Pope Francis has appointed two women as under-secretaries for the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. Professor Gabriella Gambino is the undersecretary for the section for life, while Dr Linda Ghisoni has been appointed to to the section for the laity. Gambino has a doctorate in bioethics from the Institute of Bioethics at the Read more
The 40-year mystery surrounding Pope John Paul I’s death has been finally resolved. The Pope, who held office for only 33 days before his death in 1978, was not murdered. Rumours that he was murdered began circulating soon after his sudden death. A new book “Papa Luciani: Chronicle of a Death,” discloses details about the Read more
Rumours that Rome wants seminaries with fewer than 20 students to close may not be true. According to the Catholic journal, La Croix, Auxiliary Bishop Jérôme Beau of Paris says the Vatican wants to set a minimum limit of seventeen to twenty students for seminaries to stay open. It also says Archbishop Jorge Carlos Patrón Read more
The fake news brigade has been at it again. This time, it is falsely claiming the Vatican is creating an “ecumenical Mass”. Archbishop Arthur Roche, who is the number two official at the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, says reports of a joint Mass were “utterly false”. Greg Burke, Director Read more
Pope Francis has sharp words for Catholics who “proudly boast they are very Catholic” yet fail to pay their workers a fair wage. “How many times have we heard — all of us, around the neighbourhood and elsewhere — ‘to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist?’” he asked a morning Read more
Pope Francis founded the World day of Poor a year ago on the “notion of reciprocity, of sharing with each other of what each other has,” Msgr. Geno Sylva says. Sylva is an English-language official of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation. He went on to explain the World day of Read more
The youngest victim of last weekend’s the mass shooting at a Texan church was unborn. The Texan state law requires shooting victim Crystal Holcombe’s unborn child be counted like the other victims. Texas was among the first states to enact a foeticide law in 2003.
Hundreds of Catholics and politicians gathered to discuss the problems and the future of Europe at the end of last month. They called the event “(Re)Thinking Europe.” Pope Francis was one of the many speakers. A theme emerged from what they had to say: Religion is still essential to Europe. Read more
Pope Francis is said to be considering including debate about married men’s ordination to the priesthood in next year’s Synod of Bishops. The context of the discussion will focus on the Church in the Amazon basin. His comments came in response to a question on the matter from Cardinal Claudio Hummes. Hummes is the president Read more
Priests from the Church of England copied Martin Luther’s means of protest against the Church during the past week. They stuck a copy of their complaints to the doors of five cathedrals. The priests’ actions mimic the fable that Luther nailed his 95 theses against the Catholic Church to the door of a chapel in Read more