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☆ Insight: Catholic clergy report surveillance, beatings amid Nicaragua's crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( David Alire Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's five-year campaign against the Catholic church has intensified since February, according to interviews with five priests inside and outside the country. This week's brief release of Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez raised hopes for a turning point. The priests describe heavy surveillance of church services by police or civilian members of government-sponsored community councils, especially since Easter. His latest restrictions seem aimed at silencing priests, Erick Diaz, 33, a Nicaraguan priest in exile in Chicago, said. Nine church leaders inside and outside Nicaragua did not respond to interview requests for this story.

Persons: Daniel Ortega's, Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez, Mexican Bishop Ramon Castro, Pope Francis, Nicaragua's, Ortega, Rosario Murillo, Bishop Alvarez, Alvarez, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Brenes, Martha Patricia Molina, Molina, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Erick Diaz, David Alire Garcia, Philip Pullella, Ismael Lopez, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Sunday, Nicaraguan, Catholic, Vatican, Reuters, Organization of American, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Nicaraguan, Managua, Nicaragua, Mexican, Eastern Europe, Matagalpa, Texas, Leon, Vatican, Chicago, Rome, San Jose

☆ Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Alvarez freed, talks going on - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 4 (Reuters) - Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez was released from prison late on Monday, a diplomatic source said, marking a possible turning point in the government's prolonged crackdown on the Catholic Church. The diplomatic source said on Tuesday that negotiations between the government and the country's Catholic bishops were going on over Alvarez's future, and the prelate was at the Catholic episcopal compound in the capital. The source, who declined to be identified, added that talks included the possibility that the bishop might be expelled from the Central American country or otherwise sent into exile. If the bishop refused to leave the country, he could be returned to prison, the source said. Earlier in the day, the news outlet Confidencial reported that Alvarez had been released on Monday night, citing church and diplomatic sources.

Persons: Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez, Alvarez, Daniel Ortega, Pope Francis, Ortega's, Ismael Lopez, David Alire Garcia, Robert Birsel Organizations: Nicaraguan Catholic, Catholic Church, Central American, Thomson Locations: Nicaraguan, Matagalpa, United States

☆ Papal envoy says Moscow visit focused on humanitarian issues, not peace plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, July 2 (Reuters) - Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said on Sunday his mission to Moscow on the Ukraine war was focused on humanitarian issues and had not involved any discussions of a peace plan. Pope Francis had in May asked Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops' conference, to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine. There is not a peace plan, not a mediation", Zuppi told state broadcaster RAI. On the same day, a Vatican statement said the visit was "aimed at identifying humanitarian initiatives, which could open roads to peace". During his Sunday blessing, Francis called on pilgrims to keep praying for peace, "even during summer time and especially for Ukrainian people".

Persons: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis, Zuppi, Vladimir Putin's, Yuri Ushakov, Kirill, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Constantinople, Francis, Gianluca Semeraro, David Holmes Organizations: MILAN, Papal, Russian Orthodox Church, RAI, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Offices are turning into amenity-filled campuses to entice employees back to work
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Businesses are stuck with trillions of dollars of commercial real estate they need to use. But supply and demand are starting to even out: National demand for office space in May was up 13% from April. But are corporations downsizing the amount of office space they rent as they permanently shift some roles to work from home? Have you seen a shift in the commercial real estate market since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March? The commercial real estate market is largely a regional business, landlords are local.

Persons: That’s, Bell, Nick Romito, It’s, We’ve, hasn’t, Chris Isidore, Ella Nilsen, Ian, ’ We’ve, Anna Cooban, Greene King, Shepherd Neame, ” Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, US Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Securities and Exchange Commission, CBRE, Estate Services, Covid, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Farm, Allstate, State, Brewers, CNN, Heineken Locations: New York, United States, Silicon, Florida, California, California , Florida, Louisiana, United Kingdom

☆ British brewers reduce alcohol in beers as inflation bites
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Since, under UK law, brewers pay less tax on drinks with a lower alcohol content, the newspaper claimed that the companies had pocketed this saving rather than passing it onto customers through lower prices. Brewer Greene King has cut the alcohol content of its Old Speckled Hen pale ale to 4.8% from 5%. In January, Dutch brewer Heineken lowered the ABV content of Foster’s larger — which it sells in the UK — to 3.7% from 4%. Consumer price inflation in the UK remains stubbornly high, reaching 8.7% in April. Inflation has fallen back in recent months, but still clocks in higher than in any other country in the Group of Seven.

Persons: ” Greene King, Greene King, Shepherd Neame, Brewer Greene King, Chris Ratcliffe, Emma McClarkin, ” McClarkin, Mark Carney, Brexit, ”, Carney, revel, “ Organizations: London CNN — Brewers, CNN, Sunday, Bloomberg, Heineken, Beer and Pub Association, “ Brewers, Seven, Former Bank of England, Daily Telegraph Locations: United Kingdom, what’s

☆ Pope Francis orders ex-aide of Pope Benedict to leave Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, June 15 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has ordered Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, the private secretary and long-time aide of the late Pope Benedict, to return to his native Germany by the end of the month without any new assignment, the Vatican said on Thursday. A Vatican statement put an end speculation about what role Gaenswein, a powerful figure in the Vatican for more than a decade before Francis sidelined him after a personal falling out, would have in the Church. Former Pope Benedict died on Dec. 31, nearly a decade after he resigned in 2013, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years. The two-line statement said Francis "had disposed" that the 66-year-old Gaenswein return to his diocese of Freiburg "for the time being". He was Benedict's personal secretary from 2003, when Benedict was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and remained at his side for nearly 20 years, nearly 10 of them after Benedict resigned.

Persons: Pope Francis, Georg Gaenswein, Pope Benedict, Francis, Gaenswein, Benedict, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, Pope Benedict's, Philip Pullella, John Stonestreet, Toby Chopra Organizations: CITY, Church, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Germany, Freiburg, Gaenswein

Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, both 19-year-old students at the University of Nottingham, and Ian Coates, 65, a school janitor, were fatally stabbed. Coates was later found dead from knife injuries on Magdala Road by a member of the public, police said. Police responded to a "major incident" in Nottingham city center early Tuesday morning. “Barnaby Philip John Webber was a beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to,” his family said. “At 19 he was just at the start of his journey into adulthood and was developing into a wonderful young man,” the family added.

Persons: Barnaby Webber, Grace Kumar, Ian Coates, van, tasered, Coates, “, Kate Meynell, Meynell, Lynn Haggitt, ” Haggitt, ” “ I’ve, ”, Darren Staples, Shearer West, Webber, Kumar, ” Webber, “ Barnaby Philip John Webber, Webbs ’, Handout, AP Kumar, “ Grace, Grace, Kumar’s, “ Ian, ” Ross Middleton, Diana Owen, Ian, David Mellen, Jacob King, Constable Meynell, ” Meynell Organizations: CNN, Nottingham, University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Police, Police, BBC, Getty, University of Nottingham’s, Bishops Hull Cricket Club, AP, England, England Hockey, Southgate Hockey Club, Southgate Hockey Club Coates, . Academy Trust, Huntingdon Academy, L.E.A.D . Academy Trust, St, Lawn Tennis Association, Nottingham City Locations: Ilkeston, Milton, Nottingham, AFP, Taunton, England, Huntingdon, St Peter’s, Rothesay, “, