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Tag: Vatican

  • Tinubu trades banters with Obi, Fayemi at Vatican

    Tinubu trades banters with Obi, Fayemi at Vatican

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday met with Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the Vatican City during the installation Mass of Pope Leo XIV.

    The three Nigerian political figures, who were in Rome for the high-profile religious event, exchanged pleasantries in a brief but symbolic encounter that was made public by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga via a post on his verified X handle.

    According to Onanuga, Fayemi, a Papal Knight and devout Catholic, spotted President Tinubu seated with other global leaders during the Mass and invited Obi to join him in greeting the President.

    Obi, also a staunch Catholic and Papal Knight, agreed.

    “Fayemi sighted President Tinubu, where he sat with other leaders, and asked Obi to follow him to pay homage to the Nigerian leader. Obi agreed,” Onanuga wrote.

    Read Also: Peter Obi greets Tinubu in Rome at Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration

    He added that Fayemi introduced the moment with a light-hearted remark to the President: “Mr. President, welcome to our church, and thank you for honouring the Pope with your presence.”

    President Tinubu responded in kind, quipping: “I should be the one welcoming you and Peter. I’m the Head of the Nigerian Delegation.”

    The exchange drew laughter from Obi, who replied, “Yes, indeed. We are members of your delegation.”

    The encounter, though brief, has drawn public attention back home, with many viewing it as a rare display of civility and mutual respect among political opponents.

    The moment at the Vatican comes amid broader calls for unity and collaboration among Nigeria’s political leaders, especially as the country navigates complex economic and security challenges.

  • BREAKING: White smoke rises from Vatican as cardinals elect new pope

    BREAKING: White smoke rises from Vatican as cardinals elect new pope

    White smoke billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel has signalled the successful election of a new pope by the College of Cardinals.

    Cheers erupted from the thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square as bells tolled across the Vatican, marking the historic moment.

    Although the identity of the new pontiff has not yet been disclosed, a senior cardinal is expected to make the formal announcement shortly with the traditional declaration, Habemus Papam – “We have a Pope” – followed by the pope’s chosen name.

    Read Also: Conclave to elect new Pope begins May 7

    As the smoke appeared, crowds surged forward, some waving flags, others praying quietly, and many were overcome with emotion.

    “It’s once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said one couple visiting from Greece.

    The new pope is expected to step out soon onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to deliver his first public greeting to the faithful.

  • Conclave meet to elect new Pope May 7, Vatican says

    Conclave meet to elect new Pope May 7, Vatican says

    Cardinals will meet next month in a secret conclave to elect the next pope, the Vatican has said.

    The closed-door meeting will start inside the Sistine Chapel on 7 May and will involve some 135 cardinals from across the world.

    It follows the death of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday and whose funeral was held on Saturday.

    There is no timescale as to how long it will take to elect the next pope, but the previous two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, lasted just two days.

    Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said cardinals will take part in a solemn mass at St Peter’s Basilica, after which those eligible to vote will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the secretive ballot.

    Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.

    There is only one round of voting on the first afternoon of the conclave, but the cardinals will vote up to four times every day afterwards.

    A new pope requires a two-thirds majority – and that can take time.

    Each cardinal casts his vote on a simple card that says, in Latin: “I elect as Supreme Pontiff” to which they add the name of their chosen candidate.

    If the conclave completes its third day without reaching a decision, the cardinals may pause for a day of prayer.

    Outside the Sistine Chapel the world will be watching for the smoke from the chimney.

    If the smoke is black, there will be another round of voting. White smoke signals that a new pope has been chosen.

    On Saturday, politicians and royalty joined thousands of mourners as Pope Francis’ funeral was held in St Peter’s Square.

    Read Also: Pope Francis: A quintessential religious and secular leader

    Hymns played out on giant speakers, occasionally drowned out by the sound of helicopters flying overhead, before 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re gave a homily on the pope’s legacy.

    After a ceremony, huge crowds lined the streets of Rome to watch as the Pope’s coffin was carried in a procession to his final resting place, Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

    Authorities said 140,000 people had lined the streets, clapping and waving as the hearse – a repurposed white popemobile – crossed the Tiber river and drove past some of Rome’s most recognisable sights: the Colosseum, the Forum and the Altare della Patria national monument on Piazza Venezia.

    On Sunday images of Pope Francis’s tomb at the church were released showing a single white rose lying on the stone that bears the name he was known by during his pontificate, below a crucifix illuminated by a single spotlight.

  • Pope orders takeover of Catholic group in Peru

    Pope orders takeover of Catholic group in Peru

    Pope Francis on Wednesday ordered the Vatican takeover of an elite Catholic society in Peru whose founder is accused of sexually and physically abusing children and former members of the group.

