“It started coming down on us.” Fifteen years ago, Capt. Thomas Colucci led the men of his 31st Street firehouse into what would be the finest hour for New York City’s fire, police and emergency responders: Ground Zero on Sept. 11. After the South Tower collapsed, the Catholic fire captain and his firefighters began digging Read more
When a priest accused of sexual abuse dies, care should be taken as to how his funeral is conducted, new Irish child protection guidelines say. The National Board for Safeguarding Children published updated guidelines on Wednesday. They give recommendations if an accused priest dies before an investigation has concluded. In such a case, “careful thought Read more
An African archbishop has said there are worse sins than priests who have promised to be celibate having sex. Archbishop Peter Akwasi Sarpong, who is Archbishop emeritus of Kumasi archdiocese in Ghana, was responding to people accusing priests of having sex. “Of course it is against their vows and it is inimical to the growth Read more
Priests and other church-connected people will be forbidden from being alone with children and other vulnerable people in Montreal archdiocese. This is part of a pilot project, which aims to create a “safety net”. The policy will be introduced in a handful of churches in Montreal, starting in September. An archdiocese spokesman said the policy Read more
The Australian Sex party has taken aim at the Catholic Church in an election ad it says may offend some viewers. The ad, released on Youtube on Friday, shows a flamboyant dancing priest leading a congregation in a sing along. The ad accuses the Catholic Church with its “sleazy priests” of “making the world less Read more
Pope Francis has described priests who refuse to baptise the children of young single mothers as “animals”. Francis was speaking at a Q&A session near the end of a pastoral conference of Rome diocese on the family. Crux reported that Francis spoke of a “pastoral cruelty” at the Q&A. An example is priests who refuse Read more
Pope Francis has exhorted priests not to see people who approach them for spiritual help merely as “cases” to be handled. In a series of reflections for priests who had come to Rome as part of the Year of Mercy celebrations, the Pope said: “Mercy gets its hands dirty.” Francis said he had heard many Read more
Serious concerns have been expressed about well-being of priests in Ireland, in the light of what is being called “huge mental and physical pressure”. The concerns were aired at a meeting between several Irish bishops and representatives of the Association of Catholic Priests, the Irish Times reported. The ACP said it was “becoming more and Read more
A proposal to develop and support lay-led liturgies has received strong support at the first synod to be held in Ireland in half a century. A three-day diocesan synod in Limerick was attended by 400 delegates. More than 90 per cent of delegates backed the lay-led liturgies proposal. At the synod, Fr Eugene Duffy, a lecturer Read more
The Catholic church is an easy target. A socially conservative agenda stands in broad opposition to mainstream thought in liberal Western democracies. The church’s stance on homosexuality, contraception, abortion, transgender issues, the ordination of women and euthanasia is no longer that of the majority. Its history is full of examples of failing to live up Read more