In France, a growing number of Catholic funeral liturgies are now being led by lay people authorised and mandated by Church officials. This shift has raised questions about the role of priests in this cardinal moment of earthly life. Queries have also risen about the impact the shift will have on the faithful. “The heart Read more
Blessings for same-sex couples and divorced and remarried couples in Germany’s Speyer diocese are now officially ‘allowed’. In his letter to priests, deacons and lay pastoral workers last week, Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann officially sanctioned the blessings. The same-sex blessings the Speyer diocese gave in the Speyer churches could also be given to remarried couples, he Read more
Tara’s Catholic community is working day and night to support survivors of the district’s latest bushfire. Last week’s out-of-control fire in regional Queensland burnt tens of thousands of hectares. It claimed two lives. Dozens of properties were destroyed. People – families – have nothing left. Zilch. Tara’s Parish priest Fr Jack MacGinley, who stuck to Read more
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has strongly condemned the recent upsurge in faith-related crimes, asserting that such prejudice “has absolutely no place in our society.” Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on 7th October, the UK Jewish charity the Community Security Trust (CST), has recorded approximately 800 incidents of antisemitism. Particularly Read more
Catholic theology needs to undergo a “paradigm shift” says Pope Francis. It must engage widely with contemporary science, culture and people’s lived experience as an essential starting point. Citing the need to deal with “profound cultural transformations,” Francis’s vision for Catholic theology’s future is encapsulated in a new motu proprio (apostolic letter) issued on Saturday. Read more
Archbishop Pierre d’Ornellas, head of the bioethics working group of the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF), has expressed “grave concern” over President Emmanual Macron’s recent announcement that abortion rights should be enshrined in France’s Constitution. “We are facing a real social question! It’s as if we didn’t know how to approach it, and so, in order Read more
Father Marko Rupnik’s former superior in the Society of Jesus, Father Johan Verschueren, denied that the Jesuits facilitated the incardination of the priest, who is accused of sexual abuse, in the Diocese of Koper, Slovenia, and said that the order warned the local bishop about the serious complaints against him. In a statement to ACI Read more
Pope Francis said he will attend the COP28 climate conference starting next month in Dubai, the first time a pontiff will be at the UN environmental meeting since they began in 1995. The pope told Italy’s state-run RAI television TG1 news in an interview that he expected to be in Dubai Dec 1-3. The conference Read more
The leader of China’s Communist Party-sponsored version of the Catholic church will visit Hong Kong this month at the invitation of the city’s pope-appointed Roman Catholic cardinal, fostering dialogue as China-Vatican relations remain strained. Joseph Li, the state-appointed archbishop of Beijing, will take a five-day trip to Hong Kong starting Nov 14 at the invitation Read more
At the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich emphasised the transformative potential of the openness and freedom experienced during the gathering. The Synod witnessed vigorous debates during small-group discussions. However Hollerich, a key figure in the month-long Vatican assembly, highlighted that even in the face of disagreements alternative solutions were found. “To Read more