Authors /

Claire Giangravé

Claire Giangravé is the Religion News Service Vatican correspondent.

Francis calls relations with China 'respectful' after Mongolia trip

Pope Francis praised the openness of the Chinese people and stated Russian culture must not be canceled because of politics during a news conference on Monday where he railed on the dangers of impe...

September 6, 2023

News

Liturgy for Benedict’s funeral mass highlights unity in a divided church

Under a foggy gray sky on January 5, a historic funeral in St....

January 9, 2023

News

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at 95

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who will be remembered for being the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to resign in 600 year...

December 31, 2022

News

Ex-Vatican auditor sues, threatens to expose financial mismanagement

Former Vatican financial auditor Libero Milone filed suit on November 4 against the Vatican Secretariat of State, demanding th...

November 11, 2022

News

Vatican extends, defends secret deal with China on making bishops

A controversial deal between the Vatican and the Chinese government on the appointment of bishops was extended on Saturday, ac...

October 24, 2022

News

Adviser to Pope Francis calls resignation rumors ‘cheap soap opera’

In an interview published June 8, Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga dismissed rumors circulating in the media that the pope might resign as nothing more than “a cheap soap opera.”...

June 27, 2022

News

Vatican rises to Benedict XVI’s defense after Munich abuse report

After a damaging report on clergy sexual abuse in the archdiocese headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican on January 26 defended the emeritus pope, advis...

February 7, 2022

News

In Rome and at the Vatican, Biden receives warm welcome

In Rome and at the Vatican, President Joe Biden found a safe haven from the debates taking place back home, where some US bishops argue Catholic politicians should not be allowed to receive communi...

November 15, 2021

News

On historic Iraqi trip, Pope Francis courts criticism, inspires hope

Pope Francis became the first Roman pontiff to visit Iraq when he embarked on his March 5–8 apostolic visit....

March 22, 2021

News

Plans for new Tolkien center draw praise, concerns

about proselytization

Fantasy novel enthusiasts want to turn the Oxford house of J. R. R....

February 8, 2021

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New documentary on slain Guatemalan bishop debuts on HBO

A new HBO documentary on the legacy of Guatemalan Catholic bishop Juan Gerardi, who was murdered in the aftermath of the country’s long civil war, highlights the role of Catholic clergy in the figh...

December 28, 2020

People

Cardinal George Pell released from prison, assault charges dropped

Cardinal George Pell, who was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted in late 2018 of the sexual assault of an underage choirboy in the late 1990s, was released April 7 in Australia...

April 20, 2020

People

Benedict XVI removes name from controversial new book

On January 14, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI asked not to be mentioned as coauthor of a book scheduled for release in February, according to a close aide....

January 26, 2020

News

Vatican ends policy of secrecy in handling of clergy abuse cases

When Pope Francis announced on December 17 that he had abolished pontifical secrecy for cases of clerical sexual abuse, some observers compared the move to a regime opening its secret files, bringi...

January 13, 2020

People

Luis Antonio Tagle appointed to head of Vatican evangelization office

In a surprise move, Pope Francis on December 8 appointed Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila as the head of Propaganda Fide, the major Vatican department for evangelization....

December 30, 2019

News

It’s immoral even to possess nuclear weapons, says pope

Pope Francis’s view on nuclear weapons can be summed up in a few simple words. Just say no....

December 16, 2019