Posts By Date - Catholic Herald

March 04, 2019

Vatican to open secret archives on Pope Pius XII

March 04, 2019

The Vatican will open the secret archives on Pope Pius XII, Pope Francis has announced. Pope Pius led the Church through the Second World War, but has faced criticism for not speaking out more forcefully against the Nazis. Supporters say Pius worked behind the scenes to save Jews, and that ending the Holy See’s neutrality

Cardinal Pell to be sued over alleged swimming pool abuse

March 04, 2019

A man who claims he was molested by George Pell in a swimming pool in the 1970s is filing a lawsuit against the cardinal. The man, who was one of four complainants to give evidence against Pell in the now-dismissed second trial, alleges that the cardinal and a nun assaulted him while he was resident

Amazon synod ‘will discuss replacing bread with yuca at Mass’

March 04, 2019

A leading South American theologian has said October’s Amazon Synod will discuss replacing bread used in the consecration of the Eucharist with yuca, a shrub native to the region. Jesuit Fr Francisco Taborda said traditional bread usually used in the Mass often turns to mush in the extreme humidity of the Amazon, meaning “it’s not

We were made to be immortal, but we need Christ’s help to achieve it

March 04, 2019

Today’s readings take speech very seriously. They assume that there is a correspondence or that there ought to be a correspondence between what the mouth speaks and what’s in the heart. I noted yesterday that speech, even in some ancient versions of the Book of Sirach, is one of the things that makes us like

Where do Ash Wednesday ashes come from?

March 04, 2019

“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Or, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” On Ash Wednesday, millions of Catholics throughout the English-speaking world will hear one of these two blessings as a priest applies ashes to their forehead in the sign of the cross. But where exactly do the black or

Stop gossiping and repent of your sins, Pope says

March 04, 2019

In a visit to a Roman parish on Sunday, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to stop gossiping and ruminating on the shortcomings of other people, and to instead focus on repenting of their own sins. “The Lord wants to teach us not to go criticizing others, not to look at the defects of others: look first

Morning Catholic must-reads: 04/03/19

March 04, 2019

A good person “draws good from his heart and from his mouth”, Pope Francis said at yesterday’s Angelus (full text, full video). The Pope has sent a video message welcoming the opening of a new health centre in the Central African Republic. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi has said that a “diaconate for women would be possible”.

How do we make sense of the aftermath of Vatican II? This book is a clear guide

March 04, 2019

I have just been re-reading Turmoil and Truth: The Historical Roots of the Modern Crisis in the Catholic Church by Philip Trower, which I reviewed for the Herald in 2003 when it was first published (paperback are available on Amazon). It still bears reading today as we are still living in the aftermath of Vatican