St. Peter’s Square

Father Jones, seminarian Wolters experience electricity of papal election

When seminarian Dominic Wolters was in St. Peter’s Square during the election of the new pope, he thought it was a mistake when white smoke came out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel.

Vatican security for conclave ‘sets a gold standard’ for organizations, says expert

The Vatican's approach to security protocols for the papal conclave "sets a gold standard for organizations handling sensitive decisions," security expert and author Theresa Payton told OSV News.

Conclave: First ballot fails to elect pope

As expected, the 133 cardinals who entered the Sistine Chapel May 7 failed to elect the next pope on their first ballot.

Local school employees detail their experience in Rome the night of Pope Francis’ election

On March 13, 2013, Pope Francis was elected as pope and made his first public appearance in the role at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. That day, Tom Schulzetenberg, the director of strategic projects at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and his wife, JoAnn, the head of school at the Way of the Shepherd in Blaine, were in St. Peter’s Square when white smoke appeared from the specially-installed chimney of the Sistine Chapel, indicating a new pope had been selected.

Pope on Easter: Jesus’ resurrection makes Christians pilgrims of hope

The hope Christians have is not a sign of avoiding reality but of trusting in the power of God to defeat sin and death as the resurrection of Jesus clearly shows, Pope Francis wrote in his Easter message.

Shakopee couple receives papal blessing 4 days after getting married

A $50 bet in high school led to marriage and a papal blessing in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Cody Theis and Lydia Cedarberg, now Lydia Theis, of Sts. Joachim and Anne in Shakopee first met while they were students at Prior Lake High School in Prior Lake. Lydia described Cody as a troublemaker in high school in 2018, when they were juniors. His reputation appeared to be well earned when Cody’s friends bet him $50 that he couldn’t get Lydia’s phone number.

Faithful unite in St. Peter’s Square praying for pope’s health

A light drizzle finally let up as hundreds of faithful headed to St. Peter's Square to pray the rosary for Pope Francis on the 11th day of his hospitalization for double pneumonia.

Local group protests cutting tree for Vatican’s Christmas

A local Italian group launched an online petition urging Pope Francis, the Vatican and others to stop the "fir tree-icide" of cutting down a 200-year-old red pine to decorate St. Peter's Square for Christmas.

Pope marks 800th anniversary of Nativity scene, asks prayers for Holy Land

Away in a cave near Greccio, Italy, St. Francis of Assisi had the first Nativity scene -- a live one -- staged for the faithful on Christmas Eve in 1223. A 15th-century fresco now decorating the cave inspired the Nativity scene erected in St. Peter's Square for the 800th anniversary celebrations.

Vatican publishes schedule of papal Christmas liturgies

As Vatican workers continued to decorate the Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square and to erect a platform for the Nativity scene, the office of papal liturgical ceremonies published the list of holiday Masses and prayer services Pope Francis would celebrate.

Pope baptizes babies, urges parents to teach them to pray

Telling parents and godparents to teach their little ones to pray from the time they are small, Pope Francis baptized 13 babies in the Sistine Chapel as their older brothers and sisters looked on -- or got away and ran around.

At funeral, pope remembers Benedict’s ‘wisdom, tenderness, devotion’

Pope Benedict XVI "spread and testified to" the Gospel his entire life, Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people gathered Jan. 5 for his predecessor's funeral Mass.
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