Egypt’s newly-elected Islamic President Mohammed Morsi has met with Catholic leaders and assured them that all Egyptians will be protected by the administration. The meeting came one day after he met the interim leader of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, which makes up the vast majority of the roughly 8 million Christians in the country. The Read more
The creation of a new post in the Vatican’s Ecclesia Dei commission is seen as evidence of Pope Benedict’s determination to achieve reconciliation between the Holy See and the Society of St Pius X. The commission, an outreach to traditionalist Catholics, was established in 1988 to with a particular aim of reconciliation with SSPX. In Read more
Britain’s Chief Rabbi and the Archbishop of Canterbury have declared conflicting positions about a Government plan to legalise same-sex marriages. For the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, any attempt to redefine marriage would undermine the character of a sacred institution recognised “from time immemorial”. For the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Anglican Church is Read more
Parents should take care not to block their son’s calling to the priesthood, new Vatican guidelines on promoting vocations say. “Even though a sense of respect for the figure of the priest is cultivated in Christian families, it is still noticeable, especially in the West, that they have a certain difficulty in accepting that their Read more
While America’s Catholic bishops are promoting a “Fortnight of Freedom” to combat Democrat President Barack Obama’s health insurance mandates, a group of nuns are on a multi-state bus tour to oppose Republican budget-cut policies. The “Nuns on the Bus” are focusing on budget cuts proposed by House of Representatives budget committee chair Paul Ryan, a Read more
The archdiocese of Philadelphia has offered a “heartfelt apology” to abuse victims and expressed a commitment to child safety and “reform and renewal” after one of its senior clergy was found guilty of failing to protect children from an abusive priest. A jury found Monsignor William J. Lynn, the former archdiocesan secretary for clergy under Read more
Pope Benedict has given his opinion that Catholics who become converts to evangelical churches often do so because they experience a lack of fervour, joy and community within Catholic parishes — not because of doctrinal reasons. “Often sincere people who leave our Church do not do so as a result of what non-Catholic groups believe, Read more
Key events for the forthcoming Year of Faith have been announced at a Vatican press conference which also unveiled the official logo depicting a boat as the sign of the Church. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, said he wants the Year of Faith to reach out to all Read more
A senior neuroscientist says doctors in Britain are prematurely ending the lives of elderly hospital patients through a programme that is also used in New Zealand hospitals. Professor Patrick Pullicino said doctors had turned the use of the Liverpool Care Pathway into the equivalent of euthanasia of the elderly. Professor Pullicino, a consultant neurologist for Read more
Reliable voices in the Vatican are saying Cardinal William Levada, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will retire by the end of June. Italian daily La Stampa reports that Levada has told Pope Benedict he wants to return home to the United States and that Benedict will accept his resignation. David Read more