A schism with the Vatican is possible in the Syro-Malabar Catholic archdiocese in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The priests and laity are demanding a liturgy variant status to their traditional Eastern rite Syro-Malaba Mass. Regardless of the outcome, they’ll do what they think is right, even if it means splitting with the body 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
Germany’s Catholic bishops have assured the Vatican that their “Synodal Path” won’t lead to a schism; however, they vowed to proceed with reforms. Summarising the German position, the head of the German bishops’ conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, said the German church would not make decisions that were the Vatican’s to make. “We are Catholic,” Bätzing Read more
A top court in the southern Indian state of Kerala has demanded a cardinal appear to face questions over his alleged involvement in the sale of Church lands. The Kerela High Court dismissed an appeal by Cardinal George Alencherry seeking exemption from appearing in a district court. The decision means the head of Eastern rite Read more
A call from Germany’s “synodal way” to give lay Catholics a clearly defined role in choosing bishops has run into problems. The Southern German Archdiocese of Bamberg says the decision seems incompatible with a concordat governing the appointment of bishops. In their document “Involvement of the faithful in the appointment of the diocesan bishop,” synodal Read more
Decentralisation is likely to be the order of the day from now on, says Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane. “The days of Dioceses as independent fiefdoms and the bishops as a law unto themselves are gone.” Coleridge (pictured), who is the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s outgoing president, explains what he means by this in his Read more
It would be a tragedy for this country if, influenced by overseas excesses, we were to legislate for hate speech. Such legislation could have a chilling effect on debate here on all manner of issues, says former Attorney General Chris Finlayson. Yet that’s exactly what’s likely to happen. Justice Minister Kiri Allan says she will Read more
Growing secularism among younger people is no secret. A 2019 Pew Research Center Survey of Americans aged 13 to 17 found that only 50 per cent believed religion was an important part of their lives, as opposed to 73 percent of their parents. This trend has caught the attention of the United States Conference of Read more
Former Pope Benedict XVI plans to defend himself in a civil lawsuit. The lawsuit has been lodged at a German court by a man who accuses him of helping cover up historical abuse. Back in June, a so-called declaratory action was brought on behalf of a man, then 38-years old. The man said he was Read more
After years of prayerful waiting, Catholics in Indonesia’s Papua finally have what they want — a bishop from their own ranks. Nearly 70 percent or about 3 million of the total 4.3 million population of this underdeveloped province are Christians. Around 675,000 are Catholics. Additionally, there are around 90,000 Catholics in West Papua out of Read more