The year was 1891. In the wake of the Industrial Revolution sweeping the Western world at the time, radical changes were taking place in society regarding working conditions, property ownership, government responsibility vs. individual responsibility, and most fundamentally regarding the critical importance of recognizing the dignity of each individual human person. Looking at these social…
Vatican News—Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, has released another critique of the Synod on Synodality, arguing that the ongoing discussion and discernment process offers “two opposing visions” of the nature, organization, and role of the Church. On the one hand “On the one hand, the Church is presented as founded…
CNA—UPDATED 01/17/23—The Permanent Council of the French Bishops’ Conference has expressed carefully delineated support for the Fiducia Supplicans declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on pastoral blessings. In a Jan. 10 statement, the French Bishops Council acknowledged that the declaration addresses a sensitive topic, namely “the accompaniment in the Church for…
CNA—Pope Francis on Thursday accepted the resignation of Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, based in India, commending the prelate’s faithfulness after decades of leadership in that Church. At the same time, the Holy Father addressed an ongoing bitter dispute in the archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, directing the faithful there to accept…
CNA—Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of the Diocese of Wenzhou in the eastern region of Zhejiang, China, was arrested by Chinese security forces on Jan. 2, according to a report by AsiaNews. During his arrest, the bishop was, according to an AsiaNews source, instructed to “take clothes for spring, summer, autumn, and winter,” indicating that his detention…
Pope Francis on Friday had an audience with Cardinal Raymond Burke, the Vatican said, several weeks after a flurry of media-perceived controversy involving the pontiff and the 75-year-old U.S.-born prelate. A release from the Holy See Press Office briefly mentioned that the pope had met with Burke in an audience on Friday morning. No reason…
CNA—Judges delivered verdicts in the Vatican’s financial corruption trial on Saturday sentencing Cardinal Angelo Becciu to more than five years in prison and convicting five other defendants to similar jail sentences for financial crimes. Historic Trial, Becciu’s Sentence Becciu, the pope’s former chief of staff, is the highest ranking Vatican official ever to face a…
Faith at Work: This is such an eye-opening story. Not only does it showcase the vibrant integration of our Catholic faith and monasteries into the very heart of human history and communities throughout history — FOR CENTURIES UPON CENTURIES. It also showcases the intention and purpose-driven mission of Catholic-founded enterprises, masterfully founded and managed to…
CNA—Retired Bishop Joseph Strickland has been advised to leave his former Diocese of Tyler, Texas, but has not been told he can’t say Mass publicly there, he told the National Catholic Register. “I have received no such instruction,” Strickland said by text Thursday night, responding to a report that he has been barred from saying…
CNA—The Vatican has informed German bishops in writing that the ordination of women and changes in the Church’s teaching on homosexuality cannot be subjects of discussion in the upcoming meetings with delegates of the German Synodal Way in Rome. The letter, dated Oct. 23, also reminded the bishops of potential disciplinary consequences for anyone defying…
Holy Family Church is the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip and has experienced acute danger on the sidelines of the ongoing conflict. Israeli warplanes pounded downtown Gaza City with relentless bombardments into early Tuesday, after Israel’s prime minister vowed retaliation against the Islamic militant group that would “reverberate for generations.” Romanelli, who remains…
“You cannot do anything with your hands if you do not do it with your knees,” Pope Francis CNA—The presence of Jesus in every tabernacle points us to how we can serve our suffering brothers and sisters who share in Christ’s passion today, Pope Francis told American priests this week. In an audience with the…
Vatican News—The Vatican has published the Pope’s decision concerning the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, following an apostolic visitation conducted by two US bishops. The Holy Father [Pope Francis] has removed Bishop Joseph E. Strickland from the pastoral governance of the diocese of Tyler, United States of America, and has appointed Bishop…
VaticanNews / Osservatore Romano—At the Synod press briefing on Friday, October 27, 2023, Dr. Paolo Ruffini reveals how the final Synthesis Report will be voted at the Assembly, and Fr. Timothy Radcliffe asserts that fear of synodality grows out of misunderstanding of its true purpose. By Osservatore Romano “Let us not grow weary of praying…
William McGurn, a longtime The Wall Street Journal editorial columnist, a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board, and a life-long Catholic, is also the godfather of now-imprisoned Hong Kong freedom activist and businessman, Jimmy Lai. Lai launched and ran the enormously popular news outlet, Apple Daily, which is now defunct due to the…
CNA—During the Synod on Synodality, we must be careful about “blaming everything on the Holy Spirit,” Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney has said, noting that if a proposal is radically at odds with the Gospel then “that’s not of the Holy Spirit.” “The Holy Spirit is Christ’s Spirit. He is the Spirit of the Father…
CNA—Just days before the Synod on Synodality kicked off its first round of meetings at the Vatican, a letter from Cardinal Joseph Zen was leaked to media, voicing serious concerns to cardinals and bishops worldwide about the gathering in Rome, and advocating for changes to the synod process as well as spirited discussions of the…
Vatican News—The legal representative of the Secretariat of State, Paola Severino, quantifies the severe “injury” caused by the Sloane Avenue affair – the sale of a London property that made news in 130 countries: The Holy See was “severely damaged” by “merchants in the temple to whom representatives of the institution opened the doors.” “Squandering”,…
Pope Francis recently announced 21 new cardinals. Each has chosen a new spiritual motto reflecting their inner devotion and priorities. CNA—Episcopal mottos selected when a Catholic priest is consecrated as a bishop are traditionally found at the base of his coat of arms and often remain unchanged when a cardinal becomes pope. Chosen Mottos of…
Saint Andrew Kim. CNA—Pope Francis on Saturday invited Catholics in Korea to emulate the zeal of their patron saint, St. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, as his statue was blessed at St. Peter’s Basilica. “[St. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn’s] figure invites us to discover the vocation entrusted to the Korean Church, to all of you: You are called…
