Fragment of Jesus' manger arrives in birthplace of Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM - A wooden fragment believed to be from the manger of Jesus arrived in His birthplace of Bethlehem on Saturday amid great ceremony after more than 1,300 years in Europe.

A Palestinian scout band playing bagpipes, drums and saxophones accompanied the relic as it arrived in Manger Square, an AFP reporter said.

Housed in Rome since the seventh century, the relic had been presented to the Franciscan custodians of the Holy Land as a gift from the Vatican.

Worshippers thronged the square as the chief custodian for the Holy Land, Francesco Patton, carried the ornate reliquary housing the relic into the Saint Catherine Church next to the Church of the Nativity, where he led Mass.

On Friday Patton told AFP that the seventh-century Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Sophronius, had sent the relic to Rome in around 640 as a gift to Pope Theodore I.

Now the item, about a centimeter wide by 2.5 centimeters (an inch) long, is to be installed "forever" in Bethlehem, he said.

"We venerate the relic because (it) reminds us of the mystery of incarnation, to the fact that the son of God was born of Mary in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago," Patton said.

Bethlehem has planned celebrations stretching until Christmas for the homecoming.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas had asked Pope Francis to repatriate the crib fragment during his visit to the Vatican for Middle East peace talks in December 2018, said Palestinian envoy to the Holy See, Issa Kassissieh.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'They will leave you empty': Pope Francis warns youth of cons of technology

BANGKOK, Thailand - Pope Francis warned against the potential pitfalls of technology and the competition for young people's "attention" on Friday, dedicating the final full day of his Bangkok trip to engaging the next generation of Catholics. 

The Pontiff is on his first visit to Buddhist-majority Thailand, where just a sliver of the population is Catholic despite the religion's long history in the country.

He has called for religious harmony and peace throughout his four-day tour, a message he will likely carry on Saturday to Japan where he will visit the sites of the world's only nuclear attacks. 

But on Friday, he shifted his focus toward Thailand's youth, warning the next generation of the downsides of fast-encroaching technology. 

"Rapid technological advancements can open up immense possibilities that make life easier, but can also result in the growth of consumerism and materialism," the Pope cautioned. 

Later in the day, he led a mass for Thailand's young adherents, urging them to remain steadfast in the face of rival influences. 

"We can be swayed by the voices of this world that compete for our attention," he said, speaking at Bangkok's 109-year-old Cathedral of the Assumption. 

"At first they seem appealing and exciting, but in the long run they will leave you only empty, weary, alone and disenchanted," he said. 

The message was a clarion call to the young worshipers in Thailand, where fewer than 400,000 Catholics make up just over 0.5 percent of the population. 

The faith arrived in the country via European missionaries in the 16th century, and the community has since remained small but spirited -- coexisting peacefully with Buddhist neighbors. 

But Thai Bishop Joseph Pradhan Sridarunsil said they were facing a crisis as interest in the religion dwindled among the youth.

"The Thai Church nowadays is facing the same situation as other countries in the world, namely a crisis of decreasing vocation," he said. 

Young Christian adults are much less likely than older Christians to say religion is very important to them, and fewer than half those surveyed pray daily, according to a global Pew Research Center report from last year. 


 Tech addicted teens

Fading interest was far from evident on Friday, however, as scores of faithful gathered outside the cathedral -- many jostling for mobile phone photos -- for Francis's second mass of the trip. 

For some, the Pope's warning words for Thailand's youth were welcome.

"There are other things attracting (teenagers)... like interesting content available on YouTube and it is easy for teenagers to be addicted or targeted by these things to become more materialistic," said Siriyaphorn Phongburut, 40, standing outside the mass. 

She urged the Church to use social media to attract young adherents, in a country where mobile phone use is rampant. 

On a busy Friday Francis also visited a shrine for Catholic martyr Nicholas Boonkerd Kitbamrung and attended an interfaith meeting, where a mixed Muslim and Christian choir sang for him in a symbolic performance.

His final official duty was his youth mass at the ornate Cathedral, packed with bishops wearing brilliant red and gold robes custom-made for the occasion -- the Pope's included. 

His pointed message was not a huge departure for the Pope, who has long sought to engage the next generation of Catholics. 

"The Pope always gives importance to youth which he believes is the foundation of society, country and religion," said Puttipong Puttansri, a Thai historian of the Catholic Church.

