Greeting the Pope

Catholic faithful greet Pope Francis as he visits St. Peter's Parish in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday. Pope Francis met with priests, seminarians and catechists before attending the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) at the Blessed Nicholas Boonkerd Kitbamrung Shrine.

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Pope Francis begins visit to Thailand as faithful jostle for selfies

BANGKOK -- Pope Francis arrived in Thailand on Wednesday to meet with its small but devoted Catholic minority on a seven-day Asian trip that will include a family reunion in Bangkok and take his anti-nuclear message to Japan.

Waiting for a glimpse of the pontiff, excited Catholics thronged around the Vatican's Bangkok embassy and St. Louis Hospital to take selfies.

"Once in a lifetime, I want to see him and be able receive prayer from him," said 60-year-old Orawan Thongjamroon outside the Vatican embassy, where she had been waiting since early morning for the papal motorcade.

Catholics are a tiny minority in mostly Buddhist Thailand, accounting for less than 2 percent of the population.

The pope's plane touched down outside Bangkok around midday and he descended to a red-carpet airport welcome from church leaders for a visit that coincides with the 350th anniversary of the first papal mission in Siam, the former name of Thailand.

Among those welcoming him was his cousin and childhood friend from Argentina, 77-year-old nun Sister Ana Rosa Sivori, who has worked in Thai schools for more than 50 years and will be the pope's personal translator in Thailand.

The pair, whose grandfathers were brothers, beamed as they made their way over the tarmac through crowds of clergy, children and government officials to a waiting motorcade.

"Dear friends in Thailand and Japan, before we meet, let us pray together that these days may be rich in grace and joy," read a message on the pontiff's official Twitter account before he left the Vatican.

At Bangkok's St. Louis Church, a Thai Catholic woman proudly showed photographs of her and Pope Francis from a visit she made to the Vatican with her husband.

"I never thought that I would have another chance to see him again," said Nuchnaree Praresri, 49.

But when she was invited to be a cleaner at St. Louis Church for the papal visit, she seized the opportunity.

"This might not be an important role for others, but I'm very proud," she said.

Catholicism first arrived in Thailand in the mid-1500s with Portuguese missionaries and traders, and Catholics have over the years built respected schools and hospitals.

Pope Francis begins his official program on Thursday when he is scheduled to meet King Maha Vajiralongkorn as well as the supreme Buddhist patriarch before offering mass at the National Stadium.

He will hold another mass at Bangkok's Assumption Cathedral before leaving on Saturday for Japan, where he will visit the nuclear ground zeros of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

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Black Nazarene returns after 22 hours

Devotees flock toward the image of the Black Nazarene as it reaches outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene during the annual Traslacion in Manila on Tuesday. The carriage arrived at the Quiapo Church around 3:30 a.m., 22 hours after it started from the Quirino Grandstand on January 9.

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Fil-Ams make lifestyle changes to follow Pope Francis

CALIFORNIA - Pope Francis’ messages on simplicity, humility and love for all while in the Philippines were heard loud and clear at St. Patrick’s Church in San Francisco where majority of the parishioners and clergy are Filipino.

They said they’re inspired to make changes in their own lives because of how the Holy Father lives his life.

"He lives simply. He doesn’t even live in the papal palace. He takes ordinary cars wherever he goes. He makes me feel guilty, actually," quipped Fr. Robert Andrey, parish priest of St. Patrick’s Church.

Amy Mohler, member of the Sacred Heart group of St. Patrick’s Church said she also chose not to drive a fancy car because she was inspired to live simpler by the Pope.

"I live in a simple place. I don’t shop. I’d rather be in Church. The Church is my home," she said.

They said they have also learned to be more forgiving, more accepting of all kinds of people, regardless of race, color, religion and gender because of the Pope.

"Accept people for what they are, whatever religion they have," said Estela Sullivan, also a member of the Sacred Heart Group.

Another group member, Corazon Salcedo San Jose remarked, "I don't judge them on their beliefs, on situations they are in, what kind of relationships they have. You don’t have to judge."

For Pope Francis, the Filipino culture has indeed been shaped by faith. He said Filipinos everywhere are known for their love of God and devotion to the Church’s teachings.

Read more from Balitang America.

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Pope Francis thrills in PH with 'jeepney' popemobile

MANILA - Pope Francis made a triumphant entrance for a mass with millions in the Philippines on Sunday aboard a "popemobile" styled after the nation's iconic, flamboyant and much-loved "jeepney" minibus.

The pontiff, standing in the elevated open body of the uniquely Filipino version of his popemobile, travelled through the streets of the capital Manila for the main event of his five-day visit.

Wearing a think plastic yellow poncho over his vestments, the 78-year-old pontiff smiled and waved to hundreds of thousands who had lined the route to the venue for the mass.

The rectangular vehicle with distinctive giant grille repeatedly stopped so he could reach into the cheering masses and pick up babies to kiss and bless them.

The pope rode the jeepney popemobile to Rizal Park where millions had gathered to hear him celebrate mass, in one of the world's biggest papal gatherings.

The jeepneys are regarded by many Filipinos as a symbol of national ingenuity. Locals created them from surplus US military jeeps after American forces left at the end of World War II.

The bodies of the jeeps were extended, seats were added and a fixed roof put in place. The vehicles were then painted with colourful and Catholic designs.

They proved to be strong vehicles with decades-long lifespans, and can be seen ferrying people through city streets and animals on mountain roads.

However the diesel-powered vehicles are also one the nation's chief air pollution culprits.

