Salon.com > Rome

Vatican monsignor questioned in corruption plot

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 13:05:00 +0000

ROME (AP) — A Vatican monsignor arrested in a 20 million euro ($26 million) corruption plot has been questioned by Italian magistrates for the first time and has asked for house arrest.

Attorney Silverio Sica says Monsignor Nunzio Scarano is not well at Rome's Regina Coeli prison and wants to await a decision on his fate at home.

Scarano was interrogated for some three hours on Monday by Judge Barbara Callari, who must decide whether to confirm his arrest.

Scarano was arrested Friday with two other people in an elaborate plot to bring 20 million euro from a Swiss bank account into Italy without reporting it to customs officials.

Sica said Scarano "recognized it wasn't licit," but acted to help out his friends.

Prosecutors have identified the friends as Italy's d'Amico shipping family.

Vatican: Sorry! Atheists can’t go to heaven, after all

Tue, 28 May 2013 19:09:00 +0000

A Vatican spokesperson is walking back remarks Pope Francis made last week suggesting that atheists and people of other faiths who do good deeds are also redeemed "with the blood of Christ," a statement that seemed to contradict Catholic teaching that "outside the church there is no salvation."

After lauding Francis' ability to speak in a "language that everyone can understand," the Rev. Thomas Rosica issued a corrective to the pope's homily and suggested that, basically, people misunderstood the pope.

In a message delivered on Vatican Radio last week, the pope said: "The Lord has redeemed all of us... not just Catholics. Everyone!" Adding, in case there was any confusion: "Even the atheists. Everyone!" In response to the homily, Rosica wrote that, while the pope is a gifted speaker, Francis was not rewriting theological doctrine when he made his inclusive remarks:

Pope Francis delivers first Easter Sunday speech

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:51:00 +0000

On Sunday, Pope Francis delivered his first Easter Sunday address to a crowd of more than 250,000 in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. From the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, he echoed a message for peace, calling specific attention to the conflict in the Middle East and North Korea.

The pontiff, the first from Latin America, delivered the speech in Italian, emphasizing that Italian is the language of the Holy See. The full text of the speech has been translated by the Vatican and released to the AP, below:
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Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!

What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons.

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always triumphs!

We too, like the women who were Jesus' disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this!

This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus, has transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope.

This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God's mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14).

So this is the invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the grace of Christ's Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God's mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.

And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world.

Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?

Peace for Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live in fear.

Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow.

Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.

Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let Israel say: 'His steadfast love endures for ever'" (Ps 117:1-2).

Greeting

Dear Brothers and Sisters, to you who have come from all over the world to this Square at the heart of Christianity, and to you linked by modern technology, I repeat my greeting: Happy Easter!

Bear in your families and in your countries the message of joy, hope and peace which every year, on this day, is powerfully renewed.

May the risen Lord, the conqueror of sin and death, be a support to you all, especially to the weakest and neediest. Thank you for your presence and for the witness of your faith. A thought and a special thank-you for the beautiful flowers, which come from the Netherlands. To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace.

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Copyright Vatican Publishing House

Shroud of Turin may have been used during Jesus’ lifetime

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Scientists from the University of Padua in Italy say new tests they have performed on the Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth imprinted with the face and body of the man who was buried in it, dates the cloth to between 280 BC and 220 AD, the Guardian reported.

Many Catholics believe the shroud is the cloth in which Jesus was buried, but others dismiss the relic as a forgery made in medieval times. If the Italian scientists are correct, the shroud could have been used during Jesus’ lifetime.

In a new book, "Il Mistero della Sindone" or “The Mystery of the Shroud,” Giulio Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurement at the University of Padua, and Saverio Gaeta, a journalist, explain how fibers from the shroud were analyzed using infrared light and spectroscopy, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Farewell, sweet pope-free days!

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:53:00 +0000

Dear non-Catholics: Do you remember what it was like when the teacher was out and you had a substitute? Remember "Risky Business"? Don't tell anybody, but that's how we Catholics have been behaving the past few days, ever since Benedict XVI stepped down and until this afternoon. So now you know. Empty chair in Rome plus all the cardinals out of town equals partying like we're Protestants.

It's been a fun rumspringa. We popeless hordes spent this past Friday eating roast beef like it wasn't even Lent. We've been forgetting every word of the Nicene creed. We've had impure thoughts. So, so many impure thoughts. We've worn black patent leather shoes that gleamed right up to our underpants. We might even have been gay for a few minutes there on Saturday. Talk about your joyful mysteries. We haven't rocked like that since 2005, and before that, 1978. (Remember that, the year we had two popes? And it was the disco era? We'll be in purgatory a long time for that one.)

But now, with the emergence of white smoke from the Vatican – which, by the way, tells you exactly how metal we Catholics truly are – it's back to business. We hope the new guy is all right, tough but fair. We hope the Cardinals don't notice how much sacramental wine is missing, and that they buy it when we say the True Cross was always splintered like that. Coming soon: the ensemble comedy based on our adventures. It's called "POPE BREAK." So thanks for the good times, everybody. And see you again in 10 years or so. I'll bring the incense.