Francis touched down in Bangkok on Wednesday and was met by adoring worshipers eager to catch a glimpse of the 82-year-old Argentine.

His first mass on Thursday night -- replete with hymns, prayers and traditional Thai performances -- drew an estimated 60,000 people, some crying as the Pontiff passed in his Popemobile. 

There he urged respect for the downtrodden, including prostitutes and trafficking victims. 

He heads to Japan on Saturday for the second and final leg of his Asia tour, which will include visits to Nagasaki and Hiroshima, both devastated by atomic bombs by the US during World War II.

The Pope, who years ago had hoped to be a missionary in Japan, is expected to chastise the use of "immoral" nuclear weapons.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Small in numbers, Thai Catholics preserve centuries-old traditions

BANGKOK - The last time Vararunee Khonchanath was in the presence of a Pope was before she was born just over 35 years ago, but when Pope Francis visits Bangkok later this week to bless Thailand's tiny Catholic minority, she will be singing in the choir.

A sixth-generation Catholic of Portuguese-Thai ancestry, Vararunee lives in a 250-year-old community that is as old as the Thai capital itself. During the previous papal visit, back in 1984, Vararunee's pregnant mother was among the congregation.

"I was in my mum's tummy as she attended the mass when His Holiness John Paul II visited Thailand the last time," Vararunee said, adding how honored she felt to be in the choir this time, when Pope Francis offers mass at the National Stadium.

During his visit from Nov. 20 to 23, Pope Francis will also celebrate mass at Assumption Cathedral in central Bangkok.

In overwhelmingly Buddhist Thailand, Catholics number just a little more than 380,000 in a country of more than 65 million.

MISSIONARIES, TRADERS

Historians say more than 70 percent of Catholics in Thailand, like Vararunee, have foreign ancestry.

Catholicism first arrived in Siam, the old name for Thailand, in the mid-1500s with Portuguese missionaries and traders.

The Vatican formally established its "Mission de Siam" 350 years ago during the reign of King Narai, an anniversary that coincides with the visit of Pope Francis that begins on Wednesday.

While missionaries failed to achieve mass conversions, they were largely tolerated by the Buddhist majority and particularly the royal court.

"In the past, many Catholics from places like Japan and Vietnam, migrated to this land to escape religious persecution," said Puttipong Puttansri, a historian at the Archdiocese of Bangkok Historical Archive.

Catholics have over the years built schools and hospitals, some of which are still well known and respected today.

"For many Thais, Catholicism is synonymous with schools," Puttipong said.

MARTYRDOM

There were also spells of religious persecutions. In the late 1600s, Catholic priests were arrested and some killed out of suspicion they were working with France to colonize the country.

Similar hostility stirred in the 1940s when a nationalistic Thai government was at war with France in Indochina.

The tension resulted in the closing down of schools, confiscation of properties and the arrest of some clergy.

In 1940, seven Catholics, including three teenage girls, were killed by Thai police in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom. Pope John Paul II later declared them martyrs.

PEACE AND PASTRIES

In the modern era, Thailand remains largely tolerant to Catholics.

Catholics in Bangkok's historic Kudi Chin community along the Chao Praya River have mostly lived peacefully while maintaining their unique traditions and beliefs.

The district is known locally not only for Santa Cruz Church, which is the focal point for its Catholic community, but for the traditional Portuguese-influenced cupcake that is still baked there.

For the faithful such as Vararunee, the papal visit casts a light on their community and faith.

"I am very proud that we manage to hold on to our roots," Vararunee said. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Mother Teresa to be made saint at Vatican ceremony

VATICAN CITY -- Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a Nobel peace laureate known as the "saint of the gutters" during her lifetime, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday.

More than 100,000 pilgrims are expected to attend a service led by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to honor the tiny nun who worked among the world's neediest in the slums of the Indian city now known as Kolkata.

Her legacy fits neatly with Francis's vision of a poor church that strives to serve the poor, and the ceremony will be a highlight of his Holy Year of Mercy which runs until Nov. 8.

Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity (MoC) order have been criticized both during her life and since her death in 1997, but many Catholics revere her as a model of compassion.

Thousands attended a papal audience on Saturday in the Vatican, where a large canvas of the late nun in her blue-hemmed white robes hung from St. Peter's basilica.

"Her testimony makes us reflect and transform...and make a better world," Brazilian priest Carlos Jose Nacimento said.

