The bishops of the Church of England have declared they are determined to enable women to be ordained bishops. Following a meeting to consider the rejection of women bishops at the recent general synod, they “acknowledged the profound and widespread sense of anger, grief and disappointment felt by so many” and expressed their commitment to Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Catholic Bishops’
US Supreme Court to rule on same-sex marriage
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
The United States Supreme Court has decided to rule on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage — a decision the US Catholic Bishops Conference sees as “a significant moment for our nation”. The court’s ruling, which could have ramifications for marriage laws across the country, is not expected until next June. The court has chosen to Read more
Resigning bishops a supreme sacrifice for women
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
How ironic that as the Church of England was voting against women bishops, I was trying to buy Divine Women; a series for television by historian Brittany Hughes who dares to consider when God was a girl. Whilst some must have been celebrating at the result, others were distraught. ‘I’m ashamed to be part of the Read more
Church council will work with Aust. sex abuse commission
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
Australia’s Catholic bishops have decided to set up a special council — including bishops, religious and lay people — to work with the forthcoming royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse. At the end of their twice-yearly conference in Sydney, the bishops said they had formed a supervisory group of representatives from the Read more
Pope says Catholic charities must be Catholic
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI has asked bishops to take greater steps to ensure that Catholic charities operating in their dioceses adhere to Catholic teaching and retain their Catholic identity. The Pope said it is the duty of diocesan bishops and parish priests to see that the faithful “are not led into error of misunderstanding” through charitable Read more
Bishops respond to protests over Irish abortion law
Friday, November 23rd, 2012
While protesters in Ireland and India rally against the Irish abortion law following the death of a Hindu woman who was refused an abortion, Ireland’s Catholic bishops have affirmed that the Catholic Church “has never taught that the life of a child in the womb should be preferred to that of a mother”. The protests Read more
UK bishops endorse living wage for employees
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012Recognising that “fair wages are essential to the common good of our society”, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales have endorsed the principle of a living wage for Catholics agencies under their control. “Given the extent of employment by Catholic organisations and charities, it is likely that thousands of people could be affected and Read more
Cardinal: Refuse confession to suspected child abusers
Friday, November 16th, 2012
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney says priests should refuse to hear confessions from suspected child abusers to ensure they were not then bound by the confidentiality of the confessional. “If the priest knows beforehand about such a situation, the priest should refuse to hear the confession, that would be my advice. I would never hear Read more
Church denies complicity in crimes of Argentinian junta
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012Catholic bishops in Argentina have denied claims by a former dictator that the Church was complicit in crimes committed by the 1976-1983 military regime. The bishops said they were open to a profound review of the Church’s role during those years, which human rights groups say resulted in the killing of up to 30,000 people Read more
Transfers fuel doubts about Vatican’s line on sex abuse and US nuns
Friday, October 26th, 2012
In the small world of the Vatican, personnel is always policy. Two recent personnel moves, therefore, have fueled speculation about whether policy shifts are also under way in the fight against sex abuse and the Vatican’s relationship with American nuns. Msgr. Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s top prosecutor on abuse cases, was named an auxiliary bishop Read more