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Herald Malaysia
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo warns against exploitation at inaugural mass
Pope Leo XIV, wearing his fisherman's ring, waves at the end of a Mass for the formal inauguration of his pontificate in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, on May 18. (Photo: AFP) By AFP, Vatican CityPope Leo XIV set the tone for his papacy with a call to stop exploiting nature and marginalizing the poor at his inaugural mass on May 18, attended by dignitaries including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President JD days after he became the first US head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, some 200,000 people gathered to see his inaugural mass in St Peter's Square, according to the it started, the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost delighted the crowds by taking to the popemobile for the first time, smiling, waving and blessing those he his homily, the soft-spoken 69-year-old returned to the themes of peace, reconciliation and social justice that have marked his first few days as pope.'In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest,' he a prayer afterwards, he noted the ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine, before holding a private audience with Zelensky and his wife.'The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen,' Leo two decades spent as missionary in Peru, the new pope — who was only made a cardinal in 2023 — is unknown to many many of those gathered in St Peter's Square said they liked what they had heard so Grazia La Barbera, 56, a pilgrim from Palermo in Sicily, said Leo was 'the right person at the right time' to lead the Church.'He will certainly do what he promised: knocking down walls and building bridges,' she said. Vance 'very proud' Leo's elevation has sparked huge enthusiasm in the United States, which was represented by Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019. 'Fear and trembling' Security was tight for the event, which included politicians from Germany to Peru — where the pope holds citizenship — the Gulf and Canada, as well as faith leaders and European royals. He will wear the ring on his finger until he dies, when it will be
BBC News
25-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Worcester church to hold special service for Pope Francis
"We got to know him better, possibly, than any of the other Popes. He was so inspiring, and I think it spread to other people too."Lisa Fisher, a regular worshipper at St George's Roman Catholic Church in Worcester, has come to the church for one of the final weekday masses before the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.A special service is taking place at the church on Friday evening for people to pay their respects and pray for the late Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, after leading the Catholic Church for 12 years. Among those who will be attending Friday's service at St George's is Jordan is looking forward to celebrating the Pope's life by watching his funeral on television."To me, Pope Francis meant all of the good in the world," said Mr Leaman. "We all follow his example and unite in his heavenly mission."Another woman said the Pope represented the Church she grew up in, "one of compassion and love"."I think he spoke to us, and he represented us, and he led us, so I'm very sad," she said."But we give thanks. I think he gave us the voice that we have at the lay level, rather than the international political structure that we often see." For Ms Fisher, too, Pope Francis represented Catholics themselves as much as he did the Church."I've got neighbours who've said how wonderful he was," she said. "I just think the fact that he wanted a simple coffin, and that he never wore the red shoes that the other Popes did – he was true to himself."Mandy Jones will also be watching the papal funeral on television. Although she mourns Pope Francis' passing, she feels it came at an appropriate time."I thought it was super that he actually died when he died, because I thought he'd done his duty," she explained. "He'd done Christmas, and I think he really wanted to do Easter."He was a lovely man." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Pope Francis and Africa: 'His love for the continent was great'
Millions of African Catholics, as well as the continent's leaders, are mourning a man who they felt spoke for to nearly a fifth of the Church's followers, or 272 million people, Africa is becoming increasingly important in the Catholic world, and observers say Pope Francis did a lot to raise the profile of the continent within the of state reflected the sentiments of many describing how the late Pope spoke out for the marginalised. Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu called him a "tireless champion of the poor" and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted his "world view of inclusion [and] equality". The Vatican says that over the past year, seven million Africans have converted to Catholicism, making the continent one of the fastest-growing regions for the Church."This Pope has made a lot of efforts to make our faith inclusive... I remember him with joy," Ghanaian Catholic Aba Amissah Quainoo told the BBC in the capital, Accra."He was really loved by all because of his stance on the poor and the marginalised," Rev George Obeng Appah the Holy Family Basilica in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Rosemary Muthui said worshippers there will remember the Pope as a man who brought change to the Church, especially in promoting equality."His love for the African Church was great, and we will miss him," she told the said she met him when he went to Kenya a decade ago on the first of his five visits to the continent which took in 10 African countries in last in 2023 was to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, Kitsita Ndongo Rachel did not hesitate when she broke protocol to personally meet the Pope."My heart was beating, I was less than 100 metres away. I slipped between the security agents; knelt down and asked the Pope for his blessing," the journalist remembers."He blessed me, and he blessed my rosary." She says her actions were influenced by the Pope's teachings which spoke to her about what can be done in her conflict-ridden country."When we listen to him, we feel that he wanted or he wants justice for the Democratic Republic of Congo, he knows that millions of