Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has emphasised that the Vatican will not engage in a “witch hunt” over improper blessings of same-sex unions. The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s comments came after a meeting on May 22 with Coptic Pope Tawadros II. In an interview with María Martínez López, a bioethics Read more
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández recently met with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II to bridge the gap caused by same-sex blessing tensions. However, the meeting highlighted a rare agreement between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Churches on their stance against homosexual relationships. During their meeting, Pope Tawadros II expressed his concerns directly, urging clarity and consistency Read more
A same-sex blessing has resulted in a Chicago Catholic priest apologising for violating Church guidelines. Filmed and then posted on social media, the way he carried out the same-sex blessing was a “very poor decision” Father Joseph Williams says. In the apology – issued by the Vincentians’ Western Province – Williams says he is “deeply Read more
Cardinal Robert Sarah, former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, urged African bishops to defend the unity of faith amidst what he perceives as Western “errors”. In his address at the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon on April 9, Cardinal Sarah (pictured) emphasised the pivotal role of the African Read more
An African cardinal widely seen as a conservative critic of Pope Francis and styled by some as a possible candidate for the papacy himself has warned of what he described as a “practical atheism” taking hold within the Catholic Church. Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea also repeated his criticism of Fiducia Supplicans, the recent Vatican Read more
Inside one of the many skyscrapers in the center of Manhattan, James Martin (pictured) heads to his office at America, the Jesuit magazine where he is an editor. Martin’s workspace is filled with objects that evoke his personal journey as a Jesuit priest who has worked with gang members in Boston as well as refugees Read more
The Coptic Orthodox Church has suspended its two-decade-long doctrinal dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church over the Vatican’s approval of same-sex blessings. The Patriarchate of Alexandria and Coptic officials have labelled same-sex blessings as heresy. The Holy Synod of the ancient Coptic Orthodox Church, based in Egypt, announced the suspension on March 7. “After consulting Read more
The recent Vatican letter to the German Bishops’ Conference highlights the tension between a synodal, inclusive approach to Church governance involving bishops and laity and the traditional structures of clerical authority. This letter, and the broader debate it represents, is emblematic of a Church at a crossroads. It’s a Church grappling with the need to Read more
A US cardinal has said opposition to Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican declaration allowing blessings for couples in “irregular” situations, is due to an enduring hostility among far too many toward LGBT persons. Cardinal Robert McElroy (pictured) of San Diego is championing LGBTQ+ rights within the Catholic Church amidst a growing divide over same-sex blessings. McElroy’s Read more
Gilbert Lubega sat in a white plastic chair at his home in Wakiso, a suburb of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. He was contemplating two photos of a young gay female couple kissing and another one of a male gay couple kissing at their wedding ceremony. “These images make me think the world is coming to an Read more