The Catholic Church is charged with caring for souls, but Pope Francis has reminded us over and over again of the importance of caring for bodily needs as well.
Essays in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, urged the Catholic Church to allow women to preach from the pulpit at Mass, a role that has been reserved almost exclusively to the all-male clergy for centuries. Enzo Bianchi, leader of an ecumenical religious community in northern Italy,
Speaking out against exploitation and unfair wages for workers, Pope Francis told benefactors to forget about donating money to the church if their earnings came from mistreating others. “Please, take your check back and burn it,” he said to applause. “The people of God—that
Cardinal George Pell of Australia promised to work with a group of survivors of sexual abuse to help prevent suicide among victims and support healing and protection programs, even as he faced scalding criticism in Australia after days of giving testimony from Rome to an investigating commission in
House Speaker Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, became the highest-ranking politician to speak at a pro-life rally when he joined protesters outside the Supreme Court on March 2 as the justices were hearing oral arguments on a Texas law that imposes new restrictions on abortion clinics. • A N
China’s slowing economy continues to worry international observers.