If people are providing a ministry to families, they must make sure they actually know what the families need, Pope Francis says. The Catholic Church cannot claim to safeguard marriage and family life if it simply repeats its traditional teaching without supporting, encouraging and caring for real families. This is especially when families are struggling Read more
Vatican sources said they believe Pope Francis was distancing himself from a recent Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) statement in his Angelus of March 21. The CDF Responsum said priests could not give blessings to same-sex unions because “God cannot bless sin”. The statement has caused an outcry from LGBT+ Catholics and Read more
The closure of an experimental pastoral centre in the heart of Paris was reportedly due to years of tension between some of the parish’s lay members and its three last pastors. Archbishop Michel Aupetit announced his decision to close the Saint-Merry Pastoral Center, in a letter to the community in February. The centre closed on Read more
In Marseille, hundreds of sailors have been confined on liners for several months because of Covid-19. A Mass celebrated in English from Notre-Dame de la Garde will now be broadcast every first Saturday of the month on YouTube to seafarers around the world. “When Covid-19 arrived, all the sailors of all the ships in the Read more
Protesters in Myanmar fear they are being tracked with Chinese facial recognition technology, as spiraling violence and street surveillance spark fears of a “digital dictatorship” to replace ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Human rights groups say the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to check on citizens’ movements poses a “serious threat” to their liberty. Read more
The trial of an Indian bishop accused of raping a nun has reached a crucial stage after another bishop and three nuns testified against him. Bishop Kurien Valiakandathil of Bhagalpur Diocese, in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, appeared before the court in Kerala’s Kottayam district on March 12, where Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar Read more
Pope Francis chose a scouting group from central Italy and kids from a Roman parish to prepare the meditations for this year’s Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Vatican. The Vatican announced Tuesday that the Agesci “Foligno I” Scout Group in Umbria, made up of 145 young people between the ages of eight Read more
In a joint St Patrick’s Day statement, Northern Ireland’s church leaders said they have not done enough in the past to heal divisions. Reflecting on the century since Northern Ireland’s partition, they say they hope this centenary year will provide opportunities to create a better level of mutual understanding. The Protestant and Catholic leaders went Read more
A leading Jesuit priest has said the Catholic Church is facing the biggest walkout since the child-sexual abuse scandal hit. James Martin, a priest who advocates for LGBT+ inclusion within the Catholic Church, commented following a Vatican statement that clergy must not bless same-sex unions. The Vatican recently released an explanatory note insisting that clergy Read more
Like the rest of the world, religious orders are having to adopt new ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-COVID, people considering entering religious orders would have many in-person meetings to discern their vocation. That still happens, but most meetings now take place online. So do the formal welcoming ceremonies for candidates. While the pandemic is Read more