Women in Catholic Latin American nations hit by the spread of the Zika virus are increasingly going online to obtain abortion pills. The Women on Web site has a long history of helping those in countries where abortion is illegal obtain pills to terminate early pregnancies. An online consultation with a doctor is involved. A woman is Read more
Pope Francis has called for the European Union to find new creative ways to stay together. This follows Britain’s planned exit from the EU. The Pope told reporters on his flight back from Armenia that it is clear “something isn’t working in this unwieldy union [the EU]”. Francis said Europe must reflect on the “air Read more
A priest reportedly heard a man’s confession at gunpoint in an Ohio church on June 11. The priest said that after confession started, the man pulled a gun out and pointed it before sitting down. But the man issued no threats, the priest said. “I’ve never done confession with somebody pointing a gun at me Read more
Pope Francis has expressed surprise at the reaction to his decision to have a commission study the role of deaconesses in the early Church. The Pope fielded a question on the topic during a press conference on his flight to Rome from Armenia on June 26. Francis offered to have a commission after he was questioned at Read more
Turkey’s deputy prime minister says Pope Francis reflects a “crusader mentality” for once again using the word “genocide” about a 1915 massacre in Armenia. During a visit to Armenia, Francis used the word in a speech. Francis departed from a carefully prepared text to use the word. As the prepared text indicated, Francis first referred Read more
One of Pope Francis’s top advisers says a new relationship between lay people and clergy is needed in the Church’s institutions and organisations. German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a member of the Pope’s council of cardinals, spoke at a conference in Dublin, Ireland. The cardinal later told CNS, “When you see the institutions and the organisation Read more
Catholic schools in Victoria are urging parents not to vote for the Greens in Australia’s federal election on July 2. Anti-Greens flyers have been attached to Catholic school newsletters across the state. The campaign is targeting school communities in marginal seats, electorates where members are retiring or where the Greens have a strong winning chance. Read more
A cardinal who denounced the threat to the family from a “gay empire” has been deemed by a Spanish judge not to have committed a hate speech crime. Cardinal Antonio Cañizares of Valencia made this denunciation in a homily on May 13. In his preaching, the cardinal also listed gender theory as among the threats Read more
Priests and other church-connected people will be forbidden from being alone with children and other vulnerable people in Montreal archdiocese. This is part of a pilot project, which aims to create a “safety net”. The policy will be introduced in a handful of churches in Montreal, starting in September. An archdiocese spokesman said the policy Read more