The following comes from a Jan. 2 story on CruxNow by John Allen. When news broke on New Year’s Eve that the Vatican’s two official spokespersons, American Greg Burke and Spaniard Paloma Garcia Ovejero, had resigned, words such as “sudden” and “unexpected” figured in many headlines. One understands the point, as there had been no advance indication their exits were … [Read more...]
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Firing of Pope’s mouthpieces not a surprise
Burke and Garcia Ovejero are journalists at heartJanuary 3, 2019 4 Comments
The railroading of Cardinal Pell
John Paul II's biographer to the defenseJanuary 3, 2019 6 Comments
The following comes from a Dec. 31 story by George Weigel, Pope John Paul II's biographer, in the New York Post. No one with a sense of justice can fail to be outraged when, in To Kill a Mockingbird, a jury in Maycomb, Ala., bows to social pressure and convicts an innocent man of a crime he couldn’t have committed. Something similar took place last month in real-world … [Read more...]
The Catholic year from hell
Vigano August letter still unansweredJanuary 1, 2019 35 Comments
The following comes from a Dec. 28 story posted by CNN. A prominent cardinal resigned in disgrace. Grand jurors accused hundreds of Catholic clerics of secretly abusing children. A former Vatican ambassador urged the Pope himself to step down. It was enough for New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan to call it the Catholic Church's "summer of hell." The cardinal may have … [Read more...]
“The Church will spare no effort”
With his hands visibly shaking, Pope Francis spoke directly to abusive clergy, telling them to prepare to face justice, both human and divineDecember 21, 2018 8 Comments
Pope Francis strongly condemned clerical sex abuse in his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia Friday, promising that the Church leadership will never again cover-up abuse or treat such cases lightly. “Let it be clear that before these abominations the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes. The … [Read more...]
Vatican asks bishops to meet with victims ahead of February summit
Letter to participating bishops says meetings with victims are necessary "to learn first-hand the suffering that they have endured"December 19, 2018 5 Comments
Organizers of the Vatican’s February meeting on sexual abuse have sent a letter to the participating bishops asking them to meet with abuse victims in advance of the gathering. “We urge each episcopal conference president to reach out and visit with victim survivors of clergy sex abuse in your respective countries prior to the meeting in Rome, to learn first-hand the suffering … [Read more...]
A state crime
Pope Francis doubles down on death penalty, calls it a lingering value of bygone centuries when “the instruments available to us for the protection of society were lacking”December 18, 2018 35 Comments
The death penalty is always a rejection of the Gospel and of human dignity, and therefore must be rejected by all countries, Pope Francis told the Delegation of the International Commission against the Death Penalty on Monday. In his meeting with the delegation at the Vatican, the Pope set aside his prepared remarks and gave an impromptu address. In his prepared text, which … [Read more...]
“They have convicted an innocent man”
Trial observer: “It was absolutely clear to everyone in that court that the accusations were baseless. It wasn’t that Pell didn’t do what he’s accused of -- he clearly couldn’t have done it.”December 17, 2018 11 Comments
After reports of a guilty verdict emerged in the trial of Australian Cardinal George Pell, some in Australia have questioned the integrity of a process undertaken under the veil of a media blackout. The cardinal was convicted Dec. 11 on five charges that he sexually abused two altar servers while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the late 1990s. The unanimous verdict followed … [Read more...]
Cardinal Pell found guilty of sexually abusing altar boys
Pell has vigorously denied allegations he molested two altar boys during a swimming trip in the 1990s when he was bishop in BallaratDecember 12, 2018 27 Comments
Cardinal George Pell has been convicted by an Australian court on charges of sexual abuse of minors, according to media reports and CNA sources close to the cardinal. A judicial gag order has restricted Australian media coverage of the trial since June. Despite the gag order, a story published Dec. 11 on the Daily Beast website first reported that a unanimous verdict of … [Read more...]
A reality we can’t deny
Pope Francis discusses homosexuality in the priesthood: "People with that kind of ingrained tendency should not be accepted into the ministry or consecrated life"December 1, 2018 46 Comments
In a book-length interview to be published next week, Pope Francis addressed gifts and challenges for clerical and religious vocations, among them the challenge of homosexuality in the clergy. “The issue of homosexuality is a very serious issue that must be adequately discerned from the beginning with the candidates, if that is the case. We have to be exacting. In our … [Read more...]
SSPX, Vatican impasse continues following November 22 meeting
Society of St. Pius X: the fundamental problem is "irreducible doctrinal divergence"November 28, 2018 51 Comments
After a meeting between the superior general of the Society of St. Pius X and the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the canonically irregular priestly society said the problem in its relations with the Holy See is fundamentally doctrinal. Fr. Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, met for two hours Nov. 22 with Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria … [Read more...]
