One of the biggest Jubilee projects underway in the city is the pedestrianisation of Piazza Pia, which will link Castel S Angelo to Via della Conciliazione and St Peter's Square.

The project, scheduled for completion at the start of December, will see traffic channelled underground to meet the existing Lungotevere in Sassia underpass, built for the Jubilee in 2000.

Works in Piazza Pia were recently interrupted temporarily by the discovery of the remains of a fullonica, the equivalent of an ancient Roman laundry, and a garden linked to Emperor Caligula.

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"Attention, from here on high levels of faggotry" read one sign on a motorcycle. A man dressed as Pope Francis held a sign stating "There is too much faggotry in this parade".

"Today Rome is a river of faggotry, not only in its seminaries" read another of the many Francis-faggot-themed posters.

The signs were mocking the Pope's recent use of the term "faggotness" during meetings, which led to his apology last month.

"I can't believe he said that word" said one participant. "I think he knows what it means" he added. "It's not the case he did not know."

The Pope had also reaffirmed the Vatican's ban on gay men entering seminaries and being ordained as priests.

Elly Schlein, leader of Italy's main opposition party, joined the parade and danced on a float. Schlein is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, contrasting sharply with the stance of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

Meloni's Brothers of Italy party opposes marriage equality, adoption by gay parents and surrogate pregnancies. Her government has also restricted recognition of parental rights to biological parents in same-sex families.

The Rome LGBTQ+ Pride parade featured various satirical signs, including one targeting Gen. Roberto Vannacci, a new parliament member for the right-wing League party. Vannacci was dismissed from his military position after writing a book deemed offensive to women, gays and Blacks.

"If according to Vannacci the LGBTQIA+ is a minority … he has never met the seminarians of Pope Francis" one sign read.

Just days before Rome's Pride parade, US Jesuit Fr James Martin, who founded the Catholic LGBTQ "Outreach" ministry, met Pope Francis. Martin posted on social media that "the Holy Father said he has known many good, holy and celibate seminarians and priests with homosexual tendencies".

"Once again, he confirmed my ministry with LGBTQ people and showed his openness and love for the LGBTQ community" Martin wrote on June 12.

Sources

AP News

National Catholic Reporter

The once-every-quarter-century event is likely to bring about 32 million pilgrims to Rome

Last Thursday at St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis presided over a ceremony where the papal bull, or official edict, for the Jubilee was read.

It lays out his vision for a year of hope and asks for gestures of solidarity for the poor, prisoners, migrants and Mother Nature.

Behind scenes chaos

Despite the pomp-filled event's majesty and prayerful hope for the upcoming year, there is still much to be done in the seven months until 24 December.

That's when Francis will open the basilica's Holy Door and formally inaugurate the Jubilee.

Just now though, completing preparations and public works projects in time are knife-edge priorities.

As occurred in the months before Jubilee 2000, pre-Jubilee public works projects are overwhelming Rome.

Reports speak of flood-lit construction sites operating around the clock, entire swathes of central boulevards rerouted and traffic jamming Rome's already clogged streets.

Vortexes of work aside, those in charge have faith it will all come together in time. And anyway - Rome's a fabulous place.

"In a beautiful city, you live better" said the Vatican's Jubilee point-person, Archbishop Renato Fisichella. Jubilee funding is helping make it more so for visitors.

"Rome will become an even more beautiful city, because it will be ever more at the service of its people, pilgrims and tourists who will come."

Jubilee years

A Jubilee Year - also known as a Holy Year - has been a tradition since about 1300, originating during Pope Boniface's papacy.

They happen usually once every quarter century, though they can be called more often.

Sometimes a pope calls an extraordinary one - to call attention to a particular issue or celebrate a momentous event for instance.

Francis called the last extraordinary Holy Year in 2016.

He wanted to emphasise his desire to present the Church as merciful and welcoming rather than moralising and remote.

Next year's Jubilee will be the first ordinary one since 2000 under Pope John Paul II's papacy.

The Vatican website says it should also be a time of reconciliation with adversaries and an occasion to promote solidarity, hope and justice in the world.

The Holy Doors, symbolising the doorway of salvation for Catholics, are opened only during Jubilee years.

There are four in Rome - in St Peter's Basilica, St John Lateran, St Mary Major and St Paul Outside the Walls.

Their openings will be staggered, with St Peter's door opening on December 24 this year and closing on January 6, 2026.

We need hope

The Jubilee is necessary, says Francis.

"Hope is needed by God's creation, gravely damaged and disfigured by human selfishness" Francis said in a vigil service after launching the Holy Year.

"Hope is needed by those peoples and nations who look to the future with anxiety and fear."

