In a recently released Vatican report, the Catholic Church’s global landscape reflects contrasting trends, with growth in Asia while Europe experiences a decline. The annual statistics, published in the Church’s Yearly Book of Statistics, reveal noteworthy shifts in the distribution of the Catholic population. The report indicates a robust expansion in Africa, Asia and the Read more
In Portugal where half the young people say they have no religion, a Catholic priest has discovered a unique way to connect with them. Guilherme Peixoto (pictured) blends faith with electronic dance music as a DJ priest. “Padre Guilherme says, ‘If we can’t bring them to church, we’ll bring the church to them’” said Silvana Read more
The Synod on Synodality didn’t offer “a single idea of how to meaningfully include women” says Ireland’s former president, Professor Mary McAleese. There was just a tentative suggestion that the two unpublished papal-commissioned reports on women and the diaconate be made available for the 2024 Synod, she says. Balance of power Referring to October’s synod Read more
Despite Vatican disapproval, an important synodal way meeting in Germany took place on 10 November. It was the first meeting programmed to implement the country’s synodal way decisions. The meeting was light on bishops though. Eight of Germany’s 27 diocesan bishops were marked absent. Four chose to boycott the meeting: Cologne’s Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Read more
The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in Germany has given the green light for twenty-six lay theologians, both male and female, to administer the sacrament of baptism during church liturgies. This decision follows in the footsteps of the Diocese of Essen, which in March allowed non-ordained theologians to conduct baptisms. Bishop Gebhard Fuerst officially commissioned these theologians Read more
On the afternoon of October 28, the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops was ending an unprecedented month as it gathered participants of the first session of the Synod’s assembly on synodality to vote on a final report. Although people outside the hall still didn’t know exactly what that report would contain (it would be Read more
Pope Francis will have nearly an entire day of bilateral meetings with world leaders attending the COP28 climate conference in Dubai next month, according to a programme released by the Vatican on Thursday. It will be the first time in his papacy that the pope, 86, who is also a head of state, has so Read more
The State of New York agreed to a court order that forbids officials from demanding private and sensitive information from Sisters of Life, a pro-life Catholic religious order. Sisters of Life, which provides life-affirming counselling services and resources to women in crisis pregnancies, sued state officials in September 2022 over a law that allowed the Read more
While nations have a right to defend themselves and a responsibility to protect their citizens, “no war is worth the loss of the life of even one human person, a sacred being created in the image and likeness of the Creator,” said a papal message to the Paris Peace Forum. “No war is worth the Read more
Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda, a prominent figure in Church law, has vehemently denied any role in the reported changes to the papal election process, According to The Pillar and The Remnant websites Cardinal Ghirlanda (pictured), an important advisor to Pope Francis, had been tasked by the pope with drafting revisions to the conclave. Ghirlanda called the Read more