Francis's jeepney was an all-white popemobile. It had no doors, after the pope told local organisers he did not want a bulletproof vehicle so he could reach out and touch his followers.

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Pope Francis trying to learn Tagalog for PH visit

MANILA – Pope Francis is trying to learn some Tagalog ahead of his visit this week to the Philippines, Asia's bastion of Catholicism, a report by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.

CBCP News said Rome-based Bro. Francis Dominic Vergara of Congregation of the Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate revealed that the Supreme Pontiff is trying to learn some basic Tagalog phrases.

“We have the chance to meet him person to person so there, it was a feeling of joy…We were able to talk with him that’s why before that day, I practiced my Italian, what I would tell him…He asked me if I spoke Tagalog. He said, 'You speak Tagalog?' I said, 'Yes!' Then he said, 'I'm trying Tagalog but it’s difficult,''' Vergara told CBCP News.

CBCP News said Vergara, who studies first year Philosophy at the Pontifical University of Urbaniana, was able to talk to Pope Francis for two minutes before the pope’s Te Deum and Vespers last December 31, 2014 where 15 Filipino seminarians -- 3 of whom were deacons -- were invited to serve the pope.

Vergara said the Pope's presence is more than enough for Filipinos.

''Maybe what most are expecting is really just his presence, which many are looking for…Even if you don’t get to talk [to him], as long as he is there to Filipinos [and tell them] that 'I care for you,''' he said.

English speeches

Vatican Spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi earlier said Pope Francis has been practicing his English skills in preparation for his visit to the Philippines.

Il Pontificio Collegio Filippino rector Fr. Gregory Ramon Gaston told state-run Radio Television Malacañang that Pope Francis has been studying his English speeches.

''Ang sagot ni Father Lombardi lahat (ng speeches) English. Nakahanda na lahat ng text in English. Kung may conversations, may mga tanong, sagot sa local dialects, nandoon ang mga cardinals na magtatranslate,'' he said.

''Ang nangyari ngayon, naka-prepare lahat sa English, nagpa-practice ang Pope sa pagbabasa ng babasahin niya - mga homilies -- tumutulong sa kanya ang Vatican official na in-charge sa English section."

The National Catholic Register reported that Pope Francis admitted having difficulty understanding foreign languages such as English and prefers not to speak publicly using any language other than Italian.

In his biography, Pope Francis said ''What has always caused the most problems for me has been English, especially the phonetics.''


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Catholic devotees told: Medals, scapulars not magic

MANILA - A priest in Jaro, Iloilo has issued a reminder to Catholic devotees that scapulars and medals have nothing to do with magic.

"One has to understand their use. Just getting hold of the promise without understanding its content and demands can easily lead them to be treated as amulets and bodily decorations," a CBCPNews report quoted Monsignor Alejandro P. Esperancilla as saying.

Esperancilla, who serves as special assistant for liturgical affairs of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles in Jaro, said wearing medals and scapulars means one wants to place himself under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"This will necessarily include the desire to imitate her life of being totally in the service of God," he said.

He explained that the scapular evolved from the religious vestment of the Carmelite Order, whose members were largely responsible for popularizing the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, their patroness, through this sacramental.

Therefore, a wearer of the scapular has the obligation to live according to the values of that community: "simplicity in dress, behavior and life, penance and mortification, prayer, hospitality and charity to the less fortunate."

Esperancilla also stressed that devotees should focus on the spirit behind these sacramentals, which is to become "imitators of our Blessed Mother in her life of service to her Son, Jesus Christ," and not on the promises attached to them.

"Only then can the promises be fulfilled," he said, adding that serious effort should be made to use them correctly.

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Pope leads Catholics in first worldwide "Holy Hour"

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis led Roman Catholics on Sunday in the first worldwide "Holy Hour," in which participants prayed at the same time around the globe for those suffering from war, slave labour, human trafficking and the economic crisis.

The Vatican asked Catholics to join him between 5-6 p.m. Rome time (1500-1600 GMT) in what is known as a Eucharistic adoration - praying before a consecrated communion host.

They were asked to gather in cathedrals, neighbourhood parishes and monasteries to pray for two general intentions penned by the pope, who prayed in St. Peter's Basilica.

One was for those "who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labour" as well as for the "unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners and those who experience marginalisation".

The other was for the 1.2 billion member Church itself and that it be "without stain or blemish", an apparent allusion to scandals that have undermined its credibility, such as the sexual abuse of children by clergy.

A Vatican official said it was "the first time in the history of the Church" that such an event was taking place. The Vatican said it was impossible to estimate immediately how many people took part. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by David Stamp)

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Pope signals more open papacy for troubled Church

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis was to meet the world's press on Saturday at the dawn of an already tradition-breaking leadership for a troubled Catholic Church, after the Vatican rejected claims he did nothing to save lives during Argentina's "Dirty War".

The special audience at 1000 GMT was being billed by the Vatican as part of the greater openness that has characterized the first days in office of the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first pope from Latin America.

The 76-year-old pontiff has displayed an informal style that contrasts sharply with that of his more academic predecessor Benedict XVI.

Under the simple slogan of "walk, build, confess" and speaking in a folksy Italian, he has urged Catholic leaders to shun worldly glories and lead a spiritual renewal in the Church that will reach "the ends of the earth".

The son of an Italian emigrant railway worker, he has warned them that without action the Church could end up becoming a "castle of sand" and just a charity with no spiritual foundation.

The Catholic Church has been rocked in recent years by multiple scandals including thousands of cases of abuse of children by pedophile priests, stretching back decades, and intrigue in the Vatican bureaucracy.

Catholics are also abandoning churches in huge numbers in an increasingly secularized West.

