Image: www.britannica.com As I write this the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is taking place in Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, before the burial in a crypt beneath St Peter’s Basilica. The former pope died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, nearly a decade after he stood down due to… Read More
Tag: Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Francis Formalises Recognition of Roles
Since Francis, succeeded to the Chair of Peter on 13 March 2013 there has been a perception in many quarters that he is or would be a somewhat ‘liberal’ pontiff. This may have come about because of the undoubted ‘conservatism’ of his immediate predecessors, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. However, it… Read More
First Preacher of the Gospel-Mary Magdalene
On July 22, we celebrated the feast day of St Mary Magdalene, a woman who has been both fascinating and controversial in equal measure. Magdalene is not a surname but rather identifies the place Mary came from, Magdala, a city in Galilee, located in the northernmost region of ancient Palestine, (now northern Israel). It lies… Read More
The Two Popes
This week I went to see the film The Two Popes showing at the IFI in Eustace Street. The stars are Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict and Jonathon Pryce taking the part of Pope Francis, when he was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. The occasion is a series of secret meetings which took place between the two… Read More