Seeking euthanasia may result Catholics being denied sacraments, say some Canadian bishops. While the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada does not alter the truth that these acts are “gravely immoral,” it is “foreseeable” that priests will receive requests for the sacraments from Catholics contemplating these actions, the Alberta and NWT bishops stated Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Sacraments’
Pope to have commission study women deacon issue
Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
Pope Francis has said he will establish a Vatican commission to study the possibility of allowing women to serve as deacons in the Catholic Church. Francis was asked during a meeting with leaders of female religious congregations about women deacons and their role in the early church. The Pope responded that he had spoken about Read more
Fraudster who posed as priest for decades caught
Friday, February 5th, 2016
A fraudster who posed as a priest and celebrated sacraments for two decades in California has been arrested. Erwin Mena, 59, is alleged to have sold fake tickets for a bogus pilgrimage to see Pope Francis when he visited the United States. Mena allegedly pocketed more than US$15,000 for the con. Despite acting as a Read more
Vatican denies Pope said all divorced can have sacraments
Friday, November 6th, 2015
The Vatican has dismissed as “in no way reliable” an interview which quotes Pope Francis saying “all divorced who ask will be admitted” to Communion. Veteran journalist Eugenio Scalfari wrote in La Repubblica that the Pope made the comment during a phone interview. According to a translation by traditionalist blog Rorate Caeli, Pope Francis said: “The Read more
Synod tackles issue of sacraments for divorced, remarried
Tuesday, October 20th, 2015
Bishops at the synod on the family last week grappled with the issue of access to the sacraments for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. In 93 interventions at the synod on Wednesday and Thursday, widely different views were expressed. A key issue is whether there could be any possibility for divorced and remarried people to Read more
Mexican priests get cards to distinguish from scammers
Tuesday, June 16th, 2015Priests in two ecclesiastical provinces in Mexico are being issued with cards to help distinguish them from false priests trying to scam people. The cards will be issued in Tlalnepantla and Mexico ecclesiastical provinces. The phenomenon of “false priests” is on the rise across the nation. The scammers go to hospitals, cemeteries and churches outside Read more
Priests do shift work to hear 5000 confessions
Friday, December 12th, 2014Responding to an invitation from Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera to seek reconciliation with Christ during the season of Advent, nearly 5000 Catholics stood in line for hours to receive the Sacrament of Confession. According to the Archdiocese of Mexico City’s News Service, some 30 priests spent 12 hours in shifts hearing confessions at the Cathedral Read more
No Sacrament of Confirmation for son of Mafia boss
Friday, November 28th, 2014It’s long been accused of adopting an at best ambiguous role in the fight against organised crime in Sicily, but the Catholic Church has now taken a symbolic stand against the Mafia in its Palermo heartland by refusing to give the sacraments to the son of a notorious Cosa Nostra crime lord. Despite protests from Read more
German diocese to lift ban on remarried divorcees
Friday, October 11th, 2013
The German archdiocese of Freiburg has indicated its willingness to allow some remarried divorcees to receive Communion — but the Vatican has signalled the move should be halted until next year’s Synod on the Family is held. Freiburg’s pastoral care office has published a 14-page guidebook for priests and deacons in the archdiocese with detailed Read more
Irish PM “awarded” Communion at funeral Mass
Tuesday, September 17th, 2013Irish politicians who voted in support of Enda Keeny’s abortion legislation are coercing priests to give them Holy Communion by presenting themselves to receive during Requiem Masses. Enda Kenny received Holy Communion at a Requiem Mass in the presence of three Irish bishops in an act of public defiance. Niamh Ui Bhriain, a pro-life campaigner,’ Read more