Latest news with #Arborelius
Local Sweden
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Swedish cardinal hails Pope Leo, takes dig at Trump
Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius, who took part in the conclave to elect the Catholic Church's new pope, hailed Leo XIV on Friday as "gentle and humble" -- and very "unlike" US President Donald Trump. Advertisement "Many people reacted to the fact that we have an American pope for the first time," Arborelius wrote in a statement the day after Leo XIV's election. He described Pope Leo, whose real name is Robert Prevost, as a "gentle and humble person" who was "conscientious and insightful" in his work heading the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Vatican department that advises the pontiff on appointments. "It is difficult to imagine someone whose character is more unlike his than another American who has joked around dressed up as pope," Arborelius said, referring to an AI-generated image Trump posted of himself as the pope on White House social media accounts. "Nevertheless, I can see how Pope Leo, with his gentle demeanour, may succeed in getting the powerful people of the world to hear the gospel's message of peace and reconciliation," he said. Appointed in 2017 as Sweden's first cardinal, Arborelius is a convert to Catholicism in the overwhelmingly Protestant Scandinavian country, home to one of the world's most secularised societies. Advertisement The 75-year-old had been seen as a potential successor to Pope Francis, though he told Swedish broadcaster SVT in April that Pope Francis had granted his request to be released from his duties as cardinal because he wanted to return to live in his monastery in southern Sweden. But Francis passed away before a date had been set for the end of his tenure, he said, "So now I'm left hanging a little."
Global News
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Global News
Pope Francis' popemobile gets new life after his death, as Gaza medical vehicle
A popemobile used by Pope Francis during a trip to Bethlehem in 2014 and throughout his life will be converted into a medical vehicle to help treat children in the Gaza Strip — an initiative he approved in the months leading up to his death. The late pontiff rode around the West Bank in the uniquely designed car while visiting the birthplace of Jesus, which is located about 10 kilometres south of Jerusalem, over a decade ago. He was also seen greeting crowds in Vatican City from the vehicle the day before he died on April 21. View image in full screen Pope Francis in the popemobile tours the square at the end of the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday at Saint Peter's Square. Marco Lacobucci / Getty Images The vehicle is being fitted with emergency medical equipment to help treat juvenile patients living in Gaza, where the majority of the health infrastructure has been destroyed. Story continues below advertisement Pope Francis entrusted the initiative to the Catholic aid organization Caritas Jerusalem, Vatican News said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, which is supporting the project, told Vatican News that the project is 'a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed.' 'It's not just a vehicle,' Brune said. 'It's a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza.' Cardinal Arborelius from Sweden, who is in contention to be the next Pope, reportedly approached Francis with the idea to convert the vehicle. The mobile clinic will serve a small number of patients in the war-torn enclave, but reflects the late pope's longstanding efforts to provide support to the region's most vulnerable civilians, according to the New York Times. Story continues below advertisement According to Reuters, Gaza is home to a small Christian community, one that Pope Francis had been in contact with almost daily since the war broke out in October 2023, after Hamas militants attacked an Israeli music festival close to the Gaza border. 'The papamobile is a very concrete sign that Pope Francis is concerned with all the suffering of children in Gaza, even after his death!' Arborelius said in an email on Monday to the New York Times. The mobile medical unit will be stocked with rapid infection tests, vaccines, diagnostic equipment and suture kits. It will be manned and operated by medical professionals. Caritas plans to deploy the clinic to communities without access to functioning healthcare facilities once humanitarian access to Gaza is feasible. Francis had several popemobiles, with the one used in the 2014 visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories remaining in the region following his return to the Vatican. A conclave to elect a new pope starts on May 7. — With files from Reuters
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cardinals mull Pope Francis' replacement as Vatican prepares for conclave
