Latest news with #AnnaRowlands
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Audio Live from Rome - all you need to know about Pope Leo XIV
The world was watching as American Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, stepped out onto the balcony of St Peter's Basilica earlier this week. William Crawley, live from Rome, gathers reaction from around the world. He's joined by Austen Ivereigh, biographer of Pope Francis, and Professor Anna Rowlands, Professor of Catholic Social Thought & Practice at Durham University. British Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe gives his first interview after voting in the conclave and tells the programme how he found the experience. We hear the reaction from Catholics in the UK and around world and explore how an American Pope will shape not only the Catholic church, but global politics going forwards. Presenter: William Crawley Producers: Dan Tierney in Rome; Katy Davis & Rosie Dawson in Salford Studio Managers: Jonathan Esp and Amy Brennan Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Editor: Chloe Walker
BreakingNews.ie
09-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
New Pope likely to challenge Trump but will not be confrontational
The first US Pope is likely to present a 'quite challenging' message to president Donald Trump, according to a Vatican expert who met the new pontiff hours after his election. Among the world leaders to congratulate Pope Leo XIV, Mr Trump spoke of the excitement and honour for America to have a Chicago-born man as the new head of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church. Advertisement He is the first pontiff from North America, and spoke of peace, unity and bridge-building in his first words from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica where he appeared on Thursday to joyous crowds. However, a social media account in the 69-year-old's name before becoming Pope shared posts critical of the Trump administration. In February it shared an opinion piece which chastised US vice-president JD Vance as wrong about some aspects of Christian teaching. Asked if this could make a first meeting between the US leaders and the new Pope awkward, UK theologian Professor Anna Rowlands said she thinks the pontiff will be able to avoid confrontation while also challenging them. Speaking from Rome, she told the PA news agency: 'I think he might have this way of being quite a disarming presence. He's gentle, he's thoughtful. He's almost all the opposite characteristics to Trump. Advertisement 'So if you think about somebody quiet and not boisterous, someone who thinks before they speak, someone who is centred. There's a kind of serenity about him. And he's very unassuming. He's almost exactly the opposite human characteristics to Donald Trump, and that could work in an interesting way.' Prof Rowlands, originally from Manchester but now based in Durham, spent two years seconded to the Vatican during Francis's papacy. She met and shook hands with Pope Leo in the hours after his election on Thursday, describing the experience as 'brief but really lovely'. Asked further about how he might approach a meeting with Mr Trump, Prof Rowlands said: 'He's unlikely to be confrontational, I think, because of his nature, and yet I think the content of what he says will be quite challenging. Advertisement 'I think he won't want to simply judge Donald Trump. I think he will genuinely want to engage in a fruitful dialogue towards genuine human good, a just peace, security in the world, a genuine orientation towards real values – those are the kind of things he will want to enter into dialogue with the US administration on.' Posting on his Truth Social platform about the new pontiff, Mr Trump said: 'What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!' Mr Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, also congratulated the new Pope, saying he is sure 'millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church'. Mr Trump drew criticism over the weekend after sharing an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as the head of the Catholic Church on social media, before the secret conclave meeting had begun. Advertisement The new Pope celebrated mass in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, beginning his first full day in his role as the Church's leader. The Vatican has confirmed he will be formally installed at a mass on May 18th.
