The Church of England has vowed to consider its stance on LGBT+ rights issues such as same-sex marriage by 2022 in a major new publication – but critics have accused it of being all talk, no action. Three years in the making, the Church of England has published a set of resources titled Living in Read more
World
Church of England delays decision on same-sex marriage and LGBT rights
Thursday, November 12th, 202097 year old cardinal banned from public ministry
Monday, November 9th, 2020
A retired Polish cardinal has been banned from all public appearances after being investigated for sexual abuse. Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz (97) has been ordered to compensate his alleged victims. The Vatican’s nunciature in Poland says Gulbinowicz was disciplined after “allegations regarding the cardinal’s past” were investigated. Last year a Polish newspaper published an article by Read more
Priests learning learn to minister to transgender people
Monday, November 9th, 2020
Learning to minister to transgender people is the subject of a new Zoom series created for priests. A transgender Catholic, James Pignatella is one of the speakers in the three-part Zoom series which began last month. The next sessions are on 18 November and 15 December. The series aims to educate Catholic priests on how Read more
French Muslims protect Catholic church
Monday, November 9th, 2020
Young French Muslims protected a Catholic church following a deadly attack by Islamic extremists. When French-born Muslim Elyazid Benferhat heard of the deadly Islamic extremist attack on a church in Nice, he decided to act. Benferhat and a friend gathered a group of young Muslim men together in the small southern French town of Lodeve. Read more
White evangelicals support Trump, Catholics split
Monday, November 9th, 2020
A survey has reported the Catholic vote was split almost evenly between Trump and Biden in the 2020 US Election. According to the survey conducted by AP, of the Catholics who voted, 50% supported Trump, while 49% supported Biden. Ahead of the election, the rival campaigns targeted Catholics with ardent appeals to vote based on Read more
Lay group reform: Divide power and spiritual direction
Monday, November 9th, 2020
Pressure is growing for lay movement reform due to the influence some lay communities exert over their members. Lay movements and communities have given countless Catholics a chance to rediscover and deepen their faith. But a clear separation is needed between the spiritual and mission aspects of the organisations. In 1998 St. John Paul II Read more
Third Jesuit priest dies of COVID-19, Malta’s 66th virus victim
Monday, November 9th, 2020A third Jesuit priest, Fr Robbie Wirth has died of COVID-19, the 66th person in Malta to die while infected with the virus. He was 86 years old. In an email to Jesuit alumni, the order remembered Fr Robbie as “a very jovial person and a person who worked incessantly to promote the Sacred Heart of Read more
Royal Mail unveils Christmas stamps showing stained-glass Nativity scenes
Monday, November 9th, 2020Royal Mail is celebrating Christmas with a series of six special stamps telling the story of the Nativity through stained-glass windows. Scenes from windows in six churches across the country, covering a range of eras, styles and techniques, are included in the set, which will be on sale from Tuesday. The Nativity story is a Read more
Pope Francis removes financial authority from Vatican’s Secretariat of State
Monday, November 9th, 2020Pope Francis is removing the ability of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to administer its own financial portfolio. This follows a major shake-up of authority among Vatican offices after a series of financial scandals that included the unusual resignation of a cardinal in September. In an Aug. 25 letter, made public by the Vatican Nov. Read more
McCarrick Report to be published on Nov. 10 – Vatican
Monday, November 9th, 2020Vatican officials announced Nov. 6 that the Holy See will release Nov. 10 a long-awaited report on the investigation about the ascent to power of now-disgraced former U.S. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick. The report’s release comes days before the U.S. bishops gather virtually Nov. 16 and 17 for their annual meeting. “On Tuesday, 10th November Read more