Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Pittsburgh-area Catholic leaders who are reacting to the election of Pope Francis I are especially fixated on his “New World” origins and the meaning behind the name he chose. Share your thoughts on the new Pope in the comment section below.
Pittsburgh-area Catholic leaders reacted to the election of Pope Francis I and were especially fixated on his “New World” origins and the meaning behind the name he chose. Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was selected the new pope Wednesday and greeted the thousands who gathered at the Vatican. Closer to home, Catholic leaders here said they are excited about the selection. Bishop David A. Zubik said the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh greeted the news with joy. He noted the new pope will face "challeges" in his new role, as the Catholic Church has for more than 2,000 years. "Our new Holy Father brings with him the experience of a dedicated pastor who has served the Church so well in his many years of ordained ministry," Zubik said in a …
Monday, February 11, 2013
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, formerly the bishop of Pittsburgh, will vote for the next pope.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl said he was so surprised to hear Pope Benedict XVI was resigning that he called Rome to confirm it. That is what the former bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese told NewsRadio 1020 KDKA this morning. Wuerl, now the archbishop of Washington, D.C., will be one of 120 cardinals to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI at a March conclave. He said the announcement that the pope is resigning, effective Feb. 28, came as "very surprising news", according to KDKA. Bishop David Zubik, the current leader of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he noticed the pope looking frail when Zubik visited Rome in October. Zubik, who was assigned to Pittsburgh by Pope Benedict, said he is saddened by the news but…
The Vatican is announcing he will step down Feb. 28.
Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he will resign effective Feb. 28, the Associated Press is reporting. According to the AP, the 85-year-old pontiff announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals Monday morning, citing his "advanced age and diminishing strength.". The pope, leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide, emphasized that the duties require "both strength of mind and body." The decision makes Benedict the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years. The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415, according to the AP report. Born Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI was chosen in 2005 at 78 to succeed the late Pope John Paul II. A conclave could elect a new pope by mid…
