Tag Archives: Vatican

Raul Castro Says Pope Inspiring Him To Return To Faith

Cuban President Raul Castro says he has returned to the Catholic Faith after a meeting with Pope Francis.

“I will resume praying and turn to the Church again if the Pope continues in this vein,” Castro said after a 50-minute private audience with Francis at the Vatican on Sunday.

“As I’ve already told my council of advisers, I read all of the Pope’s speeches,” he added, according to CNN. “I promise that I will go to all of his Masses — and with satisfaction. I left the meeting this morning impressed, very impressed by his knowledge, his wisdom, modesty, and by all the virtues that we know he has.”

Catholic activity in Cuba was suppressed by the government after the revolution and several media outlets like the BBC say that they cannot say for sure that Castro is being completely serious with his comment.

“The fact that the man who helped lead the Cuban Revolution would even joke about returning to the Catholic Church shows just how far the relationship between Havana and the Vatican has moved forward recently,” offered BBC correspondent Will Grant from Havana.

Pope Francis has been very critical of the world’s economic systems.

“Jesus affirms that you cannot serve two masters, God and wealth,” Francis said in an interview back in January about the Vatican report titled “This Economy Kills.”

“Is it pauperism? No, it is the Gospel.  Jesus tells us that it is the ‘protocol’ on the basis of which we will be judged, it is what we read in Chapter 25 of Matthew: I had hunger, I had thirst, I was in prison, I was sick, I was naked and you helped me: dressed me, visited me, you took care of me,” Francis argued.

“This attention to the poor is in the Gospel, and in the tradition of the church, it is not an invention of Communism and [we] need not ideologize it, like sometimes happened in the course of history.”

Italian Authorities Arrest Terrorists Who Plotted Vatican Attack

A massive anti-terrorism operation in Italy has arrested several terrorists including one cell that had plans for an attack on the Vatican.

Authorities say that some of the cell members had contact with Osama bin Laden before his 2011 death and that they had recordings of the exchanges from wiretaps.

Prosecutor Mauro Mura said that intelligence showed the group had planned attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan along with domestic attacks.  The plot against the Vatican first came up among the terrorists in 2010 discussions.

Police say some of the suspects arrested Friday had been under surveillance for a decade.

The group was also smuggling currency to other terror networks.  One of the suspects arrested today was captured on a flight from Italy to Pakistan with 55,000 euros.

Investigators say the group tried to grow by smuggling migrants into Italy.  They would attempt to recruit the migrants to be a part of the al-Qaeda network.

The raids, which police called a “first-of-its-kind operation”also took out the terrorist’s headquarters on the island of Sardinia.

Shroud of Turin On Display For First Time in Five Years

Over a million people are expected to head to Turin, Italy for a glimpse of one of the most rarely viewed historical items.

The Shroud of Turin is believed to be imprinted with the face of Christ.  The shroud has only been displayed to the public five times since 1933. The shroud is usually kept inside a sealed container in a chapel next to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

The BBC said that one of the visitors will be Pope Francis.  The Vatican has never acknowledged the shroud as authentic although they admit the item is “important.”

Gary Habermas of Liberty University says that one of the recent discoveries on the Shroud is that the teeth of the person wrapped in it are visible.

“His skin is intact, his beard is intact, but you are able to see what’s inside coming out, just like if you are able to see what’s on the back of a hand,” he said.

“This is one of the best indications that the man in the Shroud, who was dead and was crucified, (has) radiation coming out,” he said of the teeth discovery. “And if that’s what this is, you’ve got something from the inside (coming out).

“(The teeth) are on the inside, but on the photo they are showing outside. Whichever way (the radiation) is coming, it dragged the image from the inside to the outside.”

The Archbishop of Turin says that regardless of what people believe about the Shroud, the relic is important.

“[It shows] in a clear and precise manner how the Gospels describe the passion and death of Jesus,” Archibishop Cesare Nosiglia said.

Pope Francis Believes Reign Will Be Short

Pope Francis said in an interview published Friday that he doesn’t believe he will serve as Pope until his death.

The Pope spoke with Mexican broadcaster Televisa on the second anniversary of his election as Pontiff.  Francis told the broadcaster that he didn’t mind being Pope but that it would be nice to be able to go out in Rome and get a pizza without being recognized.

“I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief – four or five years, even two or three. Two have already passed. It’s a somewhat strange sensation,” he said, according to a Vatican translation from Spanish.

“I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time.”

The Pope said that he likes what Pope Emeritus Benedict did in stepping down from the position.

“In general, I think what Benedict so courageously did was to open the door to the popes emeritus. Benedict should not be considered an exception, but an institution,” Francis said.

Vatican Confirms ISIS Threat On Pope’s Life

The Vatican has confirmed that ISIS has threatened to kill Pope Francis but that so far they have not been able to find evidence of an imminent attack.

The Pope, meanwhile, has ramped up his criticism of the terrorist group, condemning the “intolerable brutality” of the group.

The terrorists released a video last week talking about conquering Rome, installing Shariah law and then throwing gays from the top of “the leaning power of pizza.”  

