VATICAN CORNER The Vatican and Rome were covered with a blanket of snow of over 2 inches on the morning of February 26, 2018, a rare event since they typically experience mild Mediterranean winters. It was the biggest snowfall in six years and is due to a storm dubbed...

VATICAN CORNER On February 12, 2018, Pope Francis signed a document know as a Motu Proprio, which is Latin for “by his own initiative.” It is a new Vatican law entitled “Learn How to Resign” in which Francis has ordered Vatican officials and bishops around the world,...

VATICAN CORNER Ash Wednesday may be the busiest church day of the year, possibly beating out Easter and Christmas for attendance, and yet it is not a holy day of obligation. It is the first day of Lent and it always falls forty-six days before Easter. It is a...

VATICAN CORNER Ash Wednesday may be the busiest church day of the year, possibly beating out Easter and Christmas for attendance, and yet it is not a holy day of obligation. It is the first day of Lent and it always falls forty-six days before Easter. It is a...

VATICAN CORNER In 1951 the mainland Chinese government ended diplomatic relations with the Vatican shortly after the atheist Communist Party took power. The government had been threatening to breakaway the “independent Catholics.” The government apparently...

VATICAN CORNER Following the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) the entire St. Peter’s Basilica began to be used for celebrations. Before that time, papal celebrations were held in the Sistine Chapel, which had no organ, or were held in the...

VATICAN CORNER The widely reported “spontaneous” wedding performed by Pope Francis flying over Chile may not have been as spontaneous as it appeared, and may have been planned well in advance. The December 19, 2017 edition of the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio had an...

VATICAN CORNER After accepting the invitations of the two countries’ leader and their bishops, eighty-one-year-old Pope Francis will be visiting Chile and Peru from January 15th through 21st, 2018. This is his fifth visit to La n America, and his 22nd visit abroad....

VATICAN CORNER  In Christianity, the mortal remains of deceased saints are associated with the holiness of their souls which await reunion with their bodies in the resurrection; therefore those mortal remains should receive special care and veneration (deep respect)....

VATICAN CORNER This year the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square is not getting rave reviews from some people. It is criticized for not being the peaceful scene of a silent night, all cozy calm and bright. Ever since Pope Saint John Paul II moved the Nativity to the...

VATICAN CORNER Christmas 2017 is being celebrated with a new postage stamp series jointly created by the Vatican and the principality of Monaco. The stamps feature the artwork of Stefano Morri, and show the Annunciation of Our Lady, and the Virgin & Child, while...

VATICAN CORNER The Vatican’s Christmas tree this year is a 60 year old giant 69 foot high red fir which lost its !p when it was hit by lighting some years ago. It was given by the archdiocese of Elk, in northeastern Poland. A member of the forestry service cut down...