The Archdiocese of New York has rejected allegations that it had been planning to smear the Catholic journalist Michael Voris.
Mr Voris, the editor of ChurchMilitant.com, claimed that the archdiocese had been collecting information about his personal life before he became a Catholic “with the aim of publicly discrediting me, this apostolate and the work here”. He said that in his 20s he “had frequent sexual liaisons with both adult men and adult women”, and that in his 30s he had “lived a life of live-in relationships with homosexual men”.
The archdiocese said it was “absolutely, 100% untrue” that it had been gathering information on Mr Voris or preparing to release information about him or his website.
Mr Voris’ website has drawn much criticism in the past for its attacks on Church leaders. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has said its aim is “to create division, confusion and conflict within the Church” and that its reports “are not to be taken seriously”.
No clergy at civil weddings in Norway
A Norwegian bishop has said the country’s clergy will no longer officiate at civil weddings, after the governing synod of the country’s official Lutheran Church voted by an overwhelming majority to solemnise same-sex marriages.
Oslo’s Bishop Bernt Eidsvig said he would have to seek permission from the Vatican to withdraw from civil officiation, explaining: “This is a matter of liturgy, so it doesn’t necessarily reflect broader change in our society’s moral values. But politicians may now get aggressive toward churches who resist these weddings, so the best option is for us to stop conducting marriages on the state’s behalf.”
In a statement with three Protestant leaders, he said the introduction of separate civil and religious ceremonies would protect other churches from “increased pressure to consecrate same-sex couples”.