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The best in Catholic news from across the Archdiocese of Perth
Curial reform ‘reasonable priority’ to help new pope, says US prelate
Since Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation Feb. 11, various commentators on church affairs — and also some church leaders — said that reforming the Roman Curia needs to be a priority of the next pontiff.
In farewell to cardinals, Pope Benedict pledges obedience to next pope
The Clementine Hall is traditionally the place where cardinals bid farewell to popes at the end of a pontificate, but usually when the pope in question is lying in state before his funeral. But on Feb. 28, hours before resigning from the papacy, Pope Benedict XVI briefly addressed the College of Cardinals, calling for unity and harmony among the men who will choose his successor and pledging his “unconditional reverence and obedience” to the next pope.
Pope Benedict XVI says he’s going from humble servant to simple pilgrim
Benedict XVI, who began his papacy describing himself as a “humble servant in the Lord’s vineyard,” described his retirement as a time of being a “simple pilgrim, who begins the last stage of his pilgrimage on this earth.”
Pope Benedict’s last trip is 15-minute helicopter ride
Pope Benedict XVI’s final trip as pope was a 15-minute helicopter ride from the Vatican to the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo.
Three US cardinals discuss papal candidates, process of choosing pope
After Pope Benedict XVI left the Vatican and began the last hours of his papacy, Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago told reporters he already was considering the qualities of certain cardinals and what kinds of pope they would make.
As pope, Benedict worked to promote understanding of Vatican II
On Feb. 14, in one of the last public appearances of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI spoke to the clergy of Rome about his experiences at the Second Vatican Council, which he had attended as an expert consultant half a century before.
Latin Americans hope new pope understands them — and their region
If numbers were used to choose the next pope, he might come from Latin America, which is home to the countries with the two largest Catholic populations.
Pope Benedict changes rituals for new pope’s inauguration
Pope Benedict XVI has ordered several changes to the Masses and liturgies that will mark the inauguration of the next pope’s pontificate.
Between popes: Vatican business continues as usual — almost
When Pope Benedict XVI officially leaves office at 8 p.m. Feb. 28, most of the top-level Vatican officials lose their jobs, but that does not mean the majority of Vatican employees get a vacation.
Age matters: Popes elected as young as 24, as old as 81
Ambrogio Piazzoni, vice prefect of the Vatican Library and author of a book on the history of papal elections, distributed a sheet of “some curiosities” about elections to reporters Feb. 21, the day after briefing journalists at the Vatican.
