The Knights of Malta have suspended the author of a book accusing Pope Francis of governing the Church like a Latin American dictator. The lay religious order has distanced itself from the book, which members describe as “biased”. In his book “The Dictator Pope”, Henry Sire describes Francis as an “authoritarian, manipulative and politically partisan Read more
A Vatican-China agreement over the selection of bishops is rumoured to be likely to take place this week. Speaking at a conference entitled “Christianity in the Chinese Society: Impact, Interaction and Inculturation” in Rome late last week, Cardinal John Tong Hon said he supports the proposed agreement. The agreement would see the Vatican propose a Read more
The church needs to update its teachings on issues like same-sex marriage and contraception, young people told Pope Francis last week. Three hundred young people who came from all over the world to meet Francis also had words for the Church hierarchy. It should be a “transparent, welcoming, honest, inviting, communicative, accessible, joyful and interactive Read more
The Australian court has been told some of the alleged historical sexual offence charges against Cardinal George Pell will be dropped. Prosecutor Mark Gibson told the court last Friday one of Pell’s accusers is medically unfit to give evidence, so the charges cannot proceed. No other details were given. Another charge against Pell was dropped Read more
Catholic groups meeting in Canberra last Friday have demanded a change Catholic Church leadership. They say the current leaders are “locked in a misogynistic and unaccountable culture” that has failed to adequately respond to the child sexual abuse scandal and is denying the need for urgent reform. Read more
The new Chief of Protocol of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State is Msgr. Joseph Murphy. Murphy, who is 49, succeeds Archbishop José Avelino Bettencourt. Read more
The Vatican’s communications chief, Monseigneur Dario Viganò has resigned. His resignation comes a week after his department twice omitted information it gave the media about a letter by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. Viganò wrote to Pope Francis on 19 March offering his resignation. “In recent days many controversies have arisen regarding my work which, beyond Read more
Australia’s Federal Labor party has pledged to restore $250m of funding to the country’s Catholic schools. Bill Shorten, who is the party’s federal parliamentary leader, has promised the Catholic Bishops’ Conference chairman, Bishop Denis Hart, to “arbitrarily” give Catholic schools the $250m in the first two years of government. Shorten also pledged billions more to Read more
A Polish priest who said in a homily last month he wished Pope Francis would die an early death has been called to account by his archbishop. Father Edward Staniek was evidently reacting to Francis’s call for Catholics to take in Muslim refugees because it was their Christian duty. “I pray for the Pope in Read more
Australia’s Catholic Church is making plans to hold the country’s first Plenary Council in over 80 years. Pope Francis has approved the national ecclesiastical gathering. The Plenary Council will meet twice – once in central Australia in late 2020 and again on the eastern seaboard in mid-2021. The Council’s aim is to make plans to Read more