Mois : février 2025

Vice President JD Vance on Friday tried to calm tensions over remarks he recently made about the Trump administration’s immigration policies — criticized by some Catholic bishops and Pope Francis — saying he doesn’t think it’s good for Christians to fight with each other.

« While yes, I was certainly surprised when [Francis] criticized our immigration policy and in the way that he has, » Vance said Feb. 28 during his keynote speech at the 20th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. « I also know that the pope, I believe that the pope, is fundamentally a person who cares about the flock of Christians under his leadership. »

Vance, who addressed the immigration debacle within the Catholic community at the end of his roughly 30-minute remarks, then quoted a portion of the homily that Francis gave at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and led breakfast attendees in a prayer for the pope, who has been battling pneumonia in both lungs.

The vice president’s remarks come amid a weekslong conflict between himself, Catholic leaders and others over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which have included sending illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay and trying to arrest them in places of worship. The new administration has also tried to target birthright citizenship and President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, which some Catholic leaders have criticized.

Just days after Trump’s inauguration, Catholic Church leaders issued a statement condemning the administration’s approach to immigration policy, saying that « non-emergency immigration enforcement in schools, places of worship, social service agencies, healthcare facilities, or other sensitive settings where people receive essential services would be contrary to the common good. »

Vance then criticized the U.S. bishops for their lack of support in an interview on CBS’ « Face the Nation, » saying he thinks the bishops’ conference « has, frankly, not been a good partner in common sense immigration enforcement that the American people voted for. »

« I hope, again, as a devout Catholic, that they’ll do better, » Vance said.

In his Friday remarks, Vance addressed the bishops specifically, saying « sometimes the bishops don’t like what I say, » eliciting applause from the audience. « And I’m sure, by the way, sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re wrong. »

« My goal is not to litigate when I’m right and when they’re wrong or vice versa, » Vance said. « My goal is to maybe articulate the way that I think about being a Christian in public life when you also have religious leaders in public life who have a spiritual duty to speak on the issues of the day. »

The ongoing verbal battle between the bishops’ conference and Vance was enough to prompt Francis himself to weigh in in recent weeks. In a Feb. 11 letter addressing U.S. bishops, the pope also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies and pushed back — without naming Vance — against the vice president’s interpretation of ordo amoris, a concept in Catholicism that Vance had referenced in a social media post.

« The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception, » Francis’ letter stated.

« I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations, » the letter stated. « The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality. »

The dispute between Vance and Catholic leaders has spread beyond official statements and media coverage as well. Outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown D.C., where this year’s breakfast was held, just over a dozen protestors gathered in opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies and recent remarks from Vance.

One of them was 82-year-old Marie Dennis, who said she is « deeply troubled » by Vance’s messages about Catholics’ views.

« We believe that every human being is a person of dignity, and that it is our responsibility as Catholic Christians to care for and create a more just society for the whole world, » said Dennis, who serves as the director of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. « It feels sad for him to be celebrated as the main speaker at this breakfast. »

Dennis, along with another protestor, held one side of a large purple banner that said: « Catholics Stand With Pope Francis. All Human Beings Have Dignity … Including Immigrants. »

Despite his illness, age and hospitalization, Pope Francis is still demonstrating his deep faith and exercising his role as pontiff, said a cardinal who once served as an auxiliary bishop of Rome.

« The pope offers profound meaning to human suffering — that same suffering that he himself has always flagged as part of the ‘throwaway culture,' » Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice of Siena, Italy, told the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

Since being hospitalized Feb. 14 and undergoing treatment for double pneumonia, the pope has become a witness to the same conditions many elderly and ill people face, said the cardinal, who ministered in the Diocese of Rome’s poorest and roughest neighborhoods from 2015 to 2019.

It is another example of how the pope feels he is simply another member of « the people of God, » while also leading the universal church, he said Feb. 26.