    The move, according to a statement that was released by the Vatican, is the latest step in a saga that has damaged the reputation of the Catholic Church in Peru.

    It comes a week before Francis is due to make his first visit as pope to the country and Chile as victims of sexual abuse said that he has not done enough to stop root it out.

    The credibility of a commission he formed in 2014 has been severely damaged by the defections of senior members who accused the Vatican of dragging its feet.

    The Vatican said the pope had appointed an administrator to run Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), whose founder Luis Figari, a layman, is due to go on trial in Peru for the sexual abuse of minors later in the year.

    However, Figari has denied wrongdoing.

    An internal report by the group in 2017 concluded that Figari, who founded it in 1971 and headed it till 2010, and three other high-ranking ex members had abused 19 minors and 10 adults.

    Most of the cases took place between the 1970s and 2000.

    The report, published on the group’s website, describes Figari as a charismatic, authoritarian and cult-like leader who publicly humiliated members as part of his strategy to control them.

    Peruvian authorities opened an investigation into Figari in 2015 following the publication of a book into the alleged abuse written by Peruvian investigative journalists Pao Ugaz and Pedro Salinas.

    Salinas once belonged to the ultra-conservative Sodalitium, whose members include businessmen, writers and politicians from Peru’s upper classes and was founded as a part of a backlash to the “Liberation Theology”, which took sides with the poor.

    The Vatican statement said the pope had been following the group’s situation “with worry” for years and had taken the action “after a detailed analysis of all the documentation”.

    It said the pope was concerned about “the gravity of information regarding the internal system, (religious) formation (of members) and economic and financial management”.

    The Vatican move came a month after a lawyer for victims said a public prosecutor was seeking pre-trial detention for Figari and three other former leaders of the group.

    The Vatican, which officially recognised the group in 1997, however, in 2017 prohibited Figari from having any contact with members.

    The takeover of the SCV was similar to the action the Vatican took against another conservative group, the Legionaries of Christ.

    An administrator was appointed to run the Legionaries after its founder, the late Mexican priest Marcial Degollado, was discovered to have been sexually abusive with a secret family.

    The Vatican said the SCV would be run by a Colombian Bishop Noel Buitrago.

  • Russia, Vatican disagree with Trump over Jerusalem

    Russia, Vatican disagree with Trump over Jerusalem

    Russia and the Vatican disagree with the decision of President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv, Alexander Avdeyev, the Russian ambassador to the Vatican City has said.

    Avdeyev recalled that Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, in one of his recent statements said that the status quo of Jerusalem, which is a place of pilgrimage and worship for Jews, Christians and Muslims, should be respected.

    “This is a city of three Abrahamic religions and it should not be politicised by recognition as a capital.

    “I draw attention to the fact that this statement was made by the Pope, who usually expresses his position very carefully in order not to offend anyone.

    “So we can see a clear disagreement with the U.S. decision here. We have the similar position,” Avdeyev told Sputnik.

    On December 6, Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and instructed the State Department to launch the process of moving the U.S. Embassy, which is currently located in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem.

    The step has prompted criticism from a number of states, first and foremost Middle Eastern states and Palestine, and triggered a wave of protests in the region.

    On December 7, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem’s legal status.

    The document called on UN member states to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the city.

    The diplomat also said that Russia and the Vatican share similar views on the world and the threats posed to it in the 21st century.

    “We have much in common in our vision of the threats and dangers of the 21st century. This is an important issue that unites us.

    “First of all, I speak about the threat of any terrorism, criminal, religious or separatist one. The second threat is the weakening of non-proliferation regimes.

    “Of particular concern is the drug trafficking and the separation into rich and poor in the world,” Avdeyev said.

    The Russian diplomat added that the two states also had a common view on the threats posed by social and economic inequality and terrorism, which were behind migration.

    According to the diplomat, unregulated globalisation that was closely tied with neoliberal values could result in “a significant deformation of the civil societies.”

    Avdeyev added that the two states were supportive of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and backed the negotiating process and dialogue as a path toward these goals.

    The ambassador also said that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were concerned over the destruction of the moral and ethical values of the Christian civilisation.

    (Sputnik/NAN)

  • Refugees are gift, not problem – Pope

    Refugees are gift, not problem – Pope

    Pope Francis on Tuesday issued a fresh call for solidarity toward migrants in a video message sent to the Italian chapter of the Jesuit Refugee Service, an international Catholic charity.

     

    He said “forgive the closure and the indifference of our societies, which are afraid of the changes in lifestyle and mentality that your presence requires.

