A haggard and lonely Europe risks irrelevancy if it doesn’t recover its founding values, Pope Francis told European leaders in Strasburg on Tuesday. The Holy Father called on Europe to re-found itself by drawing, in part, on its Christian Legacy. “Where is your vigour?” he put to 750 members of the European parliament. “Where is that Read more
Pope Francis said while dialogue with the Islamic State may seem a long way off, he would never close the door. Admitting dialogue with the likes of the Islamic State may seem impossible, the Holy Father replied, “I never count anything as lost. Never. Never close the door. It’s difficult, you could say almost impossible, but the Read more
Pope Francis directly helped uncover three priests and a lay person in Spain suspected of child abuse. Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said that Pope Francis has taken a special interest in uncovering these men. It “was precisely the pope who has been most belligerent in bringing this case to light”, he said. Gerard O’Connell in Read more
A three hour meeting, Monday, between Pope Francis and the heads of department discussed proposals for Vatican Curia reform. The Vatican released little information about the meeting; Vatican spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, reminded journalists that meetings between Pope Francis and the department heads were six-monthly events. Lombardi however confirmed the meeting took three hours Read more
Pope Francis returned to the canonisation rite reformed by Pope Paul VI for the canonisation of six saints on Sunday. The move by the Pontiff is a reversal of the “reform of the reform” instituted by Pope Benedict. “The Rite of Canonisation introduced on October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI and which was largely based on the Rite Read more
The largest Roman Catholic geographical district in Brazil, located deep in the Amazon along the Xingu River, has more than 800 Catholic congregations but only 27 priests. Bishop Erwin Krautler, prelate of Xingu (pronounced Shin-goo), has argued that the situation calls for drastic measures. In April, he took his case to the Vatican, where he Read more
It’s long been accused of adopting an at best ambiguous role in the fight against organised crime in Sicily, but the Catholic Church has now taken a symbolic stand against the Mafia in its Palermo heartland by refusing to give the sacraments to the son of a notorious Cosa Nostra crime lord. Despite protests from Read more
At a small Hanoi cemetery, Catholic farmer Nguyen Van Thao opens a fridge and pulls out a bag of bloody fetuses to prepare for burial — a grim reminder that Vietnam has one of the highest abortion rates in the world. Around 40 percent of pregnancies in the country end in abortion, according to a Read more
Pope Francis is demanding dignity, not charity, for the world’s poor and hungry. His comments came on Friday at a UN conference on nutrition hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. The Pontiff condemned speculation in food commodities and greed, saying they undermined the global fight against poverty and hunger. “It is also painful to Read more
Pope Francis has appointed staunch critic, South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier to an otherwise unchanged group of organisers for part two of the Synod on the Family in 2015. Napier was one of a number of strong public critics and at a press conference on October 14 said the initial Synod document’s message of openness Read more