A moderate conservative in Argentina where he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis is unlikely to change any of the fundamental tenets of Catholic doctrine but he could push for more social justice and a friendlier faith.

Vatican experts have said his priorities will also include reforming the administration of the Church and the Vatican bank, which is being investigated in a money laundering case.

The Vatican on Friday rejected claims that Pope Francis had failed to protect two Jesuit priests who were kidnapped and tortured by Argentina's brutal military junta (1976-1983), and said he had in fact helped save lives.

The Vatican said the accusations were "defamatory" and "anti-clerical".

Bergoglio has been criticized by leftist Argentinians for his actions at a time when he was head of the country's Jesuits but not yet a bishop.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Bergoglio in fact "did a lot to protect people during the dictatorship" in which 30,000 died or disappeared.

But the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo organization, founded in 1977 to help locate children kidnapped under the junta, accused the pope of failing to speak out against the former military rulers.

"He has never spoken of the problem of people who had disappeared under dictatorial rule, and 30 years have already passed since our return to democracy," said Estela Carlotto, whose daughter Laura was abducted and killed during the military era.

There was more evidence Friday of the new pope's informal style when he visited Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mejia in a Rome hospital, a day after the 90-year-old suffered a heart attack.

He spent 20 minutes with the cardinal before blessing the hands of the cardiologist treating him.

"It was amazing. He is really down to earth. He makes you feel at ease immediately," the doctor, Marco Miglionico, told reporters.

Francis chatted warmly with staff and also blessed seriously ill patients before praying at the hospital's chapel.

The new pontiff's inauguration mass will take place on Tuesday -- the Feast of St Joseph, the patron saint of the universal church.

He has urged the faithful in his native Argentina not to travel to Italy for the mass but rather to give the money the trip would have cost to charity. Nonetheless, heads of state from all over the world are expected to be present, while more than a million people are expected to throng Rome.

The new pontiff is also due to meet Benedict, who last month became the first pope to resign for 700 years, in the coming days.

Francis fans have already begun snapping up rosary beads and postcards adorned with his face at souvenir shops in the Vatican and New York's Bice restaurant has created a new dish -- barbecued steak pasta -- in homage to the pope's Argentinian and Italian roots.

His election is being seen as a nod to the Church's power in Latin America, which is home to 40 percent of the world's Catholics, while in Europe, its traditional power base, it is ageing and declining.

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Pope Francis warns Church of dangers of inaction

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis warned on Thursday that the troubled Catholic Church risked becoming little more than a charity with no spiritual foundations if it failed to undergo renewal.

The 76-year-old Argentinian told the cardinals who elected him as Latin America's first pope that the Church could "end up a compassionate NGO".

"I would like all of us after these days of grace to have the courage to walk in the presence of the Lord," Francis said in his first mass, amid the splendour of the Sistine Chapel.

He warned the cardinals against "the worldliness of the Devil".

"Walking, building and confessing are not so easy. Sometimes there are tremors," the pope said, in a homily that will be scrutinised for clues to the style of his leadership.

The new head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, who was formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had begun his reign by meeting people in Rome and laying a bouquet of flowers in homage to the Virgin Mary in a basilica.

The pope also prayed at the altar of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order to which he belongs.

He returned to the priests' quarters where he stayed before the conclave and settled his own bill.

The election of the son of an Italian emigrant railway worker, who was considered a rank outsider, was met with widespread surprise and expressions of hope for change in a Church riven by scandal and internal conflict.

His elevation was also seen as recognition of the Church's power in Latin America, which now accounts for 40 percent of the world's Catholics, while it is in decline in Europe.

"The choice of Bergoglio shows that the Church is determined not to remain in mourning for the crisis in Europe but has opened its doors to the revitalising energy of Catholicism's biggest continent," Vatican expert Luigi Accatoli told AFP.

Projecting an image as a simple man of the people, the pope chose to name himself after St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century saint who shunned the riches of his family to devote himself to God and the poor.

The Vatican revealed that, for the ride back to the conclave lodgings after Wednesday's election, Francis shunned the papal limousine with the "Vatican City State One" number plates and instead boarded a minibus with the cardinals.

It was in keeping with his image as a man who as archbishop of Buenos Aires chose to live in a modest apartment rather than the official residence and took buses to work.

Poisonous rivalries

Experts said they expected the new pope to shake up the Vatican, where poisonous rivalries within the Curia -- its governing body -- plagued the papacy of Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI.

Benedict, 85, abruptly ended his eight-year papacy last month saying he lacked the strength to deal with the rigours of the job.

The Vatican confirmed that Francis had part of a lung removed as a boy, but its spokesman Federico Lombardi insisted: "This is not a handicap in his life.

"Those who know him have always seen him in good health."

Francis and Benedict are to meet within days.

The new pope is also the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years and the first from the Society of Jesus order, or the Jesuits, known for their work in education and promotion of social justice.

World leaders greeted his election, while the Organisation for the Islamic Conference said Muslim nations hoped "the relationship between Islam and Christianity will regain its cordiality and sincere friendship" during his papacy.

The pointed message reflected a rocky relationship between the two faiths that reached a low in 2006, when Benedict sparked fury across the Muslim world with remarks seen as linking Islam with violence.

Bergoglio is not without controversy.

He was only 36 when he was named to lead Argentina's Jesuits, a job he held for six years under the country's 1976-83 military dictatorship.

The future pope and other Catholic clergy were lambasted by leftist critics for failing to act against the "Dirty War" during which 30,000 people died or disappeared.

