Make human beings a primary concern, urges Vatican official Left unchecked, unbridled greed and a thirst for profit leads down a slippery slope that endangers the earth and all who live on it, especially indigenous populations, a Vatican official said. Msgr Fernando Chica Arellano, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the…
Twisted ideas of power and authority in the Catholic Church have contributed to the clerical sexual abuse crisis, leaders of religious orders said, but sometimes the positive “sense of family” in their own communities also made them slow to act. “Pope Francis rightly attacks the culture of clericalism which has hindered our fight against abuse…
Joyce Duriga When the Vatican announced on February 15 that Pope Francis had signed a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, clearing the way for his canonisation, there was rejoicing in Chicago. The proposed miracle that God worked through the intercession of Newman in 2013 involved a…
The sacred liturgy is meant to help the people of God conform their heart, mind and actions more closely to Christ, Pope Francis said. “We know that it is not enough to change liturgical books to improve the quality of the liturgy. To just do this would be a deception,” he said. “For life to…
The district attorney for Queens County, New York, has reportedly dropped an unlawful abortion charge against a man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend, citing a new state law that removed abortion from the criminal code. Anthony Hobson is accused of killing his girlfriend Jennifer Irigoyen, who was 14 weeks pregnant, on February 3. He…
A prison sentence without hope serves no purpose other than to stir feelings of revenge and anger in inmates who are looking for a second chance in life, Pope Francis said. Speaking to staff members of Rome’s Regina Coeli prison, the Pope said that both prison staff and inmates always must look forward to the…
When child sexual abuse scandals involving Catholic priests emerge in Africa, they do not draw a frenzied reaction similar to that witnessed in developed countries, but the continent’s Church is affected, Catholic leaders have said. While there is a general view that the scandals are a challenge of the Church in Europe and America, African…
An official of the Central African Republic bishops’ conference has raised doubts about a new government-rebel peace deal and urged the international community to give greater backing to the country’s legitimate armed forces. “Of course, we can hope such an accord might lead toward peace, but if it runs counter to justice and truth, this…
A council in London could become the second local authority in the UK to approve an exclusion zone around an abortion clinic. A regulatory committee of Richmond Council voted last week to make it a crime to attempt any form of interaction with staff or visitors to a center run by the British Pregnancy Advisory…
Jesuit gets green light on sainthood cause The sainthood cause of Jesuit Fr Pedro Arrupe was formally opened in Rome at the Basilica of St John Lateran on February 5, the 28th anniversary of Fr Arrupe’s death. The cause of Fr Arrupe, superior general of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983, was set in motion by the Diocese of Rome, the…
