Pope Francis has accepted a Nigerian bishop’s resignation after months of attempting to convince Nigerian clergy to accept Bishop Ebere Okpaleke’s authority. Priests of Ahiara diocese, Mbaise in Nigeria’s Imo state have consistently refused to accept Okpaleke since his appointment nearly six years ago. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Okpaleke Bishop of Ahiara. Local clergy and Read more
Church-abuse-survivor, Marie Collins, says she’s shocked that Pope Francis dropped a Kiwi from his sex-abuse inquiry. Ms Collins resigned her membership of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. She says she left in frustration last March at what she saw as a lack of progress. The commission’s 3-year term ended late last year. Read more
Pope Francis has renewed the mandate of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors two months after the Commission became inactive. During his recent trip to South America, Pope Francis addressed concerns about the expiry of the Commission’s mandate, saying the time taken to nominate members to the body was normal. He has reappointed Read more
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has been welcomed at the Vatican. She and Pope Francis discussed the need to find a lasting solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis. They also discussed positive inter-faith relations in Bangladesh, which is 90% Muslim. Christians make up only 0.2% of the population. A Holy See Press Office Read more
Almost from day one of his papacy, Pope Francis has made a trope out of railing against “clericalism,” once warning that it “nullifies the personality of Christians” and, on another occasion, praying for a Church completely “free” of clericalism. So familiar is his anti-clericalism rhetoric, by now there’s little energy devoted to pondering what exactly Read more
A Chilean sex-abuse victim will be interviewed personally by the Vatican’s sex-crimes expert, Archbishop Charles Scicluna. Scicluna will travel to New York next week to interview the victim, Juan Carlos Cruz. The victim is at the centre of a scandal involving Pope Francis. Cruz says a letter he wrote in 2015 asking Pope Francis to Read more
Human trafficking is a scourge that we all must help combat, Pope Francis says. He is appealing to everyone, including citizens and institutions, to join forces against human trafficking and to help the victims. His plea is echoed by English Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, who says churches, governments, police and business leaders must do Read more
Ireland’s Catholics are being asked to dig into their pockets to help pay for this year’s papal visit. The Church is trying to persuade wealthy followers to donate millions of euro to cover the costs of the visit. The World Meeting of Families, which will take place from August 21 to 26, is estimated to Read more
Pope Francis’s convalidation of the marriage of two flight attendants while in Flight in Chile has stirred up quite a bit of controversy for Catholics. But with confusing headlines about a seemingly spontaneous aeroplane wedding, what are the real facts about the pair of air stewards who met Pope Francis during his trip? Continue reading
The Vatican has been invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to send a delegation as an official observer to the Winter Olympics. The Games are being held in South Korea. The IOC annual meetings the Vatican delegation will observe are scheduled for 5-7 February. At the meetings, voting members will discuss policy issues relating to Read more