Heads of Catholic charities in England and Wales have called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to extend welfare benefits, to avoid a sharp rise in child poverty in early 2021. In a joint letter to Rishi Sunak, the 22 leaders in the Caritas Social Action Network in England and Wales argue that the £20 Read more
World
Vatican butler who stole former pope’s private papers dies aged 54
Thursday, November 26th, 2020Paolo Gabriele, the Vatican butler who was convicted of stealing and leaking Pope Benedict XVI’s private papers in 2012, has died aged 54. Vatican News, the Holy See’s media portal, said Mr Gabriele died on Tuesday after a long, undisclosed illness. Mr Gabriele’s case kicked off the first of two Vatileaks scandals, exposing the internal Read more
China to ‘improve population’ with eugenics plan
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
China will place emphasis on eugenics by encouraging a certain type of women to have more babies in its new five year plan. Eugenics is the study of how to manage reproduction within a human population to increase desirable heritable characteristics. Among the Chinese Communist Party’s goals listed in its policy blueprint for the years Read more
Pope’s Instagram ‘liked’ Brazilian model
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
The Vatican is seeking an explanation from Instagram on how the pope’s official Instagram account ‘liked’ a photo of a scantily clad Brazilian model. Pope Francis’ account “liked” the picture of Natalia Garibotto, who was dressed up in a school uniform of sorts. The image has since been ‘unliked’ by the account. “We can exclude Read more
Catholic guilt and work ethic the secrets of my success says Arsene Wenger
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
One of the world’s best soccer managers is crediting his Catholic upbringing and hard-working family values for his success. Former Arsenal manager, Arsen Wenger, told BBC Radio 4, “Desert Island Discs” that he was driven to succeed in the high-pressure world of football because of his family’s deep Catholic faith and a legendary work ethic. Read more
Sacked Vatican cardinal Becciu seeking €10m damages
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
Cardinal Angelo Becciu is seeking €10m (NZ$17m) damages against an Italian media outlet saying the publication ruined his chances of becoming pope. The Vatican cardinal was sacked by Pope Francis in September, amid a corruption investigation. He is suing Italian news magazine L’Espresso, claiming that by ruining his reputation his chance of becoming pope was Read more
UK bishops outline their new safeguarding work plan
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
The Catholic bishops of England and Wales have outlined their plan to change their safeguarding work. The change in approach comes just days after a report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) lambasted its safeguarding structures and poor treatment of survivors. The work was led by safeguarding consultant Ian Elliott. In the Read more
Cardinal-elect renounces episcopal ordination to remain a “simple priest”
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
A Franciscan cardinal-elect says he doesn’t want to be ordained as a bishop. He says he wants to continue being “simple priest” who is allowed to die in his Franciscan habit. Friar Raniero Cantalamessa (86) says he has asked Pope Francis “for a dispensation from episcopal ordination.” “The bishop’s job is to be a shepherd Read more
Virtual bishops’ meeting: More efficient, less personal
Monday, November 23rd, 2020In a year when most meetings have switched to an online format, the fall assembly of the U.S. bishops was no exception. The Nov. 16-17 virtual meeting involved about 300 bishops on Zoom and many viewers watching the livestreamed public portions. The two days of discussions went off without a hitch, save for the occasional Read more
Catholic archdiocese of Vienna sees rise in seminarians
Monday, November 23rd, 2020The archdiocese of Vienna has reported a rise in the number of men training for the priesthood. Fourteen new candidates entered the archdiocese’s three seminaries this autumn. Eleven of them are from Vienna archdiocese and the remaining three are from the dioceses of Eisenstadt and St. Pölten. The archdiocese brought its three seminaries together under Read more