On the surface, it may appear that the theme of this week at the Vatican was “reform.” The Council of Cardinals appointed by the pope to help him study and find ways to fix the Roman Curia – among other things- met for the first time this week. The three days of meetings ...read more

For the second time is just over a week an interview with Pope Francis is making headlines. This time it was Pope Francis himself who called Eugenio Scalfari at La Repubblica and invited him to his residence for a sit down interview to discuss various topics in-depth. You can read the English version of that ...read more

Its finally here! The Season 2 premiere of Vatican Connections. To get back into things we’re taking a look at what’s been happening over the summer at the Vatican. There were new commissions created, important appointments made, and some blockbuster announcements. This week’s Roman Profile is an introduction to the figure of Cardinal Celso Costantini ...read more

  When Vatican Connections launched in January 2013, it was just an idea. Something we were testing out to see if it would fly. Then suddenly, everything changed. On February 11, 2013 Pope Benedict XVI announced to the Cardinals that was resigning from his Petrine Ministry. Overnight, Vatican Connections became the go-to source for information ...read more

When Pope Francis announced a day of Prayer for Peace in Syria, Bishop Douglas Crosby of Hamilton was in Italy, close to Grossetto. He and his travel companions decided to take part in this unique event. Bishop Crosby wrote about the experience in his weekly letter to the clergy of the diocese. Read about Bishop ...read more

Fr. Antonio Spadaro’s interview of Pope Francis, published this week in Jesuit publications around the world, set people of all religious stripes talking. However, it soon became clear who read the interview carefully, in it’s entirety, and who focused on the headline worthy bits. How did it become clear? Throughout the interview Pope Francis used ...read more

This week the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica published a letter to the editor on their front page. The letter in question came from a rather high profile reader: Pope Francis. La Repubblica’s editor and co-founder, Eugenio Scalfari had written an article about obstacle to faith. However, Scalfari’s article also made it clear that he ...read more

Vatican Connections is on summer hiatus, returning on September 27. One feature of every Vatican Connections is the “Roman Profile” segment. Below is a Roman Profile post, featuring Cardinal Celso Costantini. Watch for the full, television version of this Roman Profile, featuring and interview with Costantini biographer Monsignor Bruno Pighin, during the new season of ...read more

Many people remember the stunning views of the hillside town to which Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI retreated on February 28, 2013. Castel Gandolfo has been an official papal residence for five centuries. This summer is the second summer in the history of the town that the reigning pope has not spent the summer there. Cindy ...read more

Pope Francis watches as young people dramatize building a church, during the WYD Rio 2013 vigil on Copacabana Beach. The performance was inspired by God’s call to St. Francis “rebuild my church” and symbolized the constructive role of young people in today’s church. — (CNS Photo/ Paul Haring) ...read more