Critics say she did little to alleviate the pain of the terminally ill and nothing to tackle the root causes of poverty. Atheist writer Christopher Hitchens made a documentary about her called "Hell's Angel."

She was also accused of trying to convert the destitute in predominantly Hindu India to Christianity, a charge her mission has repeatedly denied.

But Pope John Paul II, who met her often, had no doubt about her eligibility for sainthood, and put her on a fast track to elevation two years after her death instead of the usual five.

The Church defines as saints those believed to have led such holy lives they are now in Heaven and can intercede with God to perform miracles -- two of which are needed to confer sainthood.

She is credited with healing an Indian woman from stomach cancer in 1998 and a Brazilian man from a brain infection in 2008.

The canonization will also be celebrated in Skopje, the capital of modern Macedonia where Mother Teresa was born of Albanian parents in 1910 and became a nun aged 16.

In Kolkata, where the first MoC mission was set up in 1952, there will be prayers, talks and cultural events, but no major ceremony.

Delegations from at least 15 national governments are expected at the Vatican.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis arrives for first visit to the United States

WASHINGTON D.C. - Pope Francis arrived on his first visit to the United States on Tuesday, bringing to Washington a message that its power and wealth should be made to serve humanity, and not the other way around.

An Alitalia plane carrying the Argentine-born leader of the world's 1.2 billion member Roman Catholic church touched down at Joint Base Andrews after a flight from Cuba.

Schoolchildren who gathered on the tarmac to welcome Francis cheered as the plane descended. "We love Francis, yes we do. We love Francis, how about you?" they chanted.

In a sign of the importance that the White House gives to the visit, President Barack Obama took the unusual step of traveling to the air base with his family to welcome Francis.

The two men meet again on Wednesday at the White House, after which the 78-year-old pope will parade past Washington's major monuments before a crowd expected to reach tens of thousands.

The pontiff has electrified liberal-leaning U.S. Catholics with his shift in emphasis towards forgiveness and concern for the poor. He has dismayed some conservative followers with comments of concern over climate change and a pivot away from messages focused on the church's ban on birth control and opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Francis was also expected to talk about immigration during his six-day visit, a top issue for him since his first days as pope in 2013.

He will make the first address by any pope to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday and an open-air Mass in Philadelphia where 1.5 million people are expected to attend.

Francis spent four days in Cuba, where he urged a continued reconciliation between the Communist-run island and its superpower neighbor, building on a new detente he helped to broker earlier this year.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis to allow all priests to forgive abortion

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will give all priests discretion during the Roman Catholic Church's upcoming Holy Year to formally forgive women who have had abortions, in the Argentine pontiff's latest move towards a more open and inclusive church.

In Church teaching, abortion is such a grave sin that those who procure or perform it incur an automatic excommunication, which can only be lifted by designated church officials.

However, from Dec. 8 to Nov. 26, during an extraordinary Holy Year or "Jubilee" on the theme of mercy, all priests will be able to do so if the women repent "with a contrite heart", the pope said in a letter published by the Vatican on Tuesday.

Francis described the "existential and moral ordeal" faced by women who have terminated pregnancies and said he had "met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision".

The pope's letter did not mention those who perform abortions.

Francis is the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and has marked himself out for tolerance on taboo topics. Although he has shown no intention of retracting the Church's opposition to abortion, he has alarmed conservatives by taking a less forceful tone than his predecessors.

"This is by no means an attempt to minimize the gravity of this sin, but to widen the possibility of showing mercy," Vatican chief spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters.

Deputy Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said that "for now" the change would apply only during the Holy Year.

Usually only a bishop, missionary or the chief confessor of a diocese can offer absolution for an abortion, Benedettini said, although bishops in countries such as the United States and Britain, have delegated this authority to parish priests.

Boston College theology professor James Bretzke said the Pope was "emphasizing mercy and not retribution ... embracing reconciliation and not excommunication".

Liberal group Catholics for Choice welcomed the move as a gesture of engagement with women, but said Catholic women in the United States have abortions at the same rate as non-Catholics, highlighting the gulf between religious teaching and real life.

"This is a pope who is not stuck in the pelvic zone, and perhaps his message on how he thinks about abortion is more for his brother bishops than Catholics in the pew," Catholics for Choice President Jon O'Brien said.

