A new movie depicting corrupt priests has outraged some conservative politicians in Poland. “Kler” (“Clergy”) revolves around the lives of three fictional Catholic priests who swill vodka and mock the church. One of them sexually abuses a blind orphan boy. Read more
World
Parish priest who burned gay rainbow banner removed
Thursday, September 27th, 2018
A priest has been temporarily relieved of his duties after he burned a rainbow banner he believed symbolised a homosexual agenda contrary to Church teaching. The events leading to Fr Paul Kalchik’s removal from his parish began at the beginning of this month. A statement in his parish newsletter announcing his intention to publicly burn Read more
Critics question deal with the atheist, authoritarian Chinese government
Thursday, September 27th, 2018
Critics are questioning the church’s decision to join forces with the atheist, authoritarian Chinese government. Under a provisional agreement, the Vatican will recognise the legitimacy of bishops appointed by Beijing. The deal comes at a time when the ruling Communist Party is cracking down on “illegal” Christian groups in the country. Amnesty International China researcher Read more
Pope says changes mean fewer children abused in recent decades
Thursday, September 27th, 2018
There have been fewer children abused by clergy in recent decades because of changes the Church has made in how to deal with the problem, Pope Francis told reporters on Tuesday during an in-flight press conference. After discussing his visit to the Baltics (which was the press conference’s primary purpose), Francis turned to questions about Read more
Scandals are turning young people away from church
Thursday, September 27th, 2018
Sex abuse and economic scandals involving the Church are driving younger people away, Pope Francis admitted to a gathering of young Estonians during his visit to the Balkans this week. “We know – and you have told us – that many young people do not turn to us for anything because they don’t feel we Read more
Fertility treatment for gay, single women debated
Thursday, September 27th, 2018
Proposals to offer fertility treatment to lesbian couples and single women would harm society by removing fatherhood from the lives of children say French bishops. France’s highest bioethics body, the National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE), sees the issue differently. Under the current law, technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and artificial insemination are restricted Read more
Chief Rabbi challenges emeritus Pope Benedict’s views
Thursday, September 27th, 2018The Chief Rabbi of Vienna, Arie Folger, has taken issue with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI over his treatment of the “substitution theory”. This theory coloured relations between Jews and Christians over many centuries, and was used to justify persecution of Jews by Christians. Read more
Catholic school enrolments in Australia stagnate
Thursday, September 27th, 2018Catholic school enrolments are projected to stagnate over the coming years, while numbers in state schools are set to rise by over 270,000. Some blame fee rises, while others say confidence in the public school system is increasing and question whether the royal commission into child sex abuse has hurt confidence in the Catholic sector. Read more
Landmark deal signed between Vatican and China
Monday, September 24th, 2018
A landmark deal on appointing new bishops was signed on Saturday between the Vatican and China’s ruling Communist Party. While welcoming the breakthrough “provisional agreement,” China’s Catholic Church reaffirmed its loyalty to the country’s ruling Communist Party on Sunday. The Vatican says the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China Read more