The Vatican is working to define and potentially criminalise ‘spiritual abuse’ and ‘false mysticism’, aiming to treat them as standalone offences under Canon Law. This move follows high-profile cases where spirituality was misused to justify abusive behaviour. With Pope Francis’s approval, a working group has been established to study the issue and propose concrete legal Read more
Following the World Synod, Pope Francis urged Catholics to take an active, hands-on role in addressing the pressing challenges of today’s world. “Faced with the questions of today’s women and men, the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelisation and the many wounds that afflict humanity, we cannot sit still” the pope stated. Francis Read more
The Vatican group studying the question of women’s ministry announced that consultations, including the potential for female ordination to the diaconate, will be expanded to include more voices. The move comes amid growing debate within the Synod on Synodality. Members are pushing for further discussion and clarity on the controversial issue. At the heart of Read more
A moral theologian whose views are at odds with Church teaching on the use of contraception in marriage has been appointed as one of 28 new consultors to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. CNA reports that Pope Francis has appointed Fr Maurizio Chiodi to the DDF. Chiodi is known for his view Read more
The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has given the go-ahead for the Spanish pilgrimage site of Chandavila and the veneration of Our Lady there. On Thursday, the dicastery published a letter from Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Faith, to the Archbishop of Mérida-Badajoz, José Rodríguez Carballo, in which he confirms Read more
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has emphasised that the Vatican will not engage in a “witch hunt” over improper blessings of same-sex unions. The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s comments came after a meeting on May 22 with Coptic Pope Tawadros II. In an interview with María Martínez López, a bioethics Read more
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández recently met with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II to bridge the gap caused by same-sex blessing tensions. However, the meeting highlighted a rare agreement between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Churches on their stance against homosexual relationships. During their meeting, Pope Tawadros II expressed his concerns directly, urging clarity and consistency Read more
Maintaining synod confidentiality was one of Pope Francis’s particular requests of delegates during this month’s synod on synodality in Rome. But one delegate, German cardinal Gerhard Müller, immediately defied the pontiff’s request. Müller, a former head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, is known as a vocal critic of Francis’s synod on synodality. During an Eternal Read more