INDULGENCES

The Holy Year is one of the 1.2 billion-member church's most important events, and sees the faithful make pilgrimages to Rome and other religious sites. It takes place every 25 years unless a pope decrees an extraordinary one to bring attention to a particular topic or need.

Catholics performing pilgrimages or good works during the Holy Year can traditionally gain indulgences, or the remission of punishment for sins, under certain conditions.

Unlike in previous holy years, when pilgrims had to come to Rome, cathedrals and other religious venues around the world are expected to be designated national pilgrimage sites.

In his letter, the pope also said indulgences would be available to prisoners who cannot pass through the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas in Rome and the Vatican City, which are bricked up in non-Jubilee years.

Of prisoners, Francis said: "May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door."

Holy Year activities will also be open to adherents of the ultra-traditionalist Roman Catholic splinter group known as the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).

The Swiss-based SSPX, which rejects some of the reforms made at the historic 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, defied Rome in 1988 by illegally consecrating four bishops, triggering their excommunication by the late Pope John Paul.

Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications in 2009 and made some concessions to the group. But one of the bishops, British-born Bishop Richard Williamson, caused an uproar by denying the Holocaust.

(Additional reporting by Philip Pullella,; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Crispian Balmer)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ex-pope Benedict denies covering up sexual abuse

MOSCOW - Former Pope Benedict has denied that he tried to cover up sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests, in his first direct published comments since he stepped down.

The comments - which a victims' group rejected - were made in an 11-page letter to Italian author and mathematician Piergiorgio Odifreddi, who had written a book about the problems facing the Roman Catholic Church before the pope resigned in February.

"As far as you mentioning the moral abuse of minors by priests, I can only, as you know, acknowledge it with profound consternation. But I never tried to cover up these things," said Benedict, who now has the title Emeritus Pope.

Excerpts of the letter were published in the Rome newspaper La Repubblica on Tuesday with the former pope's permission.

It was believed to be the first time Benedict has responded to the sexual abuse accusations in the first person, although the Vatican has always said he did much to put an end to sexual abuse of minors by priests and never tried to cover it up.

It was also the first time since Benedict resigned on February 28 that anything precise that he has written or said was published, although some people who have visited him in the Vatican house where he is living in retirement have indirectly reported to outsiders some of his comments to them.

Victims groups have accused Benedict of not doing enough to stop the abuse of children by priests while he was pope and before when he was head of the Vatican's doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), rejected his assertion.

"In the Church's entire history, no one knew more but did less to protect kids than Benedict," SNAP said in statement.

"As head of CDF, thousands of cases of predator priests crossed his desk. Did he choose to warn families or call police about even one of those dangerous clerics? No. That, by definition, is a cover up," the SNAP statement said.

Victims' groups say there is much still to be discovered about how the Church behaved in the past and want more bishops who were aware of abuse to be held responsible.

The Catholic Church's crisis came to light in Boston in 2002 when media began reporting how cases of abuse were systematically covered up and abusive priests were shuttled from parish to parish instead of being defrocked and handed over to civil authorities.

Since then, the Catholic Church in many countries has set up new guidelines to deal with cases of past abuse, prevent new cases, report abuse to police, and stop potential abusers from entering the priesthood in the first place.

The rest of the letter from Benedict to Odifreddi referred to other aspects of the author's book, called "Dear Pope, I Am Writing You", such as the conflict between good and evil.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Vatican recalls envoy over pedophilia accusations

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to the Dominican Republic and relieved him of his duties pending an investigation, after local media accused him of pedophilia, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church said on Wednesday.

The Dominican Attorney General later announced that a special prosecutor had been appointed to investigate Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, who has been nuncio, or ambassador, in the capital Santo Domingo for nearly six years.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Holy See had started a probe of Wesolowski and that he had been recalled "in the last few weeks," specifically over the pedophilia accusations.

"He has been relieved of his duties and the Holy See has begun an investigation," Lombardi said when asked about allegations against Wesolowski in the local media.

Wesolowski could not be reached for comment.

Weeks after his election in March as the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years, Pope Francis announced he wanted the church to root out sexual abuse of children by priests and ensure that abusers are punished.

Monsignor Agripino Núñez Collado, a church official in the Caribbean nation, told reporters the Vatican acted as soon as the pope had been informed of Wesolowski's alleged "missteps."

He said Wesolowski faces possible punishment by the Vatican but may be immune from prosecution in the Dominican Republic because a nuncio has diplomatic status.

