A Polish archbishop who molested seminarians has been warned by the Vatican to stay away from public church celebrations, including World Youth Day. Media reports had stated Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, formerly of Poznan, saw no reason he could not participate in commemorations of the foundation of Christianity in Poland. The commemorations, from April 14-16, will Read more
World Youth Day organizers in the United States and Poland remain in touch with diplomatic and security officials in their respective countries to ensure that pilgrims will remain safe during the festival of faith in late July. Security is expected to be extremely tight in Krakow, Poland, the WYD host city, as authorities in both Read more
A Polish priest who was a spokesman for World Youth Day 2016 has left his religious order after admitting he fathered a child. Fr Tomas Kijowski left the Salesians in Poland in June after he admitted he had a girlfriend and he had fathered a child. But Polish media only found out about this recently. Read more
The Archdiocese of Wellington and the Diocese of Auckland are cooperating to provide opportunities for New Zealanders to attend World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow Poland. Two pilgrimage packages are being provided, one for a direct pilgrimage to Poland, the second will also include a visit to the Holy Land. The Wellington Archdiocese is inviting expressions Read more
The new Catholic Archbishop of Sydney has expressed shame and sorrow at child abuse by clergy and at the Church’s abandonment of victims. In his first news conference last week, Archbishop-elect Anthony Fisher, OP, said he was determined to do everything he could to make sure the abuse didn’t happen again. To the survivors of Read more
My Facebook newsfeed in recent days has been filled with exciting stories and photos about World Youth Day (WYD)—which ended today with a Mass in Rio. Yet again, we have had some amazing quotes from Pope Francis on his visit to Brazil reminding us about the church’s social and ethical obligations towards the poor. However, Read more
As I watched, read and heard untold stories about the birth of a new member of the British royal family, who becomes the third in line to the throne, it was somewhat disappointing that the news overshadowed so markedly the news of Pope Francis’s arrival in Brazil for the start of World Youth Day festivities Read more
The next World Youth Day, in 2016, will be in the Polish city of Krakow — where the WYD founder, Pope John Paul II, was archbishop before he was elected to the papacy. After the announcement at WYD in Rio de Janeiro, thousands of Poles who were scattered across Copacabana Beach cheered loudly. The late Read more
This photograph, taken by a Mexican Marist priest, shows that New Zealand is literally showing the flag at the World Youth Day. There are close to 50 kiwi pilgrims, representing all the dioceses in New Zealand, making the 19 day World Youth Day pilgrimage. It began with 5 days in Santiago, Chile, where the pilgrims were Read more
I’ve covered enough papal trips under Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI to be familiar with the routine. As the press centre fills, the first reports filter out of the Pope’s remarks to journalists accompanying him on the plane. The familiar Alitalia A330 touches down on the airport tarmac flying the Vatican and local Read more