Although the idea of a papal visit to Ukraine was in the air even before the February Russian invasion, it wasn’t until this week that several figures in the know began speaking of a “realistic” possibility that Pope Francis may travel to Kyiv before the summer ends. In an interview, Pope Francis said that the…
Eugenio Scalfari, a highly acclaimed journalist who helped found Italy’s Radical Party and its most widely-read leftist newspaper, who also made waves throughout the Catholic world for his eyebrow-raising and often questionable conversations with Pope Francis, has died aged 98. Mr Scalfari is widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed Italian journalists of the…
A cardinal who leads India’s Syro-Malabar Church has been cleared by his state government of charges of wrongdoing related to real estate deals estimated to have resulted in losses of around $10 million. The financial controversy led to protests from some of his own clergy and laity, and his temporary loss of administrative authority by…
US bishops issue abuse compliance audit The US bishops’ annual report on compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People shows that 2,930 victim survivors came forward with 3,103 allegations during the audit year of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. The number of allegations is 1,149 less than that…
In yet another wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis said that he doesn’t plan to step down anytime soon, though he prays for the strength to do so when the time is right. If the day comes when he does resign, the pontiff said he would prefer to be considered the “bishop emeritus of Rome rather than…
The U.S. bishops’ pro-life chairman said it is “deeply disturbing and tragic” that President Joe Biden has chosen to use his power as the nation’s chief executive “to promote and facilitate abortion in our country” than support resources for pregnant women in need. Mr Biden is “seeking every possible avenue to deny unborn children their most basic human and…
Pope Francis names three women to office that helps him choose bishops Ten days after saying he would name two women to the group that helps him choose bishops, Pope Francis appointed three women to the office. The Vatican announced on July 13 that the Pope had named 14 new members of the Dicastery for Bishops. For the first…
Christian mechanic Ashfaq Masih has been sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan after allegedly saying that Jesus Christ is the only true prophet. Reading out the 12-page judgment July 4, Khalid Wazir, additional session judge of the Lahore High Court, sentenced Mr Masih to death and fined him 100,000 rupees (€1,246). Mr Masih, 34,…
The agenda for the Second Assembly of Australia’s Plenary Council was disrupted July 6 after more than 60 of the 277 members staged a protest over issues regarding women in the Church, including the defeat of a motion to formalise support for the ordination of women as deacons. A sense of crisis among plenary members, lay…
The European Parliament has called on the Vatican “to give full support to Cardinal Zen” and told the Holy See it should “strengthen its diplomatic efforts and its leverage on the Chinese authorities”. In a resolution passed on July 7, the parliament condemned the arrest of the 90-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong by Chinese authorities and demanded that…