Hugo Chavez, the socialist president who transformed Venezuela while oppressing Catholic institutions in the 96 per cent Catholic country, reportedly died in “the bosom of the Church” on March 5. The Catholic News Agency said Chavez received spiritual direction and the sacraments in his last days, and Vice President Nicolas Maduro said he died “clinging Read more
Hollywood star Tom Cruise, now one of the most prominent members of the Church of Scientology, had notions of becoming a Catholic priest until he was asked to leave a Franciscan seminary for stealing liquor intended for a priests’ celebration. After his parents’ divorce, the 14-year-old Cruise — then Thomas Cruise Mapother IV — gravitated Read more
Comparing clerical celibacy to torture, a British peer has voiced a public defence of disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien and criticised the Catholic Church for not allowing him to have a sex life. Cardinal O’Brien resigned as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh after the public release of accusations that he had made homosexual advances on Read more
Cardinal Keith O’Brien is likely to face a Vatican inquiry over the allegations of sexual misconduct that led to his resignation as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, according to The Independent newspaper. It said Vatican spokesmen refused to confirm whether an investigation would be launched but the Scottish Catholic Media Office said it expected Read more
A public opinion poll in the United States has shown a significant gap between what the Catholic Church teaches and what American Catholics actually believe. Asked if they believe the pope is infallible when he teaches on matters of morality or faith, only 40 per cent of the total sample (and 45 per cent of Read more
Senior cardinals from Argentina and Germany have called for a greater leadership role for women in the Church. Argentinean Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who heads the Vatican department for Eastern Catholic Churches, said the next pontificate should see women having more leadership positions in the Vatican and beyond. “The role of women in the world has Read more
Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien has said he will spend the rest of his life in retirement after admitting “there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal”. Cardinal O’Brien had been the most senior Catholic in Britain until his resignation was accepted Read more
A new anti-Semitism is rising in several countries and could lead to dire consequences for democratic societies and members of all religions, according to witnesses who testified at a United States Congressional hearing. Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders spoke of the threat anti-Semitism poses to non-Jewish communities and even to democratic government. The hearing was called Read more
Discrimination, arrests, kidnapping and killing of Christians around the world have led National Catholic Reporter correspondent John Allen to suggest the next pope will be pressed to make defence of religious freedom his number one job. Allen offers these statistics on anti-Christian discrimination: + According to the Germany-based International Society for Human Rights, 80 per Read more
The American Catholic bishops have proposed seven principles to help lawmakers to take “urgent and necessary” measures to address climate change. “Evidence continues to point toward significant damaging impacts from climate related events in the United States, across the globe, and particularly for the poorest developing countries,” said Bishop Stephen Blaire, who chairs the bishops’ Read more