people have died." Live coverage of reaction to the Pope's deathFrancis: Pope from Latin America who changed Catholic ChurchPope Francis's life in picturesWhat happens next? Nigeria and Kenya have among the highest weekly church attendance rates globally, while DR Congo, Cameroon, Uganda and Angola also have strong Catholic communities."One of the biggest things Pope Francis did for Africa was to bring global attention to the continent's importance in the Catholic Church," said Charles Collins, managing editor of Crux, a leading Catholic news website covering Vatican affairs and Catholicism."He has not only spoken about Africa's struggles but has physically gone to marginalised areas, showing solidarity with victims of war, displacement and injustice," said Father Stan Chu Ilo, president of the Pan-African Catholic Theological his 2015 trip to the Central African Republic, the Pope pressed home a message of peace amid conflict there. In 2019, in a highly symbolic moment at the Vatican, the Pope knelt down and kissed the feet of South Sudan's rival leaders. His trip to the country four years later was a special peace mission that included then Archbishop of Canterbury Justin in South Sudan tells clergy to raise voices against injusticeAnd in a letter sent in the last week of March, Pope Francis urged President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar "to prioritise peace, reconciliation and development for the benefits of their people - South Sudanese".But the need to make that plea speaks to the limits of the Pope's power, as there are now fears the country could be on the brink of another civil war. Despite the remarkable growth of the Church on the continent and the creation of new African cardinals, Africa remains underrepresented in high-ranking Vatican positions."The Catholic Church's future is African, but it hasn't yet translated into real influence at the Vatican. That shift is still to come," Mr Collins attention starts to turn to who will succeed him and whether an African could take the helm for the first time in 1,500 years."An African Pope is not a question of 'if' but 'when' - because the Catholic Church in Africa is now a theological, spiritual, and demographic powerhouse," Father Ilo reporting by Thomas Naadi, Peter Njoroge and Nichola Mandil Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Deccan Herald
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
The life and times of Pope Francis
Following are some of the major events of the life and ministry of Pope 17 - Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Italian 13 - Ordained a 31 - Becomes head of the Jesuits in 20 - Appointed Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos 28 - Appointed Archbishop, Primate of Argentina. He becomes famous for commuting to work on public transport, not living in the archbishop's palace and cooking his own 21 - Appointed a cardinal by Pope John Paul 19 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger elected pope after four ballots, takes the name Benedict. Subsequent leaks show that Bergoglio came second in all the secret 13 - Bergoglio is elected pope after the shock resignation of Pope Benedict. He takes the name Francesco (Francis) and is the first non-European pope in 1,300 8 - Makes first pastoral trip outside Rome, visiting the Italian island of Lampedusa and condemns the "globalisation of indifference" to the plight of 29 - During his first news conference onboard the papal plane, Francis says: "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" - seen as the most conciliatory attitude to LGBT people by a 26 - Calls for a deep renewal of the Church in a major document (apostolic exhortation) setting out his 24 - Creates a new body within the Vatican to coordinate economic and administrative 24-26 - Visits the Holy Land. He becomes the first pontiff to lay a wreath at the tomb of the founder of modern Zionism. He also prays in front of the Israeli security wall that is despised by 18 - Releases first papal document dedicated to the environment, the encyclical "Laudato Si", urging world leaders to hear "the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor"..April 8 - In a document on family life, Francis urges priests to be more accepting of divorced or remarried Catholics and to welcome single parents and LGBT people. But he rejects the notion of same-sex 26 - Says Christians owe apologies to LGBT community and others who have been offended or exploited by the 2 - Tells reporters the Catholic ban on female priests is 2 - Pope Francis says in a letter bishops must show zero tolerance to clergy who sexually abuse children. He begs forgiveness for "a sin that shames us". June 28 - Cardinal George Pell, appointed Vatican economy minister by Francis, is charged with multiple historical sex crimes in his native Australia. He is initially convicted in December 2018, but then found not guilty in April 2020 on 1 - In a major shake-up, Francis replaces Catholicism's top theologian, a conservative German cardinal who has been at odds with the pontiff's vision of a more inclusive 30 - Just days after defending a Chilean bishop accused of sex crimes against minors, the pope sends top sexual abuse expert to Chile to investigate. In April, Francis says he made "grave mistakes" in handling the Chile crisis, asks for 18 - In an unprecedented move, all Chile's bishops offer to resign after attending a crisis meeting with Pope Francis. In the subsequent months he accepts many of the 28 - Accepts resignation of U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. In February 2019, Francis expels him from the priesthood after the Church finds him guilty of sexually abusing minors - the first time a cardinal has been defrocked for sexual 25-26 - Visits Ireland, says Church failure to adequately address "repugnant" clerical child abuse crimes in Ireland is a source of shame for Catholics. He begs 26 - A former top Vatican official, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, accuses the pope of knowing for years of sex abuse allegations against Cardinal McCarrick; says Francis should resign. Months later, the Vatican accuses Vigano of 22 - The Vatican signs a landmark agreement giving it a long-desired say in the appointment of bishops in China. Critics label the deal a sellout to the Communist 21 - Pope opens an unprecedented four-day meeting with Catholic leaders from around the world on child sex abuse. Calls for "concrete and efficient measures" to tackle the 19 - Meets South Sudan's previously warring leaders and kisses their feet. Urges them not to return to a civil war. May 24 - Appoints women to a key Vatican department for the first time. In January 2020, he appoints the first woman to hold a high-ranking post in the Secretariat of State. In August 2020 he appoints six women to Vatican finance council. In November 2021 he names a woman to the number 2 position in the governorship of the Vatican City. In March 2022, he introduces a reform saying Catholic women could in future take charge of most 2 - During a visit to Romania, the pope asks forgiveness in the name of the Catholic Church for the mistreatment of the Roma 12 - In an apparent victory for conservative clergy, the pope dismisses a proposal to allow some married men to be ordained in remote areas of the 7 - The pope cancels all regular public appearances because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Planned trips are also cancelled. On March 27, he holds a solitary prayer service in the vast, empty St. Peter's 24 - The pope fires Italian Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu from powerful Vatican post after accusing him of embezzlement and nepotism. Becciu denies wrongdoing. He is indicted for alleged financial crimes in July 2021 and is convicted in December 2023 of embezzlement and fraud and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail. He remains free pending 5 - Shakes up running of Vatican funds after London property 31 - The pope, suffering a flare-up of a sciatica condition that causes pain in his right leg, misses New Year's Eve and New Year's Day services - the first time health problems caused him to skip major religious 11 - Francis, in another step towards greater equality for women in the Roman Catholic Church, changes Church law, saying they can serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers and distributors of 21 - A Vatican court convicts Angelo Caloia, a former head of the Vatican bank, on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, making him the highest-ranking Vatican official to be convicted of a financial 5 - Resuming trips after the COVID crisis, Francis makes the first visit by a pontiff to 4 - Has surgery to remove part of his colon, spends 11 days in hospital to 16 - In blow to conservatives, Francis overturns the decisions of his two predecessors and re-imposes restrictions on the old-style Latin Mass preferred by traditionalist Catholics. October 29 - U.S. President Joe Biden says after meeting the pope that the pontiff had told him he was a "good Catholic" who can receive communion, widening gulf with conservative prelates.. February 25 - Departing from protocol, the pope visits the Russian embassy to the Vatican to relay personally his concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the following weeks and months he repeatedly calls for an end to the war and grows increasingly critical of Moscow for launching the 24 - Starts a six-day visit to Canada where he repeatedly asks forgiveness for sexual abuse at schools for indigenous children run by Catholic 31 - Pope Benedict dies in the Vatican monastery where he had lived since his resignation in 11 - The conservative Cardinal Pell dies in Rome. It is later revealed that he had penned an anonymous 2021 memo condemning Francis's papacy as a "catastrophe".March 29 - Francis is admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome with a respiratory 7 - Francis is admitted to Gemelli hospital for an operation on his 4 - The pope starts a month-long summit of bishops to discuss potentially momentous issues for the Church. However, the meeting ends without taking clear stands on issues such as women deacons and welcoming the LGBT 11 - In a very rare move, Francis dismisses Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, one of his fiercest critics among U.S. Catholic 28 - In a further move targeting a conservative critic, Francis punishes U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke by evicting him from a large Vatican apartment and revoking his 28 - The pope cancels a planned trip to the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai after suffering a lung 18 - The Vatican says in a landmark ruling approved by Francis that Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or 14 - Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to address a Group of Seven summit, telling leaders about the potential risks and benefits of artificial 2 - Starts a 12-day visit to four island nations across Southeast Asia and Oceania, travelling nearly 33,000 km (20,500 miles) in the longest trip of his 26 - Francis undertakes a four-day visit to Belgium and Luxembourg, where he is sharply criticised over the Church's mishandling of clergy sexual abuse cases and its treatment of 2 - The pope starts a month-long summit of Catholic bishops at the Vatican, the second in two years. It discusses contentious issues such as women's leadership, but the gathering ends without enacting any major 22 - The Vatican extends its agreement with China over the appointment of Catholic bishops for a further four years. Conservative critics continue to label the deal a sellout to 7 - The pope appears at a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica with a large bruise on his chin, which the Vatican says is the result of a minor fall in his 24 - Francis opens the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, a special time of peace, forgiveness and pardon for Catholics that runs through early 6 - Pope Francis names Cardinal Robert McElroy, seen as a key progressive ally in the U.S., as the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C. The appointment comes days before President Donald Trump, whose immigration crackdown Francis criticised, retakes 6 - The Vatican says the pope is suffering from bronchitis but will keep his scheduled appointments. The pope had said the day before that he had a "strong cold".February 14 - The Vatican announces that the pope has been admitted to hospital for treatment of bronchitis. In later days, doctors announce he is battling double 23- The pope is discharged after a 38-day hospital 20 - On Easter Sunday, the pope enters St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile for the first time since his serious illness, greeting tens of thousands of Catholics after the Vatican's celebration of Easter Mass. He also has a brief private meeting at the Vatican with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