Source

• AP News
• Reuters

The Congress takes place from May 22 to 26 in Rome near Vatican City.

A global event, the Youth Ministry Congress will focus on innovative leadership styles and strategies in youth ministry under the theme "Synodal Youth Ministry: New Leadership Styles and Strategies".

Youth Ministry Congress details

The Youth Ministry Congress is bringing together delegates worldwide to discuss Youth Ministry's current state and future.

Wilson, chair of the Council for Young People of the Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand, expressed his enthusiasm about the broad range of topics.

"I find the range of topics very interesting, particularly the session on the reality of today's youth in a post-pandemic world" he told CathNews.

"The Congress will delve into youth leadership that is both missional and synodal" Wilson noted. He highlighted the practical discussions anticipated in supporting young leaders through synodal ministry methodologies.

Beacon of global youth engagement

Wilson described the Youth Ministry Congress as a "beacon of global youth engagement".

He emphasised its importance in exploring the "Christus Vivit", Francis' seminal document aimed at energising young people

Wilson commented with some alarm that Christus Vivit is now five years old.

Wilson is a married father of three and a Master of Ecclesiology student.

Crazy world - crazy challenges

Jessica Jackman, a primary school teacher and the newly appointed director of Hearts Aflame, is another New Zealand delegate representing New Zealand.

Hearts Aflame is a Catholic summer school for young adults, known for its active involvement in nurturing the Catholic faith among youth.

"It never ceases to amaze me how we can come from such different languages, cultures, continents and experiences and yet unite in the joy of encountering Jesus and worshipping in Holy Mass.

"I am really looking forward to encountering other young Catholics who are passionate about sharing Christ with our new generations and hearing from them about different ways they are creative in sharing the Gospel" said Jackman.

Jackman told CathNews that being young and Catholic is a joy and a gift in Aotearoa today.

"When I look around at the craziness of today's world, it is such a privilege to have been given the gift of Faith, which gives me hope for a future in Christ and the certainty of being loved by God.

"We recognise this gift has been handed on by the mahi of generations of faithful Catholics in our land."

Peer mockery and the courage of witness

Jackman says living a faithful Christian life in New Zealand is not easy.

"We are constantly challenged in our beliefs and actions by our peers and the media, but I do believe our generation is really privileged to grow up guided by the teaching of a succession of saintly popes and a church which recognises the importance of supporting young adults through events like World Youth Day.

"We have had to fight, and be fought for by the Church, to keep our faith, and this means that your average practising young Catholic in Aotearoa really knows what they believe and genuinely wants to love God and fight for holiness, even in the face of mockery from our peers."

Jackman told CathNews that reaching and witnessing to young people takes courage and needs resources.

She highlighted a particular challenge in Catholic schools, of reaching out and witnessing to those who have been baptised but haven't yet discovered the joy of being loved by Christ and chosen to follow Him.

Audience with Pope Francis

Another of the highlights for the delegates at the Youth Ministry Congress will be an audience with Pope Francis on May 25.

Sources

• Supplied: NZCBC
• Supplied: Wilson and Jackman

Father Antonio Coluccia is known for his efforts to rescue young people from the drug trade.

Coluccia immediately vowed the assault won't interrupt his work.

"I will continue my fight which I am carrying out against the crime that controls the drug dealing squares ..." he said, referring to neighbourhoods long associated with mafia activity.

Coluccia's assailant, Sergio Del Prete, is a drug user with previous arrests for possession and damage to property, media reports say.

Reportedly, the 28-year-old from Belarus with a criminal record is currently under armed guard in hospital.

Police are now investigating to see if the man acted alone or was commissioned by those controlling the area's drug trade.

Two police officers were reportedly injured in the incident.

Helping addicts

The anti-mafia priest's way of engaging with addicts is to approach young people who serve as look-outs and street-level sellers to invite them to consider other ways of life.

He also leads regular "marches for legality" through the streets of the east Rome suburb, which is synonymous with the drug trade.

In 2012, Coluccia opened a house of welcome for young people seeking to abandon the drug trade or to recover from drug addiction.

He also runs a boxing club and gym to provide youth with alternative activities.

"I go into the peripheries, between cocaine and crack, to pray and to talk," Coluccia says.

"My church is the street."

Civic support

High-ranking Italian officials, including Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, have voiced their unwavering support for a priest believed to be the target of mafia reprisal due to his relentless crusade against drug trafficking in Rome.

Minister Piantedosi took proactive steps, directly calling Rome's chief of police to enquire about the well-being of the injured officer involved in the incident.

Salvini, the leader of Italy's right-wing Lega party, did not mince words in expressing his respect for the priest, saying his solidarity with "a man of the Church who fights all kinds of drugs to save young people."

