The position of the Catholic Church in Australia has been seriously weakened by the extraordinary remarks and interventions of the vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, Professor Zlatko Skrbis, says Australian columnist Greg Sheridan. Sheridan was referring to a speech by Joe de Bruyn, who used three examples to reflect on how to live a Read more
Marriage between the Vatican’s 100-strong employee pool isn’t allowed. You can live together and work together, you can have children together and work together, but you may not be married and work together. Oh no. If you marry, one of you must volunteer to leave the Vatican’s employ altogether (going to another department isn’t acceptable). Read more
A love story is currently causing a stir in the Vatican under the catchphrase “Romeo and Juliet”. A young couple who work at the Vatican Bank are said to have got married. As a result, they are threatened with dismissal. The Vatican trade union ADLV has shown solidarity with two employees of the Vatican Bank. Read more
It’s thought traditional weddings are falling out of favour as growing numbers of couples opt to elope. Those in the sector have noticed a rising demand for packages in the last six months, as more soon-to-weds choose to tie the knot alone, or with few guests. New Zealand Dream Weddings owner Donna Dohi believes it’s Read more
The Vatican has affirmed that transgender individuals are eligible to participate as godparents and witnesses in Roman Catholic sacraments of baptism and marriage, and they can be baptised. The Vatican’s document, signed by Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, was published on the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith website on Read more
Marriage rates are declining. Marriage could disappear altogether, says an English Catholic bishop. The social consequences that the shrinking number of marriages is causing are not good, Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury says. Speaking at a diocesan Mass celebrating marriage, Davies praised the congregation which was composed of married couples. Between them, they have amassed 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
Catholic women and their views on sex, divorce and patriarchy show a generational divide, a recent Australian University of Newcastle study found. Older women want reform, but younger Catholic women are more conservative. They want the rules on sex, contraception and the priesthood to remain as they are. About the study The study surveyed 17,200 Read more
Providing foster care is off the cards at present for a Catholic couple in Massachusetts. They say their religious beliefs are behind a ban on them participating in their State’s foster care system. Fighting the ban, Mike and Catherine “Kitty” Burke (pictured) turned to liberty group Becket Law who have filed a federal lawsuit on Read more
Keep the lines of communication open, and buy gold. Those are the two things and the only things my husband and I learned in our marriage preparation classes 25 years ago. It’s hard to say which bit of advice was less helpful. We already knew communication was important, but what we really needed was practice. Read more