Vatican Connections: Pope issues new laws and guidelines for the protection of minors

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Noel Ocol

Welcome back for the season finale of Vatican Connections. Since our last episode, a lot of interesting headlines have been coming from the Vatican, so here are just some of the stories that we bring to you on tonight’s show. The pope embarked on his 28th International Apostolic Journey over the weekend, and we have […]

Vatican Connections: Pope sends money to Africans suffering from floods

Monday, March 25, 2019

Noel Ocol

Welcome back for another weekly edition of Vatican Connections. A lot of interesting headlines have been coming from the Vatican this past week. Here are some of the stories we bring to you on tonight’s show. The pope sends some big money to help the southern African countries struck by flooding in recent weeks. We’ll […]

Vatican Connections: Is the Catholic Church in a Growth or a Decline?

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Noel Ocol

Welcome to another edition of Vatican Connections. Since our last episode, a lot of interesting things have happened in Rome, especially with the beginning of the Lenten season. Here are just some of the stories that we bring to you on tonight’s show. The pope kicked off the Lenten season with a traditional procession that […]

Vatican Connections: Will the pope step in to resolve Venezuela’s stalemate?

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Noel Ocol

Will the pope step in and mediate the political crisis that’s tearing the country of Venezuela apart? On the one hand, the country has a president who’s held onto power by allegedly fraudulent means and, on the other hand, his rival, who has been declared president-elect with the support of the people. Now, with both […]

Vatican Connections: How the announcement of the 2nd Vatican Council was initially received

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Noel Ocol

Last week was all about the 34th World Youth Day as the pope travelled to Panama to be with the youth in what is the largest single gathering of Catholic youth in the world. Yet, despite all the festivities, the Holy Father took a moment to address the clerical abuse scandal during a private luncheon on […]

Vatican Connections: How real is the possibility of women deacons in the Church?

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Noel Ocol

From the earliest moments of the Church, women have served as deacons, ministering to those in-need in their communities. But over the centuries, that important role was somehow lost. Now, with the recent movement towards greater female leadership in the Church, the question of women’s ordination to the diaconate has resurfaced. In tonight’s program, we […]

Framing Papal Visits – Vatican Connections

Monday, June 12, 2017

Emilie Callan

What’s behind the frame? When Pope Francis is photographed during a papal trip, it’s more than just a simple snapshot. Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Journalism wanted to know what we’re actually seeing in these photographs. By looking at Pope Francis’s apostolic visit to Cuba, they found the cultural background of photojournalists […]

Who are the Swiss Guards? – Vatican Connections

Monday, May 15, 2017

Emilie Callan

The Pontifical Swiss Guard is one of the smallest armies in the world, and one of the oldest still in operation. Its main responsibility is to protect the Pope and the Apostolic Palace. Although they have mostly held a ceremonial role in recent years, their training now includes unarmed combat and firearms. Not surprisingly, to […]

Pope Francis is off to Milan!

Friday, March 3, 2017

Matteo Ciofi

Saturday, March 25, Pope Francis will travel to Milan for a one-day pastoral visit. Between 500 and 600 thousand people are expected in Milan and Monza. However, it will not be a heavily guarded event, because that is not what the Pope wants. In addition to the faithful, there will also be 3,700 volunteers, 350 […]

Catholics are the absolute minority in the Balkans – Archbishop of Belgrade

Friday, February 3, 2017

Matteo Ciofi

Last Monday, Pope Francis received in a private audience the bishops of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo, gathered in the International Bishops’ Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Ceicem). The visit was part of “ad limina apostolorum.” Many issues were discussed. First of all, the Church in these countries lives in the heart of an Orthodox […]