https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Pope Francis has broken with Catholic tradition to appoint a woman as an undersecretary of the synod of bishops, the first to hold the post with voting rights in a body that studies major questions of doctrine. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210207/pope-appoints-first-woman-to-senior-synod-post Sun, 07 Feb 2021 12:03:59 +0100 pope-appoints-first-woman-to-senior-synod-post French prosecutors said Friday they had asked the Vatican to lift the diplomatic immunity of its envoy to France who is under investigation for alleged sexual assault. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190316/france-demands-vatican-lift-envoys-immunity-over-abuse-probe Sat, 16 Mar 2019 09:46:35 +0100 france-demands-vatican-lift-envoys-immunity-over-abuse-probe France's attempts to name a gay ambassador to the Vatican are now dead in the water. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160407/france-gives-up-on-bid-to-name-gay-envoy-to-vatican Thu, 07 Apr 2016 10:03:05 +0200 france-gives-up-on-bid-to-name-gay-envoy-to-vatican UPDATED: France said on Wednesday it was sticking by its choice to send a gay diplomat to the Vatican despite three months of silence from the Holy See over the appointment. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150415/france-stands-by-choice-of-gay-vatican-envoy Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:48:47 +0200 france-stands-by-choice-of-gay-vatican-envoy Political leaders in France warmly acknowledged the election of Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new head of the Catholic Church. Some on the left in France, however, criticized the Vatican conclave's choice of pontiff. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130314/france-salutes-election-of-pope-francois Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:24:00 +0100 france-salutes-election-of-pope-francois There may only be an outside chance of a French cardinal becoming Benedict XVI's successor but at least the honour of announcing the next leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will fall to a Frenchman. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130311/french-cardinal-to-proclaim-name-of-next-pope Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:42:00 +0100 french-cardinal-to-proclaim-name-of-next-pope A quarter of French people believe the strength of the Catholic Church has plummeted during the reign of Pope Benedict XVI, according to a survey published on Thursday, the day the pontiff officially steps down. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130228/catholic-church-weakened-under-benedict-french-survey Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:07:00 +0100 catholic-church-weakened-under-benedict-french-survey After the shock decision by Pope Benedict XVI to renounce his place at the head of the Catholic Church, speculation has immediately turned to who will fill his position in the hot seat. Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris could be a strong outside bet. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130211/can-this-french-cardinal-become-the-next-pope Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:09:00 +0100 can-this-french-cardinal-become-the-next-pope French President Francois Hollande Monday hailed Pope Benedict XVI's decision to step down due to old age was "eminently respectable". https://www.thelocal.fr/20130211/pope-benedict-merits-respect-hollande-says Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:21:00 +0100 pope-benedict-merits-respect-hollande-says A French priest moved a step closer to sainthood Saturday when the Vatican acknowledged that the healing of an Ecuadoran boy amounted to a miracle. https://www.thelocal.fr/20120924/dead-priest-delivers-miracle Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:49:00 +0200 dead-priest-delivers-miracle