One of Britain’s leading lay Catholics has called on the Catholic Church to allow Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried. Lord Patten of Barnes cited the example of parents unable to receive the Eucharist when their children made their first Holy Communion. “I’ve been thinking about that recently because one of my grandsons is Read more
A survey by a UK group committed to the reforms of Vatican II has highlighted issues its authors say are strangling the Church. A survey of 342 people, mostly Catholic, earlier this year by A Call To Action describes a widening gap between Church teaching on sexual and family ethics and the opinion and practice Read more
A German cardinal has warned not to expect dramatic changes in Church practice from October’s synod on the family. Cardinal Reinhard Marx told a Munich meeting the synod may not be ready to approve allowing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion. The cardinal said “it will not be simple” to bring this about. Cardinal Read more
There will be tension at October’s synod on the family between an emphasis on mercy and a notion of cheap grace, a new US bishop says. Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego told the National Catholic Reporter that the “theology of mercy is saying is that the essential attribute of God in relation to us Read more
English Cardinal Vincent Nichols has told married couples that even a broken marriage remains a source of grace for those involved in it. Cardinal Nichols was speaking at a special Mass at Westminster Cathedral in thanksgiving for the sacrament of Matrimony. More than 500 married couple celebrating milestone anniversaries attended. In his homily, Cardinal Nichols Read more
Pope Francis has changed one significant emphasis of his pontificate since last year’s extraordinary synod on the family, a Vatican watcher says. Vaticanista Sandro Magister, writing for the Italian L’Espresso magazine, said in the first two summers of his pontificate, Francis “gave space and visibility to the men and movements in favour of a reform Read more
The archbishop of Sydney says a crisis of what it means to love should be a focus at the synod on the family, not controversial topics the media promotes. Archbishop Anthony Fisher said this last week in an interview with Vatican Radio. This followed his appointment by Pope Francis as a member of the Congregation Read more
The Anglican Diocese of Polynesia aims to work ecumenically to eliminate all forms of violence – at home and in the community. They hope to work with other churches in the future to champion the elimination of violence in all forms. Diocesan secretary/registrar John Simmons said there was a need to tackle the issue and Read more
The relator of the synod on the family says it is possible to find radical ways to address difficult pastoral problems and not infringe Church discipline. The Crux website reported Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo saying the synod is a place for an honest discussion over the difficulties families face. The cardinal said that legal and Read more
An Australian theologian has asked Pope Francis to ditch the 10-minute “interventions” made by bishops at the upcoming synod on the family. In a wide-ranging open letter to the Pope, Fr Paul McGavin said such interventions lead to “bald and combative declarations”. Rather, Fr McGavin proposed a process oriented to “dialogue and learning”. He suggested Read more