The Associated Press said that on the Vatican's social communications office Twitter feed, a cartoon was posted showing the Argentine-born pontiff wearing a blue and white Argentina scarf over his signature white cassock, as he watches on glumly while a pair of Swiss Guards drinking beer watch the live match on television. The cartoon had a header that read, "Argentina vs Switzerland :)"
Roman Catholic archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta apologized in an archdiocese newspaper about the decision to rebuilt a $2.2 million mansion over a perfectly fine ranch estate donated by the nephew of "Gone With The Wind" author Margaret Mitchell.
In his meeting with Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama invited the pope to come over to the US to discuss the Catholic Church's reservations over his health care law, Reuters said.
Pope Francis' latest order will have the Vatican opening its usually secretive and scandal-ridden books through the "Motu Proprio" document, which will include audits to be done by outside experts.
The UN committee on the Rights of the Child said in its latest paper that the Vatican under Pope Francis has yet to take actions to the growing number of sexual abuse cases, and requested the Church to conduct a much-anticipated internal investigation to prosecute abusers and award compensation to victims.
Time magazine selected Pope Francis (the former Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio) as its Person of the Year on Wednesday saying "the Roman Catholic church's new leader had changed the perception of the church in an extraordinary way in a short time,"
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia removed three parish priests from its public ministry following an investigation into sexual abuse allegations, Sunday's announcement affects two priests suspended following a grand jury report issued in 2011 and a monsignor suspended last year after his name surfaced on a church list of priests accused of misconduct. The reverends Joseph Gallagher and Mark Gaspar were suspended following the grand jury investigation that ultimately led to the convictions of a high-ranking archdiocese official and three others.
Pope Francis has called for 'decisive action' in the fight against sex abuse of minors by priests, telling Bishop Gerhard Mueller, the head of Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith to ensure that perpetrators will be punished. It was the pope's first public statement on clerical sex abuse, since being elected last month, replacing Pope Benedict, who was the first in 600 years to resign from the papacy.
