The Vatican is asking Catholic schools and universities to take the lead in pioneering education networks which value both individual identity and talent and help students see how their own gifts can contribute to the common good. Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, released a key document at a press conference Read more
Pope Francis has told the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors he has been learning “on the job” better ways to handle priests found guilty of abuse. He admitted this during his first face-to-face discussion with the Commission on September 21. The Pope said he has come to regret agreeing to a more lenient Read more
Deep-web code breakers have decoded a 300 year-old letter by a nun. Her message describes God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as “dead weights,” the researchers said. Historical records say the nun, who claimed to be possessed by Satan, was found with the letter on the floor of her cell. Her face was covered in Read more
Mexico’s earthquake last week turned a day of joy into disaster for a family gathered at the Santiago the Apostle Catholic Church. Eleven members of the family gathering for a baptism died when the earthquake caused the ceiling to fall in. The infant was among the dead. The only survivors were the baby’s father, the Read more
Twenty-seven million child refugees have left school early in 24 countries involved in conflicts. A UNICEF report says migrant children and young people, with low levels of education, “run an ever greater risk of exploitation.” Of the minors who move on the route that connects the Mediterranean with Central Europe, the report found 90% of Read more
Pope Francis has updated the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family. One of the most obvious changes Francis has made is to the Institute’s name. It is now called the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and the Family. Francis says the Institute needs Read more
Spending hospital donations to renovate a cardinal’s apartment is defensible, says the former president of the Vatican’s children’s hospital. Giuseppe Profiti and the former treasurer of Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital have been charged with embezzlement and are on trial in the Vatican’s criminal court. They are accused of diverting 422,000 euros from the hospital foundation Read more
Individual opinions about Australia’s gay marriage postal survey are personal, Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen of Parramatta Diocese says. In a pastoral letter published on the Catholic Outlook website last week, Nguyen said “when voting there must be a deep sense of respect for all concerned, and for the opinion and decision that each person Read more
Claims of a stolen Vatican document about the 1983 Emanuela Orlandi kidnapping are “false and ridiculous,” Vatican spokesman Greg Burke says. Orlandi was the daughter of a Vatican employee. She was 15 when she vanished from the street in 1983. Her fate has been the subject of much speculation. In the latest round of speculation Read more
Young people helping the Vatican hierarchy prepare for next year’s Synod say the bishops should be open to hearing young people talk about sex, love and sexuality. The theme for the October 2018 conference is “Young people, faith, and vocational discernment”. To involve young people in planning and preparation for the conference, the Secretariat General of Read more