Pope Francis has named an international commission of eight business and legal experts — mainly lay people, including one woman — to plan a reform of the Holy See’s economy and administrative structures. The commission’s president, Maltese economist Dr Joseph Zahra, is already an auditor of the Vatican’s budget management office. The other members come Read more
As Pope Francis prepared to fly to Brazil for World Youth Day, a new study showed that the proportion of Catholics in the country — which has the world’s largest Catholic population — has dropped steadily in recent decades. With Catholicism losing ground especially among the young and city-dwellers, only 46 per cent of the Read more
The Vatican has disputed a report that the prelate appointed by Pope Francis to supervise the reform of the Vatican Bank indulged in flagrant gay affairs while serving as a papal diplomat. The report by Vatican journalist Sandro Magister said Monsignor Battista Ricca, 57, had a live-in lover when he served as a papal diplomat Read more
The presidents of more than a third of the 244 Catholic universities and tertiary colleges in the United States have called on Congress to pass immigration reform, saying the current treatment of immigrants is “morally indefensible”. The 93 presidents have appealed directly to all 163 Catholic members of Congress, many of whom are graduates of Read more
Africa’s Catholic bishops have expressed “shock and outrage” at human rights violations in the Central African Republic, where in recent months the social fabric has been “completely torn up”. One of the world’s poorest countries, the landlocked Central African Republic has an extremely low level of human development. The population of 5.2 million is 50 Read more
No matter how well it has been planned, the July 22-28 visit of Pope Francis to Brazil for World Youth Day is sure to be “a bit of an adventure” because the Pope is “full of surprises”, according to the papal spokesman. Reflecting the simplicity and humility that has characterised his pontificate, the Pope’s WYD Read more
A controversial end-of-life protocol is to be abolished in Britain following an independent review that found numerous cases of abuse and suffering among dying patients. The report on the Liverpool Care Pathway echoed concerns raised by Catholic physicians and by Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth, who said doctors were being asked “to make a definitive Read more
Pope Francis has said Catholics can earn a plenary indulgence by participating in World Youth Day activities — even through Twitter or other social media. Those who attend the July 23-28 WYD event in Brazil may obtain the indulgence, “once a day and under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in accordance Read more
An American diocese has transferred ownership of 14 parish schools to an independent non-profit school network that will operate them as Catholic schools. Officials in Philadelphia archdiocese said the cash-strapped parishes that previously operated the schools could not keep up with rising costs. Last year the archdiocese struck a similar deal for 17 high schools Read more
The gang rape of a 28-year-old nun in India’s Orissa state appears to be the result of a family feud — not an act of Hindu fundamentalists, who were initially blamed. The victim, who is attending university in Chennai (formerly Madras), the capital of Tamil Nadu state, told police she received a phone call from Read more