After the Spanish parliament debated on February 17 a controversial bill proposed by far-right party Vox to ban the burqa and niqab in public spaces, a leading Spanish archbishop has said the burqa discriminates against women while he also called for mutual respect among religious groups. Speaking to Crux, Archbishop Joan Planellas of Tarragona said…
“Above all, I urge you never to close yourselves off: Don’t be afraid to talk to others, even about your fatigue and your crises,” Pope Leo said to Rome’s priests in a February 19 meeting with clergy of the Roman diocese. During the meeting in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father…
A breakaway Catholic traditionalist group rejected the Vatican’s offer of talks, suggesting a collision course with Pope Leo XIV over its planned consecrations of new bishops without his consent. In a letter to the Vatican’s doctrine chief, the Society of St Pius X said the Holy See’s threat of sanctions and schism if it goes…
Former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland Nuala O’Loan has expressed concern over the reduction in Catholic applicants to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The latest PSNI recruitment drive has reported that only 27% of applicants identified as Catholic; the lowest percentage since 2013. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Baroness O’Loan asserted that “there…
Smoking and vaping have been added to the Confirmation pledge taken by young teens, which formerly only included a reference to alcohol and illicit drugs. Bishop Michael Router, Liaison Bishop with the Irish Bishop’s Drug Initiative, explained the rewording of the pledge on The Joe Finnegan Show on February 16, citing that the decision came…
New data from Amárach Market Research has shown that 63% of unmarried Roman Catholics in Ireland under the age of 35 want to get married in a Catholic Church. Their primary reasoning is religious belief, followed by tradition and cultural significance. Accord Director Tony Shanahan reacted to the data over St Valentine’s weekend, highlighting that…
In a bid to stop members of a breakaway traditionalist society from incurring excommunications through the illicit ordination of new bishops, the Vatican has offered a path forward based on theological dialogue. A February 12 communique published by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by its prefect, Argentine Cardinal Victor…
The Catholic Bishops of Cuba announced on February 12 that they have asked Pope Leo XIV to postpone their upcoming visit to Rome due to the country’s grave situation, which is generating “so much instability and uncertainty.” The bishops had been scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV on February 20 as part of their periodic…
A member of the federal Religious Liberty Commission has been ousted after a hearing this week that featured tense exchanges on the definition of antisemitism. The ousted member, Carrie Prejean Boller, had defended prominent commentator Candace Owens, who routinely shares antisemitic conspiracy theories. Prejean Boller, a model turned conservative activist who converted to Catholicism last…
At least 69,000 families have been affected and 22 people have died in flooding triggered by extraordinarily heavy rains in northern Colombia. The Church has been working since the beginning of the crisis to deliver food and clothing to people who have lost everything, as well as to provide spiritual and emotional support. About 9,000…