Posts Tagged ‘Vatican’

Bishops’ climate advocacy clashes with fossil fuel investments

Monday, December 4th, 2023
climate action

The United States Catholic bishops’ (USCCB) investment strategies are at odds with its passionate climate advocacy. In a statement at COP28, the USCCB committee called decarbonisation of the economy the “preeminent environmental challenge faced by all nations” that must be addressed without burdening middle-and low-income citizens with increased costs. However, according to Reuters, the US Read more

Hot-button topics may get public attention at Vatican

Thursday, October 26th, 2023

High-ranking Catholics from across the globe have converged on the Vatican, where a landmark initiative is underway that will shape the future of the Catholic Church. Cardinals, bishops, priests and lay Catholics, both men and women, are meeting Oct. 4-29, 2023, as part of the Synod on Synodality: an effort Pope Francis launched in 2021 Read more

Female president-delegate presides at Synod of Bishops

Monday, October 16th, 2023

The first female president-delegate has presided at a Synod of Bishops assembly. Sister Maria de los Dolores Valencia Gomez (pictured) says her inclusion in the role at the Synod on Synodality shows the Church “has… something that places all of us at the same level”. Gomez led the Synod on Synodality assembly Friday morning in Read more

Synod in Rome – a challenging starting point

Monday, September 25th, 2023
Synod

A well-worn jest about Ireland goes like this: A lost tourist in Limerick asks for directions to Dublin, and the convoluted directions leave the tourist utterly bewildered. Finally, the tourist gazes into the distance, resigned to the fact that reaching Dublin is impossible. At this point, the local utters the famous words, “Well, if I Read more

Vatican lobbies for Convention on Cluster Munitions

Thursday, September 14th, 2023
cluster munitions

The Vatican is lobbying for nations to adopt the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The Convention aims to prohibit the use of such munitions, their production, transfer and stockpiling. “Any additional State Party to the Convention represents a renewed impulse to achieve universality, further ensuring that there will be fewer victims in the future and that Read more

Vatican moves to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia

Monday, July 24th, 2023
Ukranian children

A Vatican plan is underway to reunite Ukrainian children with their families, a senior Vatican official says. The Ukrainian children were taken to Russia during the war. The plan The Holy See’s plan to reunite the children followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s explicit request for its help, when he met Pope Francis at the Vatican Read more

Vatican and Vietnam relations take major step forward

Thursday, July 20th, 2023
Vatican and Vietnam

The Vatican and Vietnam are finalising a deal that will help improve their long strained relations. Sources say the new deal will allow the Holy See to have a resident representative in communist-run Vietnam. Both sources, a senior Vatican official and a Hanoi-based diplomat, say they think the deal’s formal announcement will take place later Read more

Vatican asks NZ for feedback on safeguarding principles

Thursday, June 29th, 2023
safeguarding principles

The Vatican is inviting New Zealanders to give public feedback to The Vatican’s Child Protection Commission on the Church safeguarding principles. Aimed at creating updated diocesan guidelines, the move opens up the consultation process, historically limited to bishops and church leaders, to a broader base of stakeholders. To collect the feedback, the commission has established Read more

Vatican’s Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to visit New Zealand

Thursday, June 1st, 2023

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is understood to have accepted an invitation to visit New Zealand. He is the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelisation of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, and is responsible for the appointment of New Zealand’s bishops. However the purpose of Tagle’s visit it to speak at the National Clergy Assembly, in October. Read more

Francis, Bishop, and Servant of the Servants of God

Monday, May 15th, 2023
Servant of the Servants of God

A grey and drizzly Rome was under an intense security lockdown on Saturday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to town for the day. The Italian government deployed some 1,500 security agents, stationed snipers on rooftops, and enforced a no-fly zone for the visit of the president whose country continues to fight the troops from Read more