Francis X. Rocca Vatican Correspondent
  • Vatican City
  • The Wall Street Journal

Francis X. Rocca covers the Vatican for The Wall Street Journal. A native of Washington, D.C., he has written on a range of topics including European politics, higher education, arts and culture.

Focus Areas

  • Vatican

100 Articles
24 days ago
wsj.com

Pope Francis Fires Conservative U.S. Bishop

Texas Bishop Strickland, a vocal critic of the pope, has warned of ‘blasphemies emanating from Rome’

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25 days ago
wsj.com

Vatican Says Transgender People May Be Baptized

Statement is the latest sign of Pope Francis’ conciliatory approach to LGBTQ Catholics

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about 1 month ago
wsj.com

Pope Francis to Attend COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai

Pontiff has made environmental protection a signature issue of his reign

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about 1 month ago
wsj.com

Vatican’s Silence on Holocaust Was Shaped by Antisemitism and Caution, Archives Show

New scholarship shows the Catholic Church under wartime Pope Pius XII gave priority to saving Jewish converts

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about 1 month ago
wsj.com

Vatican Synod Report Plays Down LGBTQ Issues, Disappointing Progressives

Official report calls for more research on the possibility of ordaining women deacons

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2 months ago
wsj.com

Pope Francis Softens Vatican’s Ban on Gay Blessings

Pontiff’s statement is likely to inflame tensions with conservative church leaders

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2 months ago
wsj.com

Pope Francis’ Russia Stance Angers Catholics in Central Europe

Pope Francis led Holy Mass in front of a small gathering of Mongolian Catholics on Sunday during a historic visit to ...

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2 months ago
wsj.com

Pope Faces Down Growing Backlash Against Migrants in Europe

Pontiff, visiting France, will mourn migrants who have died crossing the Mediterranean

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3 months ago
wsj.com

Wartime Pope Pius XII Knew About Holocaust, Letter Suggests

Discovery in recently opened Vatican archives sharpens debate over Pius’s silence on Nazi genocide of Jews

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3 months ago
wsj.com

Pope Francis Travels to the Doorsteps of Russia, China

Pontiff is set to minister to a flock of fewer than 1,500 Mongolian Catholics

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3 months ago
wsj.com

Vatican Walks Back Pope Francis’ Praise for Russian Empire

Kremlin spokesman says pontiff’s words on czarist era were ‘very gratifying’

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3 months ago
wsj.com

Pope Francis Praises Historical Russian Imperialism Amid War in Ukraine

Pontiff celebrates the reigns of Russian czars who subjugated Ukraine for their ‘great culture and great humanity’

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