Saluting the injured officer's courage, he expressed disdain for the attacker, condemning the "vile injured criminal."

Rome's Mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, communicated directly with the priest, echoing a city's collective support. He emphasised Rome's stance against the mafia and violence, declaring that "violence and mafia must be opposed by all means."

Sources

• Crux Now
• Wanted in Rome

A number of interesting decisions the Vatican has taken recently shows how delicate this moment is for Pope Francis' pontificate.

The first came on June 2 when Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon announced that the Holy See had suspended this year's ordinations in his French diocese.

The Vatican had Cardinal-designate Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille carry out a "visitation" (inquiry) of the diocese in 2021 and after he submitted his report, it called for the "ordinations to be suspended".

This extremely rare decision was taken at the end of May during a meeting between the prefects of four Vatican dicasteries: Cardinals Marc Ouellet (Bishops), Kevin Farrell (Laity, Family and Life) and João Braz de Aviz (Religious), as well as Cardinal-designate Lazarus You Heung-sik (Clergy).

There was concern over Bishop Rey's longstanding practice of ordaining seminarians trained outside the diocese and coming from traditionalist groups and communities.

Reining in the movements

The second decision came on June 10 when Cardinal Farrell sent to a letter to Communion and Liberation (CL) warning them against distorting the charism of the movement.

It was the latest chapter in tensions that have been mounting between this post-Vatican II group and the Argentine pope who, paradoxically, is culturally closer to CL than to any other of the new ecclesial groups and communities.

The next big Vatican decision came on June 15 when Cardinal Braz's office published a rescript that Francis had approved during a February 7 meeting with the cardinal and his deputy, Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo OFM.

It changed Church law so that from now diocesan bishops must obtain a "written license" from the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life before establishing pious associations of faithful.

It is another step to rein in new religious groups in the Catholic Church after their unregulated proliferation in recent decades led to abuses in governance that allowed spiritual and sexual misconduct to go unchecked.

And the most recent significant Vatican move came on June 15 when Cardinal Farrell's dicastery published a 103-page document (for now only in Italian and Spanish) called "Catechumenal Itineraries for Married Life".

The difficult transition to a synodal Church

What do all these steps have in common? They show how difficult the transition is from a monarchical and centralized model of the Church to a synodal one.

The suspension of the ordinations in Fréjus-Toulon shows that Rome will no longer turn a blind eye to dioceses who are offering a safe haven to individuals and groups with traditionalist tendencies (parallel universes that have often damaged the communion of the local Church).

At the same time, it also shows a paradox: the Vatican's willingness to intervene to protect a healthy and safe dynamic in the local Churches and in lay movements. Rome has been given more powers as a result of the sex abuse crisis, and it is not afraid of using them.

But these cases also demonstrate how difficult it is to apply synodality to the day-to-day relations between the Roman and clerical centres of the Church and the non-clerical, non-Roman parts of it.

The "Catechumenal Itineraries for Married Life" is a case in point. This document is the fruit of the reception of Francis' 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which followed the Synod of Bishops' assemblies in 2014 and 2015.

But it's not clear how or if it reflects the views of those who participated in the Synod assembly of 2018, which focused on "Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment".

Either the young people who attended that gathering were not listened to, or they were listened to very selectively. There's also the possibility that the youths who were invited were not representative of their peers who are Catholics, former Catholics, and non-Catholics.

When and how does Church authority intervene?

Synodality is about listening and walking together, and the question posed by these latest decisions that Rome has made is this: when and how is the episcopal or papal authority supposed to intervene and make the final discernment?

The Vatican's current handling of the spiritual and ecclesial movements repeats the playbook followed for centuries, and it is not clear how synodality can change the relationship between centre and periphery.

We are in uncharted territory with synodality, and we're still exploring how we can create a proper synodal dynamic in the Catholic Church.

In his conversation with the editors of the European Jesuit periodicals, published on June 14 by the Vatican-vetted La Civiltà Cattolica, Francis made an eyebrow-raising joke about the German "Synodal Path".

Keeping it Catholic

"To the president of the German Episcopal Conference, Bishop Bätzing, I said: 'In Germany, there is a very good Evangelical Church. We don't need two,'" the pope told the editors.

"The problem arises when the synodal path comes from the intellectual, theological elites, and is much influenced by external pressures," he warned.

But then he added: "There are some dioceses where the synodal way is being developed with the faithful, with the people, slowly."

The German "Synodal Path" has become - also in the eyes of Pope Francis - the symbol of an uncontrolled way to go about synodality that risks becoming non-Catholic.