More recently, his opposition to gay marriage and contraception has brought him into conflict with the Argentine government of President Cristina Kirchner.

The Argentinian of Italian descent, the 266th pope, faces the immediate challenges of stamping his authority on the Vatican machinery and trying to coax back worshippers that are deserting churches across the West

The sexual abuse of children by paedophile priests stretching back decades cast a dark shadow over the conclave, which included several cardinals implicated in the scandals.

A US man who has just won a $1 million settlement for abuse at the hands of a Californian priest called for Francis to excise the "cancer" in the Church and defrock one of those cardinals, former Los Angeles archbishop Roger Mahony, for allegedly hushing up the abuse.

"I hope that our new pope defrocks ... Cardinal Mahony for his role in covering up the abuse that I suffered," Michael Duran said, while acknowledging: "I don't have high hopes for that."

Francis's inauguration mass will take place on Tuesday -- a significant date in the Catholic calendar because it is the Feast of St Joseph.

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Argentina's Bergoglio becomes first Latin American pope

VATICAN CITY - Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis I on Wednesday, becoming the church's first Latin American pontiff after a conclave to elect a leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

The 76-year-old conservative emerged from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to the cry of "Habemus Papam!" ("We Have a Pope!"), as tens of thousands of pilgrims clambered over barriers and broke down in tears, overcome with emotion after suspenseful prayer vigils worldwide.

White smoke earlier billowed from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St Peter's Basilica rang out, signalling the election had taken place after five rounds of voting in the Vatican -- one more than when Benedict XVI was elected in 2005.

Bergoglio is the first Jesuit to become pope and is believed to have been the runner-up in 2005.

The first wisps of smoke in the evening sky prompted cries of "Long live the pope!" from pilgrims clutching rosaries and waving flags in the square, where the image of the tiny copper chimney was projected onto four giant screens.

Bergoglio, who is the 266th pope in the Catholic Church's 2,000-year history, retired to a chamber known as the "Room of Tears" immediately after the nomination to don his papal vestments and then prayed in the Pauline Chapel.

Bells pealed in churches across Italy to celebrate the announcement and residents of Rome could be seen racing to the floodlit 17th-century Vatican plaza, running out of their homes and cafes to reach the square in time.

Cardinals have been locked up behind the Vatican walls and cut off from the outside world since Tuesday, meeting in a sublime Renaissance chapel swept for recording devices and installed with scramblers to prevent any communication.

The historic election after Benedict's abrupt resignation last month was being followed around the world on live television as as well as through social media and smartphone apps -- this is the first ever tweeted conclave.

"I didn't think I would cry but I guess the adrenalin's taking over!" said Rebecca Hine, a student from Canada who had waited two days in the rain.

"I'm overjoyed!" said a tearful Veronica, a nun from Botswana. "I'm so emotional I can hardly speak!"

A breathless Ruud, a 31-year-old Dutch tourist, said: "We were having dinner nearby and heard a roar, and raced here to see for ourselves."

Benedict's eight-year papacy was riven by scandals and the new pope will face immediate challenges -- stamp his authority on the Vatican machinery and try to bring back a Catholic flock that is deserting churches across the West.

Benedict's style was often seen as too academic and he was never as popular as his predecessor. Many of the cardinals have called for the new pope to be a better communicator, able to reach out particularly to young people.

Conclaves are usually only held after a pope dies and are sometimes decades apart -- the last one was in 2005, the one before that 1978. A popular Italian expression for things that happen very rarely is "at every death of a pope".

The 85-year-old Benedict broke with tradition, becoming the first pontiff to resign since the Middle Ages. He has said he will retire to a former nunnery inside the Vatican -- an unprecedented and delicate situation for the Church.

In one of his last acts as pope, he issued a decree allowing cardinals to bring forward the date of a conclave in cases of papal resignation -- a move seen by many as potentially setting a precedent for future ageing pontiffs.

The scandal of hushed-up sexual abuses of children by paedophile priests going back decades has also cast its shadow over the conclave.

The US group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) called for over a dozen cardinals to be excluded from the conclave either for covering up abuses or for making tactless remarks about the scandals.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi on Wednesday defended the cardinals and accused SNAP and other activists of showing "negative prejudices".

"None of us are surprised that they have tried to take advantage of these days to repeat their accusations and give them greater resonance," he said.

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Black smoke as morning fails to bring new pope

Cardinals in secret conclave failed twice on Wednesday morning to elect a new pope, as black smoke over the Sistine Chapel showed ballots on the first full day of voting were inconclusive.

After an inconclusive first vote on Tuesday night, the 115 cardinal electors should hold another two ballots later on Wednesday after praying for inspiration from God for a choice that can lead the Roman Catholic Church out of crisis.

Having spent the night closeted in a nearby guesthouse, the cardinals attended Mass in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace and returned to the Renaissance splendor of the Sistine Chapel to hold the two morning ballots.

They face a tough task in finding one of their number capable of facing a string of scandals and internal strife which are thought to have contributed to Pope Benedict's decision in February to become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign.

A chimney above the chapel, where the cardinals are meeting beneath Michelangelo's luminous fresco of the Last Judgment, will signal a decision with white smoke.

More black smoke will indicate no choice has been made.

With several leading candidates, or "papabili", the cardinals are unlikely to reach a decision on who will lead the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics before Wednesday afternoon, with many experts forecasting white smoke to emerge on Thursday.

"A new pope by tomorrow," was the headline in Wednesday's La Stampa newspaper after days of feverish speculation about the most likely new pontiff in Italian media.

