Pope Francis has inducted 20 cardinals from around the world, choosing men who mostly agree with his vision of a more progressive and inclusive Church. “A cardinal loves the Church, always with that same spiritual fire, whether dealing with great questions or handling everyday problems, with the powerful of this world or those ordinary people Read more
“When they invite me – that is to say, please invite me – I won’t say no,” Pope Francis replied, when South Korean broadcaster KBS asked if he would go to North Korea. “The goal is simply fraternity,” he added. A papal visit to the isolated country was floated in 2018 when Seoul’s former president Read more
The Archdiocese of St Louis in the US state of Missouri is in the beginning stages of restructuring and is considering 42 options. Catholic officials have gathered and analysed data on the archdiocese which claims 400,000 members across 10 Missouri counties. Feedback from the data suggests Roman Catholics from throughout the St Louis region are Read more
Participants in Germany’s “synodal way” will vote next month on a controversial proposal. If passed, the proposal would create a powerful permanent “synodal council” to oversee the local Church. Fourteen papers will be put to a vote at the synodal way’s fourth plenary assembly next week. One, “Sustainable strengthening of Synodality: A Synodal Council for Read more
To the delight of many, and perhaps the consternation of a few, the wheelchair-bound Pope Francis defied persistent rumours on Sunday by not announcing his resignation during a visit to the tomb of the last pontiff before Benedict XVI to voluntarily step down, instead offering locals a message of mercy and consolation amid suffering. L’Aquila, Read more
A meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, appears to be scrapped after the cleric, who has been widely criticised for his justifications for the invasion of Ukraine, pulled out of a meeting of religious leaders in Kazakhstan next month. According to Reuters, a senior Russian Orthodox official Read more
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Pope Francis’ ambassador to Ukraine, to express disappointment about papal comments regarding the death of Darya Dugina, a 29-year-old commentator with a nationalist Russian TV channel. In an 25 August briefing, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba told journalists that summoning a nuncio to the ministry was Read more
The Cistercians of the strict observance, or Trappists, yesterday inaugurated their fourth monastery in the country, located in the village of Penggadungan, in the district of Sungai Melayu, West Kalimantan. The village where the new monastery is located in a remote area in the middle of the Indonesian forest, a three and a half hour Read more
A Victoria court judge has ruled abuse victims’ families can pursue civil action in court. The ruling enables the father of a deceased former choirboy to sue Cardinal George Pell and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The ruling is another chapter in a saga of allegations and prosecutions against Pell, who is a former Archbishop Read more