Dominican Attorney General Francisco Domínguez Brito told reporters the investigation would take into account national and international law, "given his status as a diplomat."

The prosecutor for the Santo Domingo district, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, said the probe was triggered by accusations broadcast on Monday by two local TV channels.

She said Wesolowski "must be investigated and punished in the (Dominican Republic) and not in the Holy See."

Wesolowski's whereabouts are unknown. Local media reports say he left the country in early August.

He is the second Polish priest in the Dominican Republic to be accused of child sex abuse this year.

Dominican authorities are also investigating Wojciech Gil, who was suspended by his religious order in the rural parish of Juncalito in May after local residents accused him of molesting altar boys, according to the church.

Gil was on vacation in Poland when he was suspended, the church said. It is not known if he returned to the Dominican Republic. He could not be reached for comment.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope holds historic meet with Benedict XVI

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope Francis flew in to a papal residence near Rome on Saturday for an unprecedented encounter with "pope emeritus" Benedict XVI -- the first time a pontiff has met his predecessor.

The talks round off a historic few weeks for the Roman Catholic Church after Benedict became the first pope to resign in over 700 years and only the second to do so by choice in 2,000 years.

The last pope to resign -- Celestine V in 1294 -- was locked up and perhaps killed off by his successor Boniface VIII and there is no record of the two ever meeting post-resignation.

Highlighting the unusual nature of the encounter, both men are expected to wear white papal vestments since Benedict has been allowed to continue wearing his pontifical robes as well as using the title "Your Holiness".

Cardinals in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel last week elected Francis as his replacement -- Latin America's first pontiff and the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years.

The Vatican said Benedict followed television news coverage of Francis' election from Castel Gandolfo, the lakeside residence where he has been staying ever since he stepped down.

The talks are private and the Vatican has said very little is likely to emerge about their content -- with any number of urgent issues for a troubled Roman Catholic Church possibly on the agenda.

Francis's helicopter was seen landing at near the palace, which has been the papal summer residence for centuries.

The Vatican said Benedict was there to greet Francis along with household staff and that the two would have lunch.

The two men -- Francis is 76 and Benedict is 85 -- have very different styles but important core similarities on matters of doctrine and ways forward for the Church after Benedict's often troubled eight-year pontificate.

Francis has paid homage to Benedict and has called him twice since becoming pope.

Analysts say he will rely heavily on the theological legacy of the former pope.

Benedict, before he stepped down, pledged allegiance to whoever his successor might be.

The two leaders of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics are both preoccupied with issues ranging from rising secularism in Western countries, to the reform of Vatican bureaucracy, to the ongoing scandal of clerical child abuse.

The two could also discuss "Vatileaks" -- a scandal that broke last year over the leaks of hundreds of confidential papal documents that revealed allegations of intrigue and corruption inside the secretive Vatican.

Benedict has said he will live "hidden from the world" as a "simple pilgrim" on life's last journey and is expected next month to move back and live in a former nunnery on Vatican grounds in a life of quiet contemplation and academic research.

But the Vatican has said he could also provide "spiritual guidance" to his successor.

Benedict is living temporarily in Castel Gandolfo with his secretary Georg Gaenswein -- who confusingly is also the head of his successor's papal household -- and with the four housekeepers who looked after him when he was still pope.

Francis, formerly Jorge Bergoglio, has known Benedict for a long time.

At the 2005 conclave, Bergoglio was the main rival to Joseph Ratzinger, the future Benedict XVI, and represented a more socially progressive current among the cardinals but reports at the time indicated that he pulled out of the race.

While Ratzinger was reserved in public, Bergoglio is more spontaneous and people-friendly and has shunned some of the trappings of papal office.

Ratzinger was more a follower of tradition and never liked innovation.

But the two are very alike on doctrine and several of Francis's remarks in the first days of his papacy have been borrowed from his predecessor.

Both are opposed to gay marriage, abortion and euthanasia -- which Catholic believers considers a form of interference with God's "creation".

Francis's popularity is being seen with bitterness in some quarters in the Vatican where the memory of Benedict still shines strongly, unlike for many ordinary Catholics who have said they prefer the new pope's more direct style.

When he takes up residence in the Vatican, Benedict will be just a stone's throw from Francis -- an unexpected and delicate situation for the Church.

"This papacy will be rooted in Benedict's teachings," Samuel Gregg from the US-based Acton Institute religious think tank said earlier.

