In an unusual alignment of views, both Catholics and secular feminists in New York state are opposing a bill that would legalise commercial surrogacy. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s bill has already passed the state Senate. However the bill is stalled in the state Assembly (which is the other ‘half’ of the state Legislature). This is because Read more
Everyone sported hard hats at the first mass at Notre Dame since fire broke out beneath its roof on 15 April. The archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, led the service which was held in an undamaged side-chapel behind the choir. Saturday – the day the mass was celebrated – is the anniversary of the church altar’s consecration. Read more
At least three Filipino Catholic bishops have joined growing protests in Manila against what they described as China’s “continuous bullying of the Philippines.” Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon said the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat and the abandonment of its crew by a Chinese vessel last week was a “manifestation” of China’s lack of Read more
A new Chilean archbishop-elect has resigned after making contentious comments about Jews in a CNN interview last month. Pope Francis has accepted Fr Carlos Eugenio Irarrázaval Errazuriz’s resignation. The Santiago diocese says Errazuriz’s resignation “was the fruit of dialogue and joint discernment”, in which Francis valued Errazuriz’s “spirit of faith and humility … in favor Read more
A 29-year-old man has been detained in connection with the April 21 attacks in Sri Lanka that left more than 250 people dead, Interpol says. The Sri Lanka national was taken into custody in the Middle East and deported to the Indian Ocean island nation on Friday, alongside four other suspects. The Easter Sunday suicide Read more
Lay advisers to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) want the Holy See to be more open about former archbishop Theodore McCarrick. They want the USCCB to ask for all the relevant documents and the results of diocesan and archdiocesan investigations about McCarrick to be released. Both the National Advisory Council to the US Read more
The Vatican’s new gender education document “Male and female he created them” seeks to tackle what it calls “an educational crisis”. The Holy See’s Congregation for Catholic Education says the document is intended to help guide Catholic contributions to the ongoing debate about human sexuality and to address the challenges that emerge from gender ideology. Read more
Oxfam has been officially warned over “mismanagement” and criticised for allowing predatory staff to target and sexually abuse children in disaster zones. The charity has also been criticised for ignoring victims’ complaints. In a 150-page report, the Charity Commission (a UK watchdog organisation that reports directly to the UK parliament) laid out the outcome of Read more
Dissident retired archbishop Carlo Vigano has accused Pope Francis of “blatantly lying” in saying he had no knowledge of sexual abuse allegations against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. In a series of emails from an undisclosed location, Vigano told the Washington Post that Francis and Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI must come clean about what they knew of McCarrick’s Read more
Christians are “one in Christ” despite differences between denominations and traditions, says the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Welby made this statement to over 5,000 Christians across various denominations and traditions gathered at a Pentecost event marking the culmination of “Thy Kingdom Come”, a 10-day prayer initiative. “We’re all different, we look different, we have Read more