This April, Cécile Kyenge — a Congolese immigrant who has lived in Italy since 1983 — was appointed as Italy’s Minister for Integration, a position that made her the first black Cabinet minister in Italian history. But what …
italy
Pope Francis’s Vatican: How the New Pontiff Is Shaking Things Up
The canonization of two recent pontiffs — John Paul II and John XXIII — is just the latest sign of how Pope Francis’s reformist impulses are changing the Catholic Church
Silvio Berlusconi Convicted of Having Sex With Underage Prostitute. But Will He Go to Jail?
A lower court in Milan sentenced former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to seven years in jail for paying for sex with a minor and covering it up — but don’t expect the media tycoon to go to prison anytime …
Rome’s Graffiti Boom: Eternal City Finally Welcomes Street Art
Say the words “Roman art,” and your average listener will likely think of classical statues, ornate churches and the masterworks of Michelangelo, Caravaggio and their contemporaries. But to a select, but growing, few, that …
For First Time, the Vatican Enters Prestigious Venice Biennale
The first thing visitors will see when they enter the Vatican Pavilion at the Venice Biennale—an art show dedicated to the modern and cutting edge—will be a nod to the past: a three-paneled triptych on which the 20th-century …
In New Job, Italy’s First Black Minister Confronts Culture of Casual Racism
Cecile Kyenge, Italy’s first black government minister, proposes a law that would give citizenship to the children of immigrants if they are born on Italian soil. Under the current legislation, Italian nationality is passed on …
Italy’s Compromise Government Faces Uncertain Future, Plays Into Berlusconi’s Hands
It’s a solution that came after all other avenues were exhausted. On April 29, more than two months after the Italian elections, the country’s Parliament is expected to give life to a coalition government. Led by Enrico Letta, a …
French Soccer Clubs Aren’t Safe From François Hollande’s 75% Tax on the Rich
France’s Socialist President François Hollande rolls out a new version of his derailed 75% income tax proposal on top salaries, and finds the French soccer establishment joining the wealthy and business class in protest
New Pope Shows Eye for Symbolism
As a Cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio didn’t always have the smoothest relations with the press. Said to be shy, he gave few interviews, preferring to address his congregation directly. Journalists in his native Argentina accused …
Pope Francis Criticized Britain over Falkland Islands
News emerges that Pope Francis said at a commemoration mass for the Faulkland Islands conflict in 2012 that the land had been “usurped” from Argentina
Pope of the Americas
Francis, the first Pontiff from the New World, has a lot of old problems to deal with
Pope and Circumstance: the Road to the Papacy
Scenes from a fateful day at St. Peter’s Square.
Notorious Cardinals: A Rogue’s Gallery of Powerful Prelates
For centuries, the Vatican’s mighty prelates have wielded far more than spiritual power.