Firebrand Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland, who has been subject to a Vatican investigation over his leadership style and right-wing comments on social media, has recently vowed not to resign or “voluntarily abandon” his diocese, even if Pope Francis asks him to do so. But the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law leaves Strickland little to Read more
World
Bishop Strickland says he will not resign if pope asks. What comes next?
Thursday, September 21st, 2023Women who say a one-time Jesuit artist abused them denounce a rehabilitation effort
Thursday, September 21st, 2023Women who say a once-prominent Jesuit artist abused them said they had been revictimised by his superiors. The women said Pope Francis’ recent gestures and an apparent effort to exonerate him publicly showed church pledges of “zero tolerance” were just a “publicity stunt.” In an open letter published on an Italian survivor advocate site, the Read more
Synod aims to improve Church effectiveness
Monday, September 18th, 2023
According to US Bishop Daniel Flores, October’s Synod on Synodality aims to address human reality – not abstractions. Flores (pictured) is a member of the global assembly’s preparatory commission. He says the Synod aims to share Christ and his Gospel more effectively. We can’t respond with the Gospel if we don’t know the reality people Read more
Environmental activists face deadly threats, Colombia tops grim list
Monday, September 18th, 2023
In a shocking revelation, at least 177 environmental activists were killed across the world last year according to a report by the non-governmental organisation Global Witness. Disturbingly, a fifth of these homicides occurred within the vast expanse of the Amazon rainforest, making it a perilous battleground for defenders of nature. Colombia emerged as the deadliest Read more
Most Asians see strong links between religion and nationality
Monday, September 18th, 2023
Religion and nationality share an indomitable bond for a significant majority of South and Southeast Asian inhabitants, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. The survey, released on September 12, was conducted in 2022 across six South and Southeast Asian nations: Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. In countries with Read more
Libya – urgent global solidarity is needed
Monday, September 18th, 2023
Libya needs global solidarity after its devastating and deadly floods, Pope Francis says. There’s a desperate search for thousands of people missing after a powerful storm burst dams near the Mediterranean city of Derna on 10 September. That event unleashed a torrent of water that devastated at least a quarter of Derna’s buildings. Buildings along Read more
Pope Francis meets supporter of dismissed Jesuit Fr Marko Rupnik
Monday, September 18th, 2023
Pope Francis held a private meeting on Friday with theologian Maria Campatelli, a supporter of Fr Marko Rupnik, who was dismissed from the Jesuit order in June for disobedience to superiors. Campatelli, 61, has led the Aletti Center, an art and theology school in Rome founded by Rupnik, since 2020. The Vatican confirmed the meeting Read more
No to Pontifical Secret at Synod urge media
Monday, September 18th, 2023
A growing chorus within Catholic media is pressing Pope Francis not to shut down the Synod on Synodality under the veil of the Pontifical Secret. Rather, they are urging him to open up the much-anticipated Synod on Synodality deliberations to the media. The Catholic media professionals argue that given the global involvement in preparation for Read more
Vatican Bank denies receiving funds from Russia
Monday, September 18th, 2023After a close aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Pope Francis of being a Russophile, and the Vatican of receiving Russian funds, the Catholic Church issued a statement denying the accusations on Sunday (Sept 10). “The IOR does not receive or invest money from Russia,” read a statement by the Institute for Religious Works, Read more
Catholic leader in Morocco: It may take years to rebuild after earthquake
Monday, September 18th, 2023The leader of the Catholic Church in Morocco said this week that material support and prayers will be needed for “months, or maybe even years” after the nation of 37 million was rocked by its worst earthquake in decades. In a Sept 11 interview with Caritas International, Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, archbishop of Rabat and Read more