Rome — It's been called "holy smoke." And it's color coded. Black and white plumes puffed from canisters over the weekend as pyrotechnics expert Massimiliano De Sanctis tested the mechanism that will signal the fate of the Catholic Church, and who will be the next man to lead its 1.4 billion followers. If the smoke that emerges from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel is black, it will mean the 133 cardinal electors inside for the papal conclave will continue voting. When it is white, it means they have elected the heir to St. Peter — and more recently, to Pope Francis. ''Until the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the smoke was carried out in the traditional way," explained De Sanctis, who owns the FD Group Fireworks company. "Ballots were burned to make black smoke and ballots were burned together with wet straw to make white smoke. But the Vatican realized that the smoke was not particularly intense, so it had an electrical control unit designed that controlled the classic pyrotechnic smoke.'' The nine-day mourning period for the late Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on April 21 after 12 years leading the Catholic Church, officially came to an end Monday. As that period, known by its Latin name Novemdiales, came to an end, dozens of cardinals, carpenters and pyrotechnics experts were already at work preparing for the conclave to elect Francis' successor. Vatican firefighters installed the chimney at the Sistine Chapel over the weekend, along with the small stove in which the cardinals will burn their crumpled up ballots after each vote. The voting continues, with one round on the first day of the conclave and then up to four daily until one proves conclusive, with a new pontiff being chosen by a majority of two-thirds plus one of the 133 electors. Different ideologies at play as cardinals mull next Catholic leader That secretive process begins Wednesday, with the first vote, but the cardinal electors have already begun descending on Vatican City from across the world. And with them, comes the intrigue of the political campaign-like process of selecting one of their own to lead the church forward. Some of the believed front-runners among the cardinals would be expected to align with the policies and philosophies of Pope Francis if they were to get the Catholic Church's top job, including newly-minted Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius. He told CBS News over the weekend about meeting with many of his fellow cardinals for the first time. "I must say, I'm surprised that it's so peaceful and such a friendly atmosphere," he said. "If you read the papers, you get the idea that there are two parties fighting for power." "Of course there are different points of view," acknowledged Arborelius, who is attending his first conclave. "It's natural." Much like Francis was, Arborelius is a strong supporter of immigrants' rights. He said migrants to Europe have helped to keep Catholicism alive and well on the continent, making them "very important for the church." "I know there are exceptions, but still, we live in a global time, and it's nearly impossible to stop migration. And we need it also, I mean, in healthcare, care for elderly people, taxi drivers," he said, adding that, "of course, there has to be some kind of order, some kind of harmonious migration and integration" to ensure immigrant populations can thrive. The Swedish cardinal also hopes Francis' successor will push to integrate women — to a limited degree — more into the church's operations. "Some people are very eager to have female priests," acknowledged Arborelius. "But we cannot have that. So, it's important to show and to help women to find the positions and the work that they can do in the church." Asked why he, like Francis, backed more roles for women, but not priesthood, the cardinal said that, "according to our faith, Christ as a man is the icon of what it is to be a priest. Mary is the icon of what a woman can be in the church." "Of course, nowadays it's not easy to explain that," he said, noting the example of the Lutheran Church in Sweden, which he said now has "more female ministers than male." "So that's one of our tasks — to show that women have a very important place in the church, but we have to show what they can do and how they can do it. And I think Pope Francis has started this. For instance, now they always say in the Vatican state they have a prime minister who is a sister, Sister Rafaela. And on many issues, for instance I'm also a member of the Council of Economy, we have six ... experts in economy, all women, who help us to clear up the mess of the economy in the Vatican. So, I think there are many important tasks where a woman could do very much in order to help the church in the society of today." Others among the senior prelates gathering at the Vatican, however, have been openly critical of Francis, including German