Vatican Correspondent for @CNN | 📚American Hope: What Pope Leo XIV Means for the Church and the World; The Outsider | @officialcufc supporter
Rome, Lazio & London, UK
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Pope Francis says that the protests following the killing of #GeorgeFloyd had the spirit of the Good Samaritan.
“This movement did not pass by on the other side of the road when it saw the injury to human dignity caused by an abuse of power.”
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Pope Francis has visited Edith Bruck, a Holocaust survivor, at her home in Rome. The conversation, the Vatican says, retraced the “moments of light” in the “hell of the camps” along with the “fears and hopes” of the present day. 📸 Vatican Media
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Pope Francis has appointed pro-migrant bishop, Edward Weisenburger, as Archbishop of Detroit.
The bishop has in the past suggested "canonical penalties" to be imposed on Catholics involved in separating children from their families at the US-Mexico border.
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Pope Francis is improving and is no longer in ‘imminent danger,’ Vatican source says
cnn.com/2025/03/10/europe/po…
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A little boy, whose father has died, is overcome with emotion as he asks the #Pope a question. Francis beckons him over. Boy wants to know if his dad, a non believer, is in heaven. Pope: "God is a good father, how could he not save a good dad like yours?" piped.video/watch?v=cwREgr43…
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New cardinal, Bishop Robert McElroy, is firmly opposed to denying communion to pro-choice politicians saying the Eucharist must not be weaponised for political ends. The Pope’s appointment of McElroy sends a strong message to the US hierarchy…americamagazine.org/faith/20…
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Anthony Poola of Hyderabad, India: he is the first Dalit (the so-called “untouchable” caste) to be made a cardinal in the church’s history #consistory
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#PopeFrancis baptising 32 babies in the Sistine Chapel today: encourages mothers to breastfeed during the service and not to get upset if children make a noise.
“When a child cries in church, it’s a beautiful homily”
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Report: Vatican foreign minister asked if US Secretary of State @SecPompeo has tried to exploit/manipulate the Pope during the election campaign
“Well, yes, it’s one of the reasons the Pope is not meeting [with Pompeo]”
#Trump #USA #HolySee lastampa.it/vatican-insider/…
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Why is the Pope’s letter to @JamesMartinSJ so significant? It’s the first-ever written papal endorsement of a priest’s ministry to #LGBT Catholics
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Pope Leo today met Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, and was presented with letters & video from immigrants in the US. Leo said "the church cannot remain silent" in its response to President Trump's immigration policies (photos: Hope Border Institute)
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Major Archbishop Shevchuk says because of the curfew in Kyiv, meaning people must stay at home, the Church will come to the people.
“Our priests will descend to the underground, they will descend to the bomb shelter, and there they will celebrate the Divine Liturgy.” #Ukraine
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Jokes at the back of the papal plane, and non-stop surprises. What it was like to cover Pope Francis, a very human pope with a great sense of humour.
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Indonesia’s bishops arrive at Jakarta Cathedral: Pope Francis is due to address them and other church leaders this afternoon #indonesia
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Pope Leo XIV today criticized the “exclusionary mindset” in “political nationalisms.” He asked God to “open borders, break down walls, dispel hatred” #Pentecost
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Pope Francis calls for better homilies which he says are often a “disaster” & should be no longer than 8-10 minutes.
Full text (vatican.va/content/francesco…)
His remarks echo the synod working document which said “the quality of homilies is almost unanimously reported as a problem”
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Pope Francis, 87, from a wheelchair, washes the feet of 12 female prisoners at Rebibbia prison, Rome.
Emotional scenes with Francis emphasising in his homily the importance of humility, service, forgiveness.
#holythursday
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Pope Leo today with the “Conclave kids” from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy, Chicago. Their mock conclave ahead of the real one in May went viral.
📸Rev. Peter B. Mangum
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#PopeFrancis marries Paula and Carlos, an air steward and stewardess on board his plane. He performed ceremony after Church they wanted to be married in was destroyed in earthquake. Paperwork was done mid-air. (Pope’s signature bottom right) Photos: @antoniospadaro @inesanma
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Pope Leo XIV has said the Catholic Church must establish a culture that refuses to tolerate abuse in “any form,” as he thanked a Peruvian journalist for reporting on allegations of abuse inside a powerful Catholic group.
edition.cnn.com/2025/06/21/e…
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Pope Francis sends telegram to King Charles III on the death of the #Queen.
