In a recent book of the same title, Can the Church Be Saved? (2012), this question was posed by Swiss-German Hans Küng, one of the best known and prolific theologians in the Catholic fold. Along with his colleague from the University of Tübingen, Joseph Ratzinger, he enthusiastically advocated for a renewal of the Church. Küng Read more
From the Johnsonville Uniting Church: During August, Sunday morning worship services have focused on The Word. On 5 August, the focus was on Spirited Conversations. The following is one of the spirited conversations, held between Anna Gilkison and Kathy Stirrat during the service. Introduction (Anna) Church is Wherever God’s People are praising. At the Methodist 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
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
One of the coolest things about documenting the trials and tribulations of this whole experience is I’m never short of conversation or blog post topics. In the miniature kitchen in the newsroom, colleagues searching for an ice-breaker to break the silence while we wait for our lunches to heat, reach to my upcoming wedding with Read more
It was no surprise when, last week, Bill Keller’s New York Times column declaring that progressive and liberal Catholics should leave the church, received a seemingly endless screed of online comments, as well as Facebook shares, tweets and recurring spins on blog rolls. It was easy for those feeling demoralized by the hierarchy’s condemnation of nuns, its thinly Read more
My high school chemistry teacher’s motto, “The facts are friendly,” applies to a lot more than scientific experiments. The English version of the German magazine, Der Spiegel offers a summary of and explanation for the disarray and confusion at senior levels of the Vatican that have resulted from rivalries, scandals, blunt and even brutal administrative acts, falsification Read more
Religious groups have long vied for prime parcels of land, planting churches on town squares and monasteries amid remote mountains. But now they’re targeting real estate in a less tangible sphere: cyberspace. For the first time in its history, the international nonprofit that doles out generic Internet domain names such as “.com” and “.edu” will Read more
We find ourselves in a deeply divided church — and society as well. For those who love the church, the many contemporary trials Catholics face cause concern and, for some at least, pain. Some trials, with origins stretching back 400 years, are manifest in an increasingly secularized society. Other trials are more contemporary and play Read more
Secrecy — utmost secrecy — is a feature of the way in which the Catholic Church is administered. A natural consequence of secrecy is lack of accountability by Church officials, and, inevitably, the covering up of such evils as sexual abuse, writes Fr. Brian O’Connell. When such evils are uncovered the damage to the Church’s Read more