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
What will Trump's relationship be like with the new pope? A Vatican expert has their say
A Vatican expert predicts a potentially challenging dynamic between the newly elected Pope Leo XIV and US President Donald Trump. The Pope, who hails from Chicago and is the first-ever pontiff from North America, has been welcomed with goodwill messages from world leaders. While President Trump expressed excitement and honour at an American leading the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, the Pope's past social media activity suggests potential friction. Posts shared on an account believed to belong to the 69-year-old Pope before his election criticised the Trump administration. One post, shared in February, highlighted an opinion piece challenging US Vice-President JD Vance 's interpretation of Christian teachings. This difference in perspective raises questions about the potential for awkwardness in future meetings between the two leaders. UK theologian Professor Anna Rowlands, who met Pope Leo XIV hours after his election, believes the new pontiff will navigate these complexities with a balance of diplomacy and conviction. She anticipates the Pope will deliver his message while avoiding direct confrontation, presenting a unique challenge to the US President. The Pope's initial address, delivered from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, emphasised themes of peace, unity, and bridge-building, offering a glimpse into his potential approach to global leadership. Speaking from Rome, she told the PA news agency: 'I think he might have this way of being quite a disarming presence. He's gentle, he's thoughtful. He's almost all the opposite characteristics to Trump. 'So if you think about somebody quiet and not boisterous, someone who thinks before they speak, someone who is centred. There's a kind of serenity about him. And he's very unassuming. 'He's almost exactly the opposite human characteristics to Donald Trump, and that could work in an interesting way.' Prof Rowlands, originally from Manchester but now based in Durham, spent two years seconded to the Vatican during Francis's papacy. She met and shook hands with Pope Leo in the hours after his election on Thursday, describing the experience as 'brief but really lovely'. Asked further about how he might approach a meeting with Mr Trump, Prof Rowlands said: 'He's unlikely to be confrontational, I think, because of his nature, and yet I think the content of what he says will be quite challenging. 'I think he won't want to simply judge Donald Trump. I think he will genuinely want to engage in a fruitful dialogue towards genuine human good, a just peace, security in the world, a genuine orientation towards real values – those are the kind of things he will want to enter into dialogue with the US administration on.' Posting on his Truth Social platform about the new pontiff, Mr Trump said: 'What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!' Mr Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, also congratulated the new Pope, saying he is sure 'millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church'. Mr Trump drew criticism over the weekend after sharing an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as the head of the Catholic Church on social media, before the secret conclave meeting had begun. The new Pope celebrated mass in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, beginning his first full day in his role as the Church's leader. The Vatican has confirmed he will be formally installed at a mass on May 18. Among other messages of congratulations were those from the King and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Buckingham Palace said Charles sent a private message to Pope Leo, sending his and the Queen's most sincere good wishes for his pontificate. The King had developed a strong bond with Pope Leo's predecessor Pope Francis over the years, and met him in person again not long before the 88-year-old's death last month. Sir Keir described the election of a new Pope as a 'deeply profound moment of joy for Catholics in the United Kingdom and globally', while the Church of England's current most senior bishop said he looks forward to 'working with' the new Pope. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said: 'As Anglicans we give thanks for his call to Christians to be bridge-builders across the divisions of our world, and the divisions that continue to exist between churches.'
BBC News
09-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Durham University professor's chance encounter with Pope Leo XIV
A university professor had a chance encounter with the new Pope Leo XIV hours after he was Anna Rowlands, of Durham University, described the meeting on Thursday evening as "an enormous joy and privilege".She told BBC Breakfast the pontiff looked "slightly overwhelmed", but his serenity was also "intensified".Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, 69, is the 267th Pope and the first American to fill the role. Prof Rowlands, from Manchester, said her meeting with the new pope came about after Sister Nathalie Becquart - one of Pope Francis's most senior female appointments - invited her to a building inside the Vatican, where many staff turned out to be one of the first places Pope Leo XIV had decided to visit in private."Because I was with Sister Nathalie, slightly gate-crashing the arrangement, I was able to have a few words with Pope Leo yesterday evening, which was an enormous joy and privilege," Prof Rowlands theologian added she had met Prevost before he became pope, and described him as "quiet person", with a good sense of humour."He's very thoughtful and he's just very ordinary, so he's quite unassuming when you've met him in the past before he was Pope Leo," she said."I didn't see a change in those characteristics last night, perhaps an intensification of them." Born to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Pope Leo served as an altar boy and was ordained in moved to Peru three years later, but returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a prior in his home new Pope has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build Rowlands added: "He was the same person, but with a kind of intensified serenity. There was a gentleness and a kindness. "He looked slightly overwhelmed, but in a rather lovely way and he was just touched by people, thanking him and greeting him, people he's known personally for such a long time." Prof Rowlands had also met Pope Francis when she was seconded to the Vatican during his papacy. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Thursday briefing: Who will emerge as the next leader of the Catholic church?
