Pope Francis has described priests who refuse to baptise the children of young single mothers as “animals”. Francis was speaking at a Q&A session near the end of a pastoral conference of Rome diocese on the family. Crux reported that Francis spoke of a “pastoral cruelty” at the Q&A. An example is priests who refuse Read more
Following Pope Francis’s call to meet people where they are, a US diocese has relaxed its policy on wedding locations. Helena diocese Bishop George Thomas approved regulations that allow openness to non-church weddings. Canon law stipulates Catholic weddings are to be in a parish church. But the Code of Canon Law allows bishops to permit Read more
A Harvard historian who defended the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” for four years has said it is a probable fake. Professor Karen King reached this conclusion after reading an investigation into the papyrus’s origins by The Atlantic reporter Ariel Sabar. The professor said “it tips the balance towards forgery”. She first obtained the papyrus Read more
Catholicism in Ireland is being abandoned to obsessive extremists, a leading priest has said. Fr Brendan Hoban also criticised a “religious media more anxious to protect its pockets than engage with the realities of faith in the world”. Fr Hoban is the co-founder of the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland. He made these criticisms Read more
Cardinal George Pell says the “full implementation” of financial reforms at the Vatican will take time. Cardinal Pell gave a statement to The Tablet in the wake of the Holy See announcing that a full audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers would not take place. Instead, PwC will assist an internal auditor-general with the work. The cardinal is Read more
More than 200 Catholic couples were married in a huge tent in a nuptial Mass in Indonesia. The event, involving 239 couples and several priests, took place on the property of St Filomena Church in Mena. The main reason for the combined wedding was the desire to assist the issuing of marriage certificates by the state. This Read more
The Catholic Church in Pennsylvania has been accused of mafia-like tactics in a campaign to put pressure on lawmakers. The Church is lobbying against proposed state legislation that would give victims of sexual abuse more time to sue their abusers. Archbishop Charles Chaput inadvertently sent an email to a state representative accusing him of “betraying” Read more
The Vatican has brought nine more Syrian refugees to Rome. This adds to the 12 who accompanied Pope Francis when he returned from the Greek island of Lesbos in April. The nine refugees, like the twelve who preceded them, were living in a refugee camp on Lesbos. The Sant’Egidio community in Rome has agreed to Read more
The Vatican has asked the superiors of 15 US orders of Catholic sisters to come to Rome to discuss concerns and provide clarifications. This comes after the 2014 final report on a Vatican apostolic visitation of US orders of religious women. Last week, it was reported that the superior of the Sisters of Loretto had Read more
Bishops must avoid juridical straitjackets that deaden the novelty of new movements in the Church, the Vatican’s doctrine congregation says. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith this week issued a new document, Iuvenescit Ecclesia (“The Church Rejuvenates”). This is the first document from the CDF in Pope Francis’s pontificate. The letter stated bishops and new movements should Read more