The Vatican said on Saturday that Chinese authorities had violated the terms stipulated in its provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops. A statement released on November 26 said that “the Holy See noted with surprise and regret” that Bishop John Peng Weizhao had been installed as an “auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi,” a diocese that…
Cardinal Joseph Zen and five others were found guilty on Friday of failing to register a fund that helped pay for the legal fees and medical treatments of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. The 90-year-old cardinal and former bishop of Hong Kong was fined about $500 (HK$4,000). Each of the other trustees of the now-defunct 612…
Nigerian sisters and their communities are raising awareness about violence against women and child abuse and spreading their prevention mechanisms among young people in Nigeria. Through the African Faith and Justice Network, a Washington-based advocacy organisation, they work with traditional leaders and government departments for stronger legislation against domestic violence targeted at women. Since it…
Ambassador chosen to lead Eastern Churches dicastery Pope Francis has appointed a papal ambassador and expert in Eastern languages and literature to lead the Vatican Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, 67, has been apostolic nuncio to Great Britain since July 2020. The Italian was undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches…
The Wisdom of Pope Francis The Gospel of Luke presents us with a troubling question posed by Jesus: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8); as if to say: “when I come again at the end of time” — but we could also think, even now, at this…
Many who entered religious life in my time were emotionally immature, writes Deacon Frank Browne The abuse of children by any adult is a scandal, and the recent revelation regarding the extent of abuse inflicted upon students attending Blackrock College and other Spiritan run schools up to the 1980s, is one of the most serious…
by John F. Deane Seamus Heaney famously said: “The biggest change in my lifetime has been the evaporation of the transcendent from all our discourse and our sense of human destiny.” Heaney was speaking out of a time when Christian faith was static, and had been static for centuries. Faith in Christ had only begun…
Bishop Noel Treanor of the Diocese of Down and Connor has said he is “honoured” after Pope Francis announced he would be the new Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union. Bishop Treanor will continue as the administrator of the diocese until he takes up appointment in Brussels in January. It is currently unclear who will…
Pope Francis has suspended the secretary-general and other top officers of Caritas Internationalis, appointing a temporary administrator to oversee improved management policies and to prepare for the election of new officers in May. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, whose second term as Caritas president was to end in May, also loses his position, although he is…
Catholic leaders have condemned the November 19 attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that killed at least five people and injured at least 25. Seven of those wounded were in critical condition. The Church leaders – the archbishop of Denver, leaders of religious orders and congregations, and a Catholic outreach group to…