The fact is that what the members of the "Synodal Path" have discussed and voted in favour of in Germany is not entirely different from what is being discussed and approved in other countries where synodality is finally taking off.

Just look at what both lay people and the bishops are discussing in Australia, France, Spain and India. It's not the same as the German synod, but not entirely different, either.

The issues are the same — the role of the laity, the ministry of women, the formation of the clergy, etc... No doubt, the proposals may differ. But they do not diverge dramatically.

However, some of these proposals might not please the pope.

What will Rome do with the synodal responses?

The increasingly globalized composition of the College of Cardinals, the consistory of the end of August, and the reform of the Roman Curia are important developments for the path of the Church in the near future.

But the real question is what Rome will make of these synodal movements that have been inspired by Francis himself.

Which proposals will it accept and allow to be applied at the universal level (the whole Catholic Church)? Which ones will be allowed in this or that country? Which ones will be ignored or prohibited?

The Vatican will have to engage with these proposals at some point — either at the next assembly of the Synod in October 2023 or later.

As the old adage goes, Roma locuta, causa finita - "Rome has spoken, the discussion is over".

But synodality could change this in ways that we cannot clearly see at this point. The early centuries were in some sense the golden (and often romanticized) age of synodality. Synods and councils spoke with more authority than Rome.

The current "synodal process" has given the local Churches an opportunity to find their voices again. Some places have already begun to find theirs; others will do so sooner or later.

The future of the Catholic Church in entire countries will be decided by Rome's response to the synodal events.

This will be even more consequential than the outcome of the next conclave, whenever that will be.

But it could make a big difference whether Rome's response rests with Francis or his successor.

• Massimo Faggioli is a Church historian, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University (Philadelphia) and a much-published author and commentator. He is a visiting professor in Europe and Australia.
• First published in La-Croix International. Republished with permission.

A 350 metre long cavern has been discovered deep under the Monteverde neighbourhood in Rome.

It is one of the hundreds that have been blamed for a growing number of sinkholes that have swallowed cars and threatened to topple buildings.

Five years ago builders digging a garage realised that there was empty space beneath their feet. Read more

Cavern discovered under Rome's Monteverde neighbourhood]]> 140912 https://cathnews.co.nz/2020/09/10/international-organ-festival-pantheon/ Thu, 10 Sep 2020 07:50:51 +0000 https://cathnews.co.nz/?p=130505 The first international organ festival will be held under the nearly 2,000-year-old dome of Rome's Pantheon and above the relics of early Christian martyrs. The melodies of Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers will be played on the organ this month in an effort to use beauty to reconnect people with the mystery of God. Read more

Although public worship is permitted, additional safety protocols have been instigated to ensure any remaining coronavirus infection does not continue to spread.

"To receive Communion again as a family was the culmination of our every prayer and desire during the quarantine," one parishioner says.

"For the past two weeks, our children, especially our not-typically-pious three-year-old twins have been increasingly discontented with virtual Mass and were begging to ‘go to Mass and pray with Jesus.' So this date of May 18 was a long-awaited one by our family. It was a simple Mass but glorious," she said.

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord this coming Sunday will be the first Sunday Mass with public attendance allowed in more than 75 days for parishes in Italy.

One priest, Fr. Gregory Apparcel of St Patrick's Church in Rome, says he has been working on a plan to make it safe for the public.

"We are happy to be able to have public Masses once again, though we are cautious and worried that we will all carefully follow the protocols.

"The most important aspect is to offer the Eucharist to the faithful once again, as they have been fasting for over 10 weeks now," he says.

At St. Peter's Basilica, which has been closed since 10 March, volunteers from the Order of Malta are checking people's temperature before allowing them to join the security line to get into the basilica. Markings on the ground indicate how far apart people in the line must stand from one another.

In addition, everyone going into the basilica must wear face masks. They must also wash their hands using a hand-sanitizer dispenser provided at the door.

Inside the basilica, (which was sanitized in preparation for the reopening) Eucharistic adoration, confession and Masses are once again available to the public. However, communion is distributed only in the hand.

Vatican workers are resanitising the altars and pews where Masses were celebrated with the public.

Except for the expanded space needed for the line for security checks, St. Peter's Square remained closed.

Source

• Catholic News Service
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Global Times

Where the state was for the most part invisible, the Catholic Church has been the real, tangible reality in the country and nowhere more than Rome, where you can pass a dozen priests before seeing a single policeman.

But since the Italian government imposed drastic measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus on Monday (March 9), the situation has flipped.

Overnight, the state has made itself visible in full force while the Catholic Church is nowhere to be found.

All of a sudden, I found myself printing government papers detailing my personal information and explaining my reason for leaving the house.