Only one man since the start of the 20th century, Pius XII in 1939, was elected within three ballots, with seven ballots on average required over the last nine conclaves. Benedict was clear frontrunner in 2005 and elected after only four ballots.

Pilgrims and tourists began arriving in St Peter's Square early in the morning despite heavy rain, hoping to get a glimpse of history by watching for white smoke from the chapel chimney.

When the new pope is elected the bells of St. Peter's will also ring.

"It's a wonderful time, a historical moment," said Monsignor Ronny Jenkins, General Secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who was among hundreds waiting under umbrellas in the square outside the huge church.

"It's very unique. It's an incredible moment, but we want the rain to go away," he added with a laugh.

Cardinals shut inside chapel

The cardinals were shut inside late on Tuesday afternoon for the first time, after a day of religious pomp and prayer to prepare for the task. As expected, black smoke emerged after their first vote, about two hours after they began the conclave.

The initial vote was seen as a way of filtering the choice down to frontrunners for discussions among the supporters of the various papabili in the following days.

No hint is expected to emerge before the pope is chosen.

The Vatican has taken precautions, including electronic jamming devices, to prevent any leaks from inside the conclave.

The new pope will take up a burden that Benedict declared in February was beyond his physical capabilities.

The Church is reeling from a child abuse scandal and the "Vatileaks" case in which Benedict's butler revealed documents alleging corruption and in-fighting inside the Curia, or central bureaucracy. It has also been shaken by rivalry from other churches, the advance of secularism, especially in its European heartland, and problems in the running of the Vatican bank.

The former head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony, is attending the conclave despite calls for him to stay away because of a sex abuse scandal that led to his censure by his successor Archbishop Jose Gomez in January. He was stripped of all public and administrative duties as punishment.

On Tuesday, lawyers for the victims in four sex abuse cases said the diocese, Mahony and an ex-priest had agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle the cases.

Mahony was accused of helping a confessed pedophile priest escape prosecution.

Cardinal frontrunners

Frontrunners at the conclave include Italy's Angelo Scola - who would return the papacy to traditional Italian hands after 35 years of the German Benedict XVI and Polish John Paul II - and Brazilian Odilo Scherer - who would be the first non-European pope since Syrian-born Gregory III, nearly 1,300 years ago.

In preparatory meetings before the conclave, the cardinals seemed divided between those who believe the new pontiff must be a strong manager to get the dysfunctional bureaucracy under control and others who are looking more for a proven pastoral figure to revitalize their faith across the globe.

Milan Archbishop Scola, who has managed two big Italian dioceses without being part of the Vatican's central administration, could be well-placed to understand the Curia's Byzantine politics and introduce swift reform.

Scherer is said to be the Curia's favored candidate and would satisfy those who want a non-European, reflecting the future of a Church shifting towards the developing world.

A host of other candidates from numerous nations have also been mentioned as potential popes - including U.S. cardinals Timothy Dolan and Sean O'Malley, Canada's Marc Ouellet and Argentina's Leonardo Sandri.

All the prelates meeting in the Sistine Chapel were appointed by either Benedict XVI or John Paul II, and the next pontiff will almost certainly pursue their fierce defense of traditional moral teachings.

On Tuesday they retired to a Vatican guesthouse, where more elaborate precautions have been taken to avoid leaks. This will be their home throughout the conclave.

Some cardinals speculated this week that it might take four to five days to pick the new pontiff because of the difficulty of the task and the number of strong candidates.

(Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary, Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer and Tom Heneghan; Editing by Keith Weir)

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'Papal conclave a spiritual process'

MANILA - The cardinals moved into the Vatican on Tuesday to vote for the next leader of around 1.2 billion Catholics after the resignation of Benedict XVI.

Fr. Jose Quilongquiliong, rector of the Loyola House of Studies in Ateneo de Manila University and a close friend of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, described the conclave as a spiritual process.

“It is done in prayer, it is not about political campaign, it is not about influence. In fact, sa loob ng Sistine Chapel, bawat cardinal pagkasulat ng pangalan, pupunta sa harap ng altar at sasabihin niya sa harap, ‘I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected,” he told dzMM on Tuesday.

The cardinal electors will live inside the Vatican completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice.

Quilongquiliong said even the “assistants” in the Vatican had to take an oath of secrecy.

“Kahapon was the special oath taking of the assistants, mga cooks, mga waiters, mga taga-bukas ng elevator, around 90 of them. Silang lahat ay kailangan din mag oath of secrecy na kung ano ang marinig nila ay hindi pwedeng pag-usapan...,” he said.

Favorites

Three candidates have emerged as favorites in the conclave, all of whom are conservatives cast in the same mold as "pope emeritus" Benedict XVI.

They are Italy's Angelo Scola, Brazil's Odilo Scherer and Canada's Marc Ouellet,

But the rumor mill in the Vatican has thrown up more names, including cardinals from Austria, Hungary, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States.

Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera said there was no agreement yet among the cardinal electors on what type of candidate they wanted.

"Some imagine him to be more academic, able to establish a dialogue with culture. Others ask for someone who is close to the people. Others still want someone with more authority to put some Church problems in order," he said.

Carrera said there is "no majority" so far.

Quilongquiliong, meanwhile, said Benedict XVI, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was the one who recruited Tagle into the International Theological Commission.

He said Tagle’s dissertation, titled “Episcopal Collegiality and Vatican II: The Influence of Paul VI,” got the attention of Ratzinger.

Tagle became just the second Filipino to join the elite group of theologians. -- With a report  from Agence France-Presse

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Vatican readies for conclave to elect new pope

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican installed a special chimney on the Sistine Chapel from which white smoke will signal the election of a new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics as cardinals prepare for the centuries-old tradition starting on Tuesday.