     

    “Treated like a burden, a problem, a cost, you are instead a gift,’’ Francis said in the video which he directly addressed refugees.

     

    The remarks came three days after Francis visited a migrant centre on the Greek island of Lesbos and returned to Rome with 12 Syrian refugees who would be taken care of by the Vatican.

  • Vatican greets Muslims

    The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue has released its annual Ramadan message to the world Muslims, calling for genuine fraternity between followers of the two faiths to promote mutual respect and friendship.

    “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters in the one human family, created by the One God,” the message, released by the president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, was quoted by Catholic World News.

    “We thank the Almighty for what we have in common, while remaining aware of our differences,” they continued.

    “We perceive the importance of promoting a fruitful dialogue built upon mutual respect and friendship. Inspired by our shared values and strengthened by our sentiments of genuine fraternity, we are called to work together for justice, peace and respect for the rights and dignity of every person,” the Vatican said.

  • Vatican bank chief to step down amid restructure

    The president and four non-executive members of the governing board of the Vatican bank are to step down.

    French financier Jean-Baptiste de Franssu will take over as head of the bank from Ernst von Freyberg as part of a restructuring of the Catholic Church’s central government.

    Pope Francis has sought to stamp out corruption and other abuses at the bank, which handles the Church’s funds.

    The bank’s profits fell last year to 2.9m euros from 86.6m euros in 2012.

    Ernst von Freyberg was appointed by former Pope Benedict just before his retirement in February 2013 after allegations were made that the Vatican bank had been used by money launderers,

    However, attempts to create a more transparent banking system for the Catholic Church will continue under new management.

    “Our ambition is to become something of a model for financial management rather than cause for occasional scandal,” the former head of the Catholic Church in Australia, Cardinal George Pell, told reporters.

    He will head a new economic affairs department at the Vatican, with oversight of all the Vatican’s financial dealings and will report directly to the Pope.

    The cardinal was called to Rome as a result of a year-long attempt to clean up the Vatican’s accounts.

    The Vatican’s precarious financial situation was revealed by the simultaneous publication in Rome of balance sheets for 2013 of the Holy See, of the Vatican City state, a separate entity, and of the Vatican bank, known officially as the Institute for Religious Works (IOR).

    The IOR moves money around the world to finance Catholic missions and provides banking services for the Pope, clergy and religious orders.

    Alongside the bank’s massive drop in profits, the Holy See, the administrative headquarters of the Church, ran up a deficit of 24.2milion euros (£19.2million) last year.

    However Vatican City state, the tiny sovereign enclave in the heart of Rome, which derives a large part of its income from tickets to the Vatican museums, reported a profit of 32.3million euros (£25.7milllion).

     

     

     

     

     

  • Pope sets up commission to reform Vatican

    Pope sets up commission to reform Vatican

    Pope Francis on Friday set up a special commission to reform the Vatican economic and administrative departments.

    The commission, which is made up of seven lay experts and one cleric, will report directly to the pope and advise him on economic affairs, how to improve transparency and ensure correct application of accounting principles, the Vatican said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Francis had already established a separate commission on how to reform the Vatican bank. Both the bank and the Vatican’s internal administration were hit by major scandals under Francis’s predecessor Benedict XVI.

    The commission will “draft reforms of the institutions of the Holy See, with the aim of a simplification and rationalisation of the existing bodies and more careful planning of the economic activities of all the Vatican administrations,” a statement said.

    It will also “offer the technical support of specialist advice and develop strategic solutions for improvement, so as to avoid the misuse of economic resources, to improve transparency in the processes of purchasing goods and services.”

    The Vatican was rocked by a major scandal last year in which documents alleging corruption in its administration were leaked to the media.

    Cardinals who elected Francis in a conclave in March urged him to clean up the Vatican’s administration.

     

  • Be more forgiving, says Pope Francis

    Be more forgiving, says Pope Francis

    Pope Francis  has delivered his first Sunday prayer to a cheering, laughing crowd of about 300,000 people in St Peter’s Square, amid hopes that his down-to-earth style will usher in a change in the Vatican.

    The Guardian of London reports that his capacity to rouse affection and optimism were in evidence as he mixed cheery greetings with humour and anecdotes at his inaugural Angelus.

    Speaking in Italian rather than Latin, he joked with the crowd and ended by saying: “Have a good Sunday and a good lunch!” Pilgrims, many from Latin America, roared their approval.

    Earlier on, Francis startled passersby in the Vatican when he emerged unannounced from a side gate. He then led mass at the small church of St Anna in the Vatican.

    In St Peter’s Square, he spoke of God’s never-ending mercy and urged followers to be more forgiving. “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just,” he said.