Pope Francis turned 80 this month, at the end of what has been a busy year. He made six foreign trips and oversaw many events and ceremonies with millions of pilgrims throughout what he proclaimed the Holy Year of Mercy. The year was also marked by the pope's efforts to heal divisions within the Christian world and tackle dissension within Catholicism. The thrust of Francis' international outreach this year was ecumenism — what's known as Christian unity. In Cuba, he met Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill — an encounter his two predecessors had tried in vain to achieve. Francis also went to the migration crisis front line, the Greek island of Lesbos, together with the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople to underscore the dignity of refugees. The pope's most recent trip, in October, was to Sweden, where in a joint ceremony with Lutherans, he commemorated the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Papal biographer Marco Politi says Pope Francis is working toward a shared view
For Pope Francis, A Year Of Reconciliation Abroad Amid Opposition At Home
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Italy Surpasses Greece As Top Euro Destination For Asylum Seekers
At a busy office in central Rome, the man who oversees Italy's national network of committees that process asylum requests sits behind a desk with tall piles of folders. Angelo Trovato says each committee has three members — representing police, local authorities and the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR. "Each applicant is interviewed by one committee member," says Trovato. "But when it comes to deciding the destiny of an individual, the decision can't be by a single person. It must be reached collectively." Rifling through his paperwork, he pulls out a sheet and points out that, in just two years, the number of committees has grown from 10 to 48. In 2016, Italy overtook Greece as Europe's primary place of entry for migrants, with nearly 180,000 arrivals, slightly more than Greece's 175,000 . An EU agreement with Turkey to prevent migrants from disembarking dramatically reduced the more than 1 million refugees who arrived in Greece in 2015. In Italy, there are fewer arrivals from
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For Italy's Art Police, An Ongoing Fight Against Pillage Of Priceless Works
Italy has been described as the world's biggest open-air museum. And with illegally excavated antiquities, looting of unguarded, centuries-old churches and smuggling of precious artworks, it's also an art theft playground. But thanks to an elite police squad, Italy is also at the forefront in combating the illicit trade in artworks — believed to be among the world's biggest forms of trafficking and estimated to be worth billions. Italy's Carabinieri for Protection of Italy's Cultural Heritage recently sponsored an exhibit at Rome's Palazzo Barberini museum, showcasing some of its biggest successes. A fifth grade class of a Roman elementary school came to see some 200 artworks that were stolen and then recovered. Lt. Sebastiano Antoci, a 20-year veteran of the elite squad, told the kids how its investigations work. "We tail suspects or use wiretaps so we can listen to the bad guys' phone calls or we check their bank accounts. And when we're out in the field," he said, "we look like
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Steve Bannon Aligns With Vatican Hard-Liners Who Oppose Pope Francis
White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is known to have cultivated ties with far-right parties in Europe, like the National Front in France. He also seems to have forged an alliance with Vatican hard-liners who oppose Pope Francis' less rigid approach to church doctrine. The New York Times reported this week on Bannon's connections at the Vatican. Before becoming White House chief strategist, Bannon — who is Catholic — was the executive chairman of Breitbart News, which he called a "platform for the alt-right." That's a movement associated with white nationalism. During a visit to Rome a few years ago, Bannon struck up a friendship with the American Cardinal Raymond Burke, a traditionalist who has emerged as one of Pope Francis' most vocal critics. Bannon hired Thomas Williams, an American former priest, as Breitbart's Rome correspondent. Williams belonged to the conservative Legion of Christ, which was roiled by scandal when it was revealed its founder had been a pedophile.
