A working document for the final gathering of Pope Francis’s controversial Synod of Bishops on synodality, presented Tuesday in a news conference, may strike most observers as more notable for what it didn’t say than what it did. The official working document, called an Instrumentum Laboris, for the second Rome-based session of the Synod of…
On Friday, American Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston issued a statement saying he has asked the heads of all offices in the Roman Curia to take down the artwork of a famed priest and artist accused of abusing dozens of adult women. The statement came from the Pontifical Commission for Protecting Minors (PCPM), for which…
Letter from Rome After Pope Francis sparked a wave of controversy for using an off-colour gay slur, he now appears to be attempting to mend fences, offering reassurances to a homosexual man turned away from seminary and writing the preface to a book by a prominent LGBTQ+ activist priest. On June 4, the Italian version…
Last Friday, the Vatican rolled out a new expedited procedure for vetting alleged Marian apparitions or other spiritual phenomenon, ruling that they will no longer deemed supernatural, but simply that nothing stands in the way of encouraging devotion. In an introductory presentation of the new norms, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for…
People should be conscious of the dangers “both economic wise leading to unemployment and the moral issues” connected to artificialiIntelligence, or AI, according to Catholic leaders in Nigeria. Bishop Felix Femi Ajakaye of Ekiti on Sunday told leaders in the country to avoid legislation that would give AI the power to hurt the welfare of…
Europe’s bishops have voiced support for the European Union’s future enlargement plans, saying it provides a unique opportunity to showcase the value of fraternity, but they also cautioned against the imposition of ideology and the pursuit of particular interests. In a statement issued during their April 17-19 spring plenary assembly in Łomza, Poland, the Commission…
Pope Francis opened up about tensions between himself and the private secretary of his predecessor Benedict XVI, German Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who he said made things “difficult” for him. Speaking to Spanish Journalist Javier Martinez-Brocal with ABC Español, Francis addressed comparisons between himself and Benedict, saying such comparisons are normal, and that even Benedict was…
In a new document published Monday, the Vatican presented a “seamless garment” approach to human dignity, uniting Pope Francis’s progressive social agenda with the traditional moral and ethical concerns of his predecessors. Closely associated with the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, the “seamless garment” approach to life issues in the Church consists of a…
Irish Ambassador to the Holy See Frances Collins has praised what she said is a strong relationship between Ireland and the Holy See despite historic tensions with the Catholic Church, saying they share several key foreign policy and humanitarian priorities. In an interview with Crux, Ms Collins addressed a number of topical issues including…
Late last Friday March 22 evening, the Vatican announced that after holding an all-day working session with members of the German bishops, the latter have assured their national reform process will be in keeping with Canon Law and will not move forward without the Holy See’s approval. In a statement published at 8pm local time,…