Cardinal Robert Sarah has raised concerns about the rise of ‘practical atheism’ within the Catholic Church. Practical atheism does not deny God or reject God outright the cardinal said, but it removes God from the centre of life. Speaking at The Catholic University of America in Washington DC, the Cardinal warned that this form of Read more
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
Known as the “Orlandi case” and, thanks to a recent television series, the case of the “Vatican Girl“, it is the saga of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee who disappeared in Rome nearly 40 years ago. Since her father worked in the Prefecture of the Papal Household, she and her family Read more
The Vatican, Friday, pushed back hard, suggestions that 40 years ago John Paul II may have been involved in the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl and went out on the town with Vatican monsignors, looking for young girls to molest. Pietro Orlandi, the brother of a missing 15 girl, Emanuela Orlandi, made the allegation. However, Read more
Abuse claims regarding Pope St John Paul II are unfounded, say Poland’s Catholic bishops. The fact that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla — the future Pope John Paul II—knew about abuse when he was an archbishop of Krakow, Poland, is neither new nor surprising, experts say. Others agree and are defending Poland’s national hero. Government figures, including Read more
Representatives of Canada’s Indigenous communities were in Rome last week for a series of meetings with Pope Francis. The purpose of their visit was to urge Francis to publicly apologize for the abuse that their ancestors – and even some of them – suffered at residential schools run by the Catholic Church. But can a Read more
A new Vatican report’s revelations that Pope John Paul II disregarded reports about ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s sexual misconduct had Catholics on Wednesday debating the legacy of one of the modern church’s towering figures. The report triggered questions about whether John Paul was rushed through the saint-making process, and whether the author of contemporary Catholic teaching Read more
Some Catholics say returning to Pope John Paul’s views on capitalism is in keeping with Catholic doctrine. Their views on capitalism contrast with those of Pope Francis, who is calling for a rethink of the free market economy. At a recent webinar, “Pope John Paul II Centennial: The Liberation of a Continent’s Political-Economic Systems of Read more
Thieves have stolen a vial containing Pope St. John Paul’s blood from an Italian cathedral. On Wednesday last week the Spoleto Cathedral’ sacristan, who is in charge of protecting the building and its contents, discovered the vial was missing. Archbishop Renato Boccardo of Spoleto-Norcia, who was a close aide to John Paul for years at Read more
The Vatican-China deal has caused two top prelates to but heads over the legitimacy of the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with China on the appointment of bishops. One expert on Chinese affairs has stepped in insisting that the deal was not only good, but a product of more than 30 years of Vatican diplomacy. Paolo Affatato, Read more