Francis pays tribute to the Queen’s “steadfast witness of faith” and assures the King of his prayers “as you now take up your high responsibilities.”
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Fr Mychal Judge, the first fatality of 9/11, who rushed to the World Trade Centre when he heard it had been hit. The former chaplain to the New York City Fire Department embodied a faith that serves without counting the cost. #September11 #20YEARS911
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Cardinal Arthur Roche, one of the cardinal electors tells CNN:
“It is clear from the speed with which Pope Leo’s election was done that Pope Francis had left the Church more united than naysayers would give him credit for.”
“We have a pastor of proven pastoral, theological and administrative experience combined with those human and spiritual qualities that are warmly welcoming and do not alienate.”
cnn.com/world/live-news/pope…
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The Vatican says that Pope Francis has personally visited the Russian Embassy to the Holy See to “express his concern” about the war in #Ukraine. This is a highly unusual move by the Pope, and a sign of his deep concern about the conflict.
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Pope Francis has given a powerful endorsement of Fr James Martin’s ministry to gay Catholics, praising the Jesuit priest for his “pastoral zeal” which Francis said “reflects the closeness of God” thetablet.co.uk/news/14258/p…
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Pope Leo cracks a joke in English at the beginning of a meeting with journalists.
His speech was, however, serious emphasising the importance of journalism and the church’s solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned and calling for their release.
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All smiles at the end of Pope Francis' meeting with comedians...Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert among those present #popefrancis
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Vatican: Pope Francis had a little party this afternoon with the medical team treating him at the Gemelli hospital as he marked the 12th anniversary since his election. They surprised him with a cake with candles.
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Pope Leo XIV to diplomats: "my own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn to chose to emigrate." He insists: "our dignity always remains unchanged" regardless of whether we are living "in our native land or in a foreign country".
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Pope Francis, who taught literature at a Jesuit school in the 1960s, has written a letter on why future priests (and all believers) must read novels & poems.
Francis says it is "unhealthy" that many training programmes see literature as "non-essential", and points out that "before our unremitting exposure to social media, mobile phones and other devices, reading was a common experience."
The pope says literature is an antidote to an "obsession with 'screens' and with toxic, superficial and violent fake news," and opens "new interior spaces."
His letter references T.S. Eliot, Borges, Proust, C.S. Lewis:
press.vatican.va/content/sal…
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Pope Francis has removed Bishop Joseph Strickland from the leadership of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas.
The move comes after an investigation which is understood to have found problems with his governance of the diocese including a breakdown in relations with priests & local bishops
He’s also accused Pope Francis of undermining the deposit of faith and has questioned Francis’ legitimacy.
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Pope Francis says that Patriarch Kirill “cannot become Putin’s altar boy.”
When the pair spoke Kirill tried to justify the invasion but Francis replied: “Brother, we are not state clerics, we cannot use the language of politics, but that of Jesus.” corriere.it/cronache/22_magg…
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Francis, addressing a @EnMovPop meeting, says it “saddens me” that some in the Church “get annoyed” by Catholic social doctrine.
“The Pope must not stop mentioning this teaching, even if it often annoys people, because what is at stake is not the Pope but the Gospel.”
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Pope Francis has landed in Jakarta, #Indonesia, the first stop on his visit to south east Asia and the Pacific.
On board the flight he was in good spirits and walked around the back of plane to greet the journalists travelling with him.
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Francis repeats two suggestions he has made for the post-pandemic world: a universal basic income “so that everyone in the world may have access to the most basic necessities” and shortening the working day to prevent overwork & those “overwhelmed by lack of work.”
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Vatican official: some say it’s “socialist” to talk about universal basic income post-Covid19
“But our answer is ‘hold on a minute, companies are asking for government help and that’s not socialist, but if poor people, or informal workers need help, that’s socialist?” (1/2)
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Cardinal Fernandez says something close to Pope Francis’s heart is that “our prayers be not only for him, but also for all those who, in this particular dramatic and suffering moment of the world, bear the heavy burden of war, sickness, and poverty.”
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“If our church is not marked by caring for the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy” ~ Saint Ignatius of Loyola (feast day, #31July) #ignatius500
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Pope Francis, when asked about the Trump administration's planned deportation of migrants, says: "if it is true, it will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill for the imbalance. It won't do. This is not the way to solve things.”
