Despite opposition from some quarters and fresh revelations of Vatican scandal, Pope Francis is at peace with his reformist course, a senior advisor says. Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga said that anyone trying to do good “will have opposition”. “The books of the Bible said, especially the Book of Wisdom, ‘If you want to follow Read more
The Vatican has dismissed as “in no way reliable” an interview which quotes Pope Francis saying “all divorced who ask will be admitted” to Communion. Veteran journalist Eugenio Scalfari wrote in La Repubblica that the Pope made the comment during a phone interview. According to a translation by traditionalist blog Rorate Caeli, Pope Francis said: “The Read more
The president of the Philippines bishops’ conference has asked his fellow prelates to ban priests from receiving or blessing new statues made of ivory. Archbishop Socrates Villegas said new religious statues or images made from ivory or other materials from endangered or protected species should not be used as objects of veneration in churches. “The Read more
An Argentine bishop whose appointment Pope Francis opposed before he became Roman Pontiff has resigned after allegations of mismanaging funds. Bishop Oscar Sarlinga of Zarate-Campana diocese announced his resignation on Sunday. This came after an administrative takeover of his diocese, ordered by Francis in January 2014. The “fraternal mission” was led by the Pontiff’s successor Read more
Twelve priests in Ireland have issued a statement calling for an open discussion on equality for women in the Church, including in ministry. “Discriminating against women encourages and reinforces abuse and violence against women in many cultures and societies,” they said. Some of the 12 have been prominent members of the reformist Association of Catholic Priests in Read more
The Vatican has announced the arrest of a priest and a woman after an investigation of leaks of confidential documents at the Holy See. It said in a statement that the two had been interrogated over the weekend, and that Holy See prosecutors upheld the arrests. The pair were identified as Francesca Chaouqui and Msgr Lucio Read more
Pope Francis has denounced priests and bishops who “defamed” Blessed Oscar Romero after his death, in a campaign that delayed his beatification. The Pope made these remarks “off-the-cuff” while speaking on Friday to a group of Salvadoran pilgrims. Pope Francis said that Romero suffered martyrdom not just by his murder on March 24, 1980, but Read more
A New York Times columnist has hit back at theologians and other academics who queried his professional competence to write on Catholicism. Last month, columnist Ross Douthat wrote several pieces about the synod on the family in Rome. He suggesting, among other things, that clear factions among the bishops have emerged, that Pope Francis favours Read more
The Italian Church will help struggling families pay overdue utility bills for the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The initiative to help people who face having their utilities cut off was launched by Italy’s bishops as part of the Jubilee tradition of forgiving debts. “We are starting a project for the jubilee that sees mercy as Read more
Members of the Roma and Sinti communities are taking issue with some of the stereotypes some have said Pope Francis used in a speech last week. On Monday, Francis spoke to an audience of 7000 people from these communities at the Vatican in a so-called “World Pilgrimage of Gypsy People”. The event marked the 50th Read more