Pope Benedict has called for lay people to be seen as truly co-responsible for “the being and acting” of the Church, not just as collaborators with the clergy. “Co-responsibility,” he said, “requires a change in mentality, particularly with regard to the role of the laity in the Church.” “It is important, therefore,” he added, “that Read more
“Be careful what you wish for,” as the saying goes, “because you will surely get it.” In light of a couple of recent Vatican stories, the corollary also seems to apply: Be careful what you try to avoid, because it might actually be good for you. A stringent European money laundering exam in July and Read more
On Tuesday, the New York Times put together a remarkable chart showing that, with the naming of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential running mate, there are now no white protestants among this country’s top leaders in Washington. Both Joe Biden and Paul Ryan are Catholics (as are six of the nine Supreme Court justices and House Speaker John Boehner), Read more
The percentage of Catholics practicing their faith is declining almost everywhere around the globe. Almost all bishops report it, but it’s difficult to prove statistically. Each year, the Vatican’s own statisticians compile mountains of data about the number of Catholics, baptisms, priests and religious, weddings and annulments in each diocese and country. The numbers illustrate Read more
Since my ordination to the priesthood 12 years ago, the millstone of sexual abuse revelations within the Catholic Church has weighed heavily. Indeed, such is the extent of the crisis, that in some circles priest and paedophile have become interchangeable words. It is as if we have moved from an unhealthy ‘A priest would never do that’ to an Read more
For sure, I’m no Nostradamus. To cite just one example of my failures as a prognosticator, in 1999 I published a biography of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger containing four reasons why his election as pope was improbable. We’re now, of course, into the eighth year of his reign. A month ago, however, I finally got one Read more
A nun will carry the Olympic Torch today as Catholic parishes across Britain prepare for a series of Masses and other events to mark the opening of the Olympic Games in London on July 27. Sister Mary-Joy Langdon, of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus, will join the Olympic Torch Relay in the Kingston to Read more
Twenty years ago, the Catholic Church played a major role in the fall of communism in Poland. Today, with the country changing rapidly, the church’s influence is quickly waning. Once considered the most Catholic country in Europe, the faithful are vanishing. Just past the Polish border, passengers traveling by train from Berlin to Warsaw can see Jesus. Read more
The Catholic Church in Czechslovakia is deciding how to divide up and manage billion-dollar compensation it is due for property confiscated by the communists in the 1940s. After more than 20 years of discussions, the country’s Chamber of Deputies has passed a bill returning the former property to 17 churches, of which the Catholic Church Read more
Scotland is pushing to become the first UK nation to introduce legislature approving same-sex marriage, though their plans are being opposed both by the Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland. Currently, Scotland allows for same-sex civil partnerships, but an entire “rainbow coalition” of organisations, which includes the Equality Network, Amnesty International, Unison and the Read more