An international Catholic reform network has denounced as self-defeating the official Vatican set of questions before October’s synod on the family. Catholic Church Reform International has created its own alternative 20-question survey which is open to Catholics worldwide. The reform network is made up of representatives of more than 100 groups in 65 countries. At Read more
An eminent American historian has written that Pope Francis is making change in the Church by yielding his power. In an interview with Macleans.ca, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills said Francis hasn’t asserted his power and to do so would be a “weakening” thing for him. “Instead, he’s yielding power constantly,” Mr Wills said. “He’s Read more
One outcome from October’s family synod could be that local bishops make decisions case-by-case on Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. That’s what Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana, supports, according to an interview published on the Crux website. The archbishop said he believes this is a result Pope Francis wants from the synod Read more
Parishes in Dublin in Ireland are determining for themselves how they discuss family issues ahead the synod in October. The Irish Times reported an invitation by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to priests and parishioners to hold meetings on the subject. In a letter to priests and parishes, Archbishop Martin stated that Pope Francis wants Catholics around the Read more
A Belgian bishop has turned down a prize awarded by a gay group, saying he wants to stay independent of interest groups. Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp was nominated for an annual Campaign Award by the Cavaria group. The nomination came because Bishop Bonny had written an open letter before last year’s extraordinary synod on Read more
Immediately after his election on 13 March 2013, Pope Francis told himself, “Jorge, do not change, continue being yourself, because to change at your age would be ridiculous.” He revealed this interesting personal detail in a wide-ranging 50 minute, exclusive interview with Elisabetta Piquè, for La Nacion, the main Argentine newspaper, published today, December 7 Read more
In modifying a 1972 essay on divorced and remarried Catholics, Pope Emeritus Benedict may be breaking his retirement vow to not the play an active role in Church affairs. In 1972, Fr Joseph Ratzinger originally wrote that marriage was indissoluble in the eyes of the Church, but if a “second marriage has proven to have Read more
The US bishops elected a solidly conservative team to represent the US Church at part two of the Synod in 2015. The decision, reported Monday, comes in the wake of what they see as a confusing part one of the Synod held in October 2014. The US Bishops are of a view that the October 2014 Synod sent Read more
Gay civil unions and same-sex marriages are a “Trojan horse” that fundamentally weakens the institution of the family, a senior cardinal has warned. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, said that civil unions between gay men and women only serve to “confuse people” and undermine traditional family life. This is especially Read more
Can you be more Catholic than the Pope? The American arch-reactionary Pat Buchanan clearly thinks so. He has been lambasting Pope Francis for sowing “confusion among the faithful” by refusing to defend “the unchanging truths of Catholicism”. Indeed, says the US Catholic paleo-conservative, the Pope may be “speaking heresy”, which would imply that Francis is Read more