It is often said that we are our truest selves when we are happy, comfortable and surrounded by those we love and trust. During each of the nearly 30 trips I made with Pope Francis, there was always a memorable moment when his true self would come out to play. Early on, we would recognise…
Abuse expert: ‘Voice of Jesus’ speaks through victims
According to one of the Catholic Church’s foremost experts on clerical sexual abuse prevention, by ignoring the voice of the victims “we are excluding the voice of Jesus who speaks to us through them”. German Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, President of the Institute of Anthropology-Interdisciplinary Studies on Protection and Human Dignity (IADC) of the Pontifical…
Spain’s government vows to investigate Church abuse
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures at a news conference after the first Cabinet meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, 2020. Spain’s ruling coalition wants historic clerical sexual abuses to be investigated in the country, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he will first meet with abuse victims. “We’re going to talk and…
Scandal-ridden Legionaries of Christ named in Pandora Papers
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair have all been named in the exposé of the financial secrets and offshore dealings known as the Pandora Papers. However, there’s only one Catholic institution named: The Legionaries of Christ religious order. The downfall of the Legionaries of Christ…
Grandparents admit, like Pope said, sometimes they feel ‘discarded’
Celebrating the first Church-sponsored day of grandparents, Pope Francis said Sunday that he’s fearful of a society that treats individuals as part of a nameless crowd. Grandparents who were in St Peter’s Square for his weekly Angelus prayer agreed, acknowledging that they too fear being forgotten. Grandparents and the Elderly “How do we see our…
German bishop says Pope made right call in refusing cardinal’s resignation over abuse crisis
A leading German bishop says Pope Francis made the right decision when he refused the resignation of German Cardinal Gerhard Marx, who had asked the Pope to release him from his role as archbishop of Munich in an attempt to assume collective responsibility for the clerical sexual abuse scandals. “It creates security for the others:…
Latin America launches continent-wide assembly
As the Catholic Church in different countries begins various synodal processes, the conference of Latin American bishops could not stay behind, and has launched its own Ecclesial Assembly. Pastoral plan “Did you know that our Latin American Church is calling together the 377 million Catholics in 46 countries of the continent to discern a joint…
Nun says her Vatican appointment means ‘clericalist mindset is changing’
A French nun who could potentially be the first woman to cast a vote in the Synod of Bishops said February 10 that her appointment is evidence the “clericalist mindset is changing” as more and more women assume high-level decision-making responsibilities in the Catholic hierarchy. Sister Nathalie Becquart told journalists that Pope Francis has been…
Iraq’s Catholics pray Covid doesn’t delay papal trip
Catholics in Iraq are not giving up on a papal visit despite Pope Francis recently saying the pandemic might stop him from going: at the request of Cardinal Patriarch Raphael Sako, they’re reciting a prayer specifically for the trip scheduled for March 5-8 to take place. “Lord our God, grant Pope Francis health and safety…
Central African Republic remains ‘paralysed’ by post-election violence
Bishop Juan José Aguirre of Bangassou, Central African Republic, says the city “is paralysed” by post-election violence. “People have fled, they’re in hiding,” he told Crux via WhatsApp. On January 6, Pope Francis expressed his concern for this war-torn country and invited “all of the parties to a fraternal, respectful dialogue, to reject any form of hatred…