It’s all Pope Francis’ fault (or merit). Those who fiercely criticize the Synodal Path that the Catholic Church in Germany embarked upon in 2019 — and even those who enthusiastically support it — cannot deny that the Jesuit pope is responsible. The only reason the Germans have been able to spend the past three years Read more
Pope Francis had some suggestions for the International Theological Commission (ITC) when they met at the Vatican last Thursday. More women Francis suggested that the prestigious ITC could consider including more women in their group. Not because it’s the ‘done thing’ according to current fashion, he added. Rather, Francis suggests, women bring a different intellectual Read more
The foreign minister of Belarus has suddenly died after reportedly holding secret talks to end the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Makei, 64, was seen as the primary communication channel to the West in dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s hardline pro-Russia regime. His death mysteriously came the day after he met with the Pope’s envoy Ante Jozić where Read more
Wairarapa parishioners in Carterton were disappointed to see their parish house hauled away last week. Former parish council member Asrina Hutchinson told Stuff it was sad to see the building go after it played such an important role in the community over the years. “It was a very happy place and very much a parish Read more
An Italian court has dismissed Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s claims that unfavourable media coverage cost him the opportunity to be pope at the next Conclave. He has tried and failed twice to convince the court of his entitlement. Not only have Becciu’s claims been dismissed, but he has been ordered to pay thousands in damages and Read more
Back in the late 1960s and 1970s, detractors of St. Paul VI dubbed him the “Hamlet Pope” for his alleged waffling and the perceived fashion in which he would agonise over difficult decisions. Whether that image of the pontiff was fair or not, it stuck, so much so that it featured in the opening paragraphs Read more
Very charming, very stubborn. That’s Pope Francis in a nutshell, according to one of his doctors. Following a colon operation last year, Francis has repeatedly let it be known that he did not want more surgery, and since May, Francis, 85, has frequently been seen using a wheelchair or walking stick due to his knee Read more
If you are my age, then you will probably agree that our childhood coincided with the golden age of television situation comedies — “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “My Favorite Martian,” “Gomer Pyle,” and the under-appreciated masterpiece, “My Mother The Car,” in which Jerry Van Dyke discovers that his beloved mother has been reincarnated as a 1928 Read more
We’re all guilty, at least many of us whose job it is to report or comment on the Catholic Church. Let’s just admit it: we are obsessed with bishops. It seems like they are almost always the main focus or at least a significant part of whatever we write or talk about. And why not? Read more
Princess Anne has officially endorsed a historic friendship agreement between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church in Scotland. Anne, Princess Royal, formally signed the St Margaret’s Declaration at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife. The Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly and the Most Rev’d Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews Read more