“The threat exists. This is what has emerged from my conversations with Italian and foreign colleagues,” said Domenico Giani, inspector general of the Corpo della Gendarmeria, Vatican City’s state police force.

The Pope has called on those around the world to do everything they can to show Christ’s love to the victims of the brutality of ISIS.  

The inspector general said Pope Francis has refused to change the way he deals with the public and refuses to cancel public appearances because of the ISIS threats.  

“Even as pope, he’s still a priest who doesn’t want to lose the contact with his flock. It’s us, those in charge of his safety, are the ones that have to help him, not the other way around,” Giani added.

ISIS Threatening To Assassinate Pope Francis

Pope Francis is standing up to the terrorist group Islamic State by heading to Albania for weekend services despite clear warnings the group intends to kill him.

He will be the first sitting Pope since 1933 to visit Albania when he arrives Saturday.

Iraq’s Ambassador to the Holy See has told the Vatican and local newspapers that ISIS had made it clear they want to kill him.

“What has been declared by the self-declared Islamic State is clear – they want to kill the pope. The threats against the Pope are credible,” Habeeb Al Sadr said. “I believe they could try to kill him during one of his overseas trips or even in Rome. There are members of ISIL who are not Arabs but Canadian, American, French, British, also Italians. ISIL could engage any of these to commit a terrorist attack in Europe.”

Al Sadr said when the Pope condemned the terrorists for their killings of innocents he basically put a target on himself.  While the Vatican downplayed the threat, Al Sadr said it’s a very real danger.

“This band of criminals does not just issue threats,” Al Sadr said. “In Iraq, they have already violated and destroyed some of the most sacred sites of the Shiite faith. They have struck at Yazidi and Christian places of worship. They have declared that whoever is not with them, is against them. Either convert or be killed. And they are doing it it is a genocide.”

The Pope released a simple statement on the matter.

“I decided to visit this country because it has suffered greatly as a result of a terrible atheist regime and is now realizing the peaceful co-existence of its various religious components,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis Calls James Foley Family

Pope Francis shocked the family of slain photojournalist James Foley by calling them at home.

The family released a statement saying they were shocked by the surprise call but “moved and grateful” that the Pope would take the time to minister to them personally over the killing of their son.

The family also said they had permission from the Vatican to release the news of the call.

John and Diane Foley made a statement regarding the death of their son where they said they were proud of their son for exposing the suffering of the Syrian people to the world.

“[James is] finally free,” John Foley said to reporters.  “And we know he’s in God’s hands.  And we know he’s in heaven.”

Pope Francis released a statement saying that the international community needs to “stop unjust aggression” in Iraq.

Meriam Ibrahim Free

Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman who had been sentenced to death for not renouncing her faith in front of a Sudanese court, is free.

Italian vice-minister for foreign affairs Lapo Pistelli posted a picture of himself with Ibrahim and her family on Facebook with a message that read “with Meriam, Maya, Martin and Daniel, a few minutes from Rome.  Mission accomplished.

The family will meet with the Pope before flying to the United States to start a new life.

The move was a surprise to everyone associated with the case and there have been no details released yet regarding how Italy was able to get Ibrahim and her family out of the country.  Unconfirmed reports say the Italian government and the Vatican entered negotiations two weeks ago to free the family.

Ibrahim’s attorney Mohaned Mostafa told Reuters not only did he not know the she was leaving the country, but that the charges the government was using to keep her from leaving have not been dismissed.

Her family had also been keeping her in the country by suing to have a court declare her a Muslim against her wishes but that suit was dropped earlier this week.

Cancellations Prompt Concern Over Pope’s Health

Vatican observers are questioning Vatican statements regarding the Pope’s health after a third trip this month was cancelled claiming the Pope was too ill to attend.

The Pope had been scheduled to visit a hospital in Gemelli to conduct a mass on Friday afternoon but the vent was cancelled an hour before the Pope was due to arrive.  The statement on cancellation said the mass was called off due to an “unexpected indisposition”.  All of the Pope’s weekend events are still scheduled and the Vatican says there are “no concerns for the Pope’s health.”

The Pontiff has only one full lung and has a back condition that can make walking painful.  He missed an event earlier this month because of stomach flu and has recently skipped a walking event because of back pain.

However, the Pope has also shown strength that was unexpected, including getting out of his car along the route of a 12 hour trip to Calabria where the weather was unusually hot.

The Vatican says the Pope will continue his very busy schedule and trip to South Korea in August.

Pope Francis Fires Entire Vatican Financial Watchdog Agency

Vatican observers were stunned Friday when Pope Francis fired all five Italian members of the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency and replaced them with four international board members.

The Holy See’s Financial Information Authority has been facing conflict between the former board members and the agency’s head that wants to bring in international experts in rooting out money laundering.  The agency has been cracking down on any potential money laundering or financial improprieties since Pope Francis assumed the Papacy.

“[FIA head Rene] Bruelhart wanted a board he could work with and it seems the pope has come down on his side and sent the old boy network packing,” an unnamed Vatican official told Reuters news agency.

The new board includes a woman for the first time.

The new members are Marc Odendall from Switzerland, Juan C. Zarate from the U.S., Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay from Singapore, and Maria Bianca Farina from Italy.