One third of divorced and remarried Catholics, who have not had their first marriage annulled, receive Communion, according to a Tablet survey. More than 4300 people from around the world completed a questionnaire on www.thetablet.co.uk between 3 and 14 October about what they’d like to see from the synod on the family. Nearly 85 per Read more
An investigation has been ordered into the events that led to the resignation of English Bishop Kieran Conry last month. The inquiry, to be headed by an independent investigator, was ordered by Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark. A diocesan spokesman said the investigation would “be undertaken in respect of Bishop Conry’s relationship with potentially vulnerable Read more
The final report from the synod on the family has narrowed down aspects of a “welcoming” preliminary report, especially concerning gay people. The preliminary report, issued half way through the synod, asked if the Church community was welcoming to gay people. It noted that gay people have “gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian Read more
There has been a mixed reaction in New Zealand to the Family Synod document relatio post disceptationem – the half-way report drafted by a group of Synod fathers selected by Pope Francis. Wellington-based Catholic moral theologian John Kleinsman describes the statement as “momentous” and says it’s an exciting time to be Catholic. Peter Lineham, Massey University historian. says Read more
Heading into an Oct. 5-19 Vatican summit of bishops to discuss the family, the single most controversial question was whether Catholics who divorce and remarry outside the Church ought to be allowed to receive Communion. Since the meeting reaches its halfway mark Sunday, it’s logical to wonder where things stand. Alas, the answer is: We Read more
An Austrian cardinal says the Church under Pope Francis will find new ways of responding to people who don’t live up to its teachings. Speaking to media at the synod on the family, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn said it is clear that the Church must reach out to those whose marriages have failed. No one must Read more
Cardinal Walter Kasper says some prelates who have taken a hard line ideological position prior to the synod on the family have got the Gospel all wrong. In an interview with America Magazine and Argentina’s La Nacion, Cardinal Kasper said some cardinals and bishops fear a domino-like collapse in the Church’s moral structure. “That’s their Read more
A prominent American cardinal in the Roman Curia has accused the media of attempting to hijack next month’s synod on the family. Cardinal Raymond Burke, who heads the Apostolic Signatura, said the media has created an expectation of changes to Church teaching that can’t happen. The Apostolic Signatura is the highest judicial body in the Read more
Britain’s most senior Catholic has said that the Church has forgotten the importance of mercy during the past few decades. Ahead of next month’s synod on the family, Cardinal Vincent Nichols told a press conference that he grew up in a “Church that understood itself as a Church of sinners”. “[But] I don’t think it’s Read more
Pope Francis has ordered a review aimed at simplifying the Church’s procedures for marriage annulments. An 11-member commission, announced on Saturday, will seek to “simplify the (annulment) procedure, making it more streamlined, while safeguarding the principle of the indissolubility of marriage”, the Vatican said. The commission is made up of canon lawyers and theologians and Read more