In the eleven years since Pope Francis was elected Bishop of Rome, it’s been a daily exercise as a professional historian and theologian to demonstrate to certain Catholics and others that this pope is indeed Catholic. There’s something quite incredible about that when you think about it. Francis has not turned faithful Catholics into 19th-century Read more
Blessings for same-sex couples and divorced and remarried couples in Germany’s Speyer diocese are now officially ‘allowed’. In his letter to priests, deacons and lay pastoral workers last week, Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann officially sanctioned the blessings. The same-sex blessings the Speyer diocese gave in the Speyer churches could also be given to remarried couples, he Read more
The same-sex blessings near Cologne Cathedral (pictured) were a public salute to scores of private ceremonies among European Catholics in recent years. The crowd waved rainbow flags and according to media reports, sang “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles. The mid-September rites included Catholic priests reciting blessings for same-sex and heterosexual couples and, Read more
No one knows for sure why Pope Francis chose to publish his responses to the dubia presented by five intransigent cardinals. My first thought was: Don’t swing at pitches in the dirt. And, it is tempting to observe that these dubious cardinals simply had it coming. Coming on the eve of the opening of the Read more
Pope Francis has openly criticised what he terms the “backwardness” exhibited by certain conservative factions within the US Catholic Church. The pontiff pointed out that, in some instances, political ideology has begun to overshadow genuine faith. This can prompt a displacement of core religious values. Francis made the comments on August 5 in a private Read more
The synod on synodality could cause a schism in the Church, a leading conservative Catholic cardinal says. A new book, “The Synodal Process Is a Pandora’s Box: 100 Questions and Answers,” addresses the “serious situation” brought on by the synod, Cardinal Raymond Burke (pictured, centre) says. Pope Francis is risking confusion and even schism in Read more
Pope Francis has significantly changed the composition of the electoral college, even by adding to its number men from countries that had never before had a cardinal. This reflects his push to de-Europeanize the Church and the body that will eventually elect his successor. It is a very important institutional change. But the pope, who Read more
Next month a conference on the theme “This Catholic Moment” will be held at the Napa Institute, the so-called headquarters for the anti-Pope Francis resistance in the United States. John Meyer, the Executive Director of the Institute, says the conference will be an opportunity to discuss “Catholic renewal in a time of great crisis in Read more
Pope Francis has approved the Argentinian bishops’ interpretation of his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (Joy of Love). The bishops have published a document saying some divorced and remarried Catholics may receive Holy Communion. Francis says the document “explains precisely the meaning of Chapter VIII of ‘Amoris Laetitia.’ There are no other interpretations.” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Read more
In what he calls a “final plea”, Cardinal Raymond Burke has again gone public. He wants Pope Francis to clarify his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia. Burke was one of four cardinals who wrote to Francis last year questioning aspects of Amoris Laetitia. The questions, called dubia, led to the four cardinals being called “the dubia Read more