Articles by Andrea Gagliarducci
South Korean president seeks Pope's support in reconciliation efforts
May 30, 2017 / 23:29 pmOn the eve of President Trump’s visit to the Holy See, the newly elected president of South Korea sent a special envoy to ask for Vatican support in efforts to foster reconciliation in the Korean peninsula.
Pope Francis' newest cardinals show a global Church
May 22, 2017 / 14:08 pmOnly seven months after Pope Francis’ last consistory, he will create five new cardinals in June. He continues a pattern of finding cardinals at the peripheries of the world, from dioceses which have not traditionally had a cardinal.
Pope invited by bishops to address the future of Europe
May 19, 2017 / 17:32 pmPope Francis will deliver his fifth speech on the present and future of Europe during an event organized by the Commission of the European Bishops’ Conferences of the European community (COMECE).
Why Catholic teaching on marriage matters for society
Mar 2, 2017 / 14:52 pmAs Catholics continue to debate pastoral and doctrinal approaches to marriage, they should remember that the Catholic approach to marriage and the Eucharist has a direct impact on what the Church teaches about society as a whole, an expert on the Church’s social teaching has said.
In Rome, a new generation of Benedict XVI scholars is on the rise
Mar 2, 2017 / 00:04 amThe theological legacy of Benedict XVI continues, four years after his pontificate came to an end.
How Catholic hospitals can help heal Syria – literally
Feb 20, 2017 / 14:08 pmThere are about three million people without heath care in war-torn Syria, and the papal envoy to the country has launched a project to help some of them.
Pope Francis to visit Rome's Anglican community
Feb 17, 2017 / 00:08 amPope Francis will visit All Saints Anglican Church in Rome Feb. 26 to mark the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the Anglican parish community in the heart of the Eternal City.
Is a Vatican-China agreement close? What could happen.
Feb 15, 2017 / 00:01 amHopes are on the rise for an agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops, with Cardinal John Tong Hon, Archbishop of Hong Kong again making the case for a possible proposal.
What Egypt's Catholic bishops said to Pope Francis
Feb 14, 2017 / 00:08 amA special invitation to visit Egypt was delivered to Pope Francis by Coptic Catholic bishops during their ad limina visit Feb. 6, during which they also gave a report on the state of the Church in their country.
The Pope and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch met a year ago. Here's what's next.
Feb 12, 2017 / 03:02 amOne year ago marked a historic first meeting between a Pope and a Russian Orthodox Patriarch.
Krakow's new archbishop talks St. John Paul II and Divine Mercy
Feb 1, 2017 / 03:02 amThe archdiocese that once sent St. John Paul II to the papacy has a new archbishop: Marek Jedraszewski. The archbishop has special memories of the sainted Pope and the Divine Mercy devotion he brought to the world.
Renato Buzzonetti, doctor to four Popes, dies at 92
Jan 27, 2017 / 03:04 amWhen St. John Paul II was shot in St. Peter Square May 13, 1981, his car rushed into the Vatican and had to turn around the back of St. Peter’s Basilica to get to the Apostolic Palace. There, his personal doctor Renato Buzzonetti was waiting for him. Only after Buzzonetti made the first examination was St. John Paul II sent to Gemelli Hospital for the surgery that would save his life.
Cardinal Etchegaray's retirement means the end of an era
Jan 26, 2017 / 06:10 amAs Cardinal Roger Etchegaray leaves Rome to retire to France, his homeland, an era has closed.
What's behind Pope Francis' meeting with the Palestinian president
Jan 11, 2017 / 20:02 pmPope Francis' private audience with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas this Jan. 14 will be a delicate diplomatic moment for the Holy See.
For Cardinal Mueller, a humble faith is good for theology
Jan 4, 2017 / 00:04 amThe ideological efforts to change Catholic doctrine after the Second Vatican Council were deeply misguided, said Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and a leading interpreter of Benedict XVI.
How a sketchbook led one Chinese woman to the Catholic faith
Dec 18, 2016 / 17:02 pmYan Xu is an artist from the central China city of Wuhan. What she drew one day would change her life.
What happens when you give the Pope a birthday present?
Dec 17, 2016 / 03:04 amPope Francis will receive thousands of gifts for his 80th birthday Saturday, from heads of state and the ordinary faithful.
Why famed atheist Stephen Hawking is on a pontifical academy
Dec 2, 2016 / 03:35 amStephen Hawking’s visit to the Vatican this week has raised curiosity, with some asking what exactly the famed astrophysicist and self-proclaimed atheist was doing in the heart of the Catholic Church.
In Syrian monastery, priest who escaped ISIS sees signs of hope
Nov 27, 2016 / 06:48 amThe fourth-century saint Mar Elian’s relics survived the Islamic State’s destruction of the Syrian monastery that bears his name, and a priest who escaped captivity says these are among the signs of hope for Syria.
So what is a consistory, anyway?
Nov 18, 2016 / 15:26 pmIn a simple rite this Saturday, 17 prelates will receive a red biretta from Pope Francis and thus join the College of Cardinals.