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Atop Ancient Ruins, A Rock Opera About Emperor Nero Leaves Some Romans Unimpressed
Nearly 2,000 years after he held sway over ancient Rome, a notorious emperor is again causing outrage. The reason: Italian authorities approved construction of a massive stage amid the ruins over the Roman Forum for a rock opera about Nero, who ruled from 54 to 68 A.D. Archaeologists and art historians are up in arms, denouncing what they see as the commercialization of the country's heritage. On opening night June 6, invitation-only spectators made the steep, winding trek from the Forum up the Palatine Hill. Ladies in evening dress walked on their toes to avoid getting their stiletto heels stuck in the old Roman paving stones. At the top, the view was impressive. Under a star-lit sky, the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine loomed just a few dozen yards away. What was incongruous was the huge metallic stage and 3,000-seat arena soaring over the archaeological remains of the Domus Aurea — the massive Golden House built by Nero in 64 A.D. The audience applauded as the first character
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Italy's Coffee Culture Brims With Rituals And Mysterious Rules
Coffee — it's something many can't start the day without. In Italy, it is a cultural mainstay, and the country is perhaps the beverage's spiritual home. After all, Italy gave us the lingo — espresso, cappuccino, latte — and its coffee culture is filled with rituals and mysterious rules. Caffé Greco is Rome's oldest café. Founded in 1760, it's also the second oldest in all of Italy, after Florian in Venice. On a recent hot summer afternoon, Caffé Greco was packed with tourists on settees upholstered in red velvet. They sipped coffee served on tiny, marble tables, while admiring 18th-century landscape paintings that hang along damask-lined walls. Maitre d' Simone Rampone said that thanks to the quality of its coffee, Caffé Greco soon became very popular and was a favorite of writers from all over Europe, such as "Byron, Shelley, Keats, Gogol from Russia, Stendhal." He pointed out that we were sitting on the couch that belonged to Hans Christian Andersen, who for a time lived upstairs.
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Beer-Brewing Monks Are Helping Rebuild Earthquake-Devastated Town In Italy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTQTFW1Gdbs Large sections of Norcia's ancient walls lie in rubble. Its many centuries-old buildings are wrapped in steel girders, off-limits to the few people who visit what now looks like a ghost town. Located near Perugia in Italy's Umbria region, Norcia was the birthplace — in the year 480 — of St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism and patron saint of Europe. It was one of several Italian towns devastated last year by a series of earthquakes that claimed some 300 lives. The town's grandiose 13th century basilica was dedicated to the saint, but all that's left standing is the façade. The church and a nearby monastery had been home to a community of Benedictine monks, most of them from the U.S. After a series of big tremors last August, the monks sought shelter at their dilapidated grange on the mountainside high above the town. For months, they've lived in tents while they built more permanent housing on the mountainside, in what will now
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Painting Their Old Life Helps Them Build A New Life In Italy
African asylum seekers in Italy are becoming artists — and it's not only helping them cope with the trauma they've been through but also introducing their stories to the local community. In Europe's migration crisis, Italy is ground zero. More than 500,000 migrants have arrived, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, since 2014. Despite a smaller flow this summer, anti-migrant sentiment is growing. But in the Umbrian town of Trevi, population 8,372 as of January 1, a project called Make Art Not Walls is helping asylum seekers assimilate. Municipal authorities have assigned all of the town's 55 African asylum seekers to a former hotel, where for the last several months, a storeroom in the back has been serving as an artists' studio, funded by the Italian charity ARCI. The Make Art Not Walls project is the brainchild of a longtime Trevi resident, Australian artist Virginia Ryan. With the help of a few other volunteers, Ryan aims to bring out the human potential and restore dignity to people
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In Italy, A Medieval Town Confronts A Double Threat — Erosion And Too Many Tourists
Tourism is booming in Italy, which welcomed close to 50 million visitors over the summer. That has helped some places that have been struggling to survive. But for one destination, it might be too much of a good thing. Civita di Bagnoregio is in the northern corner of the Lazio region, 75 miles north of Rome, tucked between Tuscany and Umbria. On the road, signposts point the way to "Civita, The Town That Is Dying." And in fact, not so long ago, Civita was at death's door — shrinking because of erosion and landslides and in need of constant restoration. Then, in 2013, the town took a bold step: It became the first (and perhaps the only) Italian town to charge visitors an entry fee. The result? Civita has become an international tourist destination. At 10 a.m. on a Sunday in late September, visitors leave their cars and tour buses at a parking lot at the edge of the town of Bagnoregio and set off on foot. At the bottom of a steep cliff, there is already a long line at the ticket booth.
