Proceeds from a Christmas concert at the Vatican starring Lionel Richie, Bonnie Tyler and Susan Boyle will go to help protect the Amazon and support indigenous communities there. Sponsored by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, the Dec. 14 concert will feature several Italian singers and musicians, including the Vatican’s police band. But the headline Read more
World
Thousands march in France against IVF
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Paris on Sunday. They were opposing a bill allowing single women and lesbian couples under the age of 43 access to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. In France, IVF is currently restricted to heterosexual couples who are married or have cohabited at least two years. Besides broadening Read more
Church must exit abuse scandals or suffocate
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
If the Church doesn’t “find a way of exiting” the negativity of the abuse scandals, it “will suffocate us”, says Cardinal Peter Turkson. Turkson is the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development at the Vatican. In his keynote address last week to the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious Read more
Vatican offsetting Amazon Synod’s carbon emissions
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
The Secretary General of the Synod of bishops on the Amazon, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, says the Vatican will offset the Synod’s carbon emissions. The Synod is expected to generate carbon emissions of 572,809kg. The forestry licenses for the reforestation of 50 hectares in the Amazon basin will offset the emissions. Baldisseri says air travel accounts Read more
Initial synod talks focus on climate, priests and inculturation
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Climate change, water resources, inculturation and indigenous practices were among the topics discussed during the Amazon Synod’s Sunday afternoon session. A general summary of the topics discussed during the closed-door session has been published. Some of the discussions focused on ordaining married men. It was described as a “legitimate need” but one which “cannot affect Read more
Artificial womb prototype on the cards
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Attempts to create an artificial womb for premature babies have been given a boost in the Netherlands. A grant of €2.9m has been provided to develop a working prototype for use in clinics. The model, which is being developed by researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology, would provide babies with artificial respiration. Unlike incubators, Read more
Catholics more motivated to donate if ethical investing is assured
Thursday, October 10th, 2019Nearly nine in 10 Catholics surveyed said they want their donations to church institutions to be ethically invested and a majority of those responding voiced particular opposition to investments in companies that produce pornography, tobacco products and e-cigarettes, according to a new survey. The survey for Boston-based Catholic Investment Services found that about 87 percent Read more
Project Rachel founder to receive Evangelium Vitae Medal
Thursday, October 10th, 2019The University of Notre Dame announced Sunday that Vicki Thorn will receive the 2020 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal in recognition of her pro-life efforts. Thorn, founder of Project Rachel and executive director of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, will receive the award at an April 25, 2020 banquet and Mass. The Read more
Pope advises new cardinals: No boring speeches
Monday, October 7th, 2019
Pope Francis’s advice to the Church’s 13 new cardinals is straightforward: “Proclaim the true word, not boring speeches no one understands.” Francis made the comments in his homily at the consistory Mass at St Peter’s Basilica last Saturday. All 13 of the new cardinals share Francis’s pastoral concerns at a time when conservatives within the Read more