One curious feature of the modern papacy is the informal, but very real, PR safety net which grows up almost spontaneously around every pontiff. It’s forged in part by the Vatican’s own official communications channels, but even more so by outside commentators and media platforms heavily invested in selling a given pope’s story to the 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
Homosexuality is misunderstood. It should not be a criminal offence says Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson. People should be helped to understand the issue better, Turkson says. La Croix International reports that the comment is at odds with the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ conference, and has stoked outrage on social media. “The position of the Catholic Church Read more
Some German Synodal Path suggestions for change won’t be happening, says the Vatican. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has written an official note to the German Bishops’ Conference secretary general, Beate Gilles to clarify the Vatican’s stance on the German Synodal Path reform proposals. Non-negotiable issues Some issues are “non-negotiable”, Parolin told Gilles, Read more
This is one of the most important sessions of this Conference. In it, we come to a question – of what we believe about human dignity, including sexuality – that is deeply dividing, not only for Anglicans but for every part of God’s global church. This conference is one of the few places where we Read more
A Franciscan province in Germany has elected an openly gay member as its new superior general. Br Markus Fuhrmann (centre) publicly came out as homosexual a few weeks ago. “If I am gay myself, then I want to show that I can also be part of the Church in this ministry,” he said in explanation Read more
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s (CDF) Responsum concerning the blessing of same-sex unions brings into focus the important theological question of how homosexuality is to be understood within the order of creation and within Scripture. On the basis of its understanding, the CDF concluded that the Church cannot officially bless people in Read more
A leading German Catholic bishop responded to the Vatican’s rejection of blessings for same-sex couples on Monday by saying that there were “no easy answers” to the issue. Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference commented March 15 after the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) clarified that the Catholic Read more
Pondering the question: ‘did God slip up in creating homosexuals?’, German Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz found he had to say ‘No’. Kolgraf says that answer has led him to think the Catholic Church needs a new pastoral approach to homosexual couples. After becoming a bishop in 2017, Kolgraf says he was soon made aware Read more
After two unsuccessful petitions in 2019, Labour is finally promising to ban conversion therapy. Sherry Zhang talks to Anna* on what conversion therapy was like for her and what a ban on its practice would mean. “It makes me want to cry. It makes me feel seen, like I’m not just making shit up.” That’s Read more