At 93 and apparently suffering from dementia, former cardinal Theodore McCarrick is unlikely to be tried on criminal charges of sexual abuse. It’s likewise doubtful he’ll ever testify in court in pending civil lawsuits against him. And the Vatican seems to have moved on, having issued a long report about him almost three years ago, … Read more
The archbishop of Europe’s largest archdiocese in terms of number of Catholic faithful has been criticized for releasing pastoral guidelines that appear to define homosexual attraction as love, and equating them to heterosexual relationships with respect to pastoral care. In a pastoral proposal for 2023-2024, Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan wrote that “particularly delicate attention … Read more
In case you didn’t notice, the process of choosing the next pope has begun. No, Pope Francis is still going strong and the cardinals didn’t slip back into the Vatican under cover of night and immediately convene in conclave. But that doesn’t mean the selection process isn’t happening. Look closely and you can see it … Read more
In an extensive new interview published Thursday, Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández has outlined his vision as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, one that places an emphasis on engaging contemporary culture and real-life experiences, and stressing the importance of charity in both moral theology and theological reflection. Speaking to La Civilta … Read more
The incoming prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has warned that bishops — both “progressive” and those from “traditionalist groups” — who think they have a “special gift of the Holy Spirit to judge the doctrine of the Holy Father” are on a road to “heresy” and “schism.” Speaking in response … Read more
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, urged Catholics to shed any fears or concerns of the upcoming Synod on Synodality, declaring the gathering to be part of an ancient Catholic tradition that seeks how to “remain faithful to Christ’s own plan” for the Church. A “synod” is a periodic gathering of bishops in the … Read more
De mortuis nil nisi bonum. So goes the ancient Latin aphorism: Speak no ill of the dead. But what of the dead who did so much ill that any speech at all would have to include it? That’s the dilemma facing Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, New York. What should he say about Bishop Emeritus … Read more
A Catholic priest pleaded guilty this week to charges of child sex exploitation related to the transport of a minor from South Carolina to Florida several years ago. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said in a press release Thursday that 68-year-old Father Jamie Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias had entered a guilty plea … Read more
Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, stressed that “the priesthood is unique” and warned that “no council, no synod” can “invent a female priesthood.” In his conference on the priesthood, entitled “Joyful Servants of the Gospel,” given July 3 at the Conciliar Seminary in … Read more
Ever since their parish was suppressed in 2016, former parishioners and others connected to St. Adalbert Church in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood have tried to keep the church building in the community’s hands. But now, St. Adalbert members are facing the prospect that not only might they lose their bid to reacquire the church and keep … Read more