https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed 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.it/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 Pope Francis on Thursday told Vatican officials to start appointing women and lay people to top jobs in the Curia, the Holy See bureaucracy that he is seeking to shake-up. https://www.thelocal.it/20161222/pope-give-women-lay-experts-top-vatican-jobs Thu, 22 Dec 2016 17:46:12 +0100 pope-give-women-lay-experts-top-vatican-jobs A decree on training for Roman Catholic priests published on Wednesday stresses the obligation of sexual abstinence, as well as barring gay people and those who support "gay culture" from holy orders. https://www.thelocal.it/20161208/supporters-of-gay-culture-cannot-become-catholic-priests-pope Thu, 08 Dec 2016 11:06:34 +0100 supporters-of-gay-culture-cannot-become-catholic-priests-pope Isabel and Federica are among the many Italians finally able to make their love official, thanks to the civil union bill this year which legalized same sex unions in Italy. https://www.thelocal.it/20160928/former-nuns-to-tie-the-knot-in-civil-union Wed, 28 Sep 2016 15:01:34 +0200 former-nuns-to-tie-the-knot-in-civil-union Pope Francis on Monday announced plans for a worldwide day of prayer for the victims of sexual abuse, in line with a proposal from his child protection panel. https://www.thelocal.it/20160912/catholic-church-announces-prayer-day-for-abuse-victims Mon, 12 Sep 2016 18:25:56 +0200 catholic-church-announces-prayer-day-for-abuse-victims A controversial Italian priest awaiting a criminal trial for sex abuse of minors has agreed to pay €125,000 in compensation to the families of five of his alleged victims, Italian media reported on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.it/20160513/italian-paedophile-priest-abuse-victims-families-25000 Fri, 13 May 2016 10:41:17 +0200 italian-paedophile-priest-abuse-victims-families-25000 Don Andrea Giordano is a priest and father to three sons - but he is not in favour of marriage for priests. https://www.thelocal.it/20160401/priest-with-three-kids-says-priests-shouldnt-be-able-to-marry Fri, 01 Apr 2016 12:07:48 +0200 priest-with-three-kids-says-priests-shouldnt-be-able-to-marry Italians might be enjoying the popularity of Pope Francis, who was named the world’s most popular leader in a poll just a few days ago, but that doesn’t mean to say they practise his religion. https://www.thelocal.it/20160330/the-popes-still-catholic-but-half-of-italians-arent Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:25:21 +0200 the-popes-still-catholic-but-half-of-italians-arent It may still have a reputation as a pious country, but a record number of Italian Catholics are thought to have defected from the Church in 2015. https://www.thelocal.it/20160108/losing-faith-why-italians-are-spurning-the-church Fri, 08 Jan 2016 11:39:48 +0100 losing-faith-why-italians-are-spurning-the-church UPDATED: Pope Francis on Tuesday marked the start of an extraordinary Jubilee year for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics by opening a "Holy Door" in the walls of St Peter's basilica. https://www.thelocal.it/20151208/pope-opens-the-door-to-catholic-jubilee Tue, 08 Dec 2015 09:53:39 +0100 pope-opens-the-door-to-catholic-jubilee The Catholic Church's attempts to reach out to the Roma and Sinti communities have been widely praised. –But far from ending years of prejudice, their efforts merely show how deep-rooted certain prejudices are, Romani activist Jud Nirenberg argues. https://www.thelocal.it/20151029/how-the-church-reinforces-roma-and-sinti-stereotypes Thu, 29 Oct 2015 09:00:36 +0100 how-the-church-reinforces-roma-and-sinti-stereotypes Italy’s civil union bill finally reached parliament on Thursday. Any previous attempts to get the law passed have been thwarted by the Catholic Church. But the Church’s influence over gay rights seems to be on the wane. https://www.thelocal.it/20151019/gay-unions-italy-set-to-spurn-church Mon, 19 Oct 2015 20:28:20 +0200 gay-unions-italy-set-to-spurn-church A cash-strapped parish in northern Italy has come up with a controversial idea to help it raise funds, by asking parishioners to give scratch cards instead of the customary monetary offer during mass. https://www.thelocal.it/20151016/broke-parish-asks-churchgoers-to-give-scratchcards Fri, 16 Oct 2015 17:24:49 +0200 broke-parish-asks-churchgoers-to-give-scratchcards It is a topic which has bitterly divided Church leaders reviewing family teachings at the Vatican, but a new poll published on Tuesday showed practising Catholics in Italy strongly support communion for remarried divorced people. https://www.thelocal.it/20151006/italys-catholics-support-divorce-communion Tue, 06 Oct 2015 13:42:43 +0200 italys-catholics-support-divorce-communion Pope Francis raised eyebrows in Italy on Tuesday by slapping down the left-leaning mayor of Rome as someone who "pretends to be Catholic". https://www.thelocal.it/20150930/pope-blasts-rome-mayor-as-a-pretend-catholic Wed, 30 Sep 2015 10:34:55 +0200 pope-blasts-rome-mayor-as-a-pretend-catholic A parish in a Tuscan town is offering parents €2,000 for their third child onwards, thanks to an initiative aimed at boosting the dwindling birthrate. https://www.thelocal.it/20150811/italian-parish-offers-2000-baby-bonus Tue, 11 Aug 2015 12:04:08 +0200 italian-parish-offers-2000-baby-bonus A 60-year-old man has been charged with identity theft after allegedly parading around the Italian island of Ischia as a priest and hosting mass in private homes. https://www.thelocal.it/20150612/fake-priest-caught-in-ischia Fri, 12 Jun 2015 12:00:48 +0200 fake-priest-caught-in-ischia A billboard featuring a bare-breasted model dressed as a nun has sparked accusations of blasphemy in Naples, ahead of a visit to the Italian city by Pope Francis. https://www.thelocal.it/20150311/furore-over-naples-nude-nun-billboard Wed, 11 Mar 2015 11:23:57 +0100 furore-over-naples-nude-nun-billboard Catholic convents and other institutions in Italy have responded enthusiastically to Pope Francis' appeal to thrown open their doors to aid the wave of refugees landing in the country from Syria, Iraq and African nations. https://www.thelocal.it/20141222/boat-migrants-find-homes-in-italian-convents Mon, 22 Dec 2014 13:27:00 +0100 boat-migrants-find-homes-in-italian-convents An Italian teacher has been disciplined under fascist-era rules for removing a crucifix from the wall of his classroom in a move denounced on Monday as "stupefying" by campaigners for secular education. https://www.thelocal.it/20141215/fascist-law-used-against-teacher-in-crucifix-row Mon, 15 Dec 2014 17:30:00 +0100 fascist-law-used-against-teacher-in-crucifix-row