Priests celebrating Mass should not be rigidly austere, mystical, overly slow, impassible and excessively finicky says Pope Francis in a new letter promoting the “rediscovery” of the Eucharistic liturgy. Neither should priests be exasperatingly creative, merely functional, rushed, sloppy, careless or superabundantly friendly. Francis letter is designed to protect the celebration of Mass from ideological Read more
A fledgling movement of social justice and environmentally conscious young Catholics is emerging in Europe. Among the movement is a group of doctoral students and young activists in Belgium. In common with young people in other countries, they’re concerned about the various crises the institutional Church is facing. It is also intended to oppose the Read more
The Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta is being ordered to close in Nicaragua. Dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor, the Missionaries of Charity are among 101 non-governmental organisations the legislator wants to close. Some of the other Catholic NGOs in for the chop include the Catholic Foundation for Human Read more
America’s highest civilian honour will be awarded by President Joe Biden to a Catholic sister this week. Simone Campbell, SSS, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That civilian honour is awarded to individuals “who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, Read more
The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life is promoting the change of the Church’s “black and white” morality approach. Instead, it would like to see an approach where conscience and discernment go hand-in-hand with the moral norms laid down by the Church. The Academy’s reflections are influenced by infinitesimal changes to moral theology. As an example, Read more
Pope Francis said the goals he has achieved in more than nine years as pope were simply the fruit of the ideas discussed by the College of Cardinals prior to his election. In an interview with Argentine news agency Télam published on July 1, the pope said that objectives such as the reform of the Read more
In the wake of a Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade, President Joe Biden met with a group of Democratic governors on Friday to discuss how to increase access to abortion and to codify abortion rights at the federal level. Various governors backed pro-abortion amendments to state constitutions, state funding for abortion, and using Read more
Several thousand people gathered in Dublin city centre on Saturday for a pro-life rally. The crowds assembled at Parnell Square at lunchtime, before marching down O’Connell Street and onto Custom House Quay. The Rally For Life was the first in-person march to be held since 2019 because of Covid restrictions. Organisers said the chief aim Read more
A foundation that provides university scholarships to indigenous students across Canada has severed its ties with a group of Victoria-based Catholic nuns by returning a $500,000 donation. The Verna J. Kirkness Education Foundation announced this week that it had decided to give back the endowment, received in December 2017, to the Sisters of St Ann, Read more
The Vatican has released slightly updated guidelines for bishops, religious superiors and canon lawyers handling cases of alleged clerical abuse. It is two years since the original step-by-step guide was released. Called “Version 2.0”, the updated guidelines provide a new section of the Code of Canon Law dealing with crimes and punishments in the Church. Read more