Pope Francis has restored a capacity to the Vatican’s main marriage court that had been restricted by St John Paul II. In a December 7 rescript, Francis allowed the Roman Rota to grant an annulment even if the grounds for doing so weren’t the ones originally specified in the case under review. Before 1994, the Read more
Posts Tagged ‘St John Paul II’
Pope Francis again rules out women priests
Friday, October 2nd, 2015
Pope Francis has again rejected the possibility of female priests in the Catholic Church, citing a ruling of one of his predecessors. During a press conference on board his flight back to Rome from the US, Francis said St John Paul II had decided “that cannot be done”. “Pope St John Paul II – after Read more
Vatican to release document on consecrated widowhood
Tuesday, August 4th, 2015The Vatican will release a document on consecrated widowhood later this year. This was reported by Avvenire, a newspaper owned by the Italian episcopal conference. The paper noted that there are 200 consecrated widows in Italy and that another 100 are in formation. Consecrated widowhood was noted by St John Paul II in a 1996 apostolic Read more
Making a difference: remembering The Gospel of Life
Friday, July 10th, 2015
While Pope Francis’ new encyclical Laudato Si’ is enjoying wide publicity, few people are aware this year marks the 20th anniversary of another powerfully prophetic social justice and peace encyclical: Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”). Trying to awaken the conscience of the world to reject the “culture of death” which creates “structures of sin,” Read more
Cardinal Marx finds new evangelisation concept problematic
Tuesday, March 10th, 2015
The president of the German bishops’ conference has admitted that he has difficulties with the notion of the new evangelisation. Cardinal Reinhard Marx told the French Jesuit journal Etudes that he finds this “concept” to be problematic. The term “new evangelisation” was referred to by St John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio (33). Its application Read more
Anti-Catholic politician Rev. Ian Paisley dies in Belfast
Tuesday, September 16th, 2014
Northern Ireland politician Rev. Ian Paisley, who was infamous for his anti-Catholic rhetoric, yet came to share power with his enemies, has died. Rev. Paisley died in Belfast on September 12, aged 88. He had a history of heart ailments. He served as First Minister of Northern Ireland for a year when power was first Read more
Two new saints for the Jews
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
It is a poignant coincidence that Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will be canonized as Catholic saints on the eve of Yom Hashoah, the international day of Holocaust remembrance observed in Israel and by Jews around the world. These two popes’ personal narratives are inseparable from the Holocaust, and their reactions to the Read more
Unity theme of #2PopeSaints
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
[Sunday]’s canonisation of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II drew 800,000 people to Rome. I spoke with a small fraction of the massive crowd that filled the streets near the Vatican, but every one of them agreed: Two popes, two saints, two more reasons to be happy. Much of the commentariat – and Read more
Miracles that led to Ss John XXIII, John Paul II
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
Floribeth Mora Diaz fought back tears on Thursday (April 24) as she claimed that the late Pope John Paul II had saved her from an inoperable brain aneurysm three years ago. Mora will be on hand at Sunday’s historic ceremony in St Peter’s Square as Pope Francis canonizes both John Paul and Pope John XXIII, Read more
Pope Francis canonises Sts John XXIII and John Paul II
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
Pope Francis has praised Sts John XXIII and John Paul II as men who modernised the Catholic Church in fidelity to its ancient traditions. The Pope said this during his homily at a canonisation Mass at St Peter’s Square on April 27 before an estimated 500,000 people. A few minutes earlier, he had formally declared Read more