Good morning. At 10am yesterday, the cardinals of the Catholic church gathered for mass in St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. In the afternoon, the 133 who are eligible electors went to the Sistine Chapel, handed over their smartphones and swore an oath of secrecy, perhaps knowing that signal jammers will block any communication with the outside world in any case. A few hours later, they took the first vote on choosing the successor to Pope Francis. We know because at 9pm, two hours later than expected, the black smoke went up – which also means their deliberations continue. A process famous for its arcane trappings is also a thoroughly modern electoral battle. But that description, and the hilarious fact that the movie Conclave has helped shape our cultural understanding of what happens next, omits the fact that it is also a matter of the utmost spiritual seriousness to those taking part, who hope that the Holy Spirit will guide them collectively to make the best choice for the church and its more than a billion members. For today's newsletter, I spoke again to Anna Rowlands , a political theologian and professor of Catholic social thought at Durham University, about how the spiritual and worldly imperatives will interact – and what the combination means for the church's future. Here are the headlines. Five big stories Trade | Donald Trump is expected to announce the framework of a trade agreement with the UK after teasing a major announcement with a 'big and highly respected country.' An agreement would mark the first deal for the White House since Trump imposed sweeping global tariffs last month. Security | Israel's embassy in London was the target of an alleged terror plot involving a group of Iranian nationals, sources have told the Guardian. Police and the Security Service, MI5, believe the plot was at an advanced but not imminent stage when arrests were made on Saturday. Kashmir | Pakistan has warned that it will 'avenge' the death of 31 people killed in overnight missile attacks by the Indian air force, raising fears of an escalating conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries. UK politics | Labour MPs have ramped up pressure on the Treasury, calling for an economic reset after the Reform UK surge in the local elections and saying that the economy is stuck in a 'doom loop'. The warning comes from the influential Labour Growth Group (LGG), a large caucus of loyalist new MPs. Music | The late One Direction star Liam Payne left behind a £24.3m fortune after dying without a will. Cheryl Tweedy, his former partner and mother of his son, Bear, is legally responsible for Payne's money, property and possessions after being named an administrator for his estate. In depth: Gossiping cardinals, tactical voting – and a search for the Holy Spirit Black smoke emerges from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a new Pope has not yet been elected. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images For a process famed for its secrecy, there's an incredible amount of information flying around about the papal conclave. In 2005, the Italian magazine Limes published a diary by an anonymous cardinal describing the election of Benedict XVI (then Joseph Ratzinger), which noted a Portuguese elector's enthusiasm for after-dinner cigars; Robert Harris, the author of the novel on which Conclave is based, had the help of the recollections of the late archbishop of Westminster, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who liked the book so much he wanted to give a copy to Pope Francis. (History sadly doesn't record if he got it, or had any thoughts on the ending.) As Harriet Sherwood reports here, the conclave draws Aperol-glugging tourists and nuns with smartphones to stare at the chimney from St Peter's Square. But at its heart, the conclave remains a genuinely secluded affair. 'For all that we know about previous conclaves, there's a decorum and dignity to the process that befits its sacredness,' Anna Rowlands said. Still, there's a lot of intrigue as well. Why are the cardinals so media-friendly? One of the most striking aspects of the buildup to the conclave was the number of chatty cardinals making appearances in news stories. This New York Times piece, for example, quotes four of them by name, including some thoroughly catty observations about the influx of new blood from the German conservative Gerhard Müller. This piece by Angela Giuffrida paints an entertaining portrait of red-capped clerics fleeing from hordes of journalists, and others making calculated anonymous interventions to spread rumours about the candidates they dislike. Of course, that was all before the conclave got underway; at the general congregation that precedes it, the imperatives are different. 'We're had more of a glimpse into the internal conversation than we might have expected,' Rowlands said. While that may have partly been driven by a wish to shape the broader discourse around the papacy, the ultimate audience for those comments was the conclave itself. 'What's in the public domain is still an intervention in their own conversation,' Rowlands said. 