Cardinal Gerhard Muller, who has been a staunch defender of traditional Catholic doctrine. "Gay marriage is not possible, it's absolutely against the word of God," he told CBS News, adding that in his view, that impossibility extends to the practice of priests blessing same-sex unions — which Francis green-lighted in a landmark decision almost two years ago. "We cannot have a blessing in the sense of justifying of a behavior or of a lifestyle which is against the reason God Himself gave," Muller told CBS News, adding that he believes the next pope must bring more clarity to interpreting Catholic doctrine, "I think not only for me, but for all the Catholics in the world." It's possible that that diversity in viewpoints among the cardinal electors inside the Sistine Chapel could lead to a drawn-out conclave. In recent times, cardinals have decided on a new pope in just two to three days. The longest-ever conclave took place during the 13th century, in the nearby city of Viterbo. It lasted for nearly three years, and locals became so frustrated with the dithering that they removed the roof from the building where the cardinals were staying. They eventually elected Pope Gregory X. Typewriters making a comeback, thanks in part to Taylor Swift Limestone University announces closure, president told not to attend final graduation Church prepares for conclave as official mourning period for Pope Francis comes to an end
Kuwait Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Swedish cardinal is Catholic convert in sea of atheists
VATICAN CITY: Sweden's first cardinal, Anders Arborelius, is a convert to Catholicism in the overwhelmingly Protestant Scandinavian country, which is home to one of the world's most secularized societies. The 75-year-old says he is 'highly unlikely' to be elected as the successor to Pope Francis in next week's conclave, but many commentators believe the race is wide open. As Bishop of Stockholm, Arborelius is the first Swedish Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation—his predecessors having been named from other countries due to a dearth of home-grown Catholic priests in predominantly Lutheran Sweden. The diocese of Stockholm comprises the entire country, home to about 128,000 Catholics, or about 1.6 percent of the total population. Arborelius was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2017 - a year after the pontiff's ecumenical visit to Sweden to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation—becoming the first Nordic prelate to wear the cardinal's scarlet robes. Under Pope Francis, he was a member of four Vatican dicasteries, or government ministries: those for the Clergy, Bishops, the Eastern Churches, and Promoting Christian Unity. A defender of Church doctrine, Arborelius views his ministry as a mission to safeguard the biblical message, particularly in his country, which is at the forefront of LGBTQ rights and where Protestant pastors can marry, even if they are of the same sex. 'The Church condemns all forms of unjust discrimination, including that based on gender or sexual orientation,' he wrote along with his Finnish, Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic counterparts in a letter from the Nordic Bishops' Conference. 'However, we disagree when this movement puts forward a vision of human nature that disregards the bodily integrity of the person, as if physical gender were a pure accident,' the letter continued. Arborelius is opposed to the modernizing efforts of certain German bishops—including allowing women as deacons and blessing same-sex couples—whom the Vatican accuses of wanting to create a new Protestant Church. Church of migrants Born in Switzerland, Arborelius grew up in a Lutheran family in Lund, in the south of Sweden, but was not particularly observant. 'Lutherans are not very active in their church,' he told the Catholic television channel EWTN in 2005. The trend is true of many Swedes—more than two-thirds do not believe in God, and those who marry in a religious ceremony or baptize their children often never set foot in a church again, according to a 2020 study by the University of Gothenburg. In fact, 90 percent of Swedes never or rarely attend church services, according to the study. 'Sweden has become a very secular country,' Arborelius told EWTN. In 1969, at the age of 20 and fascinated by the Carmelite nun Therese of Lisieux, Arborelius converted to Catholicism. Two years later, he joined the Order of Discalced Carmelites, a contemplative religious congregation belonging to the mendicant orders. He studied modern languages in Lund and theology in Bruges, where he took his vows, before entering the order's pontifical faculty in Rome. He became a priest in 1979 and took up residence in the Carmelite convent of Norraby, in southern Sweden. After two decades of monastic life, in 1998 he was appointed Bishop of Stockholm by John Paul II. Between 2005 and 2015, he presided over the Nordic Bishops' Conference and held various posts in the Vatican Curia. Echoing the views of Pope Francis, Arborelius advocates welcoming migrants to Europe, including Christians, Catholics and potential converts. Thanks to them, the Catholic Church of Sweden continues to grow, while the Lutheran Church, the state religion until 2000, has since then lost nearly 1.5 million members who no longer wish to pay the tax to fund it. 'The Catholic Church in Sweden is a Church of migrants,' Arborelius said in 2018. 'Many of us come from other countries and some from other denominations. As Christians, we are all pilgrims on the way to God's heavenly kingdom.' - AFP
