Italy

12 Feb 2023; MEMO: Pope Francis on Sunday again called for prayers and solidarity with the victims of this week’s earthquakes that shook southern Türkiye and affected Syria.

"We continue to be close, with prayer and concrete support, to the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey," he said during his Angelus address, the Vatican News reported.

His remarks came as international search and rescue efforts continue in affected areas of Türkiye following the two devastating quakes.

08 Feb 2023; MEMO: Pope Francis, on Wednesday, issued a plea for assistance for the victims of two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Turkiye and affected Syria, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"I remain close with all my heart to the people affected by the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria. I continue to pray for those who have lost their lives, as well as the injured, family members and rescuers," Francis said during the General Audience held every Wednesday.

ROME (AP) — The archbishop of Vienna, a longtime friend and former student of Pope Benedict XVI, has confirmed that it was he who wrote a letter to his former teacher urging him to accept election as pontiff in 2005 if the votes went his way.

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn issued a statement Wednesday confirming a revelation in a new book by Benedict’s personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, that was published soon after Benedict died Dec. 31 at age 95.

ROME (AP) — Italy’s No. 1 fugitive, convicted Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, was captured on Monday at a private clinic in Palermo, Sicily, after three decades on the run, Italian paramilitary police said.

Messina Denaro was captured at the clinic where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition, said Carabinieri Gen. Pasquale Angelosanto, who heads the police force’s special operations squad.

13 Jan 2023; MEMO: Italy fully supports Turkiye's mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, said Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, AA reports.

"Thanks to its geostrategic position and relations with all sides, Turkiye plays a key role in the start of peace talks," Tajani told Anadolu Agency (AA), ahead of his one-on-one meeting with Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Ankara on Friday.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday paid tribute to Cardinal George Pell, who spent 404 days in solitary confinement in his native Australia before his child sex convictions were overturned, praising his diligence in reforming the Vatican’s finances and his faith “even in the hour of trial.”

Francis sent a telegram of condolences to the head of the College of Cardinals, expressing his “sadness” over Pell’s death and relaying his prayers and sympathy to the Australian prelate’s family.

10 Jan 2023; MEMO: Pope Francis called for preserving the historical and legal status quo in the occupied holy city of Jerusalem, the Wafa news agency reported.

Speaking during his annual meeting with the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed concern about the increase in violence in the holy land, which has led to more victims.

ROME, Jan 9 (NNN-XINHUA) – Helped by mild winter weather and high storage, prices for natural gas in the European Union (EU) have now settled back to levels seen before the start of the Ukraine crisis, but analysts believe, challenges for the energy sector are far from over.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday broke his silence on the nationwide protests convulsing Iran, denouncing the recourse to the death penalty there and seemingly legitimizing the rallies as demonstrations “demanding greater respect for the dignity of women.”

Francis made the comments in an annual speech to ambassadors accredited to the Vatican, a foreign policy speech the pope delivers at the start of each year outlining the areas of greatest concern for the Holy See.

ROME (AP) — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oils were the highest on record last year even after falling for nine months in a row, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said, as Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors drove up inflation and worsened hunger worldwide.