The conclave of 115 cardinal electors will be held under Michelangelo's famous frescoes to choose the 266th pope, after the ageing Benedict XVI became the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages saying he wanted to be "a simple pilgrim" again.

French cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris, told AFP in an interview that there were around "half a dozen possible candidates."

Italian cardinal Angelo Scola, the Archbishop of Milan, is often cited as a favourite, along with Canada's Marc Ouellet and Brazil's Odilo Scherer.

Other names mentioned on the rumour mill in recent days have been Hungary's Peter Erdo, Mexico's Jose Francisco Robles Ortega, Austria's Christoph Schoenborn and Sri Lanka's Albert Malcolm Ranjith.

"The problem with this conclave is that there is no early frontrunner like Joseph Ratzinger in 2005," said John Allen, a Vatican expert at the National Catholic Reporter, a US weekly.

Luis Antonio Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, a youthful and popular cardinal with strong pastoral skills, has also been mentioned as a possible.

The first vote will be on Tuesday after cardinals move into a Vatican residence where they will live in total isolation for the duration of the conclave and hold a special mass "For the Election of the Roman Pontiff" in St Peter's Basilica.

Cardinals will swear a solemn oath not to reveal the secrets of their deliberations on pain of excommunication at 1545 GMT on Tuesday after which the actual conclave will begin, the Vatican said.

The strict rules also apply to their residence, St Martha's House, where windows will be locked and telephones allowed for internal use only.

Ballots will usually be burnt daily at 1100 GMT and 1800 GMT, with the smoke turned black to show no two-thirds majority has been found or white to signal that a papal election has taken place.

The conclave could last up to a few days.

The decision on the date of the conclave was taken on Friday at one of a series of closed-door meetings held by cardinals over the past week to discuss the many challenges facing the next pope.

Cardinals, with no new pope to defer to and no late pope to grieve over, have seized on the rare chance to air grievances against the Vatican administration and call for greater transparency.

The 85-year-old Benedict last month admitted he was too weak in body and mind to keep up with a fast-changing modern world and became only the second head of the Catholic Church ever to resign by choice in its 2,000-year history.

"Pope emeritus" Benedict has stayed out of pre-conclave debates and is living at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome for the next couple of months, after which he will move to a former convent inside the Vatican.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi on Saturday said Benedict's "Fisherman's Ring" -- the personalised gold ring that symbolised his pontifical powers -- had been annulled with an "X" mark along with four other official seals.

The ring and the seals were traditionally disposed of to prevent the use of the papal seal on any false documents after a pontiff's death.

Conclave lockdown

Vatican workers meanwhile have put the final touches on preparations for the Sistine Chapel, blacking out windows to prevent any spying on the conclave and installing scrambling devices to prevent any communication with the outside world.

Under the rules of the conclave, cardinals have to swear not to reveal any details of their deliberations on pain of excommunication and the Sistine Chapel will be swept for recording devices.

No-one except the "cardinal electors" -- cardinals below the threshold age of 80 -- can be present during the two daily rounds of voting.

The Renaissance jewel takes its name from pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1477 and 1480.

It is situated next to St. Peter's Basilica.

One of the most visited sites in the world, with up to 20,000 tourists a day, the Sistine Chapel features one of art history's most famous scenes, depicting God stretching out his arm to touch Adam's hand and give him life.

The chapel is now off limits to visitors and the Floreria, the Vatican department in charge of preparing for papal audiences and ceremonies, has been outfitting it for the conclave with a raised platform and tables.

The cardinals -- traditionally known as "Princes of the Church" -- will sit on cherry-wood chairs to fill in their ballot papers.

Folded votes will then be slid into an urn.

On the left of the entrance to the chapel, two stoves with one common flue have been installed for the burning of the votes.

Once the new pope accepts his nomination, he emerges onto a balcony overlooking St Peter's Square to a cheering crowd and the Latin cry of "Habemus Papam"! ("We Have a Pope!")

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Pinoy Catholics want open-minded pope

MANILA, Philippines - As the world waits to see who will follow in Pope Benedict's papal legacy, Philippine Catholics are calling for a more open-minded leader to succeed him.

Catholics comprise 83 percent of the Philippines' population of 94 million, making it the largest Catholic country in Asia.

The Catholic clergy is a powerful force here, helping overthrow two corrupt presidents and lending its moral judgment on several issues.

But while majority of newborns are being baptized into the faith, many adults are leaving the flock, some turning to Protestantism or simply giving up Catholic rituals like going to church on Sunday.

Last year, the Catholic church suffered a big blow when a landmark birth control bill was signed into law, after more than a decade of debate in which bishops and conservative believers aggressively opposed the legislation.

Fr. John Leydon, an Irish missionary priest who has served in the Philippines for decades, says the new pope must embrace modernity and evolve from hidebound attitudes that he says are pushing away more and more members of the flock.

"The whole area of sexuality, and what it is to be human, what it is to be a sexual human being, what it is to be a sexual human being -- all of these questions, the church I think needs to be humble and in dialogue with people, and you know, listen to the wisdom of people in these matters," said Leydon, who is parish priest of the Malate Catholic church.

"If it doesn't, it will find itself more and more alienated. And people, if it doesn't correspond to them, people will walk away," he added.

Though many Filipinos have adopted liberal views towards sex, reproductive health and gender issues, conservative attitudes still prevail amongst staunch Catholics.