In fact, the pope has continued to work, nominating new bishops, issuing new rules for the governance of Vatican City State, calling the Holy Family church in Gaza, and most recently, advancing some sainthood causes, said Bishop Francesco Savino of Cassano all’Jonio, vice president of the Italian bishops’ conference.

« Even during this time of suffering Pope Francis is serving the church even more, » he told La Repubblica Feb. 26. « He is extremely hard-working » and offering « stupendous testimony » from a pulpit of pain.

Savino said the church and the world still need Francis, « his witness, his courage, his being a reforming pope who has launched processes for change. »

Lojudice said the pope has « knocked down walls and opened new roads in the church. Perhaps only with time will we be able to fully understand the scale of his pontificate. »

Every pope has had his supporters and detractors, the cardinal said, « and Pope Francis is no exception: there are those who love him and those who criticize him. »

« But his commitment to peace, justice and the least has won over the hearts of many people, believers and nonbelievers, » the cardinal said. « His affection for humanity is evident » and is being reciprocated with the outpouring of prayers and concern from around the world.

Being in the hospital is « a strong sign of the pope’s humanity, » Lojudice said. He is the vicar of Christ, but he is also a man, « like all of us, with his frailties, weaknesses » and advancing age.

« And, precisely in this condition, he continues to give witness to his faith and his role, even with the limitations posed by illness, » he said.

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of Congregation for Saints’ Causes, told Corriere della Sera newspaper Feb. 26 that he is not surprised the pope is still working, including advancing several sainthood causes Feb. 24.

It isn’t just a question of his tireless energy and mental toughness, but it is more so a sign of his spiritual strength, he said.

« The fact is that Francis powers his days with long moments of reflection and prayer. It’s like fueling up before a long journey. He wakes up before dawn every morning and devotes at least two hours to personal prayer, » Semeraro said.

Savino underlined the importance of the church coming together to pray for Francis.

« Prayer is our strength, it is the most beautiful way to be by Pope Francis’ side, » he said.

« It is beautiful to think of our hands raised toward heaven and the doctors’ hands on our dear pope’s body and both of these support and help him so that he can return home as soon as possible, » the bishop said.

Pope Francis has shown « further slight improvement » in his battle with double pneumonia and earlier concerns over possible kidney failure have been resolved. 

According to a Vatican statement released at 6:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Feb. 26, blood tests on the 88-year-old pope also show continued improvement. 

Tonight’s medical bulletin marks the first time since Feb. 22 that the pontiff’s condition has not been described as « critical, » although the Vatican statement noted that his overall prognosis « remains guarded. »

Yesterday’s medical bulletin noted that on Feb. 25 the pope underwent a CAT scan on his chest — the third of his 13-day hospitalization — and that the pontiff’s medical team said the results revealed a « normal evolution » for an individual being treated for double pneumonia. 

While the pontiff continues to receive occasional supplemental oxygen, the Vatican said he has not experienced any further asthmatic attacks since last weekend and he is continuing respiratory physiotherapy. 

Tomorrow, Feb. 27, will mark two weeks since Francis entered the hospital on Feb. 14 for respiratory difficulties that developed into double pneumonia. 

Vatican sources say that despite his condition, the pope continues to eat normally and is moving around the papal suite on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and he continues to engage in work activities.

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Vatican announced that the pope had signed decrees related to the canonization of new saints during a Feb. 24 hospital visit by Francis’ top two deputies.

The Vatican statement also said that the pope has decided to convene a consistory, a Vatican administrative meeting, to discuss the upcoming canonizations. Such an announcement — from the hospital — set off a fury of speculation, given that it was during a similar meeting in 2013 that Pope Benedict XVI announced his shock resignation.

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints, sought to tamp down on such rumors in an interview earlier today with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

« At least someone will be convinced that he is not dying, » Semeraro said of the pope’s decision to advance the sainthood causes. « It is a sign of hope. »

« Jokingly, I would say that all this will perhaps serve as a lesson for him, to calm down a little and look after himself in the future! » he added.

