The Irish state was directly involved in the incarceration of young women in the notorious Magdalene laundries, an official report has found. The Irish government has previously denied direct involvement in the system, which was run by four religious congregations: the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Sisters of Mercy Read more
God still calls people to a life of complete dedication in the priesthood and the consecrated life, Pope Benedict XVI writes in his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 21, 2013. “Today too, Jesus continues to say, ‘Come, follow me’.” “The love of God sometimes follows paths one could never Read more
Australia’s Catholic bishops have decided to set up a special council — including bishops, religious and lay people — to work with the forthcoming royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse. At the end of their twice-yearly conference in Sydney, the bishops said they had formed a supervisory group of representatives from the Read more
In the small world of the Vatican, personnel is always policy. Two recent personnel moves, therefore, have fueled speculation about whether policy shifts are also under way in the fight against sex abuse and the Vatican’s relationship with American nuns. Msgr. Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s top prosecutor on abuse cases, was named an auxiliary bishop Read more
As the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States heads towards its annual assembly in August, its president says she is looking for a “third way” in dialogue with the Vatican. Last April the Vatican announced a major reform of the 1500-strong association, under which it will be supervised by three bishops. The Read more
In one sense it is correct to say that the crackdown on the LCWR would seem to be “Rome vs. America”, in that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has declared that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious needs renewing. But, says John L Allen Jr in his National Catholic Reporter column, “At Read more
“If there’s a reason to support religion in the military, it’s the ethics and values that come out of it, not the supernatural claims,” he said. “We also have constructive ethics and values, but we rally around humanism rather than the supernatural,” said Army Capt Ryan Jean.
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