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See - Sada Elbalad
18-05-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Pope Leo XVI Inaugurated in Grand Mass Witness Heavy World Leaders Presence
Rana Atef On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV was officially inaugurated at a major mass, marking the official start of his papacy. The Pope arrived in St. Peter's Square in the white Popemobile, waving to the crowds. He was given the Ring of the Fisherman by a cardinal. This ring is a symbol of his role, and it's a tradition that dates back to the time of Saint Peter, who was a fisherman. Pope Leo XIV gets emotional as he receives the Fisherman's Ring, a special gold ring bearing the image of St. Peter and the Pope's name and seal. Cardinal Tagle put the ring on him. #popeleoxiv #inaugurationMass #vatican #catholicchurch — EWTN News (@EWTNews) May 18, 2025 Pope Leo also received the pallium, a strip of lambswool, symbolizing his role as a shepherd. World leaders including Vice President JD Vance, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among those attending, as well as Canadian and Italian leaders Mark Carney and Giorgia Meloni. Queen of Spain, Queen of Belgium, Grand Duchess Maria of Luxembourg, and Princess of Monaco are exercising their Privilège du Blanc today, that allows certain Catholic Queens and Consorts to wear white at the Vatican. 🔗 — The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) May 18, 2025 The kings and queens of Spain and Belgium and the grand duke and grand duchess of Luxembourg also attended the grand event. In addition, the President of Lebanon attended and had a chat with the newly inaugurated Pope. The new Pope prayed for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War
Herald Malaysia
16-05-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Future Pope Leo XIV's doctoral thesis offers clues to his pontificate
Pope Leo XIV earned his doctorate in canon law from Rome's Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where his thesis on the leadership of the Augustinian order may give insight into how the new pope will govern the Catholic Church, according to the university's rector. May 16, 2025 Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White reads the thesis of then-Father Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, titled 'The Role of the Local Prior in the Order of St. Augustine,' which Prevost wrote while a student at Rome's Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in the early 1980s. Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News By Hannah Brockhaus Pope Leo XIV earned his doctorate in canon law from Rome's Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where his thesis on the leadership of the Augustinian order may give insight into how the new pope will govern the Catholic Church, according to the university's rector. In an interview with EWTN News, Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White said he imagines that Leo XIV's canon law formation will influence his governance as pope by providing 'a balance between being consultative and making final decisions,' balance that would be familiar to Leo after 12 years of experience leading a religious order. White, the university's first American rector, also pointed out that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Leo XIV did their doctoral work at the Angelicum, as it's commonly called: 'For our university, it's just an unspeakable honor that we've been involved in the formation of two of the last four popes.' Leo studied for a canonical licentiate (the coursework for a doctorate) at the Angelicum from 1981 to 1983 after making his solemn vows in the Order of St. Augustine in August 1981. He was ordained a priest in June 1982, in the midst of his studies, and in 1985 he completed his doctorate with a thesis titled 'The Role of the Local Prior in the Order of St. Augustine.' According to White, Father Prevost's thesis has a vision that could be extended beyond the Augustinian rule and the role of the order's prior to be applied to the episcopacy, and even to the papacy. 'It's a really mature work of a 30-year-old who's extremely learned, very well read, and deeply thoughtful and spiritual,' the Dominican said. The thesis, he explained, reflects 'on obedience and authority in the Catholic Church and the communal nature of shared life, or communion of persons, the respect of conscience, the respect of the human persons, gifts, the talents of the brethren, and also the limitations or sufferings of the brethren, and how the prior is supposed to refer himself to Christ and to the rule, and cultivate a selfless way of life for the service of the common good of all.' The pope's doctoral writing also explores, according to White, how the superior of a religious order must respect the consciences of the order's members, working with the freedom of each person while ultimately having 'the responsibility to make final decisions and to assure the communion and unity of the group in question.' Then-Father Prevost studied at the Angelicum during what White called 'the golden age of our canon law faculty.' The university's canon law professors in the early '80s helped Pope John Paul II prepare and edit the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which is still in effect today. He said what is evident from the future pope's thesis is that he learned a theory of obedience where 'obedience is something exerted through the life of the mind, open to the truth of the faith, the truth indicated by the rule of life, and the will is to consent freely by understanding a shared truth the community wants to live together.' The rector called it a balanced but 'demanding version of obedience,' very respectful of people in the context of a shared set of goals based on the truths of the Catholic faith. 'So his Dominican vision of obedience, if I could put it that way, and his study as a canonist in the Augustinian friars, that's something that probably is really deep in him and probably very helpful,' White noted. The topic of Pope Leo XIV's thesis on the prior general of the Augustinians later became of greater practical significance when then-Father Prevost was himself elected prior general in 2001, leading the order until 2013. 'It's really interesting,' White noted, 'how God prepared him for this kind of task of being a leader in the Catholic Church who's respectful of [everyone].'--CNA
Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Meet the US Catholic TV network that drew the ire of Pope Francis
Montse Alvarado, President and COO of EWTN News (Eternal Word Television Network) a U.S.-based media bringing news to Catholics worldwide, poses for a portrait before a live broadcast near square at the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Staff of EWTN News (Eternal Word Television Network) a U.S.-based media bringing news to Catholics worldwide, work at their headquarters near the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo NEW YORK - As cardinals gather in Rome this week to select the next pope, global news networks covering every twist and turn will be competing against a small but influential Catholic broadcaster based in the Alabama town of Irondale. The Eternal Word Television Network was launched by a nun named Mother Angelica in the garage of the town's Our Lady of the Angels monastery in 1981. Since then, it has grown into a global media conglomerate with nearly a dozen TV stations, a book publishing division, a newspaper and radio affiliates. Along the way, it has emerged as a beacon for conservative Catholics and a potent voice in Trump-era politics -- not to mention an occasional critic of the late Pope Francis, who complained about it "bad-mouthing" him. The majority of EWTN programming deals with the Catholic ministry: broadcasting Mass, specials on saints, rosary prayers and talk shows centered on family, marriage and faith. But it also airs a sizable dose of news and political content, with a particular appeal to conservatives: President Donald Trump has appeared on the network several times, one of the network's top hosts is a Fox News contributor and another anchor just left EWTN for the Trump-friendly Newsmax. "I think EWTN has a great deal of influence on certain portions of the Catholic population in the U.S.," said James Martin, an American Jesuit priest, writer and editor-at-large of America, the Jesuit magazine. "Many Catholics, even if they may not agree with their commentary at times, find them to be the place where they turn for church news and events." Martin said it was hard to know if it would have any influence on the conclave, which starts on Wednesday when cardinals gather to choose a successor to Francis. Participants are sworn to secrecy about discussions and votes, which could last for several days. "I'm sure some of the cardinals watch," said Martin. "On the other hand, some of the cardinals, because of their cultural background, might be less inclined to listen because it's an American media company. So perhaps it's a wash." EWTN's rise was mirrored in the United States by that of the evangelical right, as issues such as abortion and homosexuality became entwined with national politics during the culture wars of the Reagan era. Mother Angelica, the founder, who died in 2016, used her popular television show to criticize efforts to liberalize the church. The network has proven adept at wedding "spiritual content and political news for conservative Catholics," according to Michelle Nickerson, a historian at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit school. "EWTN is part of a broader expansion of conservative Christian media," she said. Some of the network's programming was critical of Francis, who denounced Trump's mass deportation plans in February and broke from tradition by allowing priests to perform same-sex marriage blessings. Francis took note of EWTN's criticism, telling a network reporter and cameraman in 2021 that EWTN "should stop bad-mouthing me," according to America, the Jesuit magazine. Months later, addressing a gathering of Jesuits, he said, "There is, for example, a large Catholic television channel that has no hesitation in continually speaking ill of the pope. I personally deserve attacks and insults because I am a sinner, but the church does not deserve them." "They are the work of the devil," he added. Montse Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, said EWTN gave Francis a platform by broadcasting his words and letting him speak for himself – a reflection of the network's love for him. She noted that Francis' comment was made in 2021, but he later gave his blessing to a movie made by the network's Irish unit. "I doubt Pope Francis watched much TV," Alvarado said, adding that EWTN includes a diversity of opinion. "We are proud of our wall-to-wall coverage of the Church and Pope Francis's pontificate." She described EWTN in an interview as an "apostolate", or having a mission from God. "Our mission is to defend the church, to share the teachings of the church with the world – and to use our talents to that end, to be a platform for other people who want to do the same," Alvarado said. READY FOR WHOEVER IS CHOSEN From its headquarters in Irondale and broadcast studios in Washington, D.C. and Rome, EWTN operates 11 global TV channels 24 hours a day, as well as satellite and AM/FM radio affiliates, a book publishing division, the National Catholic Register newspaper and the Catholic News Agency, among other properties. Since the last conclave in 2013, the non-profit EWTN, together with its three affiliates, has almost doubled