When Father John Wester received a call just before 8 a.m. Mass, he had no idea it would be the nuncio, the pope’s ambassador, phoning to tell him he would be the next auxiliary bishop of San Francisco. “I think my knees were knocking,” now-Archbishop Wester of Santa Fe, N.M., told America’s “Inside the Vatican” Read more
Swiss bishop of Basel, Felix Gmür, is calling for the laity to be involved in the appointment of bishops. Gmür says the Church’s history shows that over time there have been different election procedures for bishops. “It was only with the publication of the ecclesiastical code of law (CIC) in 1917 that the right to Read more
Ki a koutou te Hāhi Katorika o Aotearoa tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Recently French theologian, Anne Soupa, gained worldwide attention by applying for the position of Archbishop of Lyon. She has since been followed by other French women making themselves available for senior leadership roles in the Church. Also, in Switzerland Marianne Read more
This morning comes breaking news out of NCR, that Washington DC’s Cardinal Donald Wuerl has proposed a “national panel” to investigate any serious allegation made against Bishops. And the panel would be comprised of, wait for it…bishops. “Would we have some sort of a panel, a board, of bishops … where we would take it Read more
Jewish leaders have joined Catholic bishops in Poland to urge Catholics and Jews to rebuild dialogue and fight prejudice. The Polish Bishops’ Conference describes anti-Jewish rhetoric in Poland as being “contradictory to the principles of Christian love of one’s neighbour.” A group of Polish rabbis responded, saying they “deeply appreciate” their condemnation of anti-Semitism. They Read more
A split has emerged over the allegations of misappropriation of more than US$100,000 by Bishop Hubertus Leteng of Ruteng in Indonesia. In June at least 69 of 167 diocesan priests together with some lay groups, called on Leteng to resign. But, in recent weeks, some priests on Flores Island have been coming to the defence Read more
Bishops in the United States and across Europe have called for complete nuclear disarmament. Even a limited nuclear exchange would have devastating consequences for people and the planet, they say. Their pleas for banning nuclear weapons come days after after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach Alaska. “Tragically, human error or Read more
By now it should be clear. Pope Francis really believes there is a serious lack of quality among priests and bishops in the Catholic church. Otherwise, he would not talk so often about the negative traits of certain men in ordained ministry, as he’s done again several times in recent days. “The world is tired Read more
That the Catholic Church needs a better way to select Bishops is a sentiment that every Catholic, I think, could agree with. It is the headline of an article by Robert Mickens in the National Catholic Reporter, which is worth reading for the way it summarises the Pope’s recurring harsh words about bad bishops. The Read more
An arrangement is reportedly looming between the Vatican and China that would fall short of full diplomatic ties, but would address key issues. Reuters reported sources as saying a working group was set up in April to resolve the issue of who has authority to select and ordain bishops in China. The group is also Read more