The Pope admitted he “was part of the problem,” to one of the three Chilean clergy abuse survivors he invited to visit him at the Vatican. “I caused this, and I apologize to you,” he is reported to have said. The survivors have urged Pope Francis to transform his apology for having discredited them into Read more
World
Venezuela’s bishops want elections postponed
Thursday, May 3rd, 2018Venezuela’s bishops want country’s elections, which are set for this month, to be postponed. They are also urging the president to take a “different course from this saga of death.” Read more
Cameroon needs Church to mediate
Thursday, May 3rd, 2018Cameroon needs the Catholic Church to help broker peace, says the International Crisis Group. It could help break the stalemate between separatists and security forces, the Group says. “Other than the Catholic clergy, there are few prospective peacemakers.” Read more
First lay nurse to be beatified on Saturday
Monday, April 30th, 2018
The first-ever lay nurse to be beatified is a model of how to give of oneself for the good of others. Fr Pawel Galuszka has been involved with Hanna Chrzanowska’s canonisation cause. He said the Polish nurse “teaches us how important it is to make a sincere gift of oneself, even sacrifice, for the good Read more
Korean bishops say prayer led to peace agreement
Monday, April 30th, 2018
Korean bishops say the peace agreement between North and South Korea is an answered prayer. “The Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula is a historical event. It “opens the era of reunification of the Korean peninsula and is a gospel of hope on this earth,” Archbishop Kim Hee-Jung of Gwangju Read more
Catholic bishops want legislative action for Dreamers
Monday, April 30th, 2018
US Catholic bishops are calling for legislative action for Dreamers. Dreamers are undocumented migrants who arrived in the US as children. Bishop Joe Vásquez says the US Catholic Bishops conference supports the bipartisan “Uniting and Securing America” (USA) Act of 2018 as it is currently written. Vásquez chairs the conference’s Committee on Migration. The Act Read more
Pope meets Chilean clerical sexual abuse survivors
Monday, April 30th, 2018
Three Chilean clerical sexual abuse survivors have met with Pope Francis. Francis invited the survivors, Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Andres Murillo, to stay in the Santa Marta residence where he lives. In a series of meetings that began in the Vatican on Friday, continued over the weekend and finished on Monday, Francis and Read more
Vatican Financial Information Authority reports improvement
Monday, April 30th, 2018
The Vatican Financial Information Authority says suspicious financial activity in the Vatican has decreased for the second year in a row. The Authority says efforts to help the Vatican comply with international norms for fighting money laundering and terrorist financing are paying off. A report which the Authority released last Friday says 150 suspicious financial Read more
Exorcism takes longer because church lacks faith
Monday, April 30th, 2018Exorcism takes longer than it did in even the recent past. According to one exorcist working in Italy, the average time needed for a person to be freed from demonic influence now needs multiple meetings. In the past it was common for a person to be liberated in one session, even if the blessing lasted Read more
Religious freedom conditions worsen
Monday, April 30th, 2018Religious freedom conditions worsened across the globe in the past year. The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom’s 2018 report says abuses against religious freedom include genocide, enslavement, rape, imprisonment, forced displacement, forced conversions, property destruction, and bans on religious education of children. The report was released last week. Read more