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Herald Malaysia
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Archbishop Paglia concludes mandate as President of Pontifical Academy for Life
In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia discusses the conclusion of his service as President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, explaining that it is ordinary practice in the Roman Curia that, upon turning 80, all appointments expire. May 27, 2025 Archbishop Paglia speaks at a previous conference in Chile ((Conferencia Episcopal Chilena)) Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia recently returned from an international conference in Argentina, where he reiterated that life must always be protected, at every stage. Now, he has concluded a decade of work as the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, a post the late Pope Francis entrusted to him in August 2016. Speaking to the Italian newspaper La Stampa , Archbishop Paglia noted that his 80th birthday was on April 20, 2025. 'Pope Francis asked me to continue' A few days ago, Pope Leo XIV appointed Cardinal Baldassare Reina to succeed Archbishop Paglia as Grand Chancellor for the Pontifical 'John Paul II' Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. 'It's ordinary practice in the Roman Curia,' the Archbishop explained to La Stampa . 'Once you reach 80, all assignments expire. I turned 80 on the very day Pope Francis died, which delayed the notification.' 'Obviously,' he stressed, 'this also ends my mandate as President of the Pontifical Academy for Life.' Archbishop Paglia added that he had already submitted his resignation to the late Pope Francis upon turning 75, 'as everyone does,' adding that 'the Pope told me to continue until I was 80.' 'World is collapsing; fraternity is urgent' Archbishop Paglia spoke on bioethics at the international conference organized by the Catholic University of Buenos Aires to mark the 10th anniversary of the encyclical Laudato si' . He reaffirmed the Church's desire to defend life 'in every context, at every stage, and at every age.' In a world 'falling to pieces,' he said, we urgently need to 'set out to achieve genuine fraternity both among peoples and with creation.' He said we need 'a vision of a pacified humanity—a new humanism. The path exists: a disarmed, disarming, humble, and persevering peace. These are words spoken on May 8 by Pope Leo XIV. May they guide and inspire us.'--Vatican News
Observer
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Pope takes message of dialogue, unity to the Curia
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV took his message of building bridges and promoting dialogue to the Roman Curia on Saturday, in his first audience with members of the Catholic Church's governing body. The late Pope Francis had sometimes difficult relations with the Curia and Vatican officials, accusing them early in his papacy of "spiritual Alzheimer's" and a lust for power. The new pontiff, the first from the United States, said on Saturday that his inaugural meeting was an opportunity to say thanks for all their work. "Popes come and go, the Curia remains," Leo told the audience of officials, staff and their families in the Vatican's vast Paul VI hall. He repeated his first words from St Peter's Basilica when he became pope on May 8, where he urged people to "build bridges" and to welcome "with open arms, everyone who needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love". "If we must all cooperate in the great cause of unity and love, let us try to do so first of all with our behaviour in everyday situations, starting from the work environment," the pope said. "Everyone can be a builder of unity with their attitudes towards colleagues, overcoming inevitable misunderstandings with patience and humility, putting themselves in the shoes of others, avoiding prejudices, and also with a good dose of humour, as Pope Francis taught us." From decentralising power and increasing transparency to providing greater roles for lay people and women, Francis implemented several reforms of the Roman Curia. But his criticism left a lasting impression among many officials, and he also drew accusations of being too authoritarian in his governance, regularly bypassing the administrative bodies of the Holy See. In 2024, the Vatican also saw an unprecedented strike by around 50 employees of the Vatican Museums over their working conditions. The pope spent two decades working in Peru but for the past two years was head of the Vatican department responsible for appointing bishops worldwide.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV reinstates conclave bonus for Vatican staff
Pope Leo XIV has revived a former Vatican tradition and granted employees a bonus of €500 ($568) for the election of each new pontiff, Italian media reported. The so-called conclave bonus was abolished in 2013 under former pope Francis but was reportedly reinstated on Friday, before Leo's first official audience with the Roman Curia - the administrative institutions of the Holy See - and employees. The bonus is intended as thanks for work conducted during the interim period following Francis' death on April 21 and the election of Leo as the new head of the Catholic Church on May 8, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. The revival of the bonus should sit well with the more than 4,000 employees of the Holy See and the Vatican State. During Francis' pontificate, the Papal States had to implement numerous austerity measures due to persistent budget deficits - including salary cuts for cardinals. Nevertheless, a job there is considered attractive, especially as employees do not pay income tax.
