VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has given the Catholic church nine new priests, encouraging them in an ordination ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica to be humble, compassionate and close to the faithful. Professing obedience to the pontiff during the Mass on Sunday were six men from Italy, one from Romania, and one each from Colombia and Brazil. Shortages of locally ordained seminarians have in recent years seen priests be transferred to predominantly Catholic countries like Italy from Asia and Africa, where vocations are still growing. Meanwhile, sexual abuse scandals in the priesthood have made many rank-and-file faithful lose trust in the Church.
