The painful experience of the U.S. church and the voices of the faithful worldwide have helped bring about a change in attitude and a change in law. There is no turning back now.
Pope Francis
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Catholic leaders welcome Pope Francis’ new rules on reporting sex abuse
“We would have been far more impressed if this new law required church officials to report to police and prosecutors instead. Oversight from external, secular authorities will better protect children and deter cover-ups.”
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
What, if anything, does the commission on women deacons agree on?
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I talk about three stories from Pope Francis’ trip to Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis issues new rules for accountability and response to allegations of sexual abuse
Pope Francis today issued a wide-ranging decree, known as a “motu proprio” or executive decree, that lays down procedures and norms for reporting abuse in the church, aimed at the eradication of abuse in the church.
Posted inFaith, News
Catholic minorities can still change the world, Pope Francis says
Visiting the small Catholic communities in Bulgaria and North Macedonia offered an opportunity to encourage the faithful to remember God’s miracle of being able to feed a multitude with just a few loaves and fishes, Pope Francis said.
Posted inFaith, Video
Pope Francis: Commission on women deacons did not reach agreement
Pope Francis revealed that the commission he set up two years ago to examine the role of women in the early church did not reach agreement on the question of women deacons.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis says commission on women deacons did not reach agreement
Pope Francis said, “There were deaconesses at the beginning [of the church], but [the question is] was theirs a sacramental ordination or not?”
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis called Jean Vanier to thank him before his death
Pope Francis told reporters May 7 he had been kept informed about Jean Vanier’s failing health and had phoned him a week before his death.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis makes history in North Macedonia
He visited Mother Teresa’s memorial, saw relics of “the saint of the slums” and recited a prayer that he had personally composed. He praised God for the gift of her life and prayed for her intercession for North Macedonia.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
In North Macedonia, Pope Francis encourages peace, prays at Mother Teresa memorial
Pope Francis is the first pope to visit North Macedonia, where Mother Teresa of Calcutta was born.