Ecology, economy and politics have everything to do with evangelisation. They are not an alternative to it, Pope Francis says. The topics will be discussed at next month’s Synod of Bishops on the Amazon. Francis’s mainly conservative, traditional Catholic critics say these topics distract from evangelisation. “What do ecology, economy, and politics have to do Read more
Attacks against Pope Francis are “a fight between those who want the church dreamed of by the Second Vatican Council and those who do not want this,” says the Superior General of the Jesuits. Commenting on various issues where the Pope is currently under attack from his critics, Arturo Sosa SJ says there is no Read more
Catholic Professional Standards Limited’s first child safety audit has given the Ballarat Catholic diocese a tick of approval. The auditors found the diocese met 73 per cent of new safeguarding recommendations and is working on the remaining 27 per cent. The audit focused on the diocese’s approaches to child safety and structures for complaint response Read more
Clericalism is coming to an end, says Marie Collins, who is a clergy sexual abuse survivor from Ireland. However, Vatican officials needed “a safeguarding policy” in place ages ago to prevent abuse and address it when it occurs. Collins says a policy of this sort was promised at the Vatican summit on child protection in Read more
A Wisconsin jury on Friday acquitted a retired Catholic priest on charges alleging that he had sexually assaulted an altar boy over several years, starting in 2006. The Jefferson County jury found William Nolan, 66, not guilty of five counts of sexual assault following a weeklong trial. The 26-year-old accuser, who lives in California, alleged Read more
An investigation has been launched by police after more than 2,000 remains of aborted children were found at the former home of late-term abortionist Dr. Ulrich “George” Klopfer in Will County, Illinois. Klopfer passed away on September 3. Nine days later, an attorney representing his family contacted the Will County coroner’s office, reporting that “medically Read more
A former top cop has claimed Catholic schools should be abolished to help tackle sectarianism on the streets of Glasgow. Tom Wood a former Deputy Chief Constable, has questioned whether religious segregation in schools remains acceptable, and urged authorities to address root causes of the divide. Last week the council decided to ban six Loyalist Read more
The Roman Catholic church should reconsider if it thinks the priest shortage can be solved by letting priests marry. It hasn’t solved the problem in the Ukranian Greek Catholic Rite which allows priests to be married, says Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Shevchuk is the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He was responding to Read more
Switzerland’s largest Roman Catholic diocese says it will welcome the arrival of civil marriage equality if the Swiss National Council passes legislation allowing it. The Council is tipped to consider the issue within the next few months. Given that the civil law changes, the Diocese of Basel says it will bless same-sex unions, as long Read more
The Church must look for new ways to make people feel welcome, say the special secretaries of next month’s synod on the Amazon. Cardinal-designate Michael Czerny and Bishop David Martinez De Aguirre Guinea say the synod’s focus, “Amazonia: New paths for the church and for an integral ecology,” will help the church make its presence Read more