Posts Tagged ‘Pope Benedict XVI’

Without liturgical reform there is no reform of the Church

Monday, February 12th, 2024
LIturgical reform

Liturgical reform is crucial in the ongoing renewal of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis said this to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on Thursday. After what has been labelled as a significant address, discussion took place against the backdrop of the dicastery’s annual plenary assembly. The assembly focused Read more

Six decades of Sacrosanctum Concilium in New Zealand

Monday, December 4th, 2023
Sacrosanctum Concilium,

The promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, stands as a pivotal moment that ushered in a new era for the Catholic Church. Sixty years hence, we can reflect on the impact of this document on New Zealand’s theological landscape and liturgical practices. Sacrosanctum Concilium is the cornerstone of Vatican II because Read more

A house divided…

Monday, November 20th, 2023
Catholic Church

It’s no secret that the Roman Catholic Church is deeply divided right now, perhaps as much as it’s ever been in the six decades since the end of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The fractures are most obvious on social media where even priests, bishops and cardinals preach from cyber pulpits all along the theological Read more

Pope Benedict’s heirs don’t want his money

Monday, June 12th, 2023

The surviving relatives of the late Pope Benedict XVI stand to inherit small amount of money from his legacy, according to the executor of his last will and testament. When the retired pope died at age 95 on December 31, 2022, his longtime assistant, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, got to work as executor of the will Read more

Pope Benedict ‘closed’ Limbo and no one complained

Monday, April 17th, 2023
Limbo

Many conservative Catholics are upset with Pope Francis, who they complain is changing church doctrine, but they hardly blinked when Pope Benedict got rid of Limbo, a Catholic doctrine that had been taught for centuries. Careful readers will note that rather than closing Limbo, as reported by the media, what the International Theological Commission did Read more

Pope Emeritis Benedict is very sick

Wednesday, December 28th, 2022

Emeritus Pope Benedict (95), is very sick and Pope Francis is asking for prayers. “I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church. “Let us remember him. He is very sick, asking the Lord to console and sustain him in this Read more

Experts draft proposed laws on status of a retired pope

Monday, August 15th, 2022
laws on status of a retired pope

Experts are drafting proposed new laws on the status of a retired pope. In the 728 years that have passed since St Celestine established this legal precedent, the right of a pope to resign remains ensured in church law. The law is not very detailed, saying only that the decision must be made freely and Read more

On retirement Francis won’t live in Vatican nor be called emeritus Pope

Thursday, July 14th, 2022

Pope Francis said he would not live in the Vatican nor return to his native Argentina if and when he ever retires, but would instead like to find a church in Rome where he could continue hearing confessions. “I’m the bishop of Rome, in this case, the emeritus bishop of Rome,” Francis said in an Read more

Pope Francis retirement rumours swirl

Thursday, June 9th, 2022
Pope retirement rumours

Rumours Pope Francis may be considering retirement have been given added fuel over his plans to attend a feast initiated by a 13th-century pope who himself resigned. Francis announced he would visit the central Italian city of L’Aquila in August. He will attend a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V, one of the few pontiffs Read more

Pell did not approve of Benedict’s resignation

Thursday, September 30th, 2021
Vatican News

Speaking openly on his views about the three most recent popes and other matters, Australian Cardinal George Pell says he “never really approved” of Pope Benedict’s resignation from the papacy. And, of the three most recent popes, Pell said he was closest to Benedict. His remarks came during “The Church Up Close” a webinar hosted Read more