Hannah Brockhaus Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Washington’s Cardinal Donald Wuerl today, while asking the cardinal to continue leading the Archdiocese of Washington on an interim basis until a permanent successor is appointed. In a letter to Wuerl obtained by CNA today, Pope Francis told the cardinal: “Your renunciation is a sign of…
Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington had been told by Vatican officials to withdraw from public life because of rumours about his sexual misconduct, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops has revealed. However, because they were only rumours and not proof, then-Pope Benedict XVI never imposed formal sanctions on the retired Washington…
The world’s youngest cardinal, 51-year-old Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga of Bangui, Central African Republic, insists the key question before the Synod of Bishops is: “What is God trying to tell us through young people?” Finding better ways to pass the Faith on to younger generations is one part of the task, the cardinal told reporters on…
A Catholic university professor’s tweets that white Republican men should die a “miserable death” for supporting Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court are more than just about free speech, the head of Students for Life of America has warned. “Recommending violence, death and mutilation for members of Congress is not a simple ‘free…
Cardinal: damage of abuse scandal caused by Church leadership, not media The days of making “weak excuses” in response to the sexual abuse crisis are over, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising has warned. The fallout and damage that has resulted, he added, “has not been caused by the press doing their job…
The Catholic Church needs to communicate the beauty and intelligence of Faith to young men and women without resorting to condescending and aggressive methods, Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles told members of the Synod of Bishops. A “renewed apologetics and catechesis” can help young people who are tempted to leave the Church due…
To strengthen and support young people in the Faith, members of the Synod of Bishops will need to listen to their real-life stories, interpret what they hear in the light of the Gospel and make decisions that will lead to an authentic renewal of the Catholic Church, said Brazilian Cardinal Sergio da Rocha. “Often we…
Signalling his belief that the Church faces a serious crisis, Pope Francis asked every Catholic in the world to pray for the protection of the Church from attacks by the devil, and also for the Church to to be stronger in combatting abuse. Pope Francis asked Catholics to pray the rosary each day in October,…
Catholics will continue to regard sex outside marriage as a sin despite India’s Supreme Court ruling that adultery will no longer be a crime, Church leaders say. The country’s top court has struck down a 158-year-old British-era law which said it was a crime, punishable with a five-year jail term, for a man to have…
East African bishops to discuss blight of fundamentalism Due to its impact on young Catholics in Africa, fundamentalism will be a topic that bishops from East Africa prioritise in their talks with other delegates during the synod’s intervention sessions. More than 300 delegates, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, sisters and laypeople are expected to attend the…