The archbishop of Paris spoke out last week against the firing of a Catholic school administrator who was accused of violating French laws prohibiting religious expression in educational settings. “We must be able to proclaim the Gospel in Catholic schools,” Archbishop Laurent Ulrich stated in an interview with Radio Notre Dame, OSV News reported. “It must…
The Italian Senate of the Republic last week passed a bill making it possible to prosecute surrogacy sought even outside Italy, with violators potentially facing both prison time and a fine as high as €1 million. Surrogacy has been illegal in Italy since 2004. The prohibition is contained within the country’s Law 40, which regulates medically…
Sexual abuse in the ranks of the Catholic Church is so preoccupying Belgian society that thousands of people are turning away – by being “de-baptised”. In Belgium, more than 14,000 people turned their backs on the Catholic Church in 2023 – more than ever before. This was announced by the Church in a recent annual…
Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of Guadalajara, the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, spoke out strongly against the recent decision of that state’s Legislature to decriminalise abortion up to 12 weeks of gestation, calling it the “murder of innocents”. Following debate and a vote, the penal code of the state of Jalisco was…
A Franciscan friar has left ministry after 12 years. Fr Daniel Horan is currently the director of the Centre for the Study of Spirituality and professor of Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theology at St Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and has spoken publicly on theological matters related to justice and inclusion in support of the LGBTQ+ community…
Letter from Rome On the first day of the final session of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, a study group responsible for evaluating the female diaconate has said that, while still exploring other forms of women’s’ involvement in the Church, they will not become deacons. Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Vatican’s…
Pope Francis last Sunday announced a consistory in December for the creation of 21 new cardinals from all over the world, representing yet again the Pope’s love of the peripheries and his inclination to reward key allies. Speaking during his October 6 Angelus address, the Pope announced that “on December 8, a consistory will be…
In Belgium, the Pope asked for forgiveness for the abuse and cover-up scandal that rocked the country. At the same time, he condemned abortion – using not new, but harsh words. And this is having an effect. Pope Francis’ harsh words against abortion have apparently triggered a diplomatic crisis between Belgium and the Vatican. Belgium’s…
For centuries Christians have attributed a first-century date to the Shroud of Turin. Nuclear engineer Robert Rucker says that his latest research on the shroud verifies that. “The Shroud of Turin is the second-most valuable possession of the human race next to the Bible itself,” Mr Rucker told CNA. The shroud is currently preserved in the…
The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has invited the faithful to participate in a day of prayer and fasting on October 7, one year after Hamas launched its brutal surprise attack on Israel. “The month of October is approaching,” Cardinal Pizzaballa wrote in a September 26 letter addressed to the Latin Patriarchate of…