Dennis Rodman is waiting for the new pope in a popemobile and flower coat

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:10:00 +0000

It is becoming clearer and clearer that Dennis Rodman, the self-appointed harbinger of world peace, is really just the harbinger of Dennis Rodman. TMZ reports that Rodman is currently in Rome awaiting an unlikely audience with the not-yet-elected pope, planning to ride around the holy city in his own popemobile (The AP reports that the vehicle is stuck in northern Italy due to snow). Gawker notes that he's also donning an impressive flower coat:

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Rodman hopes to help Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana become the first black pope. His favorite pope, however, is John Paul, whom he describes to TMZ as "a pimp."

Rodman arrives in Rome weeks after his trip to North Korea, where he became the first American to have an audience with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Of the dictator, whom he sees as an all-around nice guy, Rodman told TMZ that "They say this leader is Hitler or something. I mean, the guy is only 28 years old...and I think whatever happens happens."

Popealarm.com offers e-notification of new pope selection

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:14:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — White smoke or black smoke? Maybe it's easier just to wait for a text message that a new pope has been elected.

A Catholic organization has set up a website, www.popealarm.com, that lets people register to receive a text or email notification when a pope has been selected.

While the process of selecting a new pope is as old as the ages, there are enough changes to the media to make the last papal conclave — in 2005 — seem like ancient history.

The text service was set up by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS, and had proven so popular with more than 40,000 respondents that the popealarm website said Monday it was accepting no new registrants. The site hopes to increase its capacity before the cardinals begin voting, said Jeremy Rivera, spokesman for the Christian campus ministry.

"When the smoke goes up, you'll know what's going down" is the website's motto.

FOCUS paid nearly $10,000 to set up the free service, figuring it was good publicity. Now the group's leaders are sifting through co-sponsorship offers from other organizations impressed with the amount of online traffic it has generated and hoping for their own exposure, he said.

Top contenders to be the next pope

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 11:15:00 +0000

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals from around the world gather this week in a conclave to elect a new pope following the stunning resignation of Benedict XVI. In the secretive world of the Vatican, there is no way to know who is in the running, and history has yielded plenty of surprises. Yet several names have come up time repeatedly as strong contenders for the job. Here is a look at who they are:

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CARDINAL ANGELO SCOLA: Scola is seen as Italy's best chance at reclaiming the papacy, following back-to-back pontiffs from outside the country that had a lock on the job for centuries. He's also one of the top names among all of the papal contenders. Scola, 71, has commanded both the pulpits of Milan's Duomo as archbishop and Venice's St. Mark's Cathedral as patriarch, two extremely prestigious church positions that together gave the world five popes during the 20th century. Scola was widely viewed as a papal contender when Benedict was elected eight years ago. His promotion to Milan, Italy's largest and most influential diocese, has been seen as a tipping point in making him one of the leading papal candidates. He is known as a doctrinal conservative who is also at ease quoting Jack Kerouac and Cormac McCarthy.

U.S. boosts aid to Syrian opposition

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:01:00 +0000

ROME (AP) -- The Obama administration said Thursday that it will provide the Syrian opposition with an additional $60 million in assistance and - in a significant policy shift - will for the first time provide nonlethal aid like food and medical supplies directly to rebels battling to oust President Bashar Assad.

The move was announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at an international conference on Syria in Rome, and several European nations are expected in the coming days to take similar steps in working with the military wing of the opposition in order to ramp up pressure on Assad to step down and pave the way for a democratic transition.

"We do this because we need to stand on the side of those in this fight who want to see Syria rise again and see democracy and human rights," Kerry said. "The stakes are really high, and we can't risk letting this country in the heart of the Middle East being destroyed by vicious autocrats or hijacked by the extremists."

"No nation, no people should live in fear of their so-called leaders," he said, adding that President Barack Obama's "decision to take further steps now is the result of the brutality of superior armed force propped up by foreign fighters from Iran and Hezbollah."

Pope Benedict XVI will resign

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:28:00 +0000

The Vatican confirmed this morning that Pope Benedict XVI has announced he will step down from his post on February 28. The announcement came as a surprise — a resignation like this is nearly unprecedented. The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII in the 15th century.

We will update the news as it comes throughout the day.

8 striking parallels between the U.S. and the Roman Empire

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:32:00 +0000

Lawrence Lessig's Republic Lost documents the corrosive effect of money on our political process. Lessig persuasively makes the case that we are witnessing the loss of our republican form of government, as politicians increasingly represent those who fund their campaigns, rather than our citizens.

Anthony Everitt's Rise of Rome is fascinating history and a great read. It tells the story of ancient Rome, from its founding (circa 750 BCE) to the fall of the Roman Republic (circa 45 BCE).

When read together, striking parallels emerge -- between our failings and the failings that destroyed the Roman Republic. As with Rome just before the Republic's fall, America has seen: