World

Homosexuality in the priesthood concerns Pope

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Homosexuality in the clergy “is something that worries me,” Pope Francis has been quoted as saying in excerpts from an interview in a book called ‘The Strength of a Vocation’, released in Italy on Saturday. The Italian daily Corriere della Sera website, which published the excerpts of the papal interview, quotes Francis as saying “in Read more

Cleaning up Vatican finances reaps EU reward

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Cleaning up Vatican finances and making them more transparent is paying big dividends. Before the financial clean up – which Pope Benedict XVI launched in 2009 and Pope Francis has continued – the Vatican Bank had been an embarrassment to the Church. The aim of the clean-up was to fight money laundering and terrorist financing and Read more

Nation’s life expectancy reduced by suicide and drug overdoses

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

The life expectancy of United States citizens has reduced because of the nation’s high suicide and drug overdose deaths. The suicide rate in the United States is at its highest in at least 50 years. Read more

Philippines one of the great Catholic nations

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Pope Francis says Philippines is among the great Catholic nations in the world. He made the statement in his letter of appointment for Osaka Archbishop Thomas Manyo Cardinal Maeda as his envoy to the upcoming 60th anniversary celebration of the Manila Cathedral. Read more

Cardinal rules: no one may demand a pope’s resignation

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

No one has the right to demand a pope’s resignation or launch a formal accusation against a pope, German Cardinal Gerhard Muller says. Public attacks put into question the church’s credibility, he says. Read more

US Catholic Bishops’ Conference head’s office raided

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

US Catholic Bishops’ Conference head, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, has had his office raided by prosecutors investigating a sexual abuse case. The accused priest is from the Houston archdiocese which DiNardo leads. DiNardo is also heading the Church’s response to sexual misconduct in the US. The intensifying investigation has raised questions about how DiNardo and his Read more

Pope emeritus clarifies relationship between Jews and Christians

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

The relationship between Jews and Christians is the subject of a correction Pope emeritus Benedict XVI has published in theological magazine “Communio.” He was responding to a newspaper article alleging he favoured missionising the Jews and called Jewish-Christian dialogue into question. Benedict’s correction affirms Christians are called to a “dialogue” with the Jews rather than a Read more

Sex, gambling and the internet: Vatican hosts addictions conference

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

A conference on addictions is taking place at the Vatican this week, with Vatican representatives joining forces with scientific experts. The conference is entitled “Drugs and addictions, an obstacle to integral human development.” Presentations will include best practices for treatment and prevention. The Dicastery says almost five percent of the world’s population has, at some Read more

Was it even a crime? Former archbishop appealing conviction

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

Former Australian archbishop, Philip Wilson, is appealing his conviction for not reporting allegations of child sexual abuse disclosed to him in the 1970s. Wilson told the court via electronic communication that he is innocent and had no recollection of the accusations of abuse committed by Fr James Fletcher when Fletcher was charged with child sex Read more

President says pray at home, don’t pay idiots at church

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte is urging Filipinos to pray at home instead of going to church. “When someone is baptised, you have to pay…when someone dies, you have to pay,” he says. “Build your own chapel in your own house and pray there. You don’t have to go to church to pay for these idiots,” he is Read more