"I would prefer that the next pope will not agree to birth control legislation and the use of contraceptives, as well as this so-called 'same-sex marriage,'" said government worker Jojo dela Cruz, who hears mass regularly.

Some young Filipino Catholics, a key constituent for the church to sustain its growth in a population where the median age is 23, say they are looking for a pontiff who is more attuned to their realities.

One student said she appreciated how Pope Benedict launched a Twitter account, to reach out to the youth, but called for more openness.

"A pope that has an open mind, and not conservative, but would always preserve the teachings of Christ," said Charlene Salas, a student at a Catholic university.

Other Catholics said they just hoped the cardinals will choose a good leader.

"I hope the Holy Spirit can guide the cardinals, so they can elect a person who can shepherd the church, who can really deliver or even surpass the services of the previous popes," said Noel Lorenzo.

Once Pope Benedict leaves the chair of St. Peter vacant on Thursday (February 28) when he departs from the Vatican, cardinals from around the world will begin planning the closed-door conclave that will elect the successor.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Vatican City saying he admired him as a teacher.

"I think the biggest disappointment was his butler, that he copied so many thousands of pages. I think the governance is done by most of the people around the Pope and that wasn't always done brilliantly and I'm not breaking any ground there, this is said very commonly. But the Pope was a magnificent teacher," said Pell.

The Vatican seems to be aiming for an election by mid-March so the new pope can be installed in office before Palm Sunday on March 24 and lead the Holy Week services that culminate on Easter Sunday.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Pope readies for final audience on resignation eve

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI will hold the last audience of his pontificate in St Peter's Square on Wednesday on the eve of his historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Vatican to bid a final farewell to an 85-year-old pope who abruptly cut short his pontificate by declaring he was too weak in body and mind to keep up with the modern world.

The Vatican says 50,000 people have obtained tickets for the event but many more may come and city authorities are preparing for 200,000, installing metal detectors in the area, deploying snipers and setting up field clinics.

No parking has been allowed in the zone since 10:00 pm Tuesday, and cars were to be barred entirely from 7:00 am on Wednesday.

The weekly audience, which is exceptionally being held in St Peter's Square because of the numbers expected, is to begin at around 10:30 am (0930 GMT) and usually lasts around an hour with a mixture of prayers and religious instruction from the pope.

Benedict will be the first pope to step down since the Middle Ages -- a break with Catholic tradition that has worried conservatives but kindled the hopes of Catholics around the world who want a breath of new life in the Church.

Rome has been gripped by speculation over what prompted Benedict to resign and who the leading candidates might be to replace him.

Rumours and counter-rumours in the Italian media suggest cut-throat behind-the-scenes lobbying, prompting the Vatican to condemn what it has called "unacceptable pressure" to influence the papal election.

Campaign groups have also lobbied the Vatican to exclude two cardinals accused of covering up child sex abuse from the upcoming election conclave.

The Vatican has said Benedict will receive the title of "Roman pontiff emeritus" and can still be addressed as "Your Holiness" and wear the white papal cassock after he officially steps down at 1900 GMT on Thursday.

Just before that time, the Vatican said Benedict will be whisked off by helicopter to the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome where he will begin a life out of the public eye.

Benedict will wave from the residence's balcony one last time before retreating to a private chapel and, as he has said, a life "hidden from the world".

On the hour he formally loses his powers as sovereign pontiff, the liveried Swiss Guard that traditionally protects popes will leave the residence.

The shock of the resignation and its unprecedented nature in the Church's modern history has left the Vatican sometimes struggling to explain the implications and Benedict's future status -- from the banal to the theological.

Some Catholics find it hard to come to terms with the idea that someone who was elected in a supposedly divinely inspired vote could simply resign.

The Vatican has said Benedict will lose his power of divine infallibility -- a sort of supreme authority in doctrinal matters -- as soon as he steps down.

The Vatican has also explained that the personalised gold Fisherman's Ring traditionally used to seal papal documents -- a key symbol of the office -- will be destroyed by a special cardinal, as is customary in Catholic tradition.

Benedict has also chosen to swap his trademark red shoes for a brown pair given to him by artisans in Mexico during a trip last year.

Starting next week, cardinals from around the world will begin a series of meetings to decide what the priorities for the Catholic Church should be, set a start date for the conclave and consider possible candidates for pope.

The conclave -- a centuries-old tradition with an elaborate ritual -- is supposed to be held within 15 to 20 days of the death of the pope, but Benedict has given special dispensation for the cardinals to bring that date forward.

Cardinals have been flying in from around the world including US prelate Roger Mahony, a former archbishop of Los Angeles stripped of all church duties for mishandling and covering up sex abuse claims against dozens of priests.

A total of 115 "cardinal electors" are scheduled to take part after another voter, British cardinal Keith O'Brien said he would not be taking part after allegations emerged that he made unwanted advances towards priests in the 1980s.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Pope, on last Sunday, says following God's wishes

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict, speaking in his last Sunday address before becoming the first pope in some six centuries to step down, said he was following God's wishes and that he was not abandoning the Roman Catholic Church.

Benedict, speaking in a strong voice to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, said he would continue to serve and love the Church by praying and meditating after his historic abdication on Thursday.

"The Lord is calling me to climb onto the mountain, to dedicate myself even more to prayer and meditation," he said to cheers of "Long Live the Pope."

"But this does not mean abandoning the Church. Actually, if God asks this of me, it is precisely because I can continue to serve her with the same dedication and the same love I have shown so far," he said.

But he said he would be serving the Church "in a way more in keeping with my age and my forces."

