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January 11, 2019

US Catholics losing trust in clergy, survey finds

January 11, 2019

Trust in the clergy has declined sharply over the last year, a new Gallup poll shows. Only 31 percent of American Catholics now rate the honesty or ethical standards of the clergy as “high” or “very high.” The figures, released Friday, show a drop of 18 points since 2017. Among American Protestants, the same question

New structure for Vatican Press Office announced

January 11, 2019

The Vatican announced Friday that Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Vatican communications department, has amended the organizational structure of the Holy See Press Office to include a senior advisor, two assistants, and an office manager. The positions are in support of the press office director and will remain in place beyond the mandate of Alessandro

Pope’s Romania trip confirmed for early summer

January 11, 2019

The Vatican confirmed Friday that Pope Francis will travel to Romania to the cities of Bucharest, Iaşi, and Blaj, and to a Marian shrine in eastern Transylvania, at the end of May and beginning of June. The trip is set for May 31 to June 2 and will include a stop at a Marian shrine

Across the US, organizers prepare for pro-life marches

January 11, 2019

Thousands of pro-life advocates will rally this month in major cities throughout the country, marking the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that mandated legal abortion in the U.S. March for Life Chicago will take place on Jan. 13, drawing numerous pro-lifers from Illinois and surrounding states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan,

Venezuelan bishops denounce Maduro’s new presidential term as illegitimate

January 11, 2019

The bishops of Venezuela have said that Nicolas Maduro’s swearing in for a second term as president Thursday is illegitimate. “The claim to be initiating a new presidential term of office on 10 January 2019 is illegitimate in its origin and opens the door to the nonrecognition of the government, since it lacks democratic support

Former Latin American leaders criticise Pope’s comments on Nicaragua, Venezuela

January 11, 2019

Twenty former heads of state and government from Latin America have written a letter to Pope Francis finding fault with the wording of his Christmas blessing for Venezuela and Nicaragua. Published in Spanish-language newspapers on January 6, the letter claims the Pope’s December 25 “Urbi et Orbi” blessing unintentionally minimized the oppression of Venezuelans and

Congo bishops question presidential election results

January 11, 2019

The bishops of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among several major observers casting doubt on the results of the nation’s December 30 presidential elections. “[T]he results of the presidential election as published by the CENI [National Election Commission] do not correspond to the data collected by our observation mission from the polling and

Wuerl knew McCarrick abuse allegations in 2004

January 11, 2019

An allegation of misconduct against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick was reported to Cardinal Donald Wuerl in 2004, despite Wuerl’s insistence he knew nothing about McCarrick’s alleged sexual misconduct until 2018. Wuerl forwarded the report to the apostolic nuncio in Washington, DC, the Diocese of Pittsburgh said Thursday. A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington confirmed to

Morning Catholic must-reads: 11/01/19

January 11, 2019

Cardinal Donald Wuerl was informed of an abuse allegation against Theodore McCarrick in 2004, reports the Catholic News Agency. Expectations for February’s safeguarding summit are “excessive”, the Vatican’s Andrea Tornielli has said (George Weigel). Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has denied reports that he submitted his resignation to Pope Francis five years early. Peter Steinfels

‘We strive to develop a sense of chastity’: how Catholic colleges are fighting porn

January 11, 2019

Pornography shouldn’t be part of a Catholic college experience. That’s obvious to many Catholic parents: in an age when even Starbucks, McDonald’s and Tumblr have moved to block wi-fi access to pornography, you would hope the country’s more than 200 Catholic colleges would be leading the way. It’s not clear how many colleges have installed