Australia’s Catholic bishops have welcomed changes to a proposed religious discrimination bill to protect religious believers and institutions from discrimination and needless legal action, but they said more work is necessary for an Australia-wide law. “The draft laws are an important way to help people of faith and the organizations they establish as communities of Read more
World
Australian bishops: religious discrimination bill has merit, but flaws should be fixed
Monday, February 17th, 2020Sudan to hand over ex-president responsible for Darfur genocide, war crimes
Monday, February 17th, 2020The transitional government in Sudan has agreed to turn over former President Omar al-Bashir and two other ex-government officials responsible for the genocide in Darfur to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. The Associated Press reports that a member of Sudan’s sovereign council announced Tuesday that transitional authorities and rebel groups Read more
Apostolic exhortation on Amazon disappoints and outrages
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
The apostolic exhortation on the Amazon has disappointed those hoping for an opening of clerical roles to married men and women. Many are saying that in Querida Amazonia (“Beloved Amazon”) Pope Francis has failed to extend his prophetic voice about environmental injustice to injustices to the church. They are also outraged over its language of Read more
Single-issue politicking ‘distorts call to authentic discipleship’
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
Single-issue politicking by labeling one issue “preeminent” in this year’s US election has been criticised by San Diego’s Bishop Robert McElroy. Speaking at the University of San Diego this week he said such labeling “distorts the call to authentic discipleship in voting rather than advancing it.” Abortion and the environment are “core life issues in Read more
Acquitted Cardinal acknowledges errors of governance
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
Acquitted Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France has admitted to errors in governance for not denouncing former priest Bernard Preynat’s sexual abuse of minors. A week after the Court of Appeal in Lyon acquitted him Barbarin spoke of his “errors of governance” and discussed the “media tsunami” that has surrounded him in the past four Read more
Huge parish restructure involves mergers and closures
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
A major parish restructure involving mergers and closures has been announced in Chicago as part of Cardinal Blase Cupich’s “Renew my Church” initiative. Most of the mergers involve two or more parishes, many of which have schools associated with them. In two cases, four current parishes will be merged into one. The investigation and decision-making Read more
Vatican guidelines for priests’ children released from secrecy
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
Vatican guidelines for the way the Church should treat children of priests have been released after after a meeting with Vincent Doyle, a prominent campaigner on the issue. Doyle, whose father was a priest, is a member of Coping International, an organisation that campaigns for the rights of priests’ children. Although the guidelines are not Read more
Judge: Ex-bishop must testify about sex abuse in diocese
Thursday, February 13th, 2020A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a former Roman Catholic bishop must answer questions about the history of child sexual abuse in the Rochester diocese, despite protests from his lawyers that the cleric’s Alzheimer’s makes him unable to testify. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul Warren set strict limits, ruling that it would last three hours and Read more
Priest fears Irish Catholic Church ‘largely irrelevant’ to most people
Thursday, February 13th, 2020The Irish Catholic Church has been likened by a priest to an old car that has gone off the road and “sunk into the bog and is stuck”. “The engine is still running, but the wheels are spinning and going nowhere,” said Fr Roy Donovan of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), who said it Read more
Cardinal Reinhard Marx to step down as head of German bishops
Thursday, February 13th, 2020German Cardinal Reinhard Marx has announced that he will not seek a second term as head of the national bishops’ conference, citing age and a desire to spend more time in his archdiocese as key reasons for the decision. Marx, who was tapped as the archbishop of Munich and Freising in 2008, was elected president Read more