Articles by Andrea Gagliarducci
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.
Islamist extremism is a major religious freedom threat. But not the only one.
Nov 15, 2016 / 17:30 pmReligious freedom is under threat worldwide from phenomena like Islamic “hyper-extremism,” but there are also other dangers, a new report from Aid to the Church in Need says.
'Beloved' Syria's new cardinal a sign of the Pope's closeness
Nov 15, 2016 / 06:08 amVatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has said that Francis’ decision to give a red hat to the longtime papal envoy to Syria is a sign of the Pope’s closeness to the Church and people on the ground amid the country's dire situation.
Vatican bishop lays out 'roadmap' for dialogue with Islam
Nov 8, 2016 / 00:18 amThere is a roadmap for dialogue with Islam, and its three landmarks are peace, justice and education, says a leading bishop on the subject.
What can Vatican-China relations learn from Vietnam?
Nov 2, 2016 / 23:01 pmAmid reports of a possible agreement concerning the appointment of Chinese bishops, it is useful to look at the Church’s relations with Vietnam as a possible model for the development of relations between China and the Holy See.
For EU's religious freedom envoy, Middle East is key arena
Oct 26, 2016 / 23:08 pmThe genocide of Yazidis and Christians in the Middle East and the refugee crisis should be a priority for Europe, the EU special envoy for religious freedom has said.
What's the thought behind Pope Francis' choices for cardinals?
Oct 12, 2016 / 23:08 pmWith the Consistory of Cardinals in November, Pope Francis will shape the College of Cardinals to give the widest representation to the countries of the world and to minimize the possibility of encouraging any sort of careerism.
Pope Francis and China – attempts for a thaw?
Oct 5, 2016 / 02:03 amImproved Holy See relations with China are a major effort of this papacy, with an ongoing focus on disputes appointment of bishops and diplomatic recognition of neighboring Taiwan.
Georgian Catholics started from zero. What's next after the papal visit.
Oct 3, 2016 / 15:05 pmThe tiny community of the Catholic Church in Georgia was barely surviving just decades ago. Now it has an opportunity to regenerate itself following Pope Francis' model of the “Church of consolation,” the local Catholic bishop has said.
In Georgia visit, Pope finds a country of Christian tensions
Sep 30, 2016 / 15:13 pmPope Francis on his visit to Georgia will find a country where dialogue among Christians is particularly difficult, with cool relations between the Georgian Orthodox Church and the country’s tiny Catholic minority.