Couples who delete each other on Facebook are more likely to stay together, according to relationship expert Ian Kerner. The New York-based therapist claims that unfriending your significant other on social media can put the spark back into a relationship. Even better, he says, people should delete their Facebook accounts entirely to free up more Read more
Many Catholics in England and Wales are concerned at a legalistic and punitive response by the Church to those who cannot live up to the ideal of marriage. That was one of the conclusions of a report summarising responses to consultation by the England and Wales bishops ahead of next month’s synod on the family. Read more
A German bishop going to the synod on the family has proposed that the Catholic Church might offer ‘private blessings’ to same sex couples. Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabruck said it was possible to see strengths as well as weaknesses in both gay relationships and in those of cohabiting heterosexuals. He said that the Catholic Read more
Conservative commentators are expressing concern about the makeup of the additional 45 Synod members personally selected by the Pope. They are suggesting that “conservative” bishops have been excluded while more “progressive” ones have found favour. The archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, has been identified by these bloggers as being on the “progressive” side. Two Read more
American Cardinal Raymond Burke has warned about watering down the language around unions outside marriage. Addressing students at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio earlier this month, Cardinal Burke discussed attacks on family life and the Church’s response. He said students must be wary of abandoning natural law and watering down faith and tradition Read more
The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has attacked the German Catholic Church’s claim of world leadership on moral matters. Speaking at the launch of the German edition of Cardinal Robert Sarah’s book “God or Nothing – A Conversation on Faith”, Cardinal Gerhard Müller hit out at his national church. The Read more
Bishop Charles Drennan, the New Zealand delegate at the Synod on Families, has been sent a letter from an expert on the Council of Trent expressing the view that the church cannot change its teaching on the dissolubility of marriage. The moral theologian is responding to an argument put forward by Cardinal Walter Kaspar proposing that it is Read more
New moves announced by Pope Francis reform and simplify the process for getting a marriage annulment. Except for the just payment of Marriage Tribunal staff, the reforms make the annulment process free and remove the need of a second review that the marriage was invalid. Pope Francis has also sped up the process leading to Read more
“The Synod gathering in 2014 discussed simplifying the process for people and I’m pleased to see that Pope Francis has been able to move on this fairly quickly after that discussion,” said Cardinal John Dew, Moderator of the Marriage Tribunal. He was speaking after Pope Francis announced that the marriage annulment process is to be Read more
A “path of conversion” suggested for civilly remarried Catholics would see them abstain from sexual relations for a week at Easter. Italian canon lawyer Fr Eugenio Zanetti’s idea was one of those mooted in a book “Family and Church, an indissoluble bond”, published in Italian in June. The book contained lectures by theologians and lawyers Read more