An advisor appointed by Pope Benedict XVI has said married priests and women deacons would bring a new dynamism to the Church. Dietmar Winkler said married priests and women deacons should be reintroduced as soon as possible. He was appointed an adviser to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity by Pope Benedict XVI and Read more
A German diocese wants to recover $NZ$6.5million from its former bishop, dubbed the Bishop of Bling. Limburg diocese wants its former bishop, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, held responsible for the losses incurred during a luxury makeover of his residence and office. The makeover cost $NZ52 million. An uproar ensued in 2013 when the details were Read more
Britain’s former chief rabbi has written that only a “theology of the other” drawn from a subtle reading of scripture can save religion. In a new book titled “Not in God’s Name”, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks attempts to explain why religion and violence so often go hand in glove. The explanation lies in religion’s dual Read more
The publisher of an Asian Catholic news website has called for the Church to play a role in reducing the Earth’s human population. In an opinion piece posted on ucanews.com, Fr William Grimm noted that Pope Francis’s recent encyclical Laudato Si’ dismissed concerns about overpopulation as a major source of the ecological crisis. Fr Grimm Read more
Doctors at a French hospital have decided not withdraw hydration and nutrition from a quadriplegic man who has been at the centre of a bioethical debate. Vincent Lambert became a quadriplegic and was left in a comatose state after a motorcycle accident in 2008. In 2013, Lambert’s wife and six of his eight siblings asked Read more
Cardinal George Pell has seemingly criticised Pope Francis’s most recent encyclical, arguing that the Church has “no particular expertise in science”. In an interview with the Financial Times, the cardinal appeared to distance himself from the science behind some of the statements in Laudato Si’. In the document, released last month, Francis called for global Read more
Pope Francis has said that his recent encyclical Laudato Si’ is not an encyclical on the environment. Rather, it is a social encyclical, he told 70 mayors from big cities at a two day workshop at the Vatican this week addressing modern slavery and climate change. It is a social encyclical, the Pope said, because Read more
The Vatican’s media spokesman has contrasted the styles of Pope Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI. In a feature story published in National Geographic, Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ, was asked how he felt about Francis. Fr Lombardi reportedly smiled and responded with one word: “Confused.” The Jesuit said Benedict would emerge from a meeting with Read more
The priest believed to be the second most followed Catholic leader on social media has been appointed as an auxiliary bishop. Pope Francis has appointed Fr Robert Barron as one of three new auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles. Bishop-elect Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, host of the award-winning “Catholicism” film Read more
An Australian theologian has suggested 12 criteria for selecting new bishops. University of Canberra chaplain Fr Paul McGavin explained his criteria in a 2000-word article in L’Espresso. He started by stating that ordination does not change a man. “He has access to the authority and grace of Holy Orders. Whether or not these are enacted Read more