The Catholic faith is spread not by proselytising but by “attraction, by witnessing, by preaching”, Pope Francis has told a congregation including Vatican employees. True evangelisers build bridges, to meet people wherever they are, rather than building walls to protect the Church, he said. “A Christian must proclaim Jesus Christ in such a way that Read more
A nun tipped off a paedophile priest the night before he was to be interviewed by police, a former police officer has told a commission of inquiry into child sex abuse in New South Wales. Troy Grant, a former police officer who is now a member of the state Parliament, said the nun visited his Read more
Pope Francis has told leaders of women’s religious orders that their vocation — to be spiritual “mothers not spinsters” — can be fulfilled only in harmony with the faith and teachings of the Church. “Your vocation is a fundamental charism for the Church’s journey and it isn’t possible that a consecrated woman or man might Read more
He’s a 32-year-old cradle Catholic and former altar boy with three or more siblings. He had a full-time job after gaining an undergraduate degree, and regularly prayed the Rosary before entering the seminary. This is a typical example of the 497 men being ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year, according to Read more
While former Catholic strongholds like Boston and Philadelphia are closing churches and schools, Catholic numbers are booming in the Bible Belt states of the southern United States, a mainly Protestant area. Atlanta diocese has seen its number of registered parishioners grow from nearly 322,000 in 2002 to one million in 2012. Charleston has expanded by Read more
In his first public statement on the subject, Pope Francis has called for the Church to continue “decisive action” against clerical sex abuse. The Pope asked the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard Müller, to “continue the line desired by Benedict XVI of decisive action regarding cases of sexual Read more
The Vatican congregation that deals with religious life was not consulted over the decision to require the major group of women religious in the United States to reform its statues and programmes, the congregation’s head has revealed. Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Religious, said the lack of discussion over the action Read more
Christians should be as courageous in spreading the Gospel as they are in pursuing their careers and personal ambitions, Pope Francis has declared. When the Church loses courage, he said, it enters into a “lukewarm” atmosphere. “That hurts the Church so much, because this tepid atmosphere draws you inside, and problems arise among us; we Read more
The state of religious freedom around the world is “increasingly dire”, according to the chairperson of a United States agency that monitors threats to this human right. The reasons include the rise of violent religious extremism and the actions and inactions of governments, according to Dr Katrina Lantos Swett of the US Commission for International Read more
Ireland’s Catholic bishops have denounced proposed legislation on abortion, saying it “appears to impose a duty on Catholic hospitals to provide abortions”. Supporters of the Irish abortion bill say it would give “conscience-clause” protection to health-care personnel who did not wish to be involved in abortions, but the bishops question that claim. Ironically, the proposed Read more