Today’s startling, and sickening, news of the appointment of Archbishop Gerhard Müller as Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith is just one more nail in the coffin of the hoped for inauguration of a new era of understanding between the Roman authorities of the novus ordo establishment and Catholic traditionalists. This marks a Read more
The new head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Bishop Gerhard Mueller, mixes a reputation as a scholarly defender of orthodoxy with close ties to liberation theology and experience in ecumenism. Pope Benedict chose the fellow German and personal friend to succeed American Cardinal William Levada as prefect of the powerful congregation. Read more
Reliable voices in the Vatican are saying Cardinal William Levada, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will retire by the end of June. Italian daily La Stampa reports that Levada has told Pope Benedict he wants to return home to the United States and that Benedict will accept his resignation. David Read more
The leader of the American nuns in a battle with the Vatican is challenging the reasons for disciplining her organisation. The President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Sr Pat Farrell, said that Catholics should be able to search for answers about faith without fear and that raising questions of doctrine should not be seen Read more
The attack on the Nuns is a case of perception not reality according to Vatican Cardinal William Levada, who admits to being saddened by people’s assessment of him, his office and the report on the nuns. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), insists neither he, nor the Vatican is picking on the nuns. “We’re sad if people Read more
Bishop Leonard Blair is one of the three bishops (the other two being Bishop Thomas Paprocki and Archbishop J. Peter Sartain), that made up the committee formed by the Holy See to undertake the doctrinal assessment of the LCWR. Bishop Blair says that since the assessment has been completed he “can only marvel at what is Read more
Sister Margaret Farley’s book, ‘Just Love: a Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics’, published 6 years ago, has been condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This has had the effect of elevating the book to Amazon.com’s list of 100 bestsellers and it is presently out of stock. In an opinion piece, Maureen Read more
The action of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in taking the US LCWR to task has resulted in vast public support for women religious, while the US Catholic bishops look foolish. This is the opinion of Phyllis Zagano, writing in National Catholic Reporter. She says that according to the CDF, the “women religious Read more
An Irish Catholic lay group held a silent vigil last night in front of the Holy See’s Nunciature in Dublin, to protest the Vatican’s censuring of priests. The group, several of whom wore yellow and white Vatican coloured gags handed a letter at the gates asking the Vatican to revoke these disciplinary measures and replace Read more
The Vatican is concerned that the US Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) has “serious doctrinal problems which may affect many in consecrated life” and is to undergo a forced reform. The announcement, made on April 18 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, came in an 8 page “doctrinal assessment” based on an investigation by Read more