Pope Francis has written declining German Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s 21 May letter of resignation. In his letter Francis says he agrees with Marx that Catholic leaders cannot adopt an “ostrich policy” in the face of the clerical sexual abuse crisis. “If you are tempted to think that, by confirming your mission and not accepting your Read more
“There’s a short path that is long, and a long path that is short”. In the third seasons of the Netflix series “Shtisel,” an eminent ultra-Orthodox rabbi who heads a yeshiva in Jerusalem offers that bit of sage advice to a star student who is dealing with a life-and-death decision. Short paths tend to become Read more
Police in Ireland have fined a Catholic priest for celebrating public Masses during a nationwide lockdown. The Gardaí (police) fined Fr. P.J. Hughes, 500 euros (NZ$830) after he offered Masses with a small number of parishioners present. This was the second time Hughes defied the gardai’s request to lock the church’s doors when he celebrated Read more
Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) wants the European Union and the United States to help get humanitarian aid to Syria. The charity says it is unable to make money transfers to the local Church despite humanitarian exemptions to sanctions against Syria. ACNs call for help came on the 10th anniversary of Read more
The president of the German Catholic bishops’ conference said he will continue to give Holy Communion to Protestants who ask for it. Bishop Georg Bätzing said it was necessary to respect the “personal decision of conscience” of those seeking to receive Communion. CNA Deutsch reported that Bätzing responded to a question about a controversial proposal Read more
Romanian Catholic archbishop Aurel Percă believes, “there is a need to form a ‘post-COVID-19’ generation that will establish a different kind of relationship between people.” Percă has never led his archdiocese in normal times. He was installed as Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest in January 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic engulfed Romania. In a Feb. Read more
An Irish Catholic bishop’s tweet about assisted suicide has been restored after Twitter deleted it. Twitter said the tweet was removed for “violating our rules against promoting or encouraging suicide or self-harm.” In his 31 January 2021 tweet, Bishop Kevin Doran expressed opposition to efforts to legalize assisted suicide in Ireland. “There is dignity in Read more
The economy of the Holy See should be transparent like a house of glass, says Vatican Secretariat for the Economy prefect Fr. Juan A. Guerrero SJ. He made the comment when the Secretariat released the 2019 balance sheet for the Roman Curia last Thursday. “We want the budget to explain how the Holy See uses Read more
Attacks on French churches have moved back up to their “normal” level after a reduction during the country’s March 17 to May 11 lockdown. A spokesperson for an organization led by young Catholics, Protège ton église (Protect Your Church) says during the pandemic attacks continued on a smaller scale. This was despite the lockdown rules Read more
The first international organ festival will be held under the nearly 2,000-year-old dome of Rome’s Pantheon and above the relics of early Christian martyrs. The melodies of Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers will be played on the organ this month in an effort to use beauty to reconnect people with the mystery of God. Read more