A law change allowing a first-born daughter to succeed to the throne — and permitting an heir to the throne to marry a Catholic — has been passed by the House of Commons. But an effort by a Catholic MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, to change the Succession to the Crown Bill so that a Catholic could Read more
The future leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop-elect Eamon Martin, has been described as “a clean pair of hands” who “does not carry any baggage from the past with him”. Archbishop-elect Martin has been appointed coadjutor archbishop of Armagh, making him the designated successor to Cardinal Sean Brady, who has been under pressure Read more
Colorado’s Catholic bishops have hastened to uphold the rights of the unborn after a Catholic hospital in the state won a wrongful-death lawsuit by arguing that an unborn child is not a person. The case was brought by Jeremy Stodghill, whose 31-year-old wife Lori and her unborn twins all died in 2006 at a hospital Read more
Catholic and pro-life leaders have strongly criticised the Irish government for deciding to introduce legislation to legalise abortion in cases where the mother’s life is deemed to be at risk. The Fine Gael-run government’s action follows the death of Savita Halappanavar, an Indian woman who was admitted to a Galway hospital while miscarrying. She reportedly Read more
Research into the behaviour of Catholic clergy treated by the Encompass Australasia clinic in New South Wales was under way when it was closed in 2008, according to a Fairfax Media report. The clergy sex abuse study, titled ”Sexual Boundary Violations Among Catholic Religious”, was conducted under the approval of the human research ethics committee Read more
Catholic lay groups in the Philippines have pledged to campaign against politicians who supported controversial legislation that will promote artificial contraception as a family planning method. The House of Representatives voted 113-104 to pass the Reproductive Health Bill, which had languished in Congress for 14 years while Catholic groups opposed it. Continue reading
Responding to a serious binge-drinking culture, Catholic temperance advocates in India’s most Catholic state want their bishops to declare drinking alcohol a sin. The temperance commission of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council also wants a ban on church institutions employing people who drink, and a ban on drinking alcohol at weddings. The commission’s secretary, Father Read more
The vast majority of German priests accused of sexually abusing minors were psychologically normal, according to research commissioned by the Catholic Church. Only 12 per cent of those studied were diagnosed as paedophiles, according to a report released by Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference spokesman on abuse cases. Psychological testing showed Read more
Encouraging Catholics to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation could have a payoff in the collection plate, according to British research. The study involving a group of devout Catholics found that when they felt absolved of sins and a sense of guilt they were more likely to give generously. Researchers from Royal Holloway College, London, and Read more
A warning from Pope Benedict XVI about lack of faith among Catholics in France has coincided with new research revealing a decline in fervour among Catholics in the United States and a weakening of belief among Catholics in Ireland. Speaking to visiting French bishops, the Pope described ignorance of religion, even “among the Catholic faithful”, Read more