Pity Opus Dei Just when they ve dampened the fires of the Da Vinci Code they find themselves implicated in an extraordinary story of mafioso murders secret service intrigues and of course our old friends Archbishop Marcinkus and the Vatican Bank To be fair Opus Dei s involvement in the story o
Austen Ivereigh
Austen Ivereigh is a fellow in Contemporary Church History at Campion Hall, at the University of Oxford, and a biographer of Pope Francis. In 2020 he collaborated with Pope Francis on Let Us Dream: the Path to a Better Future, published by Simon & Schuster. His most recent book is First Belong to God: On Retreat with Pope Francis, published by Loyola Press.
Vatican strengthens clerical sex abuse procedures
Among the 17 modifications to its canonical norms dealing with grave crimes gravioribus delictis against the sacraments announced today the Vatican has extended the time allowed for a case against a priest for sexual abuse from 10 to 20 years from a victim s 18th birthday and has speeded the pr
Anglican trads reach a crossroads
Pope Benedict XVI s homecoming offer to Anglican opponents of women bishops looks more enticing now that the Church of England Synod has rejected a proposal for a separate jusrisdiction to accommodate them The scheme put forward by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York was voted down by the Church
Papal visit to UK breathes more easily with Patten on board
Pope Benedict XVI s 16-19 September visit to the UK is firmly back on the tracks after three months of confusion following a change in government and seemingly endless changes to the timetable At least that s how it seemed yesterday at the Foreign Office where the Archbishop of Westminster Vince
Organisers frame UK papal visit as ‘gift’
Two things about Benedict XVI s UK 16-19 September visit became clearer this week the reason for the recent uncertainties about the itinerary and the messages which the Pope s three days on British soil are intended to send The Archbishop of Westminster s press conference on Tuesday shed light on
Pope promises action on abuse — but what?
It wasn t anything new exactly and a lot less than I had speculated he might do but Pope Benedict s heartfelt words this morning before a sea of 15 000 priests in white albs in St Peter s Square was still pretty powerful stuff Speaking at the close of the Year of Priests on the 150th anniversar
Will Pope use largest ever meeting of priests to announce new global abuse policy?
More than 10 000 priests from 91 countries will gather in Rome today through Friday in what is thought to be the largest ever meeting of Catholic clergy The three-day program of events — mostly eucharistic as you d expect — marks the close of the Year of Priests declared by Pope Benedict XVI w
Britain’s Surprise Coalition: Can a new partnership solve the U.K.’s old problems?
Can a new partnership solve the U.K.’s old problems?
Is Pope Benedict’s UK visit really in trouble?
It all seemed to be going so well The itinerary was agreed following a Vatican delegation in January the costs were estimated and the fundraising got underway But now according to a blistering article in the Spectator and reports in the Daily Telegraph Pope Benedict XVI s 16-18 September visit
Senior prelates to oversee Irish church reform
An apostolic visitation of the Church in Ireland will begin in the autumn the Vatican announced yesterday Two cardinals and three archbishops from the UK the US and Canada will offer assistance to the Bishops clergy religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situatio