'It's a sign of the lack of settledness on one or two candidates above any others.' What are the biggest issues in the decision? The selection of the next pope is obviously always vastly consequential, but it may be an even bigger deal than usual this time: the church is deeply divided over the future of Francis's focus on 'synodality', which can be roughly defined as a drive for more lay people to be involved in decision-making. 'A lot of time has been spent during the general congregation on church governance, and what should happen to Francis's synodal reforms,' Rowlands said: 'Whether they should be actively pursued, resisted, or the middle camp that thinks there should be some degree of synodality, but that it should be moderated.' Some want the papacy to return to Italy after a 47-year gap; previously, it was held by an Italian for 450 years straight. Against that tradition is the argument the church must look to its growing numbers in Asia and Africa to provide its leader for the first time. As well-worn debates over issues like divorce, married priests, and the church's stance on same-sex relationships attest, there is also the question over what kind of moral leadership the church should provide. 'They spent a huge amount of time in the general congregation talking about how you evangelise the world and mediate peace in an increasingly polarised society,' Rowlands said. More conservative thinkers argue the church needs to take a clear doctrinal line 'and repeat it in a culture that is very lost', she said; more progressive voices agree with Francis that 'the way to reach people is to walk together with people through the complexities of their lives'. What does the composition of the conclave tell us? The sheer number of new cardinals appointed by Francis – who make up 80% of the conclave – has made the contest very difficult to predict. Many are from countries that have never provided a cardinal before; and there are a lot more from Asia and Africa, at the expense of Europe. 'There is a huge diversity of perspective,' Rowlands said. 'We don't get a direct insight into exactly how that complex geographic mix plays out.' In this piece, former Vatican communications official Ariel Beramendi points to progressive and conservative factions, as well as a more moderate current of opinion. But it is hard to know how the priorities of members of each group will change once the process gets under way, Rowlands said. 'There will be no more digesting what's happening with their staff or other people they might have been speaking to. And there is a concentrated pressure on the process from wanting to reach a good decision in two or three days. Seeing the minds of the other cardinals through the early voting is crucial: they may think they're behind one person and by the next vote be seeing it very differently.' Are there any clear frontrunners? Notwithstanding the aphorism that 'he who enters the conclave as pope, leaves as a cardinal', there are certainly a few names that have emerged from the general congregation as having significant support – among them Francis's secretary of state, Pietro Parolin; Luis Antonio Tagle, a progressive from the Philippines; and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Italian patriarch of Jerusalem. They, and a number of others, are detailed in this piece by Harriet Sherwood and Sam Jones. There is also a sense that there is an appetite for an older pope. As one bishop told Beramendi: 'We need a new holy father, not an eternal father.' That might count against Pizzaballa, who is 60. 'We know that there is a group who would like Parolin to be pope,' Rowlands said. 'But in general it is a very fluid and changeable picture.' It's a mug's game trying to predict, even if the bookies are expecting a rush of bets. And, Rowlands said, whoever gets the job may not be predictable. 'The office makes the man as much as the man makes the office. Everyone will reach for Google when the name is announced, but that doesn't necessarily tell you what kind of pope they will be.' She points to the example of John XXIII, who came in looking like a caretaker pope with little charisma and ended up calling the second Vatican council, which produced the most significant set of reforms to church doctrine and practice in the 20th century. 'Francis was arguably transformed by becoming pope too,' she added. 'He wasn't always seen as a charismatic or forceful figure as bishop of Buenos Aires, but he ended up with the conviction and urgency of a man in a hurry.' Are there limits to seeing it as a political horse-race? Even if the progressive and conservative labels have some value, the right-left divides that we are used to in the secular world don't perfectly map onto the issues at stake in the church, Rowlands said. 'It can be very difficult to place these things accurately in a secular register. There is a long tradition of people who are radical on some social and economic issues in a way that would look left-leaning to a secular audience, who are very pro-migrant and critical of capitalism, but who are then morally conservative in other ways, on issues like sexuality.' 