Pope Francis Archives - Page 16 of 464

Pope Francis

Instrumentum Laboris or Instrumentum Deceptionis?

July 10, 2023

The Catholic Church is indeed in serious need of renewal. But when has the Church not been? The task for each generation is one of discernment. Discernment is both a facet of common sense, but like so many aspects of the life of faith, it has a spiritual or supernatural dimension too. St Paul reminds

Sciaf chief appointed to lead Caritas six months after mass sackings

May 16, 2023

The executive director of Sciaf, the overseas aid agency of the Scottish bishops, has been elected as head of Caritas Internationalis six months after the Pope sacked the leadership team amid allegations of bullying and harassment. Alistair Dutton, a former Jesuit novice who has worked for Sciaf since 1996, was chosen to serve as Secretary

Pope cracked down on Latin Mass to halt ideological ‘restorationism’

May 10, 2023

Pope Francis has said he launched the latest crackdown against access to the Traditional Latin Mass because the Old Rite was being misused “in an ideological way”. The Pontiff told a group of fellow Jesuits that he authorised the “rescript” that led to the cancellation of Old Rite Masses in churches throughout the world because

Why Pope Francis chose Hungary for his speech on ‘ideological colonisation’

May 01, 2023

A year or two ago I speculated about whether Pope Francis had intended a snub to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán by only visiting his country very briefly. It seems I was wrong because the Holy Father has been enjoying a rather longer stay in Hungary in the last few days. Part of his agenda was

Lay people, including women, will participate in Synod on Synodality assembly, Vatican announces

April 27, 2023

The 2023 Synod of Bishops will include lay people, half of whom will be women, organisers revealed in a landmark development for the Church’s synod process. According to Vatican News, 70 lay people appointed directly by Pope Francis, 50 per cent of whom shall be women, will enjoy voting rights at the assembly, which will consist

Vatican preparing text for divorced and remarried couples, Cardinal Farrell says

April 26, 2023

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life is preparing a document that will address divorced and remarried couples at the request of Pope Francis, according to the dicastery’s prefect, Cardinal Kevin Farrell. Farrell mentioned the in-progress document in a speech delivered in Italian on April 22 that opened a meeting of the dicastery,

‘Careless words cost lives’ – reflections on recent statements from the Pontifical Academy for Life

April 25, 2023

A number of news outlets have picked up the story that Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has appeared to lend his support the legal toleration of assisted suicide. The story is based on a speech he gave during the International Journalism Festival in Perugia. In a later clarification, the Archbishop stated that he “reaffirms his

Pontifical Academy for Life president says assisted suicide ‘feasible’

April 24, 2023

The Italian archbishop in charge of the Pontifical Academy of Life has said that assisted suicide is “feasible” under certain conditions. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the president of the academy founded by Pope St John Paul II to promote and defend human life, suggested that the practice could not be ruled out if certain safeguards are