France has experienced a remarkable surge in baptisms, with over 12,000 individuals baptised during this year’s Easter Vigil, reflecting a long-term upward trend. Despite ongoing discussions about rising secularism, the French Catholic Church has witnessed a steady increase in adult baptisms over the past decade as revealed in a French Bishops’ Conference report. Among the Read more
What is a Catholic, from a contemporary perspective? The stereotype is that he or she is a sort of reactionary simpleton, a bit mean, a bit senile, obsessing over abstruse texts, preferring Mass to sleeping in on Sundays, and insisting on obeying an antiquated sect whose main activity is covering up sexual abuse. This pious Read more
The Oxford Oratory reports that an increase in adults seeking to be received into the Catholic Church means that it has had to start special classes to cater for the influx. As a result, the Oratory has been responsible for 5 per cent of such application requests within its relevant Archdiocese during 2023. By the Read more
The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in Germany has given the green light for twenty-six lay theologians, both male and female, to administer the sacrament of baptism during church liturgies. This decision follows in the footsteps of the Diocese of Essen, which in March allowed non-ordained theologians to conduct baptisms. Bishop Gebhard Fuerst officially commissioned these theologians Read more
The Vatican has affirmed that transgender individuals are eligible to participate as godparents and witnesses in Roman Catholic sacraments of baptism and marriage, and they can be baptised. The Vatican’s document, signed by Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, was published on the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith website on Read more
Tuesday was a special day for Ronaldo Luís Nazario da Lima, the Brazilian and world soccer legend nicknamed “O Fenômeno” (“The Phenomenon”), who at the age of 46 took a significant step in his life of faith by receiving the sacrament of baptism. After the ceremony at São José (St Joseph) Parish, located in the Read more
Many conservative Catholics are upset with Pope Francis, who they complain is changing church doctrine, but they hardly blinked when Pope Benedict got rid of Limbo, a Catholic doctrine that had been taught for centuries. Careful readers will note that rather than closing Limbo, as reported by the media, what the International Theological Commission did Read more
Parents of a 13-year-old boy are angry a church baptised him without their knowledge at an event they say lured him to a park paddling pool font with burgers and lollies. Bay of Plenty mother Jesse Brown and her partner Luke were “shocked and upset” when their son came home from the park holding a Read more
A mother of a 5-month-old is pleasantly surprised that a woman would officially baptise her child in a Catholic parish church. The Baptism occurred last Sunday at St Hedwig’s Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Essen, in the Ruhr region of Western Germany. I had no particular expectations on this issue. Still, the fact that Read more
If the vast Catholic community in Africa is to truly become an “adult Church,” then “we must reimagine the participation of the laity”. That’s the belief of Alain Clément Amiézi, a theologian who was appointed by Pope Francis last June to lead the Diocese of Odienné in northern Côte d’Ivoire. Bishop-elect Amiézi, who has been Read more