Tag - vatican

 
 

VATICAN

Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 26, 2017
Topless 'sextremist' Femen activist tries to snatch Jesus statue from Vatican crib
A topless activist from the feminist group Femen tried to snatch the statue of the baby Jesus from the Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square on Monday but was stopped by police as she grabbed it.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Nov 24, 2017
At service for Africa, pope decries murder of women and children as 'horrid face' of war
Pope Francis on Thursday denounced the murder of innocent women and children as the "horrid face" of war as he presided at a special prayer service for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2017
Hibakusha calls for abolition of nuclear weapons during Vatican speech
An atomic bomb survivor pressed for the abolition of nuclear weapons during an international conference Saturday in the Vatican.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
May 21, 2017
Pope will add five new cardinals to church ranks next month
Pope Francis said Sunday he will elevate five Roman Catholic prelates to the rank of cardinal, the elite group of churchmen who are his closest advisers and can enter an eventual conclave to choose his successor.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Mar 12, 2017
To overcome shortage, Pope Francis signals elderly married men could become priests
Pope Francis has said he is willing to consider ordaining older married men as priests in isolated communities, but has ruled out making celibacy optional to tackle a shortage of clergy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 4, 2017
McDonald's opens shop near Vatican, upsetting purists, cardinal, but not nuns
McDonald's has opened a franchise just steps away from the gleaming white marble dome of St. Peter's Basilica, giving indigestion to some cardinals and local business owners.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 9, 2016
During Vatican event, Pope Francis promotes 17 prelates to cardinals, adding to potential successors
Pope Francis on Sunday promoted 17 Roman Catholic prelates from around the world to the high rank of cardinal, including 13 who are under 80 years old and thus eligible to succeed him one day.
WORLD / Society
Jan 21, 2016
Homeless woman on freezing night gives birth outside St. Peter's, gets Vatican offer of home
A homeless woman gave birth on a cardboard box just outside St. Peter's Square early on Wednesday in near-freezing temperatures and later received an offer of one year's hospitality in a Vatican institution.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2015
Pursuing transparency, Vatican orders external audit of assets
The Vatican said Saturday it had ordered the first external audit of its assets as part of a drive by Pope Francis to bring transparency to its finances where millions of euros have gone unrecorded without any central oversight.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2015
'Brotherhood of crime' to stand trial for Vatican leaks
The Vatican said Saturday it has charged five people over a damning leaks scandal at the heart of the Catholic Church, accusing the alleged ringleaders of forming a "brotherhood of crime."
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Sep 7, 2015
Every European parish should host a refugee family, pope says
Pope Francis called on Sunday on every European church parish and religious community to take in one refugee family in a gesture of solidarity, which he said would start in the tiny Vatican state where he lives.
WORLD
Jul 9, 2015
Pope drinks coca tea on way to highlands of Bolivia
Pope Francis drank a tea of coca leaves, chamomile flower and anise seeds on the plane to Bolivia from Ecuador Wednesday to ward off altitude sickness upon arrival at the highest international airport in the world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Mar 27, 2015
Pope Francis meets homeless on private visit to Sistine Chapel
Pope Francis made a surprise personal visit to 150 homeless people on a special tour of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, in the latest nod to his vision of creating a church for the poor.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 9, 2015
Vatican receives ransom demand for stolen Michelangelo letters
The Vatican said on Sunday it had received a ransom demand for the return of two rare documents written by Renaissance master Michelangelo that were stolen from its archives nearly 20 years ago.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 20, 2015
German Catholic archdiocese reveals it's richer than Vatican
The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne in Germany has disclosed it is worth €3.35 billion ($3.82 billion), making it richer than the Vatican.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 19, 2015
Italy deploys 4,800 soldiers for security at sensitive sites
Italian security chiefs on Tuesday approved a plan to put 4,800 soldiers on the streets throughout the country to help guard against potential militant attacks, the Interior Ministry said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 26, 2014
'So many tears this Christmas,' says Pope Francis
AFP-JIJI
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 18, 2014
Dramatic U.S. shift: Obama moves to normalize relations with Havana, end Cuba's isolation
Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations in a surprising move Wednesday by the Obama administration that will loosen a trade and travel embargo that is among the last remnants of Cold War policy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 14, 2014
Pope Francis' reported comments on pets going to heaven weren't his words
It was a heartwarming story for legions of pet owners and animal lovers around the world.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’