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The Folk Music Festival That Started With A Spider Bite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjSfigb_4S0 The tarantella is a lively folk dance and musical style originating in southern Italy's Apulia region, the heel of the Italian geographic boot. Its name derives from the poisonous bite of a local spider and is rooted in pagan tradition. Today, it's the theme of one of Europe's biggest annual folk music concerts, now in its 20th year. It's called Night of the Taranta, and it attracts top international stars. This year, it drew some 200,000 tarantella aficionados for 4 1/2 hours of uninterrupted music and dance. The festival takes place in the town of Melpignano, where a huge stage was built in front of a sand-colored limestone former monastery from the 16th century. For hours before the concert began, the sound of tambourines and guitars echoed through a large field in front of the stage. Thousands of young people had been camping out since dawn; it was like an Italian version of Woodstock, some 50 years later. Four young men with tambourines
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In Italy, Right-Wing Politicians Set Their Sights On Parliament
On a recent Saturday in Rome, several thousand angry Italians marched through the streets of downtown. They came to protest a bill that would grant citizenship to children born in Italy to long-term resident foreigners. Sara Polimeno came from the northern Piedmont region to demand a stop to migrants. "There's an invasion of Muslims imposing their religion on us," said Polimeno. "They have different customs and culture and they're upsetting all our habits. They're demanding too much. Enough!" With economic crisis and a massive influx of migrants, extreme right-wing movements have gained ground in much of Europe. Italy is no exception. And seven decades after the fall of Mussolini's dictatorship, some neo-fascist groups are setting their sights on getting back into Parliament. At the anti-migrant rally in Rome, protesters carried banners saying "Stop the invasion." They shouted, "Homeland, employment and identity, we will defend our civilization" — buzzwords reminiscent of fascist
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After Defending Controversial Bishop, Pope To Send Sex Abuse Investigator To Chile
When Pope Francis visited Chile earlier this month, he lashed out at victims of sexual abuse and accused them of "calumny" regarding a bishop who is suspected of covering up abuse they endured by a pedophile priest. The pope said there was "not a shred of evidence" against Chilean Bishop Juan Barros. "The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros," he said, "I'll speak." Now the pope is sending a top envoy on a mission to Chile to look into survivors' claims. A Vatican statement said Maltese Bishop Charles Scicluna, the Church's most respected sex crimes expert, will "listen to those who have expressed the desire to provide elements" about the case of Barros. It said new information had emerged. The pope's remarks in Chile had highlighted some Vatican-watchers' concerns about his commitment to combating sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy — an issue that has undermined the Catholic Church's moral authority in much of the world. There were high expectations in 2014 when
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Anti-Migrant Slogans Are Overshadowing Italy's Election Race
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWbTiAlNXII A satirical movie that envisions dictator Benito Mussolini staging a comeback opened in Italy just as the campaign for March 4 general elections was getting underway. It has received rave reviews. The mockumentary I'm Back is an Italian version of the 2015 German film, Look Who's Back, which envisioned the return of Adolf Hitler. In a country that has never come to terms with its fascist past, the Italian movie is seen as a warning shot as populism and racism taint the campaign. The film opened in a national climate of widespread unease over the arrival by boat of more than 600,000 mostly African migrants in the last four years. In one scene, the dictator is guest of honor on a TV celebrity show. The host asks, "Duce, how does Italy look now?" Wearing jackboots and military garb, his chin jutting forward, the Mussolini look-alike replies, "it's like Rhodesia, Congo or Nigeria." When the audience laughs, he fires back, "You won't find it so
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Italy's 5-Star Movement Leads In Polls, But Some Past Supporters Vow 'Never Again'
In Italy, polls ahead of Sunday's general elections suggest the maverick 5-Star Movement is more popular than any other party. Founded in 2009 on an anti-establishment platform by Beppe Grillo, a vitriolic comedian, it's setting its sights on heading Italy's next government. 5-Star claims to be an Internet-based direct democracy movement and has attracted many Italians disaffected with traditional parties. It's openly populist — with positions that are anti-immigration, anti-vaccination and anti-European Union. In January, 5-Star's 31-year-old leader Luigi di Maio announced his party's parliamentary candidates. He said they were chosen to counter charges of incompetence by critics of the movement. The candidates ranged from teachers and surgeons to the admiral who commanded naval operations in NATO's 2011 attack on Libya. "These are not competent people, they are super-competent," Di Maio declared. "In politics," he added, "both brains and heart are needed." Hours later, though, the
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After Italy's Election, 2 Rival Populist Parties Claim Right To Lead Next Government