The Sunday address was one of Benedict's last appearances as pontiff. On Wednesday, he will hold his last general audience in St. Peter's Square and on Thursday he will meet with cardinals and then fly to the papal summer retreat south of Rome.

The papacy will become vacant at 8 p.m. Rome time on Thursday.

Cardinals will begin meetings the next day to prepare for a conclave, likely to start in mid-March, where they will elect a new pope from among themselves.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Fr. James Reuter, SJ dies at 96

Fr. James Bertram Reuter Jr., SJ died Monday afternoon. He was 96 years old.

According to CBCP News, Reuter reportedly had a mild stroke four days ago. He passed away on Monday at 12:51 p.m. at the Our Lady of Peace Hospital in Paranaque City.


Reuter was known for using mass media to educate citizens and spread the teachings of the Catholic Church.

He received numerous citations for his work, including an award from the late Pope John Paul II for “Outstanding Service to the Catholic Church in the field of Mass Media”.

He was also given the 1989 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts.

According to the citation for Reuter at the presentation ceremonies of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Reuter, an American, was initially assigned to the Philippines when he was a young religious scholastic.

In 1941, he directed his first stage play and wrote scripts for a Catholic radio program. After his ordination in 1946, he returned to the Philippines and taught in Ateneo de Naga and Ateneo de Manila.

Recognizing the importance of mass media, he helped set up Radio Veritas and struggled to keep Catholic radio stations alive during the Martial Law.

Aside from being a renowned playwright, educator, and media man, he once served as executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media.

He was named an honorary citizen of the Philippines in 1984 by the Batasang Pambansa for his work in the country training artists and leaders in the country.

Reuters hosted “Family Rosary Crusade," a show which was aired on ABS-CBN.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Saint Pedro Calungsod Day declared in NJ

JERSEY CITY, NJ - As millions of Filipinos worldwide celebrated the canonization of teen Filipino missionary at the Vatican on Sunday, an image of San Pedro Calungsod was blessed and enshrined at the St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Jersey City on the same day.

Parish Priest, Father Ernesto Tibay said, “It’s an affirmation that we have grown in our faith, as a nation.”

Filipinos attended a special mass in honor of an historic event to welcome the second Filipino Saint, after San Lorenzo Ruiz.

Jersey City Filipino community leader, Tina Edelmann said, “I thank God that we Filipinos have a second saint to intercede and pray for us in heaven.”

Meantime, the Jersey City Municipal Council unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming October 21st to be recognized and observed as San Pedro Calungsod Day in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop told Filipino parishioners, “We’re recognizing the Filipino community as part of the Jersey City greater community. It is the largest growing community in the city and we’re very proud to have the Filipino Community here.”

In his teens, San Pedro Calungsod went to Guam, where he suffered religious persecution and martyrdom for his missionary work in 1668.

The Catholic faith was planted in the Marianas and grew, thanks to Calungsod and other martyrs like him who persevered in their missionary efforts of evangelization.

Edelamnn said, “It is very timely that Calungsod is canonized today and we Filipinos are called to evangelize all over the world.”

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Catholic Philippines celebrates new saint

MANILA, Philippines - Church bells pealed across the Catholic Philippines Sunday as millions attended special masses to celebrate the naming of the country's second saint, a young missionary killed over 340 years ago.

President Benigno Aquino declared Sunday a "national day of celebration" in Asia's bastion of Catholicism and sent his vice president, Jejomar Binay, to lead a big congregation to the rites in the Vatican.

In the capital Manila, people from all walks of life congregated at the Sto. Nino de Tondo parish to watch the ceremonies naming Pedro Calungsod as one of seven new saints in the Catholic faith.

"The canonization of Saint Pedro Calungsod is a major and historic event for the Catholic Church and our predominantly Catholic nation," Binay said in a statement from Rome.

"The event fills us with pride as Catholics, yet it calls on us to exercise humility and reflect on the supreme sacrifice made by Saint Calungsod in defense of his faith."

Thousands from all walks of life holding small replicas of Calungsod, many of them teary-eyed, trooped to at least three different venues in Manila where the government had set up giant screens on which to show the solemn proceedings in Rome.

As Pope Benedict XVI read the names of the seven new saints, church bells across the Philippine rang out for a few minutes to welcome Calungsod's sainthood.

"I am filled with joy. We now have two saints to intercede for our many problems," said Nanang Linda Petra, a 54-year-old mother of 12, who took a day off from her work as a laundry woman to watch the ceremonies.

Leony Mercado, a 65-year-old retired engineer and a grandmother of five, openly wept as Calungsod's name was called out.

"These are tears of joy. I cannot help but be overwhelmed," she said, adding that when one of her children, a 35-year-old woman, died due to an aneurysm in January, prayers to Calungsod helped to ease her suffering.

"I have asked Saint Pedro Calungsod to help bring her to heaven," she said, while clutching a small banner with a likeness of the saint.

Calungsod is only the second Filipino to become a saint, after Lorenzo Ruiz, a missionary who was killed in Japan in 1637 and canonized in 1987.

Six others were also canonized Sunday, including Kateri Tekakwitha, the first native American to become a saint.

Calungsod is the new patron saint for the youth, in recognition of his age -- believed to be just 17 -- when he was killed in Guam in 1672 while attempting to convert natives.

He qualified for sainthood last year after the Vatican officially recognized a 2003 "miracle" in which a 49-year-old Filipina woman declared dead from a heart attack was revived after a doctor prayed to Calungsod for help.

In 2011, the Vatican said the incident could not be explained scientifically, and Pope Benedict subsequently acknowledged the incident as a miracle by Calungsod.

source: abs-cbnnews.com