Monday’s resignation of Joseph Ratzinger—Pope Benedict XVI—as head of the Catholic Church provoked statements of surprise and concern within ruling circles internationally. These sentiments expressed by US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many others were not motivated fundamentally by any p... »
On Monday, November 17, 2014, Pope Francis will host a global ecumenical conference featuring Muslim leaders, pagans, and Chrislam founder Rick Warren from Saddleback Church in California. The official website says that the Colloquium is sponsored by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and co-sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family, the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious ... »
A UMNS Report | By Linda Bloom* Several Methodist leaders are hopeful that the new Roman Catholic pope, Benedict XVI, will support efforts toward Christian unity. German-born Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected April 19 as the 265th pope to lead the billion-member Roman Catholic Church. Since 1981, he had served as second-in-command to Pope John Paul II, who died April 2. The Rev. Geoffrey Wainw... »
As the Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Odilo Pedro Scherer bears the tremendous responsibility of being the face of the Church in the world’s most populous Catholic nation. Born to German immigrant parents in the Brazilian city of San Francisco, Cerro Largo, Scherer, 63, is the youngest of the Latin American cardinals considered possibilities to become the next pope. Scherer is also one of ... »