of same-sex marriage blessings.
Eighteen of the 21 new cardinals are younger than 80 and would be eligible to vote in a conclave.
His surgeon quipped that the 86-year-old pontiff was "better than before' the surgery. Francis smiled and waved as he left the hospital.
The Vatican said the 86-year-old pontiff was in surgery for about three hours Wednesday and there were no complications.
Pope Francis skipped meetings Friday because he was running a fever.
There were no details about how sick Francis was, but the last time he had a serious fever, in March, he was rushed to a hospital and diagnosed with acute bronchitis.
A Vatican spokesman said the pope does not have COVID-19, but requires several days of therapy.
The Catholic leader spoke about laws discriminating against LGBTQ people, his health and his predecessor in a wide-ranging interview with the AP.
Tina Kraus reports the service was a mix of song, scripture and touching tributes.
Never in the history of the Catholic Church had a pope conducted a funeral ceremony for his predecessor, until now.
Pope Francis has marked the New Year by presiding over Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and praying for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a day after his retired predecessor's death.
Pope Francis asked people to keep praying for his predecessor "in these difficult hours."
Benedict is 95. In 2013, he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries, and he has withdrawn almost entirely from public view.
