Clericalism is a direct result of rigidity and linked to a fixation on sexual morality, says Pope Francis. “One dimension of clericalism is the exclusive moral fixation on the sixth commandment [Thou shalt not commit adultery],” he says. “We focus on sex and then we do not give weight to social injustice, slander, gossip and Read more
Pope Francis is urging Silicon Valley giants to be careful when they’re developing new technologies. He’s not alone in his concern. Tech leaders like Elon Musk and Bill Gates are also taking a second look and reporting their concerns. Speaking at a Vatican conference on technology last week, Francis told his audience to make sure Read more
Speaking to a network of religious sisters that helps human trafficking victims, Pope Francis on Thursday told them to work closely with the local church, because this is necessary for their project to be successful. “I want to reiterate that the journey of consecrated life, both female and male, is the path of ecclesial insertion,” Read more
No investment is too big to spread the Word of God through media, Pope Francis says. On Monday he spoke to group of bishops and media professionals at the start of the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Communications, which was held at the Vatican from Monday until Wednesday this week. Communication is a mission Read more
Cardinal Reinhard Marx has held talks with Pope Francis and Cardinal Marc Ouellet about the German bishops’ plans for a “binding synodal path.” Their meetings followed correspondence earlier this month in which Ouellet told Marx earlier the proposed synodal process could not begin without the pope’s approval. Ouellet included a four-page legal assessment of the Read more
Pope Francis appealed Wednesday for greater support for people suffering from Alzheimer’s and their carers, saying those with the disease were often abused. Sufferers “are often victims of violence, mistreatment and abuse that crushes their dignity,” Francis said during his weekly general audience at the Vatican, in a message to mark World Alzheimer’s Day on Read more
Ecology, economy and politics have everything to do with evangelisation. They are not an alternative to it, Pope Francis says. The topics will be discussed at next month’s Synod of Bishops on the Amazon. Francis’s mainly conservative, traditional Catholic critics say these topics distract from evangelisation. “What do ecology, economy, and politics have to do Read more
Attacks against Pope Francis are “a fight between those who want the church dreamed of by the Second Vatican Council and those who do not want this,” says the Superior General of the Jesuits. Commenting on various issues where the Pope is currently under attack from his critics, Arturo Sosa SJ says there is no Read more
How does Pope Francis’ thinking about ecology compare with that of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI? Catholic teaching on ecology prior to Pope Francis In 1971 the document Justice in the World, issued by the Synod of Bishops, represented a major step in the development of Catholic teaching on the environment; Barbara Ward-Jackson Read more
The Vatican says plans for a binding Church synod in Germany are “not ecclesiologically valid.” However, Cardinal Reinhard Marx is defending the “synodal procedure” the German bishops have initiated with the Central Committee of German lay Catholics, against Rome’s attempts to question its canonical legality. He says the German bishops have the right to debate Read more