Pope Benedict XVI opened the Synod of Bishops on Sunday by urging prelates from around the world to try to bring back Catholics who have left the church through an evangelization mission. Some 262 cardinals, bishops and priests gathered in Rome for the meeting, or synod, called to give impetus to the pope’s efforts to Read more
The author of the book that revealed alleged Vatican secrets appealed for clemency on Monday after a Vatican tribunal sentenced Paolo Gabriele, the pope’s former butler, to an 18-month sentence house arrest for stealing private papal correspondence. Several European newspapers published an op-ed piece by Gianluigi Nuzzi, the book’s author, defending the actions of Gabriele, Read more
Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s sex crimes prosecutor, has been named auxiliary bishop of Malta, an Associated Press report said. Scicluna, who was dubbed “promotor of justice,” worked directly under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. “He carried out this role very differently to others, both within the Vatican and outside,” said Iacopo Scaramuzzi, Read more
The Vatican has no more plans for further talks with Catholic traditionalists who insist the Church must revoke modernising reforms launched five decades ago, a report by Reuters quoted Archbishop Gerhard Mueller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Catholic News Agency (CNA), however, quoted Mueller as saying hope must be Read more
French authorities increased security around Jewish and other religious sites after attacks on a Jewish grocery store and a synagogue, news reports said. President Francois Hollande announced that he is increasing security at religious sites and will introduce stronger anti-terrorism laws in parliament. He met with Jewish leaders in Paris on Sunday, saying the state Read more
All priests and nuns in the Diocese of Shanghai have been required to attend compulsory “study classes,” the Union of Catholic Asian News reported. The report quoted observers as saying that authorities imposed the classes in response to Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin’s controversial ordination in July. The 45-year-old prelate quit the Catholic Patriotic Association Read more
Paolo Gabriele, the pope’s former butler, complained of mistreatment after his arrest on charges of stealing documents from the pontiff’s private apartment. Gabriele claimed that his cell was so small he could not extend his arms, and the light was kept on permanently. The judges have ordered an inquiry into his allegations. The Vatican police Read more
Vandals defaced the walls of one of Jerusalem’s best-known Catholic churches on Tuesday. Police said the perpetrators, who are believed to be Jewish extremists, defaced a wall leading to the Church of the Dormition, a century-old structure built on the site where tradition says the Virgin Mary died. The graffiti read “Jesus, son of a Read more
An Italian man eluded Vatican security and climbed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica this week to protest economic reforms that Italy has passed to combat its debt crisis. Marcello De Finizio, owner of a beach-front concession and restaurant in Trieste, climbed the dome Tuesday evening. He unfurled a hand painted sign reading: “Help! Enough Read more
The installation of Salvatore Joseph Cordileone on Thursday as the new archbishop of San Francisco has drawn support and concern, according to an Associated Press report. Cordileone, a native Californian who served as bishop of Oakland for the last three-and-a-half years, is known to be a fierce defender of the Catholic Church’s positions on homosexuality Read more