Pope Francis has said he will establish a Vatican commission to study the possibility of allowing women to serve as deacons in the Catholic Church. Francis was asked during a meeting with leaders of female religious congregations about women deacons and their role in the early church. The Pope responded that he had spoken about Read more
Cardinal George Pell has been criticised for his dietary choices in Rome after he said he was too ill to fly to Australia to testify at a royal commission. On April 18, Cardinal Pell was photographed in Rome’s Domiziano restaurant eating a meal of steak and chips, washed down with a large beer. A few Read more
The US Catholic Church has spent millions of dollars in the last decade opposing measures that would help sex abuse victims get redress. The church has paid lobbyists to work against bills in four states that would extend statutes of limitation for child sex abuse cases or grant an extra window in some cases for Read more
Ahead of Australia’s federal election, Catholic bishops have spoken out about political decisions that can damage marriage and hurt families. In a statement from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) released yesterday, the bishops stated that “political decisions” can damage the institution of marriage and hurt families. Australia’s federal election is scheduled for July 2. The Read more
An Irish church head has warned of the risk of a generation of children being deprived of normal interaction with adults because of a protection “industry”. Church of Ireland primate Archbishop Richard Clarke expressed his concerns during his church’s general synod, the Irish Times reported. While emphasising the necessity for strong child protection measures, he Read more
People in need deserve more love from us than our pets do, Pope Francis has said. In off-the-cuff remarks on Saturday at St Peter’s Square, he said: “How often do we see people greatly attached to cats, to dogs”, but fail to “help their neighbour, their neighbour who is in need . . . This Read more
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has said it is banning its drugs from use in lethal injections. The company is the last major drug manufacturer to take this action. The decision has seen campaigners against the death penalty in the US say they are now close to ending the practice. Continue reading
It is now impossible to launder money at the Vatican bank, its chairman has said. Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, chairman of the Institute for the Works of Religion (the Vatican bank), said the institution had tightened its rules. The latest annual report of the IOR showed that 4935 accounts were closed between June 2013 and December Read more
Singer Lady Gaga has taken issue with a Catholic blog that posed questions about celebrities sharing their faith in public. Catholic Link editor Becky Roach recently posted an item titled “From Lady Gaga to Steph Curry: 5 Things to Remember when Celebrities Share Their Faith.” This came after Gaga has recently posted online two pictures Read more
Dutch medics have performed the euthanasia of a sex abuse victim who could not live with the ordeal she had suffered as a girl. The woman, who was in her 20s, was given a lethal injection after battling severe psychiatric problems for 15 years. Details of the case were released by Dutch authorities anxious to Read more