Bishop Joseph Strickland didn’t join his fellow US bishops at their annual autumn assembly on Tuesday. Instead, he led the rosary outside the hotel where the bishops’ meeting was taking place without him. Strickland’s appearance came just three days after Pope Francis removed him as the head of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. However he Read more
The upcoming 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates is set to host its inaugural ‘Faith Pavilion’, featuring a keynote address by Pope Francis. Scheduled from 30 November to 12 December, this gathering of global political leaders assessing climate change will include a strong presence of religious figures. Pope Francis, Read more
A longtime critic of Islam and an outspoken atheist has become a Christian convert. “There are a number of reasons,” Ayaan Hirsi Ali said when she announced her new spiritual direction. She’s been a Muslim, a lapsed Muslim, an atheist and – now – a lapsed atheist. The vacuum left by the vanishing of a Read more
The Vatican has responded to Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen’s request for help dealing with unauthorised exorcisms and related spiritual abuse in the Diocese. The retired bishop of Toowoomba, Robert McGuckin (pictured), has been tasked with conducting an Apostolic Visitation to investigate the allegations. The former professor of Canon Law at the University of Notre Read more
A number of people missed an ecumenical retreat called “The Wisdom Years.” Some have asked for the one-day retreat to be repeated. That is not possible at present, but I can give a written outline of the three sessions in that day. You may wish to walk with Jesus through them. The Child As children Read more
In an unsurprising move, Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland from his position as the head of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. His action on Saturday follows an Apostolic Visitation of the Diocese and Strickland’s refusal to resign when the Pope offered him the chance to do so gracefully. The Vatican initiated an Apostolic Visitation Read more
As this column is being written, the Synod of Bishops is bringing to a close the most opaque assembly ever to be held in its relatively brief, post-Vatican II history. Actually, once the members of the October 4-29 gathering have voted on a final document (Saturday evening) and then celebrated the concluding Mass in St. Read more
Predictably, the anti-Pope Francis media giant, Eternal Word Television Network, and its subsidiaries give airtime to synod critics, including some who pass along false “facts” about things discussed and proposed. One programme has an American host who smirks at the concept of spiritual conversation. On the other side of the street, more liberal Catholic media Read more
Tensions have erupted within Pope Francis’ Vatican Synod on the future of the Catholic Church with reports of disagreements and delegates storming out of the room. The roughly 450 bishops and lay delegates involved in the October 4-29 Synod of Bishops have faced a series of disagreements. Principally, the participation of the laity and questions Read more
An umbrella group of Catholic nuns says that, while men dominate the Catholic Church, it is making progress. Women are being given a stronger voice says the International Union of Superiors General (UISG). The Vatican patriarchy is giving way somewhat. Pope Francis has appointed a few women in senior Vatican managerial positions. He also gave Read more