Vatican
Culture
Catholics Across the World Commemorate Good Friday
Now that Good Friday is upon us, it is useful to understand what this day and the rest of the Easter holiday means to Catholics, who see the day as a time for fasting and mourning.
Good Friday and Easter...
History
Michelangelo Wanted Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica on a Greek Cross Plan
When the Vatican appointed the great sculptor and architect Michelangelo to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica, he based it on the Greek Cross plan
Archaeology
Vatican Opens Ancient Roman Necropolis to the Public
A new entrance has been opened in the walls of the Vatican. It leads to a place called the Via Triumphalis Necropolis, which is an old Roman city for the dead.
Deep within Vatican City, you can find this ancient...
Greece
Greek Heroes of Tempi Railway Disaster to Be Honored in Vatican
The Greek students who saved the lives of their fellow passengers in the Tempi railway disaster will be honored in the Vatican.
They were there during the tragedy, laying down their lives to save others. Nearly eight months following the...
Ancient Greece
The Greek Philosophers ‘Hiding’ in Raphael’s School of Athens
Several of the most influential Greek philosophers and thinkers are portrayed in Raphael's masterpiece the School of Athens which adorns the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
Painted between 1509 and 1511, it depicts a congregation of philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists...
Ancient Greece
Greece Thanks Pope Francis for the Return of Parthenon Fragments
Greece thanked Pope Francis for the return of the Parthenon fragments during a visit to the Vatican by Culture Minister Lina Mendoni on Monday.
The meeting follows the reunification ceremony which took place on last Friday in Athens, which saw...
Ancient Greece
Vatican Returns Parthenon Marbles to Greece
The Vatican and Greece are finalizing a deal for the return of three Parthenon marbles that have been in the collection of the Vatican Museums for two centuries.
The fragments are expected to arrive in Athens later this month, with...
Society
Pope Francis Says Homosexuality Is Not a Crime
Pope Francis has decried laws that criminalize homosexuality as being "unjust" and has called upon Catholic clergy to welcome people who identify as LGBTQ into the Church.
The Pope said that a "distinction" must be drawn between sin and crime....
Europe
Former Pope Benedict XVI Dies at 95
Former Pope Benedict XVI has died at his Vatican residence, aged 95, almost a decade after he stood down because of ailing health.
He led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first...
Life
Pope Francis Reveals Letter of Resignation
Pope Francis has admitted that he prepared a resignation letter in 2013 shortly after being elected pontiff in case medical issues prevented him from conducting his duties.
The resignation was a contingency plan. Francis replaced his predecessor, Benedict XVI after...