Many friends and family discouraged me from going out, some even suggesting I was betraying my civic duty by exposing myself to the virus that has already claimed more than 800 victims from the over 10,000 infected in Italy.

In my reporting around the deserted city of Rome — the emptiness made even more striking by the sunny days of spring that would usually have drawn crowds to the piazzas and parks — I was stopped by the police three times.

They asked for my documents and, after I explained that I am a journalist, allowed me to go on my way.

Others were not so lucky.

"Don't stay out too long!" a policeman yelled to a young woman carrying a small pharmacy bag, who nodded before scurrying along.

The homeless are especially struggling.

Police attempt to move them from their usual haunts.

The ones I saw this morning seemed to respond with a "rage against the machine" mentality, yelling at anyone who came close or, in two cases, even purposefully coughing in the direction of unwanted strangers.

Only pharmacies and grocery stores remain open, with long lines to enter, while everyone else has been forced to close up shop. (People in queues must stand 3 feet apart to maintain social distancing.)

Public transportation is still functioning, but the barrier surrounding the driver is now sealed.

Policemen and carabinieri are present at all intersections, and even a few military trucks patrol the Eternal City.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte brought the hammer down on Monday, making all of Italy a "red zone" and applying the world's harshest containment measures so far outside of China.

The motto is #Iorestoacasa, meaning "I stay home," which has been repeated by celebrities on social media and placidly accepted by Italian citizens.

After all, a widely circulated meme says, our grandparents were asked to risk their lives in a global war. We have merely been asked to stay home.

Even the statue of Pasquino, located not too far from the Pantheon and usually covered with notes in Roman dialect criticizing governments and clergy, seems to be at a loss for words.

The marble sentinel that's for centuries voiced the Roman malcontent has fallen silent.

Yet no silence is more striking than that of the Italian Roman Catholic clergy. Masses have been banned in the entire country, baptismal fonts are drained and even confessionals were empty in the numerous churches I visited.

A few people braved the virus to pray in the pews, dutifully kneeling 3 feet apart, of course. Only members of the clergy have access to St. Peter's Basilica and square.

As of Wednesday night, all churches will be closed in Italy.

As I crossed the Tiber away from the Vatican, I saw an elderly man clutching a rosary and, judging by the muttering of his lips, he seemed to be praying.

I called to him, but he seemed to quicken his step. I spotted a red sliver under his hat.

"Your Eminence!" I said, using the formal address reserved for cardinals.

He turned.

"I'm a journalist and I wanted to ask you about faith in these tryi…" I started, but the cardinal had already rushed away.

Two nuns wearing masks and another near a bus stop also dismissed me with a firm "No."

The numerous clergy members who are a fixture of the Roman streets have become scarce, and those who are still around are not in a chatty mood.

Serena Coronari, a young woman who only recently found her faith again, managed to attend one of the last Masses before the ban went into effect.

She's resigned now to watching Mass on television but told me on the phone Wednesday that she views this as a moment for "recollection."

"I have adopted the habit of praying when I am on my scooter or when I listen to music," she said, adding that part of being Catholic means not harming your neighbor and therefore following the law.

"Even though it's a Catholic congregation," she added, "it doesn't mean that we don't have to listen to the science."

She said confessions remain open in her church in the north area of Rome and there is a carefully distanced line to meet with the Salesian priests who administer there.

"Render unto Caesar" seems to be the approach taken by the Catholic Church in Italy, quoting Italian regulations in its documents and dispositions.

Even Pope Francis has called faithful "to a strong sense of responsibility and collaboration with the competent authorities," in a letter announcing the Via Crucis meditations on Monday.

Of course, the Catholic Church continues to be active in the field of charity and assistance to the sick.

The Catholic nonprofit charity Caritas and the movement of St. Egidio have been active since the beginning in bringing meals and spiritual support to those in need.

The current norms are supposed to be lifted on April 3, only a couple days before Palm Sunday, which ushers in the Easter celebrations. A friar I met on the Roman streets didn't seem preoccupied and rejected the notion that Easter could be postponed.

"Never," he said, "the worst is never certain!"

• Claire Giangravé - Vatican Correspondent RNS. First published in RNS. Republished with permission.

That's per day.

Toss in a coin, so the story goes, and you'll return to bella Roma

The tradition of tossing a coin into the fountain goes back to time immemorial, later embedded in the 1950s film Three Coins in the Fountain. Read more

A police regulation has been introduced this northern summer instructing visitors against "sitting down by consuming food or drinks on a historical heritage property, Read more

He was surprised when his GPS told him he had arrived, despite no signs of any of the famous buildings or architecture.