“Trump vuole iniziare l’espulsione dei migranti irregolari”
“Se è vero, sarà una disgrazia perché fa pagare ai poveri disgraziati il conto dello squilibrio”.
- Papa Francesco a #CTCF
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Pope Francis celebrating his 80th birthday; Cardinal Burke celebrating his 70th. Photos: Vatican media/Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
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Pope Leo XIV today: “The supreme rule in the Church is love….No one is excluded; we are all called to participate. No one possesses the whole truth; we must all humbly seek it and seek it together.”
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Pope Francis signals intention to remain in post with sign-off on three-year reform plan.
Reforms on the table include how to give greater roles to women in the Catholic Church & the greater inclusion of laity in governance and decision making.
cnn.com/2025/03/15/europe/po…
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NEW: Vatican announces that Holy Week/Easter Sunday celebrations will take place “without the physical presence of the faithful” and are expected to be live-streamed instead.
Unprecedented in modern times.
vatican.va/various/prefettur…
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Pope Francis plans to make first public appearance in five weeks on Sunday
cnn.com/2025/03/22/europe/po…
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A spokesman for Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, says the archbishop is sheltering from the bombing in Kyiv with many others under his cathedral.
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Vatican: this morning 25 homeless people, who are housed by the papal charities office, received the first dose of the #COVID19 vaccine. More groups are to follow in the coming days 📸 Vatican Media
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Pope Francis says he was inspired to visit Iraq after reading this book by @NadiaMuradBasee, a Yazidi human rights advocate & Nobel Peace Prize winner
“This is the underlying reason for my decision.” #Yazidi #Iraq
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Pope Francis, in remarks to Jesuits in Portugal published by @civcatt_en, talks about the "very strong reactionary attitude" among some Catholics in the US.
"The view of Church doctrine as monolithic is erroneous," he says.
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“From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters”
Pope Francis, in Ur, the birthplace of Abraham #PopeInIraq 🇮🇶
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Some personal news —
I am delighted to be joining CNN as their Vatican Correspondent @cnni
cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2…
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Pope Francis arrives at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta to preside at a Mass with #Indonesia’s Catholics
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Pope Leo carrying the cross up to the altar #jubileeofyouth
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Message from #PopeFrancis to Her Majesty the #Queen as the papal plane enters UK 🇬🇧 airspace on its way to Ireland 🇮🇪
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👶🏼 Delighted to announce that our baby boy, Thomas (Francis Arthur) Lamb, was born on Thursday 6 February 2020.
A brother to Joseph and Martha. Isabel and I are overjoyed 👶🏼
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Inter-religious prayer service for Pope Francis at the Mahabodhi Buddhist temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
📸Rev Jude Chryshantha, National Director, Social Communication
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Pope Francis delivering his “Urbi et Orbi” message: next to him is Albanian Cardinal Ernest Simoni, 94, who was twice sentenced to death by his country’s former communist regime & suffered 28 years of hard labour. A living example of #Easter hope.
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Pope Francis on @JamesMartinSJ: “A man who has values, a communicator who also knows how to teach you the way to communicate with God.” Francis also recommends his book “To Learn to Pray”. [Significant given the attacks Fr Martin has faced due to his ministry to LGBT Catholics]
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#PopeFrancis unveils a new sculpture of migrants and refugees in St Peter’s Square
“As Christians, we cannot be indifferent to the tragedy of old and new forms of poverty, to the bleak isolation, contempt and discrimination experienced by those who do not belong to ‘our’ group”
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We have a Pope from Latin America determined to implement the Second Vatican Council, in both word & spirit.
This still confuses some in the Church.
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By saying “homosexuality is not a sin” and that the catechism is “not set in stone” Cardinal Marx is making a simple point: the Church’s official teaching should at least be updated to make it clear that to be gay is not sinful…(1/3)
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Michael Sean Winters: “It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.” That is the Francis Revolution in nine words, a reminder that the beating heart of the Catholic faith is about charity.
ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-vo…
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Following Mass in Erbil, Pope Francis met Abdullah Kurdi, the father of Alan, who died aged 3 as the family tried to reach Europe from Syria.
