The Vatican is concerned that the US Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) has “serious doctrinal problems which may affect many in consecrated life” and is to undergo a forced reform. The announcement, made on April 18 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, came in an 8 page “doctrinal assessment” based on an investigation by Read more
The Marist priest and theologian Fr Sean Fagan has been advised by Rome that if any word of their latest action against him reached the media he would be stripped of his priesthood. According to Mary Cunningham, a friend of Fr Fagan’s, “the silencing of Sean, after a lifetime of service to the church, was Read more
The Vatican and a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics appear to be nearing an agreement that could bring the group back into Rome’s fold and end a quarter-century of schism. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Wednesday the Society of St. Pius X had delivered an “encouraging” response to the Vatican’s demands that Read more
The Vatican insisted this weekend that it has always cooperated with Italian officials investigating the 1983 kidnapping of one of its residents, the teenage daughter of one its employees. Two weeks ago a senior prosecutor in Rome, Giancarlo Capaldo, was reported as asserting that serving members of the Curia “know the truth” about Emanuela’s disappearance. Read more
The Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X , Bishop Bernad Fellay, sent a message reserved to the other three bishops and to all priests belonging to the Lefebvrist group, confirming the state of relations with the Holy See. Rumours around hint towards a positive outcome of the prolonged negotiations. According to Vatican Read more
As Pope Paul VI once famously told the United Nations, the Catholic church likes to think of itself as an “expert in humanity.” Development of Catholic social teaching over the last 120 years is a good example, as the church has tried to bring its moral tradition to bear on questions of economic justice. Yet Read more
Oxford University and the Vatican are teaming up to make 1.5 million pages of ancient texts available for free online over the next four years. Oxford University made the announcement Thursday, saying that the digitization will focus on three subject areas: Greek manuscripts, 15th century printed books, as well as Hebrew manuscripts and early printed Read more
Catholic priests in Ireland were treated like imbeciles during a Vatican probe into the clerical child abuse crisis that rocked the country, it has been claimed. Father Sean McDonagh criticised the investigation and maintained processes used by Rome when examining complaints about clergy were appalling. The Columban Father, a founding member of the liberal Association Read more
A body of 800 priests in Ireland is disturbed over the Vatican’s silencing of one of its founding members for his liberal views. As reported in CathNews, Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery last week was asked by the Vatican to stop writing articles in the Redemptorists’ monthly magazine. In a statement released on Tuesday, Fr Brendan Read more
A Roman Catholic cardinal on Tuesday praised Buddhism for instilling the values of wisdom, compassion and non-violence in young people in a message to mark the Buddhist feast day of Vesak. “As Buddhists you pass on to young people the wisdom regarding the need to refrain from harming others and to live lives of generosity Read more