The founder and all-female editorial board of the Vatican’s women’s magazine Women Church World have resigned after what they say was a Vatican campaign to discredit them and put them “under the direct control of men.” In the final editorial and open letter to Pope Francis, released to news media ahead of the magazine’s 1 Read more
A change in canon law will make it easier for a religious order to dismiss a member who leaves the community without permission, stays away and does not communicate with his or her superior. Pope Francis amended the Code of Canon Law in a document entitled “Communis Vita” (Community Life). The amendment now includes an Read more
Australia’s Catholic Church has completed the first phase of plans for the Plenary Council scheduled for 2020-2021. Plenary Councils are rare, with only two held during the past 130 years or so – one in the Philippines and the other in Poland. Lay-people’s opinions have been sought regarding the topics to be debated at the Read more
Catholic women from Münster in Germany are calling for women to go on strike. “We women want to see genuine change in our Church. We want to contribute and have our say. We want women and men, on equal footing, to follow their calling in harmony and move forward in the same direction: that of Read more
Kissing the papal ring is sometimes allowed and sometimes not. Just to keep up to date: at the moment, it is allowed. Pope Francis was photographed allowing nuns and priests to kiss his papal ring during his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday. But earlier in the week – on Monday – a Read more
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has denied an apparent accusation by the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong Diocese that he is disobedient toward Pope Francis. Read more
President Rodrigo Duterte’s attacks against God, the Church and its bishops are driving Filipino Catholics to cast votes for candidates not allied with the administration. Duterte earlier drew flak for calling God “stupid”, for cursing at Pope Francis and for issuing death threats against Roman Catholic bishops who allegedly plotted to oust him. By attacking Read more
A Chilean court has ordered the country’s Catholic Church to pay compensation to victims in a sex abuse case against influential former priest Fernando Karadima. A unanimous ruling says the Church must pay 100 million pesos ($146,000) for “moral damages” to each of his three victims. Read more
A Montreal priest was chased and stabbed while celebrating mass last Friday. The attack on Father Claude Grou at Saint Joseph’s Oratory was captured on a livestream and television broadcast of the mass. Footage shows a man in jeans, a parka and a white baseball cap run up the sanctuary steps towards the priest. Grou Read more
Catholic beliefs on gay marriage and abortion could be considered hate crimes in Scotland, say leaders of the Catholic Church there. Following last year’s review of hate crimes by retired judge Lord Bracadale, the church, in a submission to the Scottish government, asked for more discussion. The church submission suggests holding to Catholic beliefs, particularly Read more