Author: Nicole Winfield
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Powerful Vatican Cardinal Becciu resigns amid scandal
ROME • The powerful head of the Vatican’s saint-making office, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, resigned Thursday from the post and renounced his rights as a cardinal amid a financial scandal that has reportedly implicated him indirectly. The Vatican provided no details on why Pope Francis accepted Becciu’s resignation in a statement late Thursday. In the one-sentence…
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Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police
VATICAN CITY • The Vatican told bishops around the world on Thursday they should report cases of clergy sex crimes to police even when not legally bound to do so, in its latest effort to compel church leaders to protect minors from predator priests. The Vatican issued a long-awaited manual for bishops and religious superiors…
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Pope avoids question of married priests in Amazon document
VATICAN CITY • Pope Francis refused Wednesday to approve the ordination of married men or women as deacons to address a shortage of priests in the Amazon, sidestepping a fraught issue that has divided the Catholic Church and emboldened his conservative critics. In an eagerly awaited document, Francis didn’t refer to recommendations by Amazonian bishops…
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Buffalo bishop resigns under fire for handling of misconduct
NEW YORK • Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo resigned Wednesday, forced to step aside amid mounting calls for his ouster from his staff, priests and public over his handling of allegations of clergy sexual misconduct. The Vatican said Pope Francis accepted the resignation and appointed Edward Scharfenberger, the bishop of Albany, N.Y., to run the…
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Searing testimony heard at Vatican sex abuse summit
VATICAN CITY • The day began with an African woman telling an extraordinary gathering of Catholic leaders that her priestly rapist forced her to have three abortions over a dozen years after he started violating her at age 15. It ended with a Colombian cardinal warning them they could all face prison if they let…
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Pope Francis publicly acknowledges clergy sexual abuse of nuns
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis on Tuesday publicly acknowledged the scandal of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns and vowed to do more to fight the problem, the latest sign that there is no end in sight to the Catholic Church’s abuse crisis — and that it now has a reckoning from the…
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Pope in UAE for historic trip after call for Yemen relief
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates • Pope Francis landed Sunday in Abu Dhabi on the first papal trip to the Arabian Peninsula, where he is seeking to turn a page in Christian-Muslim relations while also ministering to a unique, thriving Catholic community. Francis earlier Sunday called for the urgent observation of a limited cease-fire in…
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Fugitive captured after 3 decades after murder conviction
ROME • A left-wing Italian militant who was convicted of murder in his home country nearly three decades ago was arrested in Bolivia, authorities said Sunday, setting the stage for a climactic end to one of Italy’s longest-running efforts to bring a fugitive to justice. The Italian government sent an aircraft to pick up Cesare…
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Vatican letter undermines U.S. cardinal on abuse: AP exclusive
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican blocked U.S. bishops from taking measures to address the clergy sex abuse scandal because U.S. church leaders didn’t discuss the legally problematic proposals with the Holy See enough beforehand, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. The Nov. 11 letter from the Vatican’s Cardinal Marc Ouellet provides the…
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Pope: Forgo greed and gluttony for simple love
VATICAN CITY • Pope Francis urged Christians on Monday to forgo the greed, gluttony and materialism of Christmas and to focus instead on its message of simplicity, charity and love. Francis celebrated a Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, opening a busy week for the pope that includes a Christmas Day message and blessing,…