It is hard to know what to think of the bombshell dropped by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who released a scalding letter on Sunday (Aug. 26) calling on Pope Francis to resign. Viganò, the former Vatican ambassador to the United States, claims in the letter that Pope Francis knew that recently resigned Cardinal Theodore McCarrick abused Read more
The itinerant Irish Traveller community today is strong, Missy Collins told the World Meeting of Families (WMoF) on Saturday. Speaking at the WMoF event in Dublin on Saturday, Collins said Travellers are “a people who have experienced injustice and persecution and are forced often out onto the margins of society, who found their strength in God Read more
Pope Francis says his trip to the World Meeting of Families in Ireland was a mixed bag of joy and sorrow. He came face to face with the joy exuded by families of all ages who turned out for the papal events, as well as the pain of those impacted by the abuses perpetrated by Read more
A Skoda was the car of choice used to transport Pope Francis when he visited Ireland for the World Meeting of Families last weekend. Not even a posh Skoda: a humble Rapid hatchback, with a 1.0-litre engine. Four Rapid 1.0 TSI petrol models were supplied by Skoda as part of the Papal fleet. The primary Read more
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano’s testimony proves one thing: The former Vatican ambassador to the United States is to the clergy sex abuse crisis what Oliver Stone is to the assassination of President John Kennedy. That is, a trafficker in conspiracy theories who mixes fact, fiction and venom to produce something explosive but also suspicious. When Read more
Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar says religion should not be at the centre of society. Speaking on the weekend as Pope Francis made his first visit to Ireland, Varadkar noted since the last papal visit in 1979, Ireland has become more diverse. It is less religious and has modernised its laws on divorce, contraception, Read more
Pope Francis has dismissed the accusations of a former Vatican ambassador that he covered up for ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Francis says an 11-page document of claims released by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò “speaks for itself”. Asked about the letter from in a press conference aboard the Aug. 26 flight back to Rome after his visit to Ireland, Francis Read more
Irish victims of clergy abuse met with Pope Francis over the weekend during his visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families. His meetings met with a mixed response, with disappointment expressed by some of victims while others left heartened that he would respond to their plight. Read more
History will judge whether Pope Francis’s response to clerical abuse was appropriate, says Marie Collins. Collins, who is a clerical abuse survivor and former member of Francis’ papal commission on clergy sexual abuse, says while she believes Francis has good intentions in fighting abuse she is looking for actions as well. Rather than telling us Read more
It’s family time for the Bergoglios this week, with Pope Francis visiting Dublin for the World Meeting of Families and his niece Cristina exhibiting artwork at a Dublin gallery. Artist, author and architect Cristina Bergoglio is exhibiting her paintings, many of which were inspired by one of Francis’s favorite themes: bridges. Much of Francis’s pontificate Read more