The Vatican has overturned a Texas bishop’s dismissal of a Carmelite nun from her order after she was accused of breaking her vow of chastity with a priest, weighing in on a power struggle and scandal that drew national attention. The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life found in favour Read more
World
Vatican overturns Texas bishop’s dismissal of Carmelite nun but backs his investigation
Monday, May 27th, 2024Family and children often behind abuse – police
Monday, May 27th, 2024More child abuse is carried out by family members and other children than by grooming gangs, according to a new police task force. The government set up the task force last year to tackle what Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dubbed “evil grooming gangs”. However, fewer than one in five (19%) of the cases it has Read more
Diaconate – women yet to be recognised as equal
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
“Until the Holy Father has a woman proclaiming the gospel in St Peter’s at a Mass he celebrates, the Church really doesn’t have the right to say women are to be recognised as equal and to be held as equally human to men” said Phyllis Zagano PhD, a Senior Research Associate in Residence at Hofstra Read more
Cardinal Pizzaballa in Gaza: “Enough killing!”
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, made a poignant visit to Gaza on May 16, where he urged an end to the violence with the strong declaration, “Enough killing!” His visit aimed to deliver a message of hope and peace to the residents who have been enduring severe hardship. The cardinal also showed Read more
Timothy Radcliffe calls for new ministries for women in Church
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
Dominican priest and theologian Timothy Radcliffe OP has urged the Church to develop new ministries, particularly for women, as a key focus for the upcoming Synod on Synodality. Lay people and “women in particular must be given a more active role in the life of the church” Radcliffe said in an interview with Ordo Praedicatorum. Read more
Diocesan hermit announces transgender identity
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
In a groundbreaking move within the Catholic Church, Brother Christian Matson, a diocesan hermit, has announced plans to come out as transgender. “This Sunday, Pentecost 2024, I’m planning to come out publicly as transgender” Matson told Religion News Service on May 17. Matson, who has a doctorate in religious studies, said he was speaking out Read more
Christian invisibility – the biggest threat facing the Church
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
Christian invisibility in our culture is one of the biggest issues facing the Church. So says research expert George Barna (pictured), founder and former owner of The Barna Group, a market research firm that studies Americans’ religious beliefs and behaviours. Barna lists two other big issues for the Church today: the steady decrease in a Read more
Pope backflips on female deacons?
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
Pope Francis seems to have changed his mind about female deacons. This week, in a CBS TV interview, he explained that ordaining women has never been on his agenda, but non-ordained female deacons could be. Female diaconate supported In February, one of Francis’ theological advisers, Sr Linda Pocher, said while the Church wasn’t considering women’s Read more
Talitha Kum celebrates 15th anniversary
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024Over 200 Talitha Kum delegates representing women and men religious, laity, young people and survivors actively engaged in combating human trafficking will gather for Talitha Kum’s 2nd General Assembly. This Assembly falls as the International Network of Consecrated Life Against Human Trafficking celebrates the 15th anniversary of its establishment in 2009 under the International Union Read more
Young German priests reject synodal way priorities
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024An in-depth study of Germany’s younger priests has found they have limited interest in the changes to the Catholic Church advocated by the country’s controversial “synodal way.” The study, published May 17, asked priests ordained between 2010 and 2021 how they believed the Catholic Church should be reformed. The majority did not select answers championed Read more