Prince William’s tour of the Middle East will include a visit to Jerusalem. Besides his state duties, William will visit the tomb of his great-grandmother Princess Alice of Battenberg and Greece. His great-grandmother has been recognised as a Righteous Among the Nations, the highest honor Israel grants to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Read more
World
Hundreds of complaints lead to Vatican investigation
Monday, June 25th, 2018
Hundreds of complaints about their bishop from parishioners in a Memphis diocese has led to an official Vatican investigation. Last week, two archbishops were sent to Memphis on a three-day fact-finding mission. The archbishops’ visit (called an “Apostolic Visitation),” involved them meeting with clergy and parishioners. They will develop a report of their findings and Read more
Papal reforms will lead to several Vatican changes
Monday, June 25th, 2018
Papal reforms will result in several changes being made at the Vatican during the coming months. Pope Francis says the Office of Papal Charities, otherwise known as the pope’s almoner, will now be headed by a cardinal. The Office oversees help for the poor. The current Papal Charities chief, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, will be promoted. Read more
Reunifying families separated at border is not easy
Monday, June 25th, 2018
Reunifying families separated on the Mexico-United States border is a massive undertaking. About 2,300 undocumented children were taken from their parents in recent weeks by US Border Control. That stopped last Wednesday when US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending his administration’s policy of separating the families of illegal immigrants at the border. Read more
Pope’s in-flight news conference after WCCC’s Geneva meeting
Monday, June 25th, 2018
In an in-flight news conference following his one-day trip to the World Council of Christian Churches (WCCC) meeting last Thursday, Pope Francis touched on several world-headline issues of recent weeks. One of these concerns a proposal from some German bishops about communion for Protestants married to Catholics; the bishops want to know whether Protestants should Read more
Ireland’s former president: baptism forces babies to be Catholic
Monday, June 25th, 2018
Ireland’s former president, Mary McAleese, says baptising babies is a violation of their human rights. By baptising children before they have reached the age of reason, the Church is creating “infant conscripts who are held to lifelong obligations of obedience,” she says. “You can’t impose, really, obligations on people who are only two weeks old Read more
Vatican tribunal convicts former Holy See diplomat
Monday, June 25th, 2018The Vatican tribunal has sentenced a former Holy See diplomat to Washington to five years in prison and fined him €5,000. The Tribunal found Monsignor Carlo Capella guilty of the “possession and distribution of child pornography with the aggravating circumstance of its large quantity”. Capella’s was the first trial of its kind inside the Vatican. Read more
Church now facing its own #MeToo moment
Monday, June 25th, 2018The Catholic Church is experiencing its own #MeToo moment, following allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up coming to light in countries throughout the world. Australian archbishop Mark Coleridge says the Church is facing the same challenge that has brought a reckoning to those who used their authority to abuse or silence victims. Read more
WOWChurch – virtual church aims to attract teens
Monday, June 25th, 2018WOWChurch is a virtual church service aiming to attract young people to Christianity. Aimed at 13- to 25-year-olds, the WOWChurch is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., so visitors can talk to chat-hosts, watch videos about faith and the Church of England, or offer a prayer and light a virtual candle. Read more
Working document for synod on youth published
Thursday, June 21st, 2018
The Vatican’s working document for October’s Synod of Bishops on “Young people, the faith and vocational discernment” has been published. The document is divided into three sections: recognising; interpreting; and choosing with regard to vocation in life. Young Catholics “want an authentic church”, the document says. “With this, we would like to express, particularly to Read more