The Vatican has denied reports that the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was involved in financial irregularities. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ, confirmed investigations were being carried out in the CDF, led by Cardinal Gerhard Müller But the spokesman denied the cardinal’s involvement in any wrong-doing. “The superiors of Read more
Pope Francis has suggested a Lutheran spouse of a Catholic should “talk to the Lord” in discerning whether or not to receive Communion with her husband. Francis made the remark during a Q&A at a visit to Rome’s Evangelical Lutheran church on Sunday. A Lutheran woman said she is married to a Catholic man and Read more
A New York Times columnist has hit back at theologians and other academics who queried his professional competence to write on Catholicism. Last month, columnist Ross Douthat wrote several pieces about the synod on the family in Rome. He suggesting, among other things, that clear factions among the bishops have emerged, that Pope Francis favours Read more
In his closing address to the synod of bishops meeting about the family, Pope Francis said the gathering has been about overcoming closed hearts. Pope Francis said that the synod was not about settling all the issues to do with the family, but rather to see them in the light of the Gospel. He said Read more
Pope Francis has urged the synod on the family not to act as if the only question is pastoral care of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. Francis said this in an unscheduled intervention during the second day of the synod in Rome. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi told reporters that the Pope affirmed that “Catholic Read more
The Church’s doctrinal chief says the synod on the family faces a challenge in helping people in difficult situations while staying true to Jesus’ teaching. In a recent interview, Cardinal Gerhard Muller said the synod in October will need to deal with “the challenge of finding pastoral solutions to ensure a stronger integration of people Read more
A Jesuit theologian has scotched the notion that the Second Vatican Council was a pastoral council and did not propose new doctrines of the Church. Fr John O’Malley said this in an opening address to a conference on Vatican II at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. The conference was focused on the meaning and import Read more
Archbishop Sir David Moxon says that many people are unaware of the progress that has been achieved in terms of agreement between Catholics and Anglicans on core doctrines regarding authority, the Eucharist, marriage, ordination and the Church as communion. In his view there is broad agreement on 80% of core doctrine, while the remaining 20% Read more
A three-year programme of Vatican oversight of the main leadership group of United States religious sisters has come to a sudden end. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has accepted a final report of a doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. The LCWR represents 80 per cent of US religious Read more
The Vatican’s doctrine chief has lambasted the idea that doctrinal or disciplinary decisions on marriage and family be delegated to bishops’ conferences. In an interview with French Catholic magazine Famille Chrétienne, Cardinal Gerhard Müller called the notion “absolutely anti-Catholic”. The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the idea does not Read more