He was in Rom a the small town in North-Rhine Westphalia. He had mistakenly left the "e" off Rome when he set the destination on his GPS. Read more

How to do you see the crisis that the Catholic Church is experiencing today?

Since Vatican II, we have asked ourselves how the Church should situate itself within a modern, pluralist society where people are free to believe or not that Jesus was raised from the dead and that they can actually meet him.

What we need to imagine is not 'a new Church' but a Church that situates itself 'in another way.'

Catholics themselves have said they want change.

However, this is a slow and painful process. Raising awareness does not occur at the same pace everywhere and some prefer to seek security in the past.

This is reinforced today by a loss of credibility resulting from the revelations of sexual abuse, as well as from a lack of financial transparency and a culture of secrecy.

This crisis has forced us to re-launch our substantive work. The Church can no longer be satisfied merely to preach.

Pope Francis has clearly understood this, as illustrated by his way of addressing himself to Catholics and seeking a new way of inviting people to faith.

The German Church often appears to be at the forefront of calls for reform. Is it also ahead of the curve in its understanding of the changes now under way?

Some find us ahead, but others regard us as heretics! However, we have many professors of theology, including many women, who teach in around twenty theological faculties and institutes. They are able to write, discuss and publish, and thus feed debate.

In addition, lay people are very well organized in parishes, dioceses and movements of the faithful, as well as in the Central Committee of German Catholics.

In the current crisis, this latter group has worked closely with the bishops but has also played a critical role.

Finally, Germany is the only European nation where there is no single dominant church, but rather two of them. Protestants are as numerous as Catholics.

Protestant theologians also freely express themselves in newspapers and on TV, which helps stimulate debate.

Do you have any concrete proposals in Germany to 'rebuild the Church'?

We don't have a 'German response' to the crisis! The path ahead needs to be sought with the universal Church and not just in Rome.

We cannot conceive of the universal Church without the local Churches. It is not a pyramid.

People can learn from the Church in Germany. But let us not forget that, like other countries, we have had our failures.

Everywhere our Churches are losing members, except perhaps, it seems to me, in South Korea. Why? Because Christianity there looks like a religion of the future.

We need to convince ourselves once again that the Church is a force for progress, a response for today and for tomorrow. And to achieve that it is necessary to return to the Gospel and to charity with the poor.

For us Christians, every man and women, whatever his or her color, religion or sexual orientation, is made in the image of God.

We belong to the same family and this affirmation in its radicalness distinguishes us from other religions. That is the message that is most necessary today!

Does this mean that structural reforms are secondary?

Witness is a priority. But, obviously, I am also in favor of better organization and a better distribution of responsibilities.

It took me several years to become aware of it, but it seems clear to me that we can no longer call synods of bishops without also inviting lay people, both men and women. This is urgent.

Another problem arises from the confusion of priesthood and power. It is our duty to better distinguish this and to envisage greater access to power. We also need to find ways of involving women in the governance of the Church.

Ultimately, a new reflection and vision of power will be necessary.

During our Plenary Assembly two weeks ago, we as bishops also worked on the life of priests. How can we form priests capable of living out celibacy in a fulfilling manner?

And can we help them to do so? Have we ordained men who lack sufficient emotional maturity?

In my view, celibacy is possible. But it is also necessary to integrate community aspects. Reflection is also needed on the issue of viri probati [i.e. the ordination of mature married men of proven virtue].

We need to tackle all these issues, as well as certain points of our sexual morality — for example, homosexuality. And that includes among the clergy.

How do you respond to those who fear that these changes are going too far and that they challenge the Catholic faith?

I receive letters from people who suspect me of watering down doctrine. We need to be firmer and clearer, they say.

Obviously, that is not the case. Faith is not a burden, but a pathway. Nor is the objective to 'adapt to the spirit of the times,' as some people fear.

What the Second Vatican Council asked us to do is 'read the signs of the times' in the light of the Gospel, which is much more challenging.

If we read the Gospel together at Mass every Sunday, and if together we serve the poor, then we will manage to find the right path.

Sowing division and mistrust among ourselves is the work of the devil.

Seek together what the Lord expects of us. And accept that several paths of faith exist.

• Image: Fatima Perspectives

This is what Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, said to reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome two days before the Vatican summit on the protection of minors in the church is scheduled to begin.

But if nothing substantial comes of the meeting, Ms. Barrett Doyle said it is her hope "the energy of change" can be assumed by secular forces "so that changes will come from the outside, through attorneys general, grand jury investigations and so on."

"The Catholics of the world are grieving, disillusioned," she said, because of "the sexual abuse of thousands of minors by clergy in past decades and bishops who covered up."

"We all know," she added, "that canon law has to be changed so that it stops protecting the priesthood of ordained men over the lives of children.