its revenue -- to roughly $100 million in the fiscal year ending in June 2023, according to its most recent tax filings. EWTN and its affiliates generate revenue from advertising, sales of books and religious items, and donations, including from Catholic groups such as the Knights of Columbus and private foundations. Still, its audience is narrow compared with mainstream broadcasters. EWTN's U.S. cable audience swells during coverage of Easter Sunday Mass and other special events, but is relatively small on a day-to-day basis, reaching an average of 21,500 daily U.S. households in 2024. That's about the same as five years earlier, according to Comscore data. It draws additional viewers on its website, where visitors can stream content for free - roughly 174,000 average monthly unique viewers in 2024 - and reaches another 3.4 million subscribers and followers through its social media platforms. Comscore said more than 40,000 U.S. households watched Francis' funeral on EWTN's cable channel, compared to more than 1 million on the ABC television network. An EWTN spokesperson said online streaming in English and Spanish combined had generated 30 million YouTube views since Francis' death. Alvarado said that the company is focused on growing its audience outside the United States, where cable TV is not facing such steep declines; investing in streaming; and growing a younger audience on social media. She added, however, that EWTN does not monitor ratings because of Mother Angelica's insistence that they should work just as hard for one viewer as one million. EWTN has been covering the papal transition with daily live broadcasts in English, Spanish and four other languages. On May 7, it will increase to twice-daily broadcasts on cable and on social media for what it is calling "chimney watch" -- a nod to the smoke that will emerge from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel to signal whether a new pope has been selected. It is also producing more than 130 video packages about each of the cardinals. "We're ready whoever comes through that window, whoever is announced when the white smoke goes up, we want to share with the world who that person is," Alvarado said. "Because ultimately, our fidelity is to the institution and whoever it is that's leading the church." "That's our leader, too. That's our Papa," she added, using the Italian word for Pope. Alvarado declined to comment on who might be the next pope. POLITICAL INFLUENCE EWTN has a strong presence at the Vatican, where it has what is likely the largest Catholic newsroom in Rome, with dozens of print and TV journalists under the EWTN brand and the ACI brand. They publish in Italian, Spanish, and German, and there is a dedicated African news service. Michael Warsaw, EWTN's chief executive, is also one of 21 official "consultors" for the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication, which oversees all the Vatican's media entities. Closer to home, EWTN is part of the growing U.S. conservative media ecosystem that has gained newfound access to the White House under Trump. Raymond Arroyo, the host of EWTN's political show and the network's most visible star, is a Fox News contributor who makes regular appearances on conservative commentator Laura Ingraham's program. Arroyo has conducted friendly interviews with several members of the Trump administration in recent weeks, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and his "World Over" show has featured a recurring segment with a panel of Francis skeptics that criticized the recent pontificate. He has been broadcasting from Rome since Francis' death. The White House did not answer questions about EWTN but said there was "no greater advocate for religious liberty and Christians" than Trump. Trump, whose Truth Social account posted an AI-generated photo showing him as the pope over the weekend, has made a handful of appearances on EWTN, including a 2020 interview on EWTN News Nightly and an interview with Arroyo in October. Alvarado said that Arroyo's show represents just one hour a week out of 24-hour daily programming, and that EWTN has had Francis on the network much more than Arroyo. In November, Catholics voted for Trump 59%-39%, a 12 percentage point swing from 2020 when Catholic Joe Biden beat Trump, according to exit polling by Edison Research. EWTN's content defies easy categorization, Alvarado said. Yet she acknowledges that EWTN is defined as conservative because of its stance on marriage and life. "We're pro the immigrant and the poor and social services, universal health care, all of these things that you would put in a bucket of progressives or liberals," she said. "We also believe in supporting the family. We believe in taking care of life from the womb to the tomb – that would today be thrown in the conservative bucket." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pope Francis will be known for supporting those in the margins: Journalist
Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Catholic Church, died on Monday, one day after Easter and nearly a month since his release from the hospital. Colm Flynn, a Vatican correspondent for EWTN News, says Francis worked up until his death despite doctors' strict orders to rest for at least two months after his hospital stay. Flynn discusses the legacy Francis will be remembered for. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pope Francis' family hopeful but realistic: Vatican correspondent
Pope Francis was sitting upright and receiving therapy for double pneumonia Wednesday, the Vatican said, as Argentines and Romans gathered in the Eternal City to pray for his recovery. Colm Flynn, a Vatican correspondent at EWTN News, says Francis' nephew and family are hopeful but realistic about his health condition. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