"For the past 25 years, he has been the main intellectual force in the Church," he said.

But at least for some people, Benedict is already being written out of the record.

Postcards on sale around the Vatican in recent days show a smiling Francis next to a picture of the ever-popular John Paul II -- with no depiction of the pope in between, Benedict.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Pope vows to 'embrace poorest' at grand inauguration

Pope Francis knelt at the tomb of St Peter and donned the symbols of papal power at a sumptuous inauguration on Tuesday, vowing to embrace the "poorest, the weakest" of humanity.

Nearly 200,000 pilgrims cheered Latin America's first pontiff in St Peter's Square, waving flags from around the world as the newly elected popes promised that his would be a "lowly, concrete and faithful" papacy.

In an address strongly influenced by the teachings of St Francis of Assisi, the saint he has chosen as his inspiration, he urged world economic and political leaders not to "allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world!"

His voice raised in emotion, the 76-year-old Francis said a pope must "embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important."

"Amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope," said the Argentinian, after touring a sun-drenched St Peter's Square in an open-top car to cries of "Long live the pope!"

The former Buenos Aires Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was a fervent critic of the International Monetary Fund and unregulated market capitalism -- a stance that could make him an important voice in an austerity-hit Europe.

At the ceremony, the 265th successor to St Peter received from his cardinals the papal pallium -- a lambswool strip of cloth that symbolizes the pope's role as a shepherd and has red crosses to represent the wounds of Jesus Christ.

The "Fisherman's Ring" bestowed on him by Angelo Sodano, dean of the college of cardinals, is a personalized signet ring traditionally worn by popes in honor of St Peter -- a fisherman.

"With Pope Francis, the Church will be closer to the people and to the modern world," said Rodrigo Grajales, a 31-year-old Colombian priest.

Francis gave the thumbs-up as he toured the square, stopping to kiss babies and getting out of the car at one point to bless a disabled man.

"Go Francis! We Will Be With You Wherever You Go!" read a sign held up by a group of Brazilian nuns in St Peter's Square.

Sister Rosa, an elderly Italian nun, said she expected the pope would be "another St Francis on Earth for love, goodness, poverty and humility".

The Vatican said there were between 150,000 and 200,000 people present at the ceremony.

The son of an Italian immigrant railway worker, Francis has already won hearts in Rome with a disarmingly informal style which contrasted with Tuesday's pomp and ceremony.

The Vatican said 132 foreign delegations attended.

Bergoglio was the surprise choice at last week's conclave of cardinals to find a successor to 85-year-old Benedict XVI, who last month brought a sudden end to a papacy that had often been overshadowed by scandal, saying he was too old to carry on.

He was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages.

Francis has called for a "poor Church for the poor", warning the world's cardinals against pursuing worldly glories and saying that without deep spiritual renewal the Roman Catholic Church would crumble "like a sand castle".

The arrival of world leaders has presented him with a first diplomatic headache in the form of a request from compatriot President Cristina Kirchner of Argentina to mediate in a row with Britain over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

Francis is still haunted by criticism from left-wingers at home for failing to speak out against the excesses of Argentina's military rule during the dictatorship of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Chinese government also said it would not be sending any representatives after Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said he was attending.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe flew in, sidestepping an EU travel ban over human rights abuses that does not apply to the Vatican.

Latin America was heavily represented at the inauguration of the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, with the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Paraguay all in attendance.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and European Union leaders were also present.

Leaders of the Eastern Catholic Rite were also there, including Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Vatican radio said it was the first time a patriarch of Constantinople had attended an inauguration since 1054 when the eastern and western halfs of Christendom split.

The Vatican was in security lockdown for the event, with 3,000 officers deployed including sharpshooters on the rooftops and bomb disposal experts.

Church leaders have urged Francis to move quickly to reform the intrigue-filled Roman Curia, the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church, and his appointments in the coming weeks will be closely watched.

Francis has indicated he will press for a friendlier faith that is closer to ordinary people and for social justice, although the moderate conservative is unlikely to change major tenets of Catholic doctrine.

Vatican experts say he has also signaled he will pursue a more inclusive "collegial" style of leadership together with the cardinals and bishops.

Vast crowds also gathered on the other side of the Atlantic outside the Buenos Aires cathedral to dance and sing as they watched the inauguration.

