Posts By Date - Catholic Herald

May 08, 2019

The Amazon synod will “probably” call for married priests, German Bishop Franz-Josef Bode has predicted. The Pope has sent Cardinal Konrad Krajewski to help refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has received a pilgrim group led by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar General of Rome. Lucetta Scaraffia discusses life after

Has Pope Francis just ruled out women deacons?

May 08, 2019

Pope Francis waded into a major Church controversy on Tuesday when he spoke to the question of ordaining women to the diaconate. While he did not give a definitive “No” on the issue, he did make it clear that the commission he appointed three years ago to study the matter had not reached any sort

Pope names relator general and special secretaries for Amazon synod

May 08, 2019

Pope Francis has chosen Brazil’s Cardinal Claudio Hummes to serve as relator general of October’s Synod of Bishops on the Amazon. The nomination of the 84-year-old retired Archbishop of Sao Paulo was announced at the Vatican on May 4. The relator is responsible for providing a comprehensive outline of the synod’s theme at the beginning

Georgia governor signs heartbeat bill restricting state abortions

May 08, 2019

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation May 7 to ban abortions in the state once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks. The bill’s signing comes after weeks of protests and amid outcry for legal action against it. “We will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life,”

Pope Francis called Jean Vanier to thank him before his death

May 08, 2019

Pope Francis told reporters May 7 he had been kept informed about Jean Vanier’s failing health and had phoned him a week before his death. “He listened to me, but he could barely speak. I wanted to express my gratitude for his witness,” Pope Francis said May 7, the day Vanier died in Paris. “He

Pope Francis in North Macedonia: History is written by people like Mother Teresa

May 08, 2019

In the first-ever papal visit to North Macedonia Tuesday, Pope Francis lauded the lasting legacy of Mother Teresa, a saint unafraid to offer her life for love. “This land was able to give to the world and to the Church in Mother Teresa just that kind of concrete sign of how one small person, anointed

Full text of Pope Francis’ in-flight press conference from North Macedonia

May 08, 2019

Please read below for CNA’s full transcript of the pope’s May 7 in-flight press conference from Skopje, North Macedonia to Rome: Alessandro Gisotti: Good evening Holy Father, thank you after such intense days for being here to share a thought about this journey that was so intense and so beautiful. A short trip, inevitably a

Pope Francis: No plans for female deacons, but study continues

May 08, 2019

Pope Francis said Tuesday that the Vatican commission exploring the possibility of female deacons continues its study, but does not have any consensus that would lead soon to a plan of action. “For the female diaconate, there is a way to imagine it with a different view from the male diaconate,” Pope Francis said May

The irony in accusing medievalists of white supremacy

May 08, 2019

Each May some 3,000 scholars descend upon Kalamazoo, Michigan for an annual conference of medieval studies. It’s a kind of jamboree for a wildly diverse group of academics who love their historical subject. It’s not the sort of thing the New York Times usually writes about. Yet just this week, Times reporter Jennifer Schuessler took

Asia Bibi leaves Pakistan

May 08, 2019

Asia Bibi, the Christian mother-of-four who spent eight years awaiting execution for blasphemy, has left Pakistan and joined her children in Canada. Although the Pakistani authorities refused to confirm either her departure or destination, Bibi’s lawyer, Saif ul Malook, confirmed to the BBC that she had already arrived in Canada. Two of her children are

Morning Catholic must-reads: 08/05/19

May 08, 2019

The Vatican commission on women deacons did not reach agreement, Pope Francis has said (full text). The Pope has praised the late Jean Vanier for caring for “those who are discarded by the world”. The nephew of an arrested underground Chinese bishop has said he doesn’t know whether his 87-year-old uncle is dead or alive.