As we slowly to move towards a synodal Church we should expect that there will be many stumbles, confusions, and false starts. The enthusiasm of some for the Synodal Way is one side of the way all human societies make deliberate change. Likewise, the fears of Cardinal Walter Kasper and some other bishops are exactly Read more
Sexual abuse is rooted in abuse of power, which is very often the first step. While abuse of power can take many forms, many abusers rely on the excessive and, let’s say it, clericalist use of secrecy. For decades many Church bodies, including the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, have repeatedly called for Read more
Can’t the truth set us free? In the last couple weeks, it was revealed that the US Justice department has secretly (ironic) charged Wiki-leaks founder Julian Assange with publicizing government secrets. Also recently, the US Catholic bishops voted down a resolution which would have encouraged the Vatican to release all its documentation on the disgraced Read more
A sex abuse survivor spokesman who accused Cardinal George Pell of bribery has been accused of not being transparent about his own record of abusing. David Ridsdale is the nephew of notorious Australian paedophile priest Fr Gerald Ridsdale. David Ridsdale has repeatedly called for Cardinal Pell and the Church to be transparent about what they Read more
Pope Francis has named former Deloitte, Italy, chairman Libero Milone as the Vatican’s new auditor general. Under statutes approved by the Pope earlier this year, the auditor general will have the power to audit the books of any Vatican office. He will report directly to the Pope. Having an independent auditor helps ensure the “separation Read more
New Zealand’s Anglican and Catholic have asked the Government for more transparency about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) currently under negotiation. This is so New Zealanders can better evaluate the trade deal’s implications, the bishops stated. The bishops acknowledge the right and duty of any New Zealand Government to promote the nation’s trading opportunities. And they are Read more
The cardinal who heads the Vatican’s economic oversight body has questioned the releasing of Vatican asset figures to the media by Cardinal George Pell. Earlier this month, Cardinal Pell, who is prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, told media the Vatican had US$1.5 billion in assets that had not been previously accounted for. German Read more
The Vatican has more than US$1.5 billion in assets that it didn’t previously know it had, bringing its total assets to more than US$3billion. Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s secretary for the economy, told cardinals last week that $0.5 billion in assets had been purposefully excluded from a 2013 overall balance sheet. And US$1billion should Read more
The high-spending behaviour of the Bishop of Limburg has promoted other German bishops to reveal the value of their private endowments — and encouraged a growing number of Catholics to leave the Church. After being accused of lavish spending, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg has travelled to Rome to meet officials at the Vatican, Read more
The Vatican City State has adopted a new law cracking down on financial transactions that could enable money-laundering and imposing a new level of transparency and supervision. The Holy See Press Office said the new norm, Law XVIII, “strengthens the current internal system for the prevention and countering of money laundering and the financing of Read more