Catholic high school students chanted slogans praising Francis, while seminarians and nuns waved Vatican flags and signs supporting the new pope.

"This pope has awakened deep emotions within me, not only because he's from Argentina, but because of his warmth as a person," Celia Farias, 33, told AFP.

"As a Catholic, it has renewed my faith."

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Simpler inauguration for a more modest pope

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis celebrates his inaugural Mass on Tuesday among political and religious leaders from around the world and amid a wave of hope for a renewal of the scandal-plagued Roman Catholic Church.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to cram St. Peter's Square and and surrounding streets for the Mass on Tuesday to formally install Francis as the new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

Six sovereigns, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and other leaders as well as heads of many other faiths will be among the 130 delegations on the steps of the famous basilica.

Among them will be Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew from Istanbul, the first time the spiritual head of Orthodox Christians attends a Roman pope's inaugural Mass since the Great Schism between western and eastern Christianity in 1054.

The former Buenos Aires Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio has aroused enormous enthusiasm and interest in the Catholic world by the modest way he has assumed a post that was modelled after a Renaissance monarchy and carries titles such as "Vicar of Jesus Christ" and "Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church".

In the six days since his election, he has referred to himself only as Bishop of Rome, the position from which his authority flows, and hinted he plans to reduce Vatican centralism and govern in consultation with other bishops.

SIGNALS OF CHANGE

Vatican watchers expect him to send further signals of change by using a simpler liturgy than retired Pope Benedict, who preferred a more baroque style.

The ceremony has also been shortened to two hours after a three-hour service in 2005 when Benedict began his papacy.

Francis will start the day with a ride around St. Peter's Square to greet the crowds. He will receive the visiting political leaders in the basilica after the Mass.

On Wednesday, Francis will receive more than 30 delegations representing other Christian churches, as well as the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain religions, a Vatican spokesman said.

He will address foreign ambassadors to the Vatican on Friday and have lunch with Benedict -- their first meeting since the conclave -- on Saturday before leading celebrations the next day for Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week leading to Easter.

Francis had his first taste of the diplomatic challenges of the papacy when on Monday, Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez asked him to support Buenos Aires in a dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

A Vatican spokesman had no comment on the request.

He will also find himself greeting an international pariah, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who has been under a European Union travel ban since 2002 because of allegations of vote rigging and human rights abuses.

The Vatican is not part of the European Union, allowing him to bend the rules.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Local celebrities hail new Pope

MANILA, Philippines -- Local celebrities joined the estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics all over the world in welcoming Pope Francis, the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, was elected to be the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday.

On the microblogging site Twitter, celebrities such as Ruffa Gutierrez, Bianca Gonzales and Anne Curtis hailed the new pope.

Below are the tweets of our local celebrities about Pope Francis.

Actress Ruffa Gutierrez: "Habemus Papam...a new pope has been chosen! I might be asleep when he is introduced to the world so please update me from the Vatican."

Host Tim Yap: "All hail Pope Francis the First, the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church! May you serve the people &bless them with your benevolence."

Talent manager Pia Magalona: "Good morning! We have a new Pope: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. He takes the name Francis <3 br="">
ABS-CBN reporter Ginger Conejero: "Woke up to news of our new Pope and how humble and brilliant he is #historyunfolding #PopeFrancis"

Actress Ara Mina: "Our new Pope Francis I. Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio SJ, of Argentina (kapangalan ng mommy ko hehehe Francis Marie)"

Actress Anne Curtis: "Goodnight to the new Pope. Pope FRANCIS."

Actor Ping Medina: "I like the Jesuits. And I like the vibe of this new dude, Pope Francis :)"

Basketball player Chris Tiu: "Woke up to d news that we have a new Pope!! This is great news for us all!! God Bless Pope Francis! Let's pray for Him & d Church!"

Actress Nikki Valdez: "Good morning tweeps!.. New day, new Pope!"

Singer-actor Guji Lorenzana: "Congrats Pope Francis! Please guide the Catholic Church well. I pray that in  taking on St. Francis' name, you take his values and apply it."

Actress-host KC Concepcion: "Habemus papam" - Catholic world's got a new Pope! ...I quite like the aura of Pope Francis. Just sayin. (He just gave a blessing to all men & women of Goodwill.)"

Host Lucy Torres Gomez: "A kind face that is quick to break into a smile. God bless Pope Francis."

source: abs-cbnnews.com

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)

source: abs-cbnnews.com