Pope Francis has said that the issue of married men working as priests in the Latin-rite Catholic Church is “in my diary”. Speaking to priests of the diocese of Rome on February 19, the Pope responded to questions on the issue, according to a report in the Italian bishops’ paper L’Avvenire. At the meeting, a Read more
Hindus are urging Pope Francis to take action against a Northern Ireland priest who said people who enjoy yoga could be opening themselves to Satan. The controversy came after Fr Roland Colhoun preached a sermon in Drumsurn in Northern Ireland earlier this month. The priest said he warned about several aspects of the new-age movement, Read more
Several Chilean priests have demanded the resignation of a newly-appointed bishop whom they accuse of covering up for a cleric who abused altar servers. A group of priests and deacons in Osorno have complained to the apostolic nuncio for Chile about Bishop Juan Barros Madrid. The priests and deacons allege the bishop covered up for Read more
Dublin’s auxiliary bishop has suggested that people give up alcohol for Lent, or at least cut down on their intake. Bishop Éamonn Walsh said this would make sense from both health and economic perspectives and would give “the body a rest”. The bishop suggested money saved might be donated to institutions which help people with Read more
A silenced Irish theologian says the prefect of the Church’s doctrinal watchdog is head of a Vatican faction opposed to Pope Francis. Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery told an Irish radio show that Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, leads the anti-Francis faction in the Vatican. “He would generally Read more
A woman sacked by an Australian Catholic organisation for having too many sexual partners has lost a lawsuit which claimed this was her sexual orientation. Brisbane-based Centacare fired Susan Bunning in 2013 after finding out about her polyamorous lifestyle, and gave her five weeks salary. The reasons for the dismissal were gross misconduct and bringing Read more
A group of United States gay and lesbian Catholics was given VIP treatment at a papal general audience in St Peter’s Square on February 18. Fifty members of New Ways Ministry, which ministers to homosexual Catholics and promotes gay rights, made a pilgrimage to Rome. Their requests for VIP seats at the weekly audience were Read more
Militants claiming loyalty to the Islamic State (ISIS) have declared that they intend to conquer Rome. The warning came in a video apparently showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians next to the Mediterranean Sea in Libya. In the video, an English-speaking militant said they are sending a message “from the south of Rome”. At Read more
France’s Catholic Church has refused to sign a media declaration that challenges faith groups to give unreserved support for free speech. The declaration, proposed by the group Reporters without Borders (RSF), came after French religious leaders last week backed free speech, but stated it had to be exercised responsibly. The issue comes in the wake Read more
The Vatican has more than US$1.5 billion in assets that it didn’t previously know it had, bringing its total assets to more than US$3billion. Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s secretary for the economy, told cardinals last week that $0.5 billion in assets had been purposefully excluded from a 2013 overall balance sheet. And US$1billion should Read more