The Vatican has announced steps to combat the misuse of Catholic spirituality for potential spiritual abuse. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, has expressed a heightened vigilance over the potential for mystical or spiritual elements to be exploited for abusive ends. Speaking to OSV News, Cardinal Read more
The Oxford Oratory reports that an increase in adults seeking to be received into the Catholic Church means that it has had to start special classes to cater for the influx. As a result, the Oratory has been responsible for 5 per cent of such application requests within its relevant Archdiocese during 2023. By the Read more
Organisers of a marathon in predominantly conservative southern Iraq have decided to exclude women following furious controversy on social media pitting women’s rights supporters against opponents of mixed events. The Basra marathon, sponsored by the provincial governor and several corporate donors, is scheduled to take place on Friday. The organizers say the aim is to Read more
The Vatican’s first resident envoy to Vietnam has hinted at the possibility of full diplomatic ties between the Holy See and the communist nation in Southeast Asia. “One day, we could have full diplomatic relations with Vietnam. This will be a great achievement,” Archbishop Marek Zalewski said in an interview on Feb 8. The Polish-born Read more
Two individuals who glued themselves to the plinth of the renowned Laocoon group at the Vatican in August 2022, are now appealing their prison sentences. As reported by the Italian newspaper “il Giornale,” the Vatican criminal court has scheduled their appeal hearing for early February. The two Italian environmental activists, a young woman and an Read more
Northern Ireland, known for its entrenched Protestant majority, saw a monumental shift as Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill secured the necessary cross-community votes to become the region’s first Catholic leader. This marked a significant departure from the past, where leaders openly identified with Protestantism. In a poignant moment at Stormont Parliament Building, O’Neill, representing the Irish Read more
Cardinal Ambongo of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has sparked controversy with his scathing critique of Western morals. Addressing a gathering of the Famille Chrétienne movement in Kinshasa, Cardinal Ambongo condemned what he sees as the West’s “decadent morals,” particularly its stance on family and children. “As the West does not like children, they [Westerners] Read more
Pope Francis has expressed optimism that “everyone will gradually calm down” regarding the Vatican’s recent decision to permit priests to offer same-sex blessings. The Vatican’s announcement, titled “Fiducia Supplicans,” drew criticism from conservatives, with some Catholic bishops in Africa expressing strong disapproval. However Pope Francis described the objections from certain African bishops as stemming from Read more
One of the Catholic Church’s leading doctrinal figures has reiterated his call for the institution to reconsider allowing priests to marry. Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta shared his views in an interview with the Times of Malta, saying that allowing priests to marry could prevent them from leading secretive lives that conflict with their vows. Read more
The Vatican has narrowed the definition of cases directly overseen by its main doctrinal office, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. On January 30, the dicastery announced that it would specifically investigate and judge cases involving individuals “who habitually have an imperfect use of reason.” This announcement delineates the jurisdiction of the doctrinal Read more