'The secular world is very used to a different kind of political contest,' she added. 'But really, the cardinals shouldn't be going into this process with the names of individuals in mind. They aren't just choosing a successor to Pope Francis: they're choosing a new successor to Saint Peter. So the process is supposed to be about coming to a common mind on what that means, and then a name should emerge at the end, inspired by the Holy Spirit.' What else we've been reading A recent swell in violence in DRC has killed more than 7,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Illustration: Joe Plimmer/Guardian pictures/Louis Tato/AFP/Getty/Alamy This week's Long Wave newsletter sees Nesrine Malik expertly chart how the global race for the DRC 's minerals caused one of the world's worst and most underreported humanitarian crises. Annie It is a source of constant amusement that Phoebe Waller-Bridge's only output so far from a five-year $100m deal with Amazon is a two-part documentary about octupuses. In her review, Lucy Mangan is entertained, enlightened, and a little bemused. Archie Some astonishing talent on display in this gallery of some of the most compelling images by photography students from the Photo London x Hahnemühle student award. Annie On VE Day , Gary Younge argues, the contribution of millions of people from India, Africa and the Caribbean has been all but forgotten. A commemoration that is 'marinated in nostalgia' is based 'not so much on a history that is re-membered as dis-membered', he writes. Archie In the London Review of Books, novelist Andrew O'Hagan remembers a night watching Whitney Houston perform from beyond the grave in a lovely essay on our warped age of virtual reality concerts. Annie Sport Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring their scond goal of the night. Photograph: Lars Baron/UEFA/Getty Images Football | Arsenal were beaten 2-1 at Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, exiting the competition 3-1 on aggregate. Barney Ronay wrote that while the match began with a 'slick, luminous, dominant Arsenal away performance', it was haunted by 'the ghost player, the killer Arsenal never signed, the goalscorer to cash in all the fine work in every other part of this team.' Rugby | Maro Itoje will be named captain of the British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia on Thursday, the Guardian understands. Itoje will be the first Englishman to lead the Lions in 24 years. Cricket | Rohit Sharma has retired from Test cricket, his announcement coming hours after reports emerged that he was to lose India's red-ball captaincy. The 38-year-old, who quit T20 international cricket after leading India to victory at last year's World Cup, will continue to represent his country in one-day internationals. The front pages 'Pakistan vows to strike back after Indian missile attack kills dozens' says the Guardian, while the i has 'Nuclear warning as Pakistan and India urged to step back from brink of war'. The Financial Times runs with a similar line: 'War fears mount after Pakistan vows to hit back at India's deadly air strikes'. 'Iranians 'plotted to attack Israeli embassy in London'' – that's the Daily Mail. The Times reports that 'All migrants will have to be fluent in English' and the Telegraph complains '£4m a day: True cost of housing migrants'. 'Liam leaves £24million 'to son Bear, 8'' – that's the Metro. Two wartime children hold union flags the size of themselves on the front of the Express under the banner 'Britain remembers the VE Day spirit 80 years on'. The Mirror reprints a 1945 cartoon of a veteran holding a garland that is tagged 'Victory and peace in Europe'. The caption reads: 'Here you are! Don't lose it again!'. Today in Focus A group of Palestinians crowd around a large pot with bowls, appealing for food. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Israel's plan to 'conquer' Gaza Israel plans to expand military operations in Gaza and establish a 'sustained presence' there. Bethan McKernan reports Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings Illustration: Ben Jennings/The Guardian A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad The European orchard bee was first seen in London in 2014 and will have thrived in this spring's warm and dry weather. Photograph: Henk Wallays/Alamy In a rare upside to the climate crisis, a new bee species is setting up home in southern England, drawn from the orchards of Europe by warmer springs and earlier flower blooms. The European orchard bee, Osmia cornuta, can usually be found busily pollinating cherry and apple trees in countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, but more and more are making the once-too-chilly UK their home, with experts saying they expect the population to keep growing. Solitary and brightly coloured, the bee lays eggs inside holes in wood or masonry and then seals up the cavity, so making bee houses from hollow canes is an excellent way of attracting the new arrivals to gardens. Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
