The Vatican archives containing Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s files are to be reviewed, says Pope Francis. A statement Francis has released from the Vatican says he has decided to combine the results of an investigation into McCarrick begun last year with a new, “thorough study” of all the documentation about him contained in the Vatican archives. Read more
I cannot help wondering if the current implosion of ecclesiastical credibility over clergy sex abuse has the potential to create a new moment of grace, one that breaks down outmoded governance models and creates new ones better suited for our times. We may already have a road map — thanks to liberation theologian Leonardo Boff. Read more
Almost from day one of his papacy, Pope Francis has made a trope out of railing against “clericalism,” once warning that it “nullifies the personality of Christians” and, on another occasion, praying for a Church completely “free” of clericalism. So familiar is his anti-clericalism rhetoric, by now there’s little energy devoted to pondering what exactly Read more
A former president of Ireland has said that an entrenched clericalism in that country used to view any opposition to itself as militant secularism. Speaking in an interview on the Crux website, Mary McAleese said Ireland had, at least in part, been dissuaded from anti-immigrant movements because of its rich Christian culture. She was asked Read more
In a wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis has spoken about sexual abuse, the Society of St Pius X and clericalising laity by making them deacons. Pope Francis told French newspaper La Croix that it is often a mistake to “clericalise” talented laity by turning them into deacons. “In Buenos Aires, I have known many good priests Read more
Pope Francis has again hit out at a clerical mindset which obstructs the laity from taking its proper role. The papal criticism came in a letter from Francis to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Cardinal Ouellet is also the Prefect for the Congregation for Bishops, which plays a Read more
Esquire Magazine published an article titled “What Happened When I Dressed Like a Priest: An investigation into the power of the uniform.” The author decided to do an experiment to test the power of various uniforms. He bought four: the uniforms for looking like a Catholic priest, security guard, mechanic, and doctor. When he wore Read more
The Archbishop of Wellington, John Dew has been selected as a participant in the of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The Synod will examine the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the context of Evangelisation. More than 250 participants, including 14 married couples from around the world, are expected to Read more
The essence of monasticism is not clerical service—which is possible only for some—but a radically converted way of life, available to all. “In the church, the [consecrated] religious are called to be prophets in particular by demonstrating how Jesus lived on this earth, and to proclaim how the kingdom of God will be in its Read more
When the head of an international religious order visited Japan many years ago, I was asked to be his translator. One evening at a convent of the order, the superior greeted a large group of nuns, saying what a pleasure it was to be with them for the visitation (shisatsu). I thought I had turned Read more