The Italian political world has been struck by a populist tsunami — 50 percent of voters in Sunday's parliamentary elections chose candidates from anti-establishment, anti-immigrant and euroskeptic parties. However, no party amassed enough votes to form a government on its own, and this makes weeks of political instability likely while government negotiations are underway. "Italy ungovernable," read a Monday headline in the daily La Stampa. The Italian populist parties' success is the worst blow to the European Union since British voters chose to leave the EU two years ago. The two big winners in Sunday's vote are now vying for control of Italy's next government: The 5-Star Movement tripled its number of members of Parliament and became the single biggest party, with 31 percent of the vote. Despite a poor record in municipal governments in Rome and other cities, 5-Star swept the entire south of the country and large parts of the center. It was able to tap into widespread anger over
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After 5 Years As Pope, Francis' Charismatic Image Has Taken Some Hits
Every Sunday when he is at the Vatican, Francis ends his remarks to the crowd in St. Peter's Square with a typical Italian saying: "Have a good lunch and arrivederci ." It's that common touch that has so endeared the Argentine-born pope to millions of people across the world, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, since his election five years ago, on March 13, 2013. But in recent months, Francis has also become the target of criticism on various fronts, and the image of him as charismatic reformer has suffered some hits. Rather than scolding the faithful on issues of sexual morality — as his two predecessors did — Francis instead stresses the need for mercy. He has championed the cause of the poor and the environment and denounced what he calls the "globalization of indifference" toward refugees and migrants. He sees the Roman Catholic Church as what he has called a "field hospital after battle, healing the wounds of the faithful and going out to find those who have been hurt, excluded or
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The Sistine Chapel Gets Its Own High-Tech Spectacle, With Music By Sting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IbAeb4NTyA One of Rome's must-see sights is the Vatican's Sistine Chapel — but it's usually so packed, visitors have a hard time absorbing the majesty and beauty of the frescoes painted by Michelangelo. Now there's a new spectacle in town, where visitors can sit comfortably in plush theater seats and feast their eyes on every detail of the Sistine's masterpieces. On a Saturday afternoon in April, the Auditorium della Conciliazione just off St. Peter's Square was packed with families and teenagers. They came to see Universal Judgment : Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel — a surround-sound show with live performances by actors, dancers and acrobats, orchestral music and high-definition projections that highlight the Renaissance master's depiction of Genesis and the Last Judgment. The spectacle brings the audience right into the chapel and up-close, as the iconic image of God's outstretched finger is about to give life to Adam. "We need to
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This Room Is Thought To Have Been Michelangelo's Secret Hideaway And Drawing Board
It was an art historian's chance discovery of a lifetime. Over 40 years ago, a museum director in Florence, Italy, found a hidden room whose walls were covered in drawings believed to be the work of Michelangelo and his disciples. Although the drawings are not signed by the master, art experts say some of the sketches in charcoal and chalk are almost certain to be Michelangelo originals. They could shed light not only on the Renaissance artist's creative process but also on a mysterious and dangerous period in his life. The room is located in Florence's Basilica di San Lorenzo. That was the official church of the Medici family — the famous patrons of the arts who governed Florence, and later Tuscany, for centuries. Around 1520, the Medicis commissioned Michelangelo to design a family mausoleum. It came to be known as the Medici Chapels. Visitors to the Chapels speak in hushed tones as they admire the nude marble sculptures adorning the tombs of Lorenzo de' Medici and two other
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Pope Francis Visits Ireland Amid Church Scandals Across The World
The official purpose of Pope Francis' visit to Ireland this weekend is to attend the Vatican-sponsored World Meeting of Families held every three years. But with multiple sexual abuse scandals buffeting the Catholic Church across the world, the two-day visit may turn out to be one of the most consequential trips of this papacy. The pope is under intense pressure to enact concrete measures to ensure accountability for church officials who ignored or covered up cases of clerical sex abuse. Ireland is a predominantly Catholic country where, for decades, the church was more important than the state. "The clergy worked hand in glove with the government," says American Jesuit priest Thomas Reese, a senior analyst at Religion News Service. "They were very powerful in their villages and their parishes, what the pastor said was the law of the land practically." But in the last 10 years, the faith of the Irish people has been severely tested by revelations of decades of cover-ups of priests
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Vatican's Meeting Of Bishops Is Overshadowed By Abuse Allegations
As clerical sex abuse scandals buffet the Catholic Church, a three-week assembly of bishops is under way in Rome on how to make the Church relevant for young people. But the assembly, known as a synod, will likely be dominated by what many analysts call Catholicism's worst crisis since the reformation. Roughly 250 priests, bishops, cardinals and some younger laypersons are participating in the synod. In the opening mass, pope Francis urged them "to dream and to hope." And he prayed for God's help to ensure the Church does not let itself "be extinguished or crushed by the prophets of doom and misfortune, by our own shortcomings, mistakes and sins." Spiraling sex abuse scandals have hurt the pope. A new Pew Research Center poll found Francis' favorability rating in the United States is 51 percent — down 19 points since January 2017. As the synod opened, one block from St. Peter's Square, some 20 abuse survivors — members of the international group Ending Clergy Abuse — voiced their anger
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