"I believe the church is no way close to enacting the reforms to end this epidemic," she said, "which consists of two aspects: the sexual assault on minors by priests and the cover-up by bishops."

BishopAccountability.org is one of the many advocacy groups for survivors of abuse by clergy that have descended on Rome this week from all over the world to highlight the problem ahead of the summit.

Ms. Barrett Doyle explained that in advance of the summit her organization had reviewed the church's response to abuse in eight countries with the highest numbers of Catholics—Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, Italy, France, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which together represent 50 percent of the world's Catholics.

She said the review showed that Brazil, with 172 million Catholics, has not posted a policy for handling abuse allegations on its website.

"The crisis is invisible there," she alleged, though her group had identified some 90 priest abusers in Brazil in 2012 and believes there are "thousands" of cases.

The church in Mexico, with the second largest Catholic population, claims to have dealt with only one abusive priest, while just four have been convicted of this crime.

But, she said, the president of the Mexican bishops' conference described clergy sex abuse as "a bottomless well" and is seeking "unusual new faculties" from the Vatican to deal with the problem.

In the Philippines, the third most Catholic country in the world, the church has had "a lax policy" since 2003 (though it has been removed from the website) and "no priest has been convicted of child sex crimes."

Ms. Barrett Doyle said the church the Philippines "lets offenders return to the ministry" and "bishops don't report priests" because they "have a relation that is analogous to father-son with them."

She charged that the Philippines' church also tolerates "priest fathers" on "a one-child quota system."

BishopAccountability.org found that globally eight bishops conferences—Brazil, Congo, Peru, Venezuela, Nigeria, India, Ecuador and Uganda—have not published guidelines on how to respond to child abuse and that only one of 20 nations in the world with the highest number of Catholics has a zero-tolerance policy—the United States.

The importance of this summit of the presidents of the world's 114 bishops' conferences and of the Eastern-rite churches, which Pope Francis has convened, was underlined by the BishopAccountability.org survey.

Pope Francis has said that he wants all of the church's national conferences to be "on the same page" in terms of the response to the abuse problem.

Ms. Barrett Doyle added that Pope Francis is "the first pope to have said that bishops have to be held accountable" and "the first pope to have said that there has to be an end to cover-up." Continue reading

• Image: Vimeo

The Court of Justice of the European €Union (CJEU) ordered Italy to recover the ICI property tax that the catholic Church never paid to the Italian government.

The European judges have decided to rule out a 2012 decision of the European Commission and a 2016 judgment of the EU Court which allowed Rome to exempt the Vatican from paying taxes on its real estate.

The previous verdicts stated "the impossibility of recovering the aid due to organizational difficulties", but now the judges in Luxembourg have revised their position, asserting that it is a matter of mere "internal difficulties" in Italy and that there is no reasons for that money not to be paid.

The Italian Executive must reclaim an amount of roughly 5 billion euros, which corresponds to the arrears that the Church should have paid in between 2006 and 2011.

The ICI have been in place from 1992 to 2012, when the Mario Monti administration determined to replace it with IMU, a tax that combines the one on real estate and the IRPEF, an income tax.

For many years, the ICI was not applied to the Church's properties, as part of the practice to exonerate places of worship from taxation.

However many religious buildings on the Italian soil are rather meant for other kind of activities, like accommodation services and leisure.

In 2012, Monti's government decided that duty exemptions were to be applied only to worship places, but every other estate belonging to the Church with commercial aims must be subject to taxation.

However, these double standards were quite criticized, especially because it only took a chapel to define a building as worship place, even when the main activity was a completely different one, like a restaurant or a hostel.

That is why the Montessori primary school, a private but secular institute in Rome, decided to file an appeal to the Court of Justice against the 2016 ruling, which affirmed that it would have been "objectively" impossible to calculate retroactively the amount to be paid and whether the activities were commercial or non-commercial, so to know when the taxes should have been applied.

"It has been a long battle but, in the end, David has beaten Goliath", the representatives of the school told Ansa, the Italian news agency, ironically using a religious metaphor to comment on the judgement.

The Italian Radical Party, which had itself presented an appeal against tax exemption for the Church more than a decade ago, supported the school's suit.

It is for sure a victory to all those secular institutions that have been fighting Church's privileges for a long time, but like it often happens when it comes to the relationship between State and Church, the religious power gets only superficially affected.

Yes, it will have to restore 5 years of taxes on real estate due to ICI, but the actual IMU distinction between economic and non-economic religious activities, which determines that just one category of properties is going to be taxed, is going to stay in place.

Which means that the catholic Church can still count on many economic privileges on the Italian soil.

