Sex education is promoting sexual behaviour among young people and not showing all the risks, a new report claims. The report, released today, concludes that the overall message to young people is that sex is okay as long as you use a condom. But schools and sex education providers say the report – commissioned by Read more
Pope Francis has called in a German management consultant to help him reform the Vatican administration. Thomas von Mitschke-Collande, a manager of the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, was recommended to the Pontiff after he helped to streamline the financial affairs of the Berlin archdiocese and the German bishops’ conference. Last year he published Read more
The International Criminal Court has turned down a bid to bring charges against Pope Benedict XVI for crimes against humanity. The court found “no basis” for an investigation of the charges brought by groups representing sex-abuse victims, who had claimed that the Vatican perpetuated the molestation of children. The lawyer for the Holy See had Read more
Christians in Gaza face a new threat as the Hamas government has decided to ban coeducational schools. This means the five Christian schools on the strip, two Catholic and three Protestant, may have to close — even though they serve a largely Muslim population. National Catholic Reporter correspondent John Allen points out that the distorting Read more
Phillip Egan, the Bishop of Portsmouth, told priests they must improve their people skills in order for the “new evangelisation” to flourish. “As priests our attitude towards people is critical. My Dad, an ordinary Catholic, loves Pope Francis: his big smile, his chatty humanity, his down-to-earth approach, his concern for those on the margins. He Read more
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pope Francis will meet later today, Friday at the Vatican. This is their first meeting since beginning their respective ministries. The Papal audience will involve a time of private conversation, followed by addresses and a shared service of mid-day prayer. During the one-day visit, Archbishop Welby will also Read more
Representatives of the Holy See and the Vietnamese government will soon begin a fourth round of meetings devoted to the establishment of diplomatic relations. In a brief statement, Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Holy See Press Office, expressed hope in the two days of meetings, which begin on June 13 at the Vatican. Read more
Before he ceases to be Prime Minster, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi intends to get lesbians to marry gay men. That way there’ll be no more complaints from the law and clergy, Tuilaepa said. The solution he offered was part of a lighthearted keynote speech he delivered at the Samoa Fa’afafine Association’s (SFA) recent annual pageant. Males Read more