The cardinal patron of the Knights of Malta, Cardinal Raymond Burke, is urging Pope Francis to take the “hot-button” issues off the table at the 2015 Synod on the family. The former Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura made the comments while addressing more than 300 delegates at a family and marriage conference Read more
Want a white Panama hat owned by the pope? Now is your chance. Pope Francis is raffling off the Homero Ortega brand hat, a new four-wheel-drive Fiat Panda, bicycles, an espresso coffee machine, watches and other objects he has received as gifts to raise money for the poor. A poster recently went up around the Read more
Brittany Maynard’s mother is calling the Vatican’s response to the 29 year old’s decision to terminate her life “more than a slap in the face”. In a sharply written response to the Vatican, Debbie Ziegler said the comments came at the wrong time; while the family was grieving. Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, head of the Read more
Pope Francis is to make his first trip to the United States as the head of the Catholic Church in September, the Vatican said Tuesday, NZ time. He will travel to the World Meeting of the Families, said Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi. The Catholic public event, which celebrates the family as the basic Read more
One of the Pope’s key advisors has called for urgent action to be taken against a US bishop who shielded a priest who was a threat to children. Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley told US network CBS that the case of Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City is “a question the Holy See needs to address Read more
The public restrooms at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican are to have showers in which homeless people can wash. Papal almoner Archbishop Konrad Krajewski has asked the office governing the Vatican City State to include showers in an already-approved project to remodel the restrooms. Three shower stalls will be located in the restrooms a Read more
Pope Francis is to convene a meeting of faith leaders to address climate change issues ahead of two international summits next year. An encyclical on the environment, which will also address climate change, is expected from Francis next year. Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, said the encyclical would be Read more
The Irish Catholic Church’s record on sex abuse has been cited in a sex scandal involving the Irish Republican Army. Irish political party Sinn Fein has been accused of covering up for IRA sex abusers by moving them from Northern Ireland to the Irish republic. Ireland’s Parliament recently debated the claims of Belfast woman Mairia Read more
Pope Francis denounced the right to die movement on Saturday, saying that euthanasia is a sin against God and creation. The Latin American pontiff said it was a “false sense of compassion” to consider euthanasia as an act of dignity. He classified as equally false the belief that abortion helps women. Rather, the image of Read more
The outgoing Archbishop of Chicago says he has sometimes been puzzled as to what Pope Francis’ intentions are in the wake of some papal statements. According to a New York Times report, Cardinal Francis George stated that Francis has “said some wonderful things”. But Cardinal George added: “But he doesn’t put them together all the Read more