Tapfuma Murove, Zimbabwe’s country representative for Catholic Relief Services, the overseas development arm of the U.S. bishops, said that climate change tops the list of drivers of African migration. “There are many reasons for why people make the decision to migrate, whether that is to escape conflict, to seek higher education, or to find a job,” … Read more
The Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano has appealed to Catholics to “fast from gas” and other fossil fuels during Lent in solidarity with those suffering “cold in Ukraine.” Lent is “a time for reflection and concrete actions such as ‘fasting from gas’ and limiting the use of heating,” the newspaper proposed, “not only as a … Read more
Jesuit Father James Martin, an LGBT advocate, affirmed Saturday his belief that two men can enter into a real marriage that must be recognized as such. Responding to Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, who proposed that Pete Buttigieg’s same-sex marriage to his partner Chasten is not a true … Read more
The back-to-back deaths of Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop George Pell constitute a “very heavy loss” for the Catholic Church, Archbishop Charles Chaput said Friday. While the Church will continue her witness because she depends on no one except Jesus Christ, the former archbishop of Philadelphia told The Pillar, a U.S.-based Catholic news outlet, their absence, … Read more
Pope Francis called on the International Theological Commission Thursday to increase the number of women in its ranks, insisting they make theology “tastier.” “I believe that perhaps it would be important to increase the number of women, not because it is fashionable,” the pontiff declared, “but because they think differently from men and make theology … Read more
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin addressed the U.N. COP27 climate summit Tuesday, urging net-zero emissions and warning climate change “will not wait for us.” Speaking for Pope Francis, Cardinal Parolin told the dignitaries gathered in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Skeikh that the Holy See is fully committed to the goal of … Read more
The editors of the Wall Street Journal have published a searing indictment of Pope Francis, insisting he has undermined the Church’s moral authority by pandering to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The case in point is the Vatican’s renewal Saturday of its secret agreement with the CCP on the appointment of bishops in the country, … Read more
This week a reporter asked the pope whether Cardinal Zen’s arrest and trial constitute a violation of religious freedom, to which the pontiff basically answered that Zen got what was coming to him. The pope first denied that China is undemocratic, insisting that such labels are unhelpful because China is a very “complex” country. Second, … Read more
The president of the Pontifical Academy for Life called Italy’s notorious Law 194 legalizing abortion “a pillar of society” this weekend, insisting that no one is looking to overturn it. Interviewed by Italian state television Rai Tre, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia lauded the 1978 law allowing abortion in Italy, a move that critics called a new … Read more
The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See began flying the LGBT rainbow flag Wednesday and tweeted in celebration of Pride Month, an innovation of the Biden administration. This is the second year running in which the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See celebrates Pride Month, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a blanket authorization … Read more