Catholic reformists and Ireland’s Association of Catholic priests have called on bishops to be more pro-active in support of Pope Francis. In a statement issued after a meeting in Limerick in Ireland, bishops were called on to “courageously and publicly” support the vision and programme of Pope Francis. “A key issue will be to devolve Read more
Poland’s Catholic bishops have suffered a defeat with the approval by the nation’s president of an international convention combating violence against women. The Council of Europe convention creates the world’s first legal framework for curbing psychological and sexual violence. It also criminalises forced marriages, stalking, and female genital mutilation. President Bronislaw Komorowski signed a government Read more
While the Shroud of Turin is displayed later this year, local priests have been given faculties to reconcile women who confess to having had an abortion. The goal of the special faculties granted by Turin’s Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia is to ensure that the public display of the shroud promotes conversion and healing. The shroud, which Read more
New mechanisms could soon be proposed to remove prelates who don’t follow Church guidelines on preventing and reporting abuse of children. A member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Marie Collins, said accountability of bishops is her main priority in this role. The 17 member commission met in Rome over the weekend. Read more
A group representing hundreds of priests has asked the United States Catholic bishops to start dialogue towards the ordination of married men to the priesthood. The Association of US Catholic Priests, which represents about 1000 mostly Vatican II-era priests, wrote to the bishops last month. According to an article in the National Catholic Reporter, the Read more
“Teach your children that it is not possible to be Christian outside the Church, and it is not possible to follow Christ outside the Church, as the Church is our mother, and lets us grow in the love of Jesus Christ” (Pope Francis, 11 January 2015). It must then follow that the Catholic Church is the true Read more