Rosary prayers in St. Peter’s Square for Francis’ health and recovery will continue this evening for a third night in a row. The evening prayer service, which began on Feb. 24, is being led by Rome-based cardinals and Curia officials, along with any faithful, are invited to participate.

The dean of the College of Cardinals, 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will preside over tonight’s service. 

Pope Francis remains in critical condition, but is « stable » as the 88-year-old pontiff continues his nearly two-week long hospitalization for double pneumonia. 

According to a Vatican statement released at 7:20 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the pope has not experienced any further acute respiratory episodes and his blood pressure and heart rate remains stable. 

The Vatican said that his « prognosis remains reserved, » as his medical picture continues to be complex. 

Tuesday afternoon the pope also underwent a CT scan to monitor his bilateral pneumonia, which he was first diagnosed with on Feb. 18.

On Monday, Feb. 25, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the sostituto (effectively the pope’s chief of staff) visited Francis at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

Their visit with the pope was not announced until earlier today when the Vatican said the pope had authorized new decrees for the creation of new saints during a meeting with his top two deputies on Feb. 24.

A statement also noted that the pope decided that he will convene a consistory — a Vatican administrative meeting — regarding the upcoming canonizations of new saints. This decision, along with his decision to receive visitors despite the doctor’s orders of « complete rest, » has largely been interpreted as a sign of the pontiff’s resolve to return to the Vatican and continue his work. 

Also on Tuesday, the Vatican released the pope’s 2025 Lenten message, where he called on Christians to engage in an exercise to compare their daily life experiences to that of a migrant.

While the message was signed on Feb. 6 — before he was admitted to hospital on Feb. 14 — the document was appropriately titled: « ‘Let us journey together in hope. »

At 9 p.m. this evening here in Rome, Vatican cardinals and curial officials will gather in St. Peter’s Square for a second night in a row with faithful from all over the world to recite a rosary for the pope’s recovery. Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, pro-prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, is set to preside over the prayer service.

The top figure in Eastern Orthodox Christianity on Sunday declared that « Ukraine’s sovereignty is not up for debate, nor can it be negotiated under the guise of diplomacy, » as he celebrated Mass in Istanbul on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is considered the « first among equals » in Eastern Orthodoxy, said any future peace agreement « must include Ukraine as an equal participant. » He praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his « tireless effort » to defend the country’s independence.

Most Ukrainians identify as Orthodox Christians, though the country remains split between an independent church based in Kyiv and another aligned with Moscow.

Bartholomew, who has consistently shown support for Ukraine since the war began, recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as independent from Moscow in 2019 — a move that prompted Russian Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox Church to sever contact.

« No force can extinguish the spirit of the people who refuse to be broken, » Bartholomew said in his sermon at a Mass attended by relatives and friends of Ukrainian soldiers who are missing or believed to be held in Russian captivity. « No nation has the right to force its will upon another, and no power can erase a people’s history. »

The service drew tears from the participating Ukrainians. Among them was Tetiana Tantsiura, whose husband Oleg Naradko, a soldier in Ukraine’s 115th Mechanized Brigade, went missing in action in July 2022.

« It’s hard to talk about, » Tantsiura told the Associated Press, « He disappeared July 2022. Until this time, the current year, I don’t know anything. I only hope that he is alive, and he will return in Ukraine. »

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to justify the invasion of Ukraine in part as a defense of the Moscow-oriented Orthodox Church, leaders of both Ukrainian Orthodox factions — and the country’s significant Catholic minority — have strongly condemned the war.

Ukraine’s consul general to Istanbul, Nedilskyi Roman, thanked the patriarch for his « personal and spiritual » support to Ukraine.

« Your prayers have given us the strength to stand and fight the insidious enemy for 3 years. Thank you for your personal and spiritual support to millions of Ukrainians around the world who were forced to leave their homes to save the lives of their children, » Roman said.

