Vatican news stories on Newser

Vatican: This Is Not an Exorcism

Rob Quinn — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:20:05 CDT

Pope Francis was merely praying in a video that some claim shows him performing an exorcism on a Mexican pilgrim, the Vatican says. In the video—broadcast on a TV station owned by the Italian Bishops' Conference—the man convulses and then goes limp after the stern-faced pontiff places his...

Vatican Sends Disgraced UK Cardinal Away for 'Penance'

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:58:40 CDT

The Vatican yesterday ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct , issuing a rare public sanction against a "prince of the church" and the first such punishment meted out by Pope Francis. The Vatican said Keith O'Brien , once Britain's highest-ranking...

A Look at Pope Francis' 1st Round of Saints

Sun, 12 May 2013 07:28:46 CDT

Pope Francis has made hundreds of new saints at his first canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square. Here is a look at the people receiving the Church's highest honor: Antonio Pezzulla and 812 fellow martyrs: In 1480, some 20,000 Turkish troops overran Italy's citadel of Otranto, and beheaded 813...

It Just Got Tougher to Launder Money in Vatican

Ruth Brown — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:47:00 CDT

The Vatican is continuing efforts to scrub its financial reputation: It yesterday inked a deal with the US in which each will share information about financial transactions, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move is intended to help surface any money laundering. The Vatican Bank came under heavy scrutiny during...

The Vatican: Now With 100% More Pope

Ruth Brown — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:07:06 CDT

Former Pope Benedict XVI is lugging his suitcases back to the Vatican today—marking the first time two popes have ever simultaneously lived behind Vatican walls. Benedict has been staying at the pontifical summer residence since abdicating in February, but will fly via official papal helicopter to his new home,...

19th-Century German Nun Performed Miracle: Vatican

Kate Seamons — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 18:30:05 CDT

For anyone looking for a miracle amidst the gloomy news, the Vatican provides: The Denver Post reports that Pope Francis has set a 19th-century German nun on a journey toward sainthood after verifying she was responsible for healing a Colorado Springs boy in 1999. In the first days of his...

Frugal Pope: No 'New Pope' Bonus for Vatican Workers

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:00:05 CDT

The global economic crisis is hitting Vatican employees in their cassock pockets. The Vatican said yesterday that Pope Francis, known for his frugal ways, decided Vatican employees won't be getting the bonus that traditionally comes with the election of a new pope. In the past, the Vatican's 4,500-plus workers—...

Pope May Radically Shake Up Vatican Bank

Kevin Spak — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:20:05 CDT

Pope Francis intends to take a critical look at the scandal-plagued Vatican Bank , with an eye toward restructuring it or even closing it entirely, Vatican sources tell Reuters . While the changes will likely be a while in coming—the pope's first order of business will be shaking up the Secretariat...

Pope Shuns Palace Apartment

Rob Quinn — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:39:22 CDT

Pope Francis, much like his saintly namesake, is keeping things simple. He has shunned the fancy robes favored by his predecessor, and now he's broken with a tradition more than a century old by declining to move into the grand papal apartment in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, Reuters reports. For...