Pope Francis has sacked a Paraguayan bishop affiliated to Opus Dei in order to try to mend divisions in the Church in that nation. On September 25, Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano of Ciudad del Este diocese was removed to preserve the “unity of both the bishops and of the faithful”, according to a Vatican Read more
Pope Francis has asked new bishops not to be deceived by the temptation to change their people, but to love them as they are. The Pope said this in a written address on September 18 to 138 recently appointed bishops from around the world, including two from Australia. “Though jealously safeguarding the passion for truth, Read more
The upcoming extraordinary synod of bishops on the family will feature streamlined operations and new rules to help bishops grapple with the issues. That’s what the synod’s general secretary, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, told the Catholic News Service. The extraordinary synod from October 5-19 will be attended by presidents of bishops’ conferences, heads of eastern Catholic Read more
The Bishops of the Federation of Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania have elected Archbishop John Ribat of Port Moresby as President of their Conference Federation, and the Vice President is Bishop Robert McGuckin of Toowoomba. There were 82 Bishops from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, the countries of the Pacific, and Australia and New Zealand in Read more
Argentina’s Catholic bishops have spoken out about violence that is besetting their nation. In a statement released at their recent annual conference, the bishops said “We notice with pain and concern that Argentina is sick with violence. Some symptoms are clear, others more subtle”. “Criminal acts have not only risen in number, but in aggressiveness; a Read more
The Catholic Church has backed unionist politicians’ moves to block legalised same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. A Sinn Fein motion to introduce same-sex marriage legislation is likely to be defeated in the Northern Ireland assembly next week. Unionist parties will introduce a “petition of concern” against the move. Under the rules of the Stormont assembly, Read more
Brazil’s Catholic bishops’ conference has acknowledged that some of its members supported the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985. Some bishops backed the junta in order to combat communism. Continue reading
Ireland’s bishops have issued a public statement about the local results of the Vatican survey on family life, in a reversal of a previous decision. The bishops acknowledged that Church teaching can sometimes be a challenge, with some respondents seeing the teaching “as disconnected from real-life experience”. Continue reading
When Jorge Mario Bergoglio appeared in the white papal cassock on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on 13 March 2013, few people – if anyone – could have predicted how the then 76-year-old Jesuit would dramatically re-energise the Catholic Church over the next 12 months. He had been profiled as a moderately conservative Read more
A United States cardinal and several bishops will offer Mass on the US/Mexico border for thousands of migrants who have died there. “The US/Mexico border is our Lampedusa. Migrants in this hemisphere try to reach it, but often die in the attempt,” said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo. Bishop Elizondo chairs the US bishops’ Committee on Migration. Read more