There’s an article doing the rounds on Social Media at the moment. It is titled “Why I Didn’t Invite Family Or Friends To My Wedding”. And that’s great. But here’s why I did invite family and friends (and lots of them, we come from big families) to my our wedding. After four years of dating, Read more
The bishops’ conference of England and Wales plans to launch a wide-ranging consultation of parishes and clergy ahead of next year’s synod on the family. The bishops would like a period of spiritual reflection in each parish. They would also like to hear the experiences of clergy on the main “pastoral challenges” they encounter with Read more
Mormon founder Joseph Smith had as many as 40 wives, including a 14-year-old girl, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has admitted. The church’s teachings had previously portrayed Smith has having been happily married to one woman only. The revelations of Smith’s polygamy came in an essay posted on the LDS church’s Read more
We are facing a global crisis in marriage. The factors contributing to the crisis are complex. They span generations and virtually every human institution: families, peer groups, schools, churches, work environments, law, and culture. As scholars and marriage advocates from around the world consider new initiatives to strengthen marriages and families, it may be helpful Read more
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has decried critics who have charged that the recent synod on the family caused confusion for Catholics. Archbishop Martin said he was “quite surprised at the remarks of some commentators within church circles about the recent synod of bishops, often making accusations of confusion where such confusion did not exist Read more
The US cardinal dubbed the face of opposition to the Pope’s reformist agenda has likened the Church to “a ship without a rudder”. In an interview with Spanish Catholic weekly Vida Nueva, Cardinal Raymond Burke said he was not speaking against Pope Francis personally. Rather, he said he was raising concerns about the Pope’s leadership. Read more
The article Fr. Giancarlo Pani published in Italian Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica before the Synod, regarding the exception the Council of Trent made for Greek-rite Catholics, withdrawing its condemnation of the Eastern practice of second marriages in 1563, has sparked a heated debate. The article written by the Jesuit historian has attracted criticism not Read more
A Catholic couple in Ohio in the United States who were married for 73 years have died within 28 hours of each other. When Helen Auer, 94, died last week, she was sitting in a chair, and her husband Joe came into the room and knew what had happened. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Joe Read more
An investigation has been ordered into the events that led to the resignation of English Bishop Kieran Conry last month. The inquiry, to be headed by an independent investigator, was ordered by Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark. A diocesan spokesman said the investigation would “be undertaken in respect of Bishop Conry’s relationship with potentially vulnerable Read more
The final report from the synod on the family has narrowed down aspects of a “welcoming” preliminary report, especially concerning gay people. The preliminary report, issued half way through the synod, asked if the Church community was welcoming to gay people. It noted that gay people have “gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian Read more