Such privileges have a long history: the primacy of political influence in Italy was always contended by the secular and religious powers, in a tradition of disputes, intrigues and power games.

The presence of the catholic seat and its most important institutions within the Italian borders, has always played a big role in the country's politics and society and always had to be dealt with by the governments.

In 1929 dictator Benito Mussolini signed a document with Pietro Gasparri, Cardinal Secretary of State, thinking that it would quell or at least resize the Church's political power and influence on the Italian public opinion.

Turned out it did quite the opposite.

By signing the Lateran Treaty, Mussolini granted the Church with its privileges that have a huge impact still today in many aspects of the sociopolitical sphere in Italy.

The pact was made of two clauses, one that gave the Pope full independence and sovereignty over Vatican City, and the Concordate, which defined the relations between the two parts.

The Italian government agreed to conform its own laws over marriage to the catholic ones, it assured the Vatican with tax breaks, it cancelled import tariffs, it exonerated religious men from military service and it acknowledged Catholicism as its one and only religion.

The Treaty is still a part of the Italian Constitution (article VII) which was drafted right after the World War II, when Mussolini was executed by the partisans, and was brought into force in 1948.

In 1984 the article was revised, and the clause for which Catholicism was the only religion of the State was removed. On the contrary, all the privileges that Mussolini allowed to the Church were reaffirmed, for which still nowadays Italy is one of the most religious countries in the EU, and its politics are heavily shaped by the influence of the Vatican on its soil.

There are still a lot of catholic schools in the peninsula, state-financed pension funds for religious men and salaries for chaplains, fiscal exemptions and tax relief for billions of euros every year, a ridiculous amount of money paid by all Italian citizens. Citizens of a secular state.

In the end, the Church owns far more of Italy than a big square in Rome. Continue reading

Their physical dimension has grown, too, as they gorge on the smorgasbord of trash, snack on handouts from complicit tourists and snatch sandwiches from unsuspecting pedestrians.

A species with a taste for pigeons, bats, starlings and sometimes other seagulls, the Larus Michahellis protects its territory like a local heavy. Continue reading

Pius XII then began the excavations under St. Peter's Basilica, in order to fulfill the last will of his predecessor.

With that single gesture, he also showed confidence in both archaeological science and the countless generations of Christians who had considered the Basilica as, indeed, the burial place of the Apostle.

After the excavations, which were followed by exhaustive historical, archaeological and architectural studies, Pius XII ended the jubilee of 1950 exclaiming: "The final conclusion of the works and studies carried out in the Basilica is a very clear ‘yes': the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles has been found."

From the Circus of Nero to St. Peter's Basilica
After the fire of Rome in 64, Emperor Nero started a new Christian persecution, during which — according to tradition — St. Peter was crucified upside down, in the circus (an oval ground used for racing and other public spectacles) located in the Vatican Hill.

The body of the saint was then put to rest in a tomb under a small roof tile, in the pagan necropolis on the very same hill.

Quickly, as the necropolis stretched to the banks of the Tiber, St. Peter's burial place began to attract pilgrims, even if discreetly at first.

In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine allowed the development of Christian worship and decided to build a basilica in honor of St. Peter, its altar being aligned with the tomb of the apostle.

Above the original tomb, Constantine had a monument built, three meters high, in marble and porphyry, of which a column and a section of wall are still preserved.

When the present majestic basilica was built, the papal altar was then placed on top of the tomb of St. Peter. Continue reading

Sources

• Aleteia
• Image: Gidget Goes to Rome

After appeals from the religious order, board members have been asked to explain their decision to Church authorities in Rome. Read more

City officials are mapping the confiscated real estate to see if any of it is suitable for temporary housing.

The first census of 200,000 potentially available apartments is due by the end of October, according to Mayor Virginia Raggi's Facebook page.

The city's push to find migrants accommodation follows a 5000-strong protest last weekend over the way city officials were treating 800 Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees.

The refugees, many of whom have jobs and children at school, had been evicted from an office block they'd been living in since 2013.

The UN refugee agency also condemned the evictions, especially as adequate alternative housing arrangements were not provided.

Having nowhere to go, the evicted people camped out on a central piazza.

Rome authorities and police then used water cannons against them.

Police say the raids were necessary because the migrants had cooking gas canisters and other flammable materials.

Raggi defended the police action saying the city wouldn't tolerate illegal squatters. She estimates squatters occupy about 100 buildings around Rome.

Rome has had a long-standing housing shortage, with poor families on waiting lists for suitable accommodation for several years.

The city authorities have not so far managed to ease the shortage.

Source

• NZ Herald
• The Times
• Independent.ie
• Image: Euronews