Arab News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pope takes message of dialogue, unity to the Curia
VATICAN: Pope Leo XIV took his message of building bridges and promoting dialogue to the Roman Curia on Saturday, in his first audience with members of the Catholic Church's governing body. The late Pope Francis had sometimes difficult relations with the Curia and Vatican officials, accusing them early in his papacy of 'spiritual Alzheimer's' and a lust for power. The new pontiff, the first from the United States, said Saturday that his inaugural meeting was an opportunity to say thanks for all their work. 'Popes come and go, the Curia remains,' Leo told the audience of officials, staff and their families in the Vatican's vast Paul VI hall. He repeated his first words from St. Peter's Basilica when he became pope on May 8, where he urged people to 'build bridges' and to welcome 'with open arms, everyone who needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.' 'If we must all cooperate in the great cause of unity and love, let us try to do so first of all with our behavior in everyday situations, starting from the work environment,' the pope said. 'Everyone can be a builder of unity with their attitudes toward colleagues, overcoming inevitable misunderstandings with patience and humility, putting themselves in the shoes of others, avoiding prejudices, and also with a good dose of humor, as Pope Francis taught us.' From decentralising power and increasing transparency to providing greater roles for lay people and women, Francis implemented several reforms of the Roman Curia. But his criticism left a lasting impression among many officials, and he also drew accusations of being too authoritarian in his governance, regularly bypassing the administrative bodies of the Holy See. In 2024, the Vatican — where trade unions are not recognized — also saw an unprecedented strike by around 50 employees of the Vatican Museums over their working conditions. The pope spent two decades working in Peru but for the past two years was head of the Vatican department responsible for appointing bishops worldwide.
Malay Mail
18-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Pope Leo XIV: Mild-mannered American with global view
VATICAN CITY, May 19 — With 10 days under his belt as pope, Leo XIV has already shown himself to be a mild yet focused bridge-builder, with a soft spot for the underdog and a passion for tennis. On May 8, Robert Francis Prevost made history as the first pope from the United States but his experience goes well beyond his Chicago roots. The 69-year-old pontiff saw the challenges facing the worldwide Catholic Church up close in two decades as a missionary in the poor Andean nation of Peru, where he holds dual citizenship. And he already has a keen grasp of the inner workings of the Vatican, thanks to two years in a powerful role within the Roman Curia. With his calls this week for peace and in railing against inequality and social injustice, Pope Leo has drawn parallels with his reforming predecessor, Pope Francis, who died April 21. But the quiet, understated American has already signalled a change in style with the charismatic and impulsive Argentine. Vatican watchers are predicting his less confrontational tone may help him make inroads with those who may disagree with him—inside and outside the Church. Playing priest Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in a working-class, predominantly Catholic neighbourhood of Chicago to parents of French, Italian and Spanish descent. From an early age, the future Leo played priest, buying candy discs to use as communion wafers and passing them out to other neighbourhood children, according to his older brother, Louis. He recalled telling his six-year-old brother, 'You're gonna be the pope.' Prevost attended a minor Augustinian seminary in St Louis as a novice, going onto take a mathematics degree from Philadelphia's Villanova University, an Augustinian institution. In 1985, he joined the Augustinians in Peru for the first of two long missions in the country that came to strongly mark his character, according to those who know him. An early sign of his global outlook came when he spoke Spanish from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica just minutes after being elected pope. Locals in the northern Chiclayo diocese in Peru, where he was appointed apostolic administrator in 2014, have since described him as a calm and humble person, who would visit soup kitchens and don tall rubber boots to muck out homes during downpours. He also had a big appetite for the local dish of chicharron, fried pork belly or chicken, and ceviche, or marinated raw fish. A long-time fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, Leo is keen on tennis, describing himself as 'quite the amateur tennis player'. An early perk of the job came this week when he met with world men's number one Jannik Sinner, who gave him a raquet and suggested a quick rally in the sumptuous setting. 'We'd better leave it,' joked Leo. 'Can't turn back' The new pope also knows his way around the Vatican. In 2023, he was appointed by Francis to lead the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Vatican department that advises the pontiff on appointments, and later that year was made a cardinal. Fellow prelates describe him as a pragmatic consensus builder, with a softer style than Francis but the same commitment to Catholics from the 'peripheries'—overlooked areas far from Rome—and a strong sense of social justice. His awareness of global Church challenges was honed by two consecutive terms as the global head of the Augustinians, a mendicant order keenly focused on missionary work and charity. He also has a masters in divinity from Chicago's Catholic Theological Union in 1982, and a doctorate in canon law in Rome—a grounding seen as reassuring to more conservative cardinals who have sought a greater focus on theology from the pope. After Francis's 12-year papacy, which was marked by reforms but also divisions within the Church, the then Cardinal Prevost said there was 'still so much to do'. 'We can't stop, we can't turn back,' he told Vatican News last month. 'We have to see how the Holy Spirit wants the Church to be today and tomorrow, because today's world, in which the Church lives, is not the same as the world of ten or 20 years ago. 'The message is always the same: proclaim Jesus Christ, proclaim the Gospel, but the way to reach today's people, young people, the poor, politicians, is different,' he said. — AFP
