Amended Constitution threatens to erode democracy in Togo, bishop warns
Bishop Benoît Alowonou, president of Togo’s national bishops’ conference, spoke about a new Constitution adopted by the Togolese National Assembly that transitions the government from a presidential to a parliamentary system and how it threatens democracy.
Anglican primate signs AI ethics statement backed by pontifical academy (Rome Call for AI Ethics)
Archbishop Jutin Welby of Canterbury, the Anglican primate, has signed the Rome Call for AI Ethics. The Rome Call, which dates from 2020, was first signed by leaders of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Microsoft, IBM, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. It was later signed by Jewish and Muslim representatives and, more recently, […]
Pope to speak at event on Italy’s record-low birth rate (CNA)
The director of the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis will take part in “The General State of the Birth Rate,” a May 7 conference in Rome organized by the Forum of Family Associations and the Foundation for Births. Births in Italy have fallen for 15 consecutive years and now stand at a […]
It is ‘terrible to earn with death’: Pope denounces weapons factories (Vatican Press Office (Italian))
At the conclusion of his May 1 general audience, Pope Francis renewed his appeal for peace and denounced the manufacture of arms. “Let us not forget to pray for peace: let us pray for the peoples who are victims of war,” he said. “War is always a defeat, always. Let us think about tormented Ukraine, […]
Pope: Education must form people, not offer impossible ideals
Pope Francis meets with members of the Blanquerna Foundation from Barcelona, and urges Catholic universities to provide education that helps people form their minds and hearts, without seeking to create “illusory replicas of impossible ideals.” Read all
Amid synod process, Catholics continue to call for expanded church roles for women
Calls for fuller participation of women in church leadership have been heard throughout the multi-year synod process. Now, as the process has moved into its next phase, the call for expanded roles for women continues.
The rise and fall of ‘Father Justin’ highlights Catholic sexism
“Father Justin” debacle makes Rebecca Bratten Weiss “wonder whether some Catholics would be more likely to welcome a robot pope overlord than they would be to accept a woman in a position of ministerial leadership.”
Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire is too thin-skinned for its own good
Asking Commonweal to retract a passage in an article Word on Fire didn’t like raises a larger issue: that a diocesan bishop, armed with a personal media empire, thinks it is appropriate to stifle public discussion.
Your letters: Bishop Barron, ‘Dignitas Infinita,’ Gaza coverage
Letters to the editor: NCR readers reply to articles on Bishop Barron and Commonweal, Dignitas Infinita, and LGBTQ+ issues.
In ‘Dignitas Infinita,’ the Vatican defends people, not politics
Tackling matters that are the topic of political debates today, the new Vatican document Dignitas Infinita, or “Infinite Dignity,” drew more controversy than intended.