In his address for the opening of the General States of Birth, Pope Francis confronted the issue head on, noting that the Italy has long had the lowest birth rate in Europe. In 2020, Italy saw the fewest number of births since national unification in the 19th century. Although young people want to have children, the Pope said, “their dreams of life, buds of rebirth for the country, clash with a demographic winter that is still cold and dark: only half of young people believe they will be able to have two children in their lifetime.”

The Nuncio to Spain says "no one can doubt the credibility of the Church in its statements and activities" with regard to clerical sexual abuse.

Asked by reporters if he intended to resign, Woelki said: “To simply accept moral responsibility and go -- to protect the standing of the episcopate and the Church -- would be too easy and is, in my view, wrong.”

A leading theologian and member of the CDF – not to mention the principal architect of John Paul II’s Catechism of the Catholic Church – Cardinal Schönborn was speaking to Vienna’s archdiocesan newspaper, Der Sonntag.

The pope received the family of Carlo Acutis in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace on March 18 after his general audience. Acutis’ parents, Andrea and Antonia, were present for the blessing of the statue of their recently beatified son, as were Carlo’s younger twin siblings, Francesca and Michele.

The week-long pro-life initiative, starting on March 19, is supported by Catholic bishops in dioceses across the country.

Archbishop Stefan Hesse of Hamburg made his brief declaration live on YouTube March 18, saying: “I am of the firm conviction that taking responsibility is part of our duty to actively deal with this dark chapter in the best possible way and to move towards a better future for everyone, first and foremost for the victims themselves.”

The report found more than 200 wrongdoers and more than 300 victims, most of them boys under the age of 14. Roughly half the allegations pertained to sexual abuse of different kinds and gravity, while the rest fell under the rubric of “boundary violation” or other misconduct of a sexual nature.

Over 51% of voters backed the measure in a March 7 vote. The ban on facial coverings in public places does not mention Islam directly but was presented as a burqa ban. It would also affect protesters who wear ski masks and bandanas. The ban exempts venues that are religious institutions, facial coverings used for health reasons and masks used for traditional Carnival celebrations.

Jean-Marc Sauvé, the highly regarded 71-year-old career civil servant and former vice-president of France’s Council of State, told reporters on Tuesday that a June 2020 figure of 3,000 victims “is certainly an underestimate.”  

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, Archbishop of Luxembourg and current President of COMECE, addressed the concluding session of the study day, stressing that Europe's future -- and that of humanity as a whole -- depends on the family, and that the strength of society can be measured by the practice and cultivation of intergenerational solidarity. 

Bishop Georg Bätzing told journalists at a press conference on Feb. 25 that it was necessary to respect the “personal decision of conscience” of those seeking to receive Communion.