The United Nations Committee against Torture has issued a damning report on the Vatican’s response to the clergy child sex abuse crisis. Among the committee’s accusations were failures to report allegations of abuse to authorities, and refusing to disclose information for criminal proceedings. The report cited Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Papal Nuncio to Australia, who, it Read more
During a meeting with the Pope in Rome, New Zealand’s Governor General, Sir Jerry Mateparae has invited Pope Francis to visit New Zealand. Mateparae wrote on his Facebook page: “Our audience with Pope Francis was a very special occasion for us today.” “Pope Francis was well informed about New Zealand. He was most interested in Read more
Whac-A-Nun season opened with a bang in Rome as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) again excoriated the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). Rapped knuckles belonged to LCWR, to Fordham theologian Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, and to any other American woman walking around with letters after her name. Even Seattle Archbishop J. Read more
New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae will be visiting Pope Francis at the Vatican by the middle of May. While the official announcement is yet to be made,this could be the very first state visit made by a New Zealand governor general to the Pope.The governor general’s office said they had “consulted historian Gavin Read more
[Sunday]’s canonisation of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II drew 800,000 people to Rome. I spoke with a small fraction of the massive crowd that filled the streets near the Vatican, but every one of them agreed: Two popes, two saints, two more reasons to be happy. Much of the commentariat – and Read more
‘Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for words, is the living reflection of the face of Christ’. Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millennium). These words have always appealed to me, challenged me and inspired me to try to be a ‘living reflection of the face of Christ’. Read more
Every spring in Rome, the big production is normally the Easter Mass celebrated by the pope. This year Easter remains the spiritual linchpin, but in popular terms it’s more like a warm-up act for next Sunday’s double-play canonisations of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. This will be the first time two popes have Read more
The Vatican has warned the United Nations about falling fertility rates around the world, saying that they “should be a great cause for alarm”. Citing a report from the UN’s secretary general, the Vatican mission to the UN stated that “no fewer than 80 countries now register a fertility rate below replacement level”. That trend Read more
When you meet the Pope wear conservative dress : dark suits for men, long sleeved, high-neck dresses or suits for women. It is customary – although not obligatory – for women to wear mantillas to private papal audiences. For diplomats attending certain papal ceremonies dress is white tie and tails and a black (not white) Read more
You could be forgiven for not knowing where the buck stops in the Catholic Church these days. In any society, organization or Church community, it is important to know who is ultimately responsible in decision making; otherwise, chaos or worse would prevail. In an unprecedented (for a cardinal) cross examination in court last week, Cardinal Read more