A British court on Friday largely backed the Vatican in refusing to declare that a London-based financier acted in « good faith » in his dealings over the Holy See’s 350-million euro (US$375 million) investment in a London property. The financier claimed victory, saying the ruling elsewhere found that he wasn’t dishonest and did nothing illegal.

Raffaele Mincione had sought the ruling from the British High Court in a bid to clear his name in the British courts after he was convicted by a Vatican criminal tribunal in December 2023 for his role in the property deal. He had asked the court to evaluate the transactions and declare that he acted « in good faith, » among other requests.

Vatican prosecutors had accused Mincione and others of fleecing the Holy See of tens of millions in euros in fees and commissions related to the property. Another London broker, Gianluigi Torzi, was accused of then extorting the Vatican for 15 million euros to cede control of the building. They were both convicted by the Vatican court, along with seven others including a cardinal, and are appealing.

The British granted 29 of Mincione’s 31 claims about the transaction, and it rejected some of the Vatican’s allegations against him. Judge Robin Knowles cited the Vatican’s « very serious » allegation of dishonesty and conspiracy in saying Mincione was entitled to have a court reject the Holy See’s claims.

But Knowles said that « on the evidence I heard at trial, the State (Vatican) had reason to consider itself utterly let down in its experience » with Mincione.

Mincione and his companies « made no attempt to protect the State (Vatican) from fraudulent bad actors. They took no care towards the State and they put their own interests first. The State expected more from professional counterparts, in Mr. Mincione and others, » the court found.

Mincione and his lawyers claimed victory, saying the vast majority of their other claims were accepted by the court.

« I hope the judgment can lay to rest once and for all claims that I am dishonest, or a fraudster, or a criminal, » Mincione said.

« It is a relief that, after years of being wrongly accused by the Vatican of stealing its money, the English Commercial Court has fully rejected the Vatican’s case that I or the Athena Capital fund or WRM Group were dishonest or part of any conspiracy or fraud in relation to the negotiation and sale relating to the 60 Sloane Avenue building in 2018, » Mincione said in a statement.

Lawyer Benjamin Robinson for Mincione’s WRM Group said the court granted the vast majority of claims sought about « the legitimacy of the negotiations leading up to and the sale » of the building.

The London case was the first time the Holy See had been put on trial in a foreign court. It was part of the collateral damage that the Vatican incurred in deciding to prosecute 10 people, including Mincione, for a range of financial crimes surrounding its money-losing London investment.

The Vatican prosecutor who had led the charge against Mincione in the Vatican tribunal, Alessandro Diddi, expressed satisfaction at the British court’s ruling.

« Even the British judges have affirmed what has always been argued by the office, namely that Raffaele Mincione acted towards the Secretariat of State ‘below the standards’ by which good faith conduct is measured, » Diddi said in comments reported by Vatican News. « I believe that this ruling also underscores the correctness of the conclusions reached by the Vatican Tribunal. »

The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like his death.

« A pope dies, they make another, » goes one, suggesting how life goes on.

« Every death of a pope … » starts another, indicating a rare occurrence.

But the one most frequently heard when a pope is actually sick is perhaps the darkest: « The pope is fine until he’s dead. »

That one’s been making the rounds as Pope Francis nears a week in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, battling pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection.

While the Vatican has been providing twice-daily updates on his condition and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said they « joked around as usual » during her visit Wednesday, all kinds of reports — true and not — abound about Francis’ health.

They’ve taken on a life of their own in an age of chat groups, conspiracy theories and internet memes — not to mention the perennial Roman fixation on the pope and who might succeed him.

The ‘Conclave’ effect

It doesn’t help that the Oscar-nominated movie « Conclave » is in theaters and has made everyone an expert in the arcane rules and spectacular drama involved in a papal election. Or that Francis recently extended the term of the dean of the College of Cardinals rather than find someone new to fill a key job during the next papal transition. Or that at 88, he is one of the oldest popes ever.

