Vatican prosecutor seeks 7 years in prison in cardinal’s financial trial The top public prosecutor for the Vatican has asked the judge in Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s financial malfeasance trial to serve the embattled prelate with seven years and three months in prison and to confiscate more than $15 million in connection with his alleged mismanagement…
An English Catholic bishop has praised a court for releasing a woman jailed for aborting her baby eight months into pregnancy. Auxiliary Bishop John Sherrington of Westminster, who leads pro-life efforts of the bishops’ conference of England and Wales, said he welcomed the decision of the Court of Appeal in London to free Carla Foster…
Fr Johan Verschueren, a Jesuit official and the superior of Fr Marko Rupnik, announced June 15 the expulsion of Fr Rupnik from the Society of Jesus due to his “repeated refusal” to address the allegations of sexual abuse and to comply with the restrictions placed on him. Fr Rupnik had according to canonical norms until…
Cardinal Louis Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, announced July 15 that he is withdrawing from his seat in Baghdad after Iraqi President Abdul Rashid revoked a decree recognising him as head of the Christian Church in Iraq. Cardinal Sako said he will be taking up residence in a monastery in Kurdistan, an autonomous…
European bishops July 18 released a statement condemning the drafting of a right to abortion in the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, arguing that the proposed amendment would run afoul of European Union law and human dignity. The enshrining of abortion rights in the EU’s rights charter has been a prolonged subject of debate there.…
Argentine priest is Pope Francis’ new personal secretary Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 17 announced that Pope Francis has appointed a priest from the Buenos Aires Archdiocese, Fr Daniel Pellizzon, 40, to act as his personal secretary. Fr Pellizzon will replace Fr Gonzalo Aemilius in the position. Archbishop García said…
US bishops warn against changing definition of brain death The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and a key Catholic bioethics group are both warning of a potential rewriting of US law to broaden the definition of brain death, a revision they claim relies on “deficient medical criteria”. The USCCB and the National Catholic…
The Vatican has commissioned a new investigation of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (Sodality of Christian Life), a lay society of apostolic life founded in Peru. The investigation will be led by Archbishop Charles Scicluna, assistant secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and an expert on sexual abuse, the Peruvian newspaper La…
Abuse allegations against Catholic clergy and religious in the US declined last year, but challenges remain regarding protecting vulnerable adults and ensuring online safety, according to the US conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB). On July 14, the USCCB’s Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection released the ‘2022 Annual Report – Findings and Recommendations on the…
The United Nations Human Rights Council approved a controversial resolution Wednesday that urges member states to more aggressively prosecute acts of religious-based antagonism, with the motion passing even amid opposition from United States and European delegations. The measure, backed by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and passed by a 28-12 vote, calls upon member states…