Oct 18 Catholic bishops nix pro-gay language from synod document in sign of split By Rialda Zukic Catholic bishops reversed on Saturday their initial welcome of gays, showing deep divisions on homosexuality and marriage at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Pope Francis. Continue reading
Oct 13 Watch Interpreting the Vatican’s language shift on homosexuality, divorce By PBS News Hour A gathering of bishops convened by Pope Francis broke new ground on some taboos of the Catholic faith. While there was no change in doctrine on cohabitation, divorce and homosexuality, the Church signaled a shift away from condemning people who… Continue watching
Oct 05 Pope Francis to bishops, cardinals: Work with ‘humble creativity’ By Rialda Zukic Pope Francis has called for a more humble approach on the Catholic Church's handling of matters such as divorce, pre-marital sex and contraception. Continue reading
Jul 09 Watch Pope Francis reforms scandal-ridden Vatican Bank in hopes of making it ‘boringly successful’ By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jun 13 Pope pledges neutrality in World Cup By News Desk In the spirit of fellowship, South America's first pope says he will remain neutral during the World Cup competition in Brazil this month. Continue reading
Jun 08 Pope Francis holds Middle East peace prayer summit By Kayla Ruble Pope Francis hosted the presidents of Israel and Palestine to the Vatican for a prayer summit on Sunday evening in a move meant to inspire a renewed interests in peace talks from both sides. Continue reading
May 27 Watch News Wrap: Egyptian voter turnout low despite extended polling By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Tuesday, the military-backed Egyptian government extended voting for a third day and kept polls open later to boost the number of voters, but Islamists boycotted the election over the Army crackdown that’s left hundreds dead or… Continue watching
May 26 Watch Pope Francis performs ‘balancing act’ of agendas on Middle East visit By PBS News Hour Juggling the political and religious rivalries between Israel and the Palestinians during his trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis called on Mahmoud Abbas and Shimon Peres to join him at the Vatican for prayer and reflection. Jeffrey Brown gets… Continue watching
May 26 Watch Pope Francis invites Israeli, Palestinian leaders for prayer at the Vatican By PBS News Hour In charged acts of political symbolism, Pope Francis stopped at some of the holiest sites for Jews and Muslims during a trip to the Middle East. Pope Francis called for renewed peace talks, and became the first pontiff to refer… Continue watching
May 26 Pope completes spiritual pilgrimage in Holy Land calling for unity and peace By Ellen Rolfes While the pope's spokesman said that Francis had "no political agenda or proposals to make" during his trip to Israel, Francis' presence in the Holy Land, in Palestinian territory and Jerusalem, was filled with political implications. Continue reading