Is Pope’s PR safety net misrepresenting his use of slang?
ROME – One curious feature of the modern papacy is the informal, but very real, PR safety net which grows up almost spontaneously around every pontiff. It’s forged in part by the Vatican’s own official communications channels, but even more so by outside commentators and media platforms heavily invested in selling a given pope’s story […]
Pope apologizes for any offence caused by anti-gay slur
ROME – After reports circulated internationally saying Pope Francis used a crude slang term to refer to homosexuality in Catholic seminaries, the Vatican has said he meant no offense and apologized, but without admitting the pope used the term. In a May 28 statement, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said, “Pope Francis is aware of the […]
Papal authority rejected by Chinese government: Last week in the Church with John Allen Jr.
Pope upstaged at World Children’s Day Papal authority rejected by Chinese government Vatican tries to address Coptic uproar First millennial saint set to be canonized Rome’s infrastructure ready for Jubilee 2025?
Amid growing violence in southwestern Colombia, Church calls for dialogue and peace
SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Growing violence in the southwest of Colombia has been spreading fear in the region of Cali, the third largest city in the South American country. Despite the complexity of the current situation – often involving terrorist attacks by guerrilla groups – the Church keeps alerting the actors involved in the problem […]
Nuncio to Kenya says ‘secularism’ is hurting Church in Euroope
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, the Vatican representative in Kenya, blames the receding Church in Europe on the continent’s move towards secularism, noting that ‘the teachings of Western society on abortion, euthanasia, gender theory, are clear symptoms of a society that has lost its inner compass and is helplessly floating on the tempestuous […]
Experts offer insight into specific dynamic of abuse in Latin America
ROME – On Tuesday a panel of experts presented a new compendium of abuse cases across Latin America, a region containing the highest percentage of the world’s Catholics, offering an analysis of some of the most prominent cases to garner global attention in recent decades. Titled, “Abuse in the Latin American Church: An Evolving Crisis […]
Report: U.S. Catholics ‘desire to rebuild and strengthen our communion’
NEW YORK – To address noticeable tensions, American Catholics want Church leaders to foster unity through promoting interculturality and greater co-responsibility, and for them to better articulate Church teaching, according to the latest synod synthesis report for the American Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on May 28 published the “National Synthesis of […]
Religious minorities in Pakistan most affected by modern-day slavery, British report says
LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Religious minorities in Muslim-majority Pakistan are disproportionately made into modern day slaves, according to a new report issued by a group of UK parliamentarians. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Pakistani Minorities issued “Exploitation of Bonded Brick Kiln Laborers in Pakistan: The Unseen Modern-Day Slavery” on Wednesday. The study showed religious […]
Fresno latest California diocese to file for bankruptcy
NEW YORK – A sixth California diocese has filed for bankruptcy. Bishop Joseph Brennan of Fresno announced May 28 that the diocese will file for bankruptcy, as it faces 154 child sexual abuse lawsuits. Brennan said the decision allows the diocese to ensure it handles the claims equitably and allow ministry to continue in the […]
Rupnik case complex, but in ‘advanced stage,’ Vatican official says
ROME – Seven months after the Vatican reversed its previous course and opened a canonical inquiry into a famed Slovenian priest and artist, a high-ranking official has said the case, while delicate, is in advanced stages. Speaking to journalists Wednesday on the margins of a panel on the abuse crisis in Italy, Irish Monsignor John […]