On Sunday, Pope Francis convenes a special type of meeting of bishops — one held only two other times — meant to start a frank debate about the church’s teachings and practices with which Catholics seem to most disagree, struggle with and ignore: family, marriage and sexuality. The Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Read more
In the mid 1990s my husband and I lived together before we were married. In the interest of family peace we kept our living arrangement secret from my devoutly Catholic grandparents who would not have approved. I wonder what my grandparents, who died a few years ago, would have thought about Pope Francis’ decision last Read more
The 90-year-old Italian atheist who twice interviewed Pope Francis has revealed that he asked the pontiff to bless his family. Eugenio Scalfari, one of Italy’s most prominent atheist intellectuals and for 20 years the editor of the newspaper La Repubblica, said the Pope had visited his family and blessed them following his request. Speaking to Read more
Although they have been common throughout history, prohibitions against incest (sexual relations between blood relatives) have become increasingly difficult to understand and defend. In part, this is a result of a misunderstanding. We often think that the primary reason to ban incest is to prevent genetic abnormalities or other harm to children who might be Read more
A new Pastoral Plan for the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands places great emphasis on the family, the poor, youth, street kids and a wide range of social concerns. The document was officially launched in Goroka on Sunday and is the culmination of two years of work within the church. It Read more
The Extraordinary Synod for the Family that will be held in Rome next month has attracted more attention than any synod since their introduction following Vatican II. The media are focused on the possibility that changes may be made in such matters as birth control and reception of the Eucharist by Catholics who have divorced Read more
In early April 2014, German author Gabriele Kuby visited the Czech Republic to give a number of public presentations promoting her new book, The Global Sexual Revolution: The Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom, recently translated to Czech. During her visit to Brno, I had a chance to interview Kuby about her book Read more
The list of those attending the Synod of Bishops on the family is a disappointment to those hoping for reform of the Curia and for those who hope that the laity will be heard at the synod. The appointment of 25 curial officials to the synod on the family is a sign that Pope Francis Read more
It’s a “national tragedy”, a “dirty secret”, an “outrage”. But within the hyperbole surrounding the issue of domestic violence in our country are countless stories of individuals and families who have felt its impact first-hand. My own family has such a story – but we’re ‘lucky ones’, who ‘got away’. My sister and I escaped Read more
The upcoming extraordinary synod of bishops on the family will feature streamlined operations and new rules to help bishops grapple with the issues. That’s what the synod’s general secretary, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, told the Catholic News Service. The extraordinary synod from October 5-19 will be attended by presidents of bishops’ conferences, heads of eastern Catholic Read more