Pope Francis has written a letter to priests all over the world to offer his support because of the global sex abuse scandal. His 5,000-word letter (sent on the feast day of St John Vianney, patron of parish priests) acknowledges priests’ pain when they “feel themselves attacked and blamed for crimes they did not commit”. Read more
Many adjectives describe Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who died last week: father, brother, cardinal of Cuban youth, voice of Cuba’s poor, Cuban bridge to the US, accomplished pianist. He “was an important, and at the same time, controversial man of the church, who played a critical role in gaining ‘more spaces’ so that the Catholic Church Read more
As the leader of the Catholic Church in the entire world, one would assume that Pope Francis receives a generous salary in compensation for his many duties. However, the truth is quite the opposite. Read more
In a hand-delivered letter, Pope Francis told Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad he is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in northern Syria’s Idlib region which has been the target of Russian-backed airstrikes since April. He also asked for the safe return of the millions of people displaced by years of fighting, information for the families Read more
Three US bishops are “devout schismatics” who try to diminish the authority of Pope Francis, says a Church historian. “They are devout in the sense that they publicly display their preference for a traditionalist Church and its devotions, such as the rosary. “They are schismatics because they openly promote the undermining of the bishop of Read more
Pope Francis has appointed Mark Brennan (72) of Baltimore to head the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. Brennan has been a Baltimore auxiliary since his episcopal ordination in 2017. He replaces Bishop Michael Bransfield who left under a cloud of allegations of sexual and financial misconduct. Brennan said he is deeply honoured by the appointment Read more
In appointing seven women to the Vatican congregation that oversees religious orders July 9, Pope Francis achieved a double win. In one stroke, he has advanced both the role of women in the church and the reform of the Vatican Curia. This is significant because his efforts so far in these areas have been mediocre. Read more
The appointment of Matteo Bruni, a British-born layman, marks a new era for the Vatican press office. Pope Francis on Thursday tapped a long-time logistics coordinator to serve as the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, ending the interim appointment of Alessandro Gisotti, effective Monday, July 22. Gisotti will now be vice-Editorial Read more
Helping a person in need requires compassion toward their situation, Pope Francis said Sunday, encouraging Catholics to think first about their own hardness of heart, not the sins of others. “If you go down the street and see a homeless man lying there and you pass by without looking at him, or you think: ‘Eh, Read more
Seven women are among the new members Pope Francis appointed to the Roman Curia’s all-male Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. This is the first time women have been appointed to these Vatican departments. The women will also, for the first time, be able to have a say over Read more