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 The death of Pope Francis on Monday sets in motion centuries-old traditions which will culminate in the election by cardinals of a new pontiff -- but with a few changes. https://www.thelocal.it/20250421/what-happens-after-the-pope-dies Mon, 21 Apr 2025 17:26:04 +0200 what-happens-after-the-pope-dies Pope Francis on Friday called for Italy's politicians to find solutions to reverse the plunging birthrate, saying young people struggle to start families in today's "savage" economic climate. https://www.thelocal.it/20230512/demographic-winter-pope-francis-urges-italys-government-to-help-families Fri, 12 May 2023 14:10:30 +0200 demographic-winter-pope-francis-urges-italys-government-to-help-families From his reforms to his foreign relations, criticism of Pope Francis has intensified since the death of his predecessor Benedict XVI, revealing a climate of "civil war" at a time when the Catholic Church is engaged in a global conversation about its future. https://www.thelocal.it/20230211/pope-francis-addresses-growing-conflict-within-the-church Sat, 11 Feb 2023 10:51:42 +0100 pope-francis-addresses-growing-conflict-within-the-church Pope Francis urged the world to "roll up our sleeves" for peace in a New Year's message Saturday, while calling violence against women an affront to God. https://www.thelocal.it/20220101/pope-urges-peace-in-vatican-new-year-address-and-says-hurting-women-insults-god Sat, 01 Jan 2022 17:09:02 +0100 pope-urges-peace-in-vatican-new-year-address-and-says-hurting-women-insults-god Pope Francis described domestic violence as something "almost satanic" in an interview with Italian television on Monday, after a sharp rise in reports in Italy since the Covid pandemic began. https://www.thelocal.it/20211220/almost-satanic-pope-denounces-domestic-violence-amid-surge-in-italy Mon, 20 Dec 2021 16:54:38 +0100 almost-satanic-pope-denounces-domestic-violence-amid-surge-in-italy The Vatican on Monday reminded priests they should not be charging fixed prices for celebrating weddings and funerals - a common practice in parts of Italy. https://www.thelocal.it/20200721/pope-warns-italys-priests-to-stop-charging-for-weddings-and-funerals Tue, 21 Jul 2020 10:51:12 +0200 pope-warns-italys-priests-to-stop-charging-for-weddings-and-funerals Pope Francis has apologized for slapping a woman who had grabbed him as he greeted a crowd of devotees, saying he set a "bad example". https://www.thelocal.it/20200102/pope-francis-apologizes-for-slapping-womans-hand Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:38:16 +0100 pope-francis-apologizes-for-slapping-womans-hand Pope Francis on Friday again spoke out against assisted suicide and euthanasia, days before a top Italian court is to examine the thorny question in the largely Roman Catholic country. https://www.thelocal.it/20190920/pope-decries-euthanasia-as-italian-court-considers-assisted-suicide-law Fri, 20 Sep 2019 17:03:32 +0200 pope-decries-euthanasia-as-italian-court-considers-assisted-suicide-law Pope Francis began a visit Saturday to Madagascar, one of the world's most impoverished nations with a unique and threatened environment. https://www.thelocal.it/20190907/pope-to-address-environmental-concerns-in-speech-to-800000 Sat, 07 Sep 2019 12:50:57 +0200 pope-to-address-environmental-concerns-in-speech-to-800000 Pope Francis warned against a rise of intolerance, cruelty and racism as far-right nationalists and eurosceptic parties made gains in European elections. https://www.thelocal.it/20190527/pope-sounds-intlerence-alarm-as-eu-nationalists-win-big Mon, 27 May 2019 18:38:57 +0200 pope-sounds-intlerence-alarm-as-eu-nationalists-win-big Pope Francis on Wednesday thanked the firefighters who risked their lives to save the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on behalf of the entire Catholic Church. https://www.thelocal.it/20190417/notre-dame-fire-pope-francis Wed, 17 Apr 2019 12:32:14 +0200 notre-dame-fire-pope-francis Pope Francis on Thursday opened a landmark summit at the Vatican on fighting child sex abuse, saying that the world expected "concrete measures" on tackling paedophilia in the Catholic church. https://www.thelocal.it/20190221/pope-calls-for-concrete-measures-at-vaticans-landmark-summit-on-sex-abuse Thu, 21 Feb 2019 10:34:54 +0100 pope-calls-for-concrete-measures-at-vaticans-landmark-summit-on-sex-abuse Pope Francis's public admission that priests have used nuns as "sexual slaves" - and may still be doing so - marks a new chapter in the abuse crisis rocking the Catholic church. https://www.thelocal.it/20190208/nuns-sex-slaves-scandal-fresh-blow-to-catholic-church Fri, 08 Feb 2019 11:16:22 +0100 nuns-sex-slaves-scandal-fresh-blow-to-catholic-church Pope Francis on Sunday urged EU leaders to show "concrete solidarity" with 49 migrants stranded on NGO ships off the coast of Malta who have been refused permission to land. https://www.thelocal.it/20190107/pope-urges-end-to-migrant-boat-deadlock Mon, 07 Jan 2019 11:41:46 +0100 pope-urges-end-to-migrant-boat-deadlock Pope Francis vowed that the Catholic Church will never again treat abuse allegations without "seriousness and promptness", calling on abusers to hand themselves in to police. https://www.thelocal.it/20181221/pope-vows-church-will-never-again-ignore-abuse-accusations Fri, 21 Dec 2018 13:08:00 +0100 pope-vows-church-will-never-again-ignore-abuse-accusations Pope Francis railed against social inequality on Sunday, lamenting "the din of the rich few" drowning out the voice of the needy, as he marked the second "World Day of the Poor". https://www.thelocal.it/20181118/pope-denounces-din-of-rich-few-on-world-day-of-poor Sun, 18 Nov 2018 13:16:19 +0100 pope-denounces-din-of-rich-few-on-world-day-of-poor Pope Francis on Wednesday compared having an abortion to hiring a "contract killer". https://www.thelocal.it/20181010/pope-francis-says-abortion-is-like-hiring-contract-killer Wed, 10 Oct 2018 13:47:41 +0200 pope-francis-says-abortion-is-like-hiring-contract-killer Pope Francis on Tuesday admitted the clerical sex abuse scandals have put off some young people who believe the Catholic Church has not expressed enough condemnation. https://www.thelocal.it/20180925/pope-says-youth-outraged-by-clergy-sex-scandals Tue, 25 Sep 2018 18:45:00 +0200 pope-says-youth-outraged-by-clergy-sex-scandals Mainly Protestant Latvia on Monday welcomed Pope Francis on a visit many hope will put the small Baltic country on the map and bring its people closer together. https://www.thelocal.it/20180924/protestant-latvia-welcomes-pope Mon, 24 Sep 2018 17:58:00 +0200 protestant-latvia-welcomes-pope Pope Francis kicked off a Baltic tour in Catholic Lithuania on Saturday where he will honour victims of the region's Nazi and Soviet occupations as the Church reels from fresh clerical abuse scandals. https://www.thelocal.it/20180922/pope-to-honour-baltic-martyrs-amid-abuse-crisis Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:43:24 +0200 pope-to-honour-baltic-martyrs-amid-abuse-crisis