Richard Williamson, an ultra-traditionalist Catholic bishop whose denial of the Holocaust created a scandal in 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated him and other members of his breakaway society, has died.
It has come as a surprise to many in the Holy See that the Vatican bank fired a newlywed couple, with three young children between them, after a new internal bank regulation went into effect barring workplace marriages.
Pope Francis offered his condolences saying, “In commending the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of almighty God, I offer my deepest sympathies to the families who are now mourning the loss of a loved one.”
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has determined that “in the event of the transfer of a holy day of obligation, the obligation to attend Mass is not transferred.”
Clergy and religious continue to speak out against the Trump administration's sweeping changes to immigration policy as large-scale deportation operations ramp up.
On Jan. 25, Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church was open to accepting a common date for Easter “that everyone wants.” While the pope’s call may seem groundbreaking, it actually goes back to the Second Vatican Council.