The Rev. Michael Pfleger made a triumphant return to his Chicago parish following his reinstatement after an investigation cleared him of decades-old sexual abuse allegations. “It’s good to be home,” the 72 year old Pfleger told a raucous congregation at St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham. The audience included director Spike Lee and acting Chicago Read more
The Catholic Women’s Council (CWC) has expressed disappointment the Vatican’s revised laws omit any mention of clerical sexual abuse against women. The Vatican published a heavily revised set of laws on June 1. The change promoted the investigation of allegations of clerical sexual abuse, particularly of minors, and to establish punishment for offenders. “While the Read more
Catholics who prefer the traditional Mass in Latin may find their days of worship in that language and style are numbered. The Congregation for the Divine Worship is rumoured to be preparing a document modifying some of the provisions of Benedict XVI ’s July 2007 Summorum Pontificum, specifying the circumstances in which priests may celebrate Read more
German cardinal Reinhard Marx has offered his resignation as archbishop over the Church’s mishandling of clergy sexual abuse cases. The Church is at a “dead end” and the reputation of its bishops has, possibly, never been lower, his resignation letter says. The pope gave Marx permission to make his letter of 21 May public. “It Read more
An Australian court on Friday ordered a dozen media firms to pay a total of A$1.1 million ($842,000) in fines for breaching a suppression order on reporting the conviction, since overturned, of former Vatican treasurer George Pell for child sexual assault. The 12 media outlets, mostly owned by Nine Entertainment Co and Rupert Murdoch’s News Read more
The Rev. James Altman calls himself “a lowly priest” serving a blue-collar city in western Wisconsin. But when his bishop demanded his resignation – after a series of divisive remarks about politics and the pandemic – Altman refused to oblige and has since raised more than $640,000 from his conservative supporters to defend himself. While Read more
Cardinal George Pell turned 80 years old on Tuesday, losing his eligibility to vote in a future papal conclave. The Australian was made a cardinal by St. Pope John Paul II in October 2003, while he was archbishop of Sydney. Ten years later, Pope Francis appointed Pell a member of his Council of Cardinals, and Read more
Pope Francis on Wednesday encouraged busy Catholics to say the “Jesus Prayer” throughout the day. Speaking at the general audience June 9, the pope recommended the short prayer at the heart of Eastern Christianity’s mystical tradition. Referring to the 19th-century Russian spiritual classic “The Way of a Pilgrim,” he said: “The spiritual journey of the Read more
Samoa’s Catholic archbishop used the ‘dictatorship’ word several times while lacerating the country’s political leaders in a public Mass on Monday. Alapati Lui Mataeliga took the opportunity to lash out at the Human Rights Protection Party-led (H.R.P.P.) caretaker Government and its leadership during Samoa’s constitutional crisis. His fiery sermon covered the crisis triggered by caretaker Read more
After 215 indigenous children’s remains were discovered at the site of a former Catholic residential school in Canada, the country’s Catholic bishops are seeking healing and reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous populations. It’s unclear what led to the deaths of children, some as young as 3. Their bodies along with the other indigenous children’s remains were Read more