The image of little Alan lying dead on a Turkish beach forced the world to face up to the refugee crisis #PopeFrancis 📸Vatican Media
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Crowds gathering for the noontime prayer led by Pope Leo XIV — it’s also a Jubilee day event for bands
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Pope Francis this afternoon met Edith Bruck, the writer and Holocaust survivor. The Vatican said the pair both stressed the importance of transmitting the memory of the past to younger generations so as to avoid repeating tragedies 📸 Vatican Media #HolocaustRemembranceDay
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These principles, he says, include the “preferential option for the poor, the universal destination of goods, solidarity, subsidiarity, participation, and the common good” and they belong to the “full tradition of the Church” #PopularMovementwithFrancis
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Cardinal Michael Czerny concludes a lecture in Mainz, Germany on evangelisation and the Church’s social teaching by paraphrasing St John Chrysostom: “If you do not find God in the stranger, in the refugee, in the poor, you will not find him in the Eucharist either”.
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Pope Francis has warned against the “heresy” of becoming a Church that is only for “the pure” and which refuses to translate the Christian message into contemporary language and thinking.
My story in @The_Tablet:
thetablet.co.uk/news/16285/c…
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Cardinal Joseph Tobin says any move to deny communion to public officials will throw the bishops into the “toxic partisan strife” which has caused divisions in the US and will be “profoundly alienating for people” #USCCB21
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Pope Francis makes clear the post-Vatican II vision of the church while in #Slovakia
“The church is not a fortress...looking out upon the world below…[it] is a community that seeks to draw people to Christ with the joy of the Gospel.”
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Pope Francis has asked two cardinals to make their way to #Ukraine to express “the Church’s solidarity with the suffering Ukrainian people”. More details 👇👇
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Pope Francis breaks another Vatican glass ceiling by appointing Sr Alessandra Smerilli as the acting no.2 at the Holy See's department for human development @VaticanIHD.
Sr Alessandra is the first woman to hold such a position in the Roman Curia.
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Pope Leo XIV, celebrating a Mass "For the Care of Creation" in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo, said during his homily: "we have to pray for the conversion of so many people, inside and outside the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for the common home."
vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/i…
📸 Vatican Media
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By placing restrictions on the Old Rite, Pope Francis has effectively asked traditionalists devoted to that celebration of the liturgy a question:
Do you stand with the Second Vatican Council or not?
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Pope Francis names Sr Rafaella Petrini as Secretary-General of the Vatican City State, the first woman to hold such a role. Another Vatican glass ceiling broken...
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NEW: Cardinal McElroy of Washington DC describes the rounding up & deportation of immigrants as "inhumane" and "morally repugnant".
In an interview with @CNN the cardinal discussed Trump's megabill, the role of women in the church & Iran.
edition.cnn.com/2025/07/03/a…
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Pope Francis today: "I have experienced how important good health care is, accessible to all, as it is in Italy and in other countries.
"This precious benefit must not be lost. It needs to be kept!"
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#PopeFrancis today sends an “affectionate greeting” to everyone in the US and that he is praying for those who died during the 6 January riot in Washington DC
“Violence is always self-destructive: nothing is gained with violence, so much is lost” #CapitolHill #CapitolRiots
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I caught up with @JamesMartinSJ in Rome, and asked him about his meeting with #PopeFrancis and what it means for his ministry to gay Catholics
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“I’ve been threatened with death many times, but I should say that as a Christian, I don’t believe in death. I believe in resurrection...A bishop will die, but the Church of God, which is the people, will never perish.”
St. Oscar Romero #24March
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Pope Francis, formally announcing Jubilee 2025, calls for richer countries to "forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them" as a "matter of justice."
He cites the "ecological debt" between global north and south.
Francis also requests "forms of amnesty or pardon" for prisoners and re-iterates his call for "the abolition of the death penalty" which he says is "a provision at odds with Christian faith."
The Jubilee year, which will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica on 24 December 2024, is focussed on the theme of hope.
Official announcement: press.vatican.va/content/sal…
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German synod assembly votes in favour of blessings for same-sex couples (161 in favour, 34 against, 11 abstentions) @DerSynodaleWeg
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Pope Francis in Assisi: "it is time that the poor be given back their voice because for too long their requests have remained unheard. It is time that eyes be opened to see the state of inequality in which many families live." #GiornataMondialedeiPoveri
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Antoine Kambanda, Archbishop of Kigali, becomes Rwanda's first cardinal.
He lost his parents and five siblings during the 1994 Rwandan genocide #Rwanda
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The Archbishop of Canterbury, @JustinWelby, in his sermon at the #queensfuneral: “those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten.”
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