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 President Emmanuel Macron made his first official visit to the Vatican on Tuesday where he held a record meeting with Pope Francis. https://www.thelocal.it/20180626/pope-holds-record-meeting-with-french-president-macron-at-the-vatican Tue, 26 Jun 2018 16:25:52 +0200 pope-holds-record-meeting-with-french-president-macron-at-the-vatican People across Italy are weighing in on a headteacher’s decision to stop saying prayers and remove Catholic statues at a school in Sicily. https://www.thelocal.it/20171124/italy-sicily-headteacher-school-prayers Fri, 24 Nov 2017 17:25:40 +0100 italy-sicily-headteacher-school-prayers An international summit on how to protect children from pornography threats online is taking place at a Catholic university in Rome this week with Pope Francis's support, organizers said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20171003/rome-hosts-historic-catholic-summit-on-protecting-children-from-online-porn Tue, 03 Oct 2017 10:47:33 +0200 rome-hosts-historic-catholic-summit-on-protecting-children-from-online-porn Pope Francis has changed Canon law so that translations of liturgical texts are approved by local bishops' conferences, rather than needing Vatican approval. So why is this important? Joanne M. Pierce, a professor of Religious Studies, explains. https://www.thelocal.it/20171002/why-pope-francis-is-reviving-a-long-tradition-of-regional-languages-in-catholic-services Mon, 02 Oct 2017 11:10:05 +0200 why-pope-francis-is-reviving-a-long-tradition-of-regional-languages-in-catholic-services Christians who lay down their life to save others, "following in the footsteps and teaching of Jesus", will now be eligible for beatification, Pope Francis said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20170712/pope-francis-made-it-easier-for-people-to-become-saints-new-way-beatification-sainthood Wed, 12 Jul 2017 10:57:04 +0200 pope-francis-made-it-easier-for-people-to-become-saints-new-way-beatification-sainthood The unleavened bread used to celebrate the Eucharist during Catholic masses can be made with genetically modified organisms, the Vatican said on Saturday, but they cannot be entirely gluten-free. https://www.thelocal.it/20170710/vatican-bans-gluten-free-bread-wine-doubtful-provenance-from-holy-communion-catholic-mass-eucharist Mon, 10 Jul 2017 10:57:47 +0200 vatican-bans-gluten-free-bread-wine-doubtful-provenance-from-holy-communion-catholic-mass-eucharist Pope Francis on Monday begged for God's forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. https://www.thelocal.it/20170320/pope-begs-forgiveness-for-church-failings-in-rwanda-genocide Mon, 20 Mar 2017 15:14:48 +0100 pope-begs-forgiveness-for-church-failings-in-rwanda-genocide Pope Francis on Friday advised priests who hear troubled confessions from parishioners to not hesitate to call on the services of an exorcist. https://www.thelocal.it/20170319/who-ya-gonna-call-pope-encourages-priests-to-bring-in-exorcists-when-needed Sun, 19 Mar 2017 08:54:27 +0100 who-ya-gonna-call-pope-encourages-priests-to-bring-in-exorcists-when-needed Elected in 2013 with a brief to reform a scandal-hit Vatican, Pope Francis has launched numerous initiatives but, four years later, he is still struggling to deliver real change. https://www.thelocal.it/20170313/four-years-as-pope-has-francis-delivered-his-promised-reforms Mon, 13 Mar 2017 10:02:46 +0100 four-years-as-pope-has-francis-delivered-his-promised-reforms Pope Francis said in an interview published on Thursday that the church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote areas faced with a shortage of priests. https://www.thelocal.it/20170310/married-men-could-soon-become-priests-says-pope Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:33:34 +0100 married-men-could-soon-become-priests-says-pope Marie Collins, an Irish survivor of clerical sex abuse, resigned on Wednesday from Pope Francis's child protection panel, accusing senior Vatican officials of "shameful" blocking of reforms approved by the pontiff. https://www.thelocal.it/20170302/sex-abuse-survivor-resigns-from-popes-child-protection-panel Thu, 02 Mar 2017 09:50:13 +0100 sex-abuse-survivor-resigns-from-popes-child-protection-panel Ethics experts and human rights lawyers slammed the Vatican on Tuesday for inviting a top Chinese health official to an organ trafficking summit despite concerns it still uses tissue from executed prisoners. https://www.thelocal.it/20170207/china-will-attend-vatican-organ-trafficking-summit Tue, 07 Feb 2017 11:39:32 +0100 china-will-attend-vatican-organ-trafficking-summit An Italian priest will likely lose his role after allegations that he organized orgies on church property. https://www.thelocal.it/20170203/italian-priests-likely-suspended-over-orgies-in-the-rectory Fri, 03 Feb 2017 12:57:24 +0100 italian-priests-likely-suspended-over-orgies-in-the-rectory Pope Francis admitted on Sunday to sometimes having "darkness" cloud his own faith, while warning against "Christian parrots" who pay lip service to the church without acting on its values. https://www.thelocal.it/20170116/pope-admits-to-darkness-in-his-faith Mon, 16 Jan 2017 09:41:10 +0100 pope-admits-to-darkness-in-his-faith Pope Francis said on Sunday he would appoint 17 new cardinals from across the world next month, 13 of whom are under 80 and therefore eligible to succeed him. https://www.thelocal.it/20161010/pope-francis-appoints-potential-successors Mon, 10 Oct 2016 11:01:16 +0200 pope-francis-appoints-potential-successors The emergence of a new poster campaign by an Italian atheist and agnostic organization telling people they can 'lead a good life without God' has caused controversy in the northern city of Turin. https://www.thelocal.it/20131001/atheist-ad-campaign-riles-italys-catholics Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:01:00 +0200 atheist-ad-campaign-riles-italys-catholics Pope Francis has admitted that there is a “gay lobby” within the Vatican, according to Chilean media reports. The remarks were apparently made during a meeting between Latin-American priests and nuns last Thursday. https://www.thelocal.it/20130612/pope-admits-there-is-a-gay-lobby-in-the-vatican Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:01:00 +0200 pope-admits-there-is-a-gay-lobby-in-the-vatican For many who make the momentous decision to leave the priesthood it’s a matter of conscience. But for a parish priest in the southern Italian town of Avellino it was an affair of the heart. https://www.thelocal.it/20130607/italian-priest-don-giovanni-leaves-church-for-love Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:40:00 +0200 italian-priest-don-giovanni-leaves-church-for-love