The Prince of Wales will travel to Rome to attend Cardinal John Henry Newman’s canonisation at the Vatican next month. “As one who has been a lifelong champion of the spiritual in everyday life, to promote understanding between faiths, and who has sought to alleviate poverty and disadvantage through his charitable work, the Prince of Read more
The Vatican says plans for a binding Church synod in Germany are “not ecclesiologically valid.” However, Cardinal Reinhard Marx is defending the “synodal procedure” the German bishops have initiated with the Central Committee of German lay Catholics, against Rome’s attempts to question its canonical legality. He says the German bishops have the right to debate Read more
For experts and locals alike, it seems Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to Thailand and Japan will not only highlight the Vatican’s strong ties with interreligious communities in each country, but it could also help the pope advance his ecological and peace-making agenda. Speaking to Crux, Adul Smanyaphirak, a Muslim living in Bangkok, said that for Read more
In an exclusive interview, Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople speaks of his surprise at Pope Francis’ unexpected gift, and says how the key to evangelization is through service.’ He also mentions the fires in the Amazon, and explains the spiritual and theological reasons why we need to be committed to the environment. Read Read more
A Catholic priest in Indiana is offering putting a new spin on confession—he’s offering it on the back of a golf cart. Father Patrick Baikauskas is director of Campus Ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. To better reach the faithful, he’s launched what he Read more
Pope Francis spoke openly for the first time this week about the possibility of a US Catholic conservative-led schism. His frank comments were made during a press conference while he was flying home after visiting Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. There have been many schisms in the Church’s 2,000-year history, he noted. Although he said he Read more
LGBT Catholics are reacting positively to a Facebook Live video showing Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington’s words of support for the transgender community. “Hi, my name is Rory and I worship with Dignity Washington,” Rory told Gregory at one of the recent archdiocesan-hosted Theology on Tap events. “My question is what place do I have Read more
A volunteer ethics teacher in Australia has been stood down for telling students the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stolen Generations were taken from their families because of poor parenting. The volunteer allegedly told the primary school age children that what they had been taught about why the children were removed was false. The real Read more
The archdiocese of Paris has agreed to report all credible cases of sexual abuse by clerics or lay Church employees. This rule will apply even if the victims do not file a complaint. Archbishop Michel Aupetit has signed a protocol with agreed with Paris’s judicial authorities as an experiment for a year. The agreement mirrors Read more
Two acts of vandalism inside St. Peter’s Basilica last week have prompted questions about increasing protection and security. Guides who regularly take pilgrims and tourists to pray and to see the Basilica’s priceless art and artifacts are resisting tightening security, saying suggestions of glass barriers risk compromising the sacred nature of the space. It is Read more