Francis still has a ways to go to outlive Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at 93. But he’s on track to equal or surpass Pope Gregory XII, perhaps best known for being the most recent pope to resign until Pope Benedict XVI did so in 2013. Gregory was 88 when he stepped down in 1415 to end the Western Schism, according to online resource Catholic Hierarchy.

Francis has frequently said he, too, would consider resigning if his health made him unable to continue, though more recently he said a pope’s job is for life.

Vatican correspondents are usually preparing for upcoming papal trips at this time of year, but none are confirmed so far. Instead, between medical updates, they are preparing stories looking back at his life, just in case.

« I think the dictum of ‘A pope is fine until he’s dead’ is always true, » said Giovanni Maria Vian, former editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, who knows about how Vatican information is managed. « It’s a very Roman way of speaking that represents, on the one hand, the traditional skepticism of Romans and Italians, but on the other hand, an informational opacity. »

The Vatican hasn’t allowed any member of Francis’ medical team to appear on camera or give detailed updates on his health, and no photos of him have been released since his Feb. 14 hospitalization.

A papal video fuels rumors

But to understand how entwined the pope is in Italian life, one only needs to consider another tradition religiously observed by Italians: the annual Sanremo song festival, a weeklong series of shows on RAI television in which viewers vote for their favorite rising vocalists who perform nightly in the kitschy, sometimes bawdy contest.

When it opened last week, it made even more headlines than usual because Francis — already sick with bronchitis but not yet in the hospital — appeared on the show in a pre-taped video, a publicity coup for Sanremo and a papal first.

When popular Italian blog Dagospia subsequently claimed the video had been made nearly a year earlier for another event, near-hysteria broke out among Vatican watchers. The apparent deception suggested that Francis’ latest illness was much worse than it seemed, and raised questions about the solidity of the papacy if an old video had been released without the pope’s knowledge.

As it turns out, Dagospia was wrong. The video was legit, recent and recorded for Sanremo. But it was true that Francis’ bronchitis was indeed much worse than it seemed. By week’s end, he was hospitalized with a lung infection that turned into pneumonia.

The episode though underscored the truism that the papacy is a matter of general public knowledge, interest and debate here, and that speculating about the pope’s current health and who might be next is a national pastime.

« I’m certainly very, very worried, » said Maurizio Di Folco, who was being treated Tuesday at the same hospital. « I wish him a speedy recovery and we’re praying for him deeply. A very good pope. A great pope! We hope he’ll be with us for a long time to come. »

Francis’ conservative critics weigh in

But elsewhere, Francis’ right-wing critics are circulating alarmist — and wholly uncorroborated — stories about his condition. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a Francis nemesis who was excommunicated for schism last year, revived his conspiracy about the legitimacy of Francis’ 2013 election, calling for the CIA to investigate what he claims was a « Deep State » plot to elect him.

Francis knows this dynamic well.

« Some wanted me dead, » he told Slovakian Jesuit priests in 2021, referring to what he learned while he was hospitalized that year for intestinal surgery. « I know there were even meetings among priests who thought the pope was in worse shape than what was being said. They were preparing the conclave. »

It’s considered poor taste to discuss publicly who’s up or down in the papal stakes of a future conclave, much less to start plotting one. But privately, Rome is abuzz with such conversations. Taxi drivers chat about it with passengers, doctors with patients, butchers with customers.

For now, Francis is holding on. Thursday’s bulletins said he had breakfast sitting up in an armchair and was working with aides after blood tests showed a « slight improvement » in his inflammation.

« There is a greater measure of transparency, but even that is not complete, » said Christopher Bellitto, a church history professor at Kean University in New Jersey. « Surely everyone with aging parents and grandparents said, ‘that’s pneumonia’ before the Vatican did. »