Catholic Church unity is facing challenges on multiple fronts, driven by tense dialogues between bishops, open criticism of Pope Francis, claims the Synod report will damage the Church, and the perception of internal persecution. Synodal Way dispute escalates At the Council of European Bishops’ Conference in Malta, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany and Archbishop Read more
In an interview with the Polish Catholic news agency KAI, the president of Poland’s Catholic bishops’ conference has said that the Vatican’s approach to Russia is “naive and utopian”. Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, 72, was asked about his meeting with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, following a May 17-20 visit to Read more
The chairman of Germany’s Catholic bishops’ conference has responded to strong criticisms of the ‘Synodal Way’ by his Polish counterpart. Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany (pictured on the left) was answering criticisms levelled at Germany’s Synodal Way by Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki of Poznan, Poland (pictured on the right). Bätzing explained that the Synodal Way Read more
The president of the Polish catholic bishops’ conference appealed on Monday to Christian leaders in Ukraine and Russia to unite in prayer with Poland to stave off war. “We are bound together by a common history and the holy Christian faith,” Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki wrote in a February 14 letter to the Orthodox and Catholic Read more
According to a Polish church leader, in a meeting with Vatican officials, several Polish bishops criticised the Vatican for its handling of sex abuse cases. In particular, they highlighted the “disproportionate punishments” inflicted on bishops accused of cover-ups in comparison with convicted abusers. Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, told Poland’s Catholic Read more
The president of Poland’s Bishops’ Conference has said the Vatican rejected his request to have St John Paul II declared a Doctor of the Church and patron saint of Europe. Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan said most bishops worldwide also ignored the proposal. He said: “The title of Doctor of the Church is reserved for Read more