Local Sweden
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Swedish cardinal is Catholic convert in sea of atheists
Sweden's first cardinal, Anders Arborelius, is a convert to Catholicism in the overwhelmingly Protestant Scandinavian country, which is home to one of the world's most secularised societies. Advertisement The 75-year-old says he is "highly unlikely" to be elected as the successor to Pope Francis in next week's conclave, but many commentators believe the race is wide open. As Bishop of Stockholm, Arborelius is the first Swedish Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation - his predecessors having been named from other countries due to a dearth of home-grown Catholic priests in predominantly Lutheran Sweden. The diocese of Stockholm comprises the entire country, home to about 128,000 Catholics, or about 1.6 percent of the total population. Arborelius was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2017 -- a year after the pontiff's ecumenical visit to Sweden to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation -- becoming the first Nordic prelate to wear the cardinal's scarlet robes. Under Pope Francis, he was a member of four Vatican dicasteries, or government ministries: those for the Clergy, Bishops, the Eastern Churches, and Promoting Christian Unity. A defender of Church doctrine, Arborelius views his ministry as a mission to safeguard the biblical message, particularly in his country, which is at the forefront of LGBTQ rights and where Protestant pastors can marry, even if they are of the same sex. "The Church condemns all forms of unjust discrimination, including that based on gender or sexual orientation," he wrote along with his Finnish, Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic counterparts in a letter from the Nordic Bishops' Conference. "However, we disagree when this movement puts forward a vision of human nature that disregards the bodily integrity of the person, as if physical gender were a pure accident," the letter continued. Arborelius is opposed to the modernising efforts of certain German bishops -- including allowing women as deacons and blessing same-sex couples -- whom the Vatican accuses of wanting to create a new Protestant Church. Advertisement Church of migrants Born in Switzerland, Arborelius grew up in a Lutheran family in Lund, in the south of Sweden, but was not particularly observant. "Lutherans are not very active in their church," he told the Catholic television channel EWTN in 2005. The trend is true of many Swedes -- more than two-thirds do not believe in God, and those who marry in a religious ceremony or baptise their children often never set foot in a church again, according to a 2020 study by the University of Gothenburg. In fact, 90 percent of Swedes never or rarely attend church services, according to the study. "Sweden has become a very secular country," Arborelius told EWTN. Advertisement In 1969, at the age of 20 and fascinated by the Carmelite nun Therese of Lisieux, Arborelius converted to Catholicism. Two years later, he joined the Order of Discalced Carmelites, a contemplative religious congregation belonging to the mendicant orders. He studied modern languages in Lund and theology in Bruges, where he took his vows, before entering the order's pontifical faculty in Rome. He became a priest in 1979 and took up residence in the Carmelite convent of Norraby, in southern Sweden. After two decades of monastic life, in 1998 he was appointed Bishop of Stockholm by John Paul II. Advertisement Between 2005 and 2015, he presided over the Nordic Bishops' Conference and held various posts in the Vatican Curia. Echoing the views of Pope Francis, Arborelius advocates welcoming migrants to Europe, including Christians, Catholics and potential converts. Thanks to them, the Catholic Church of Sweden continues to grow, while the Lutheran Church, the state religion until 2000, has since then lost nearly 1.5 million members who no longer wish to pay the tax to fund it. "The Catholic Church in Sweden is a Church of migrants," Arborelius said in 2018. "Many of us come from other countries and some from other denominations. As Christians, we are all pilgrims on the way to God's heavenly kingdom."
