The Pope has ordered the laicisation of Fernando Karadima, a Chilean priest convicted in 2011 of the sexual abuse of minors. He had previously been sentenced to a life of prayer and penance. Pope Francis made the “exceptional decision” to dismiss Karadima from the clerical state, “in conscience for the good of the Church”, according…

A well-known Chinese prelate has dubbed a new deal between the Vatican and China as a “betrayal” of Catholics in the country. For the first time in decades, all of the Catholic bishops in China are in full communion with the Pope, the Vatican announced. Cardinal Joseph Zen, former bishop of Hong Kong, called on…

A Catholic priest has been kidnapped in Niger, near the border with Burkina Faso. Italian Fr Pierluigi Maccalli, a member of the Society of African Missions, was taken last week after suspected Islamist gunmen attacked his rectory in the village of Bamoanga. “The kidnapping happened at around 9pm. According to local residents, about eight men…

The Archbishop of Newark has announced he will not attend an October gathering of bishops slated to discuss young adults and vocational discernment. The archbishop cited his pastoral obligations in the archdiocese amid the US Church’s ongoing sexual abuse crisis. “This Synod is a uniquely important moment in the life of the Church, and I…

In Lithuania, a nation that has experienced invasions, atrocities and persecution, Pope Francis began his visit with a plea to break down walls of suspicion and fear. “If we look at the world scene in our time, more and more voices are sowing division and confrontation – often by exploiting insecurity or situations of conflict…

The Polish archbishop tasked with overseeing Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Medjugorje shrine has outlined plans for expansion, including more Masses in different languages and facilities for young pilgrims who flock to the site of the alleged Marian apparitions. “Medjugorje represents Europe’s spiritual lungs, a place where millions discover God and the beauties of the Church,” said Archbishop Henryk…

The Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese’s release of the names of priests and deacons credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor “is an appropriate step and part of a commitment to openness and transparency by the Church in this area” a member of the Indiana Diocesan Review Board has said. “I am hopeful too that…

God
 ‘searches 
for 
disciples 
amongst 
sinners’ God went looking for and chose so many Christians and saints from the dregs of society, inviting some of the worst sinners to be his disciples, Pope Francis said in a morning homily. It would be easy to think, he said, that Jesus “doesn’t have good judgment in choosing people” given that he chose…

Elise Harris   Despite the pain and suffering they have experienced, Catholics in the Baltic states can take hope in the steadfast care of the Virgin Mary, as depicted at the Gate of Dawn in Lithuania, Pope Francis said today. “The years pass, the regimes pass, but above the Gate of Dawn of Vilnius, Mary,…

The anger of people frustrated by the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is affecting him and devalues his pontificate, according to letters written by the Pope Emeritus and published today in a German newspaper. “I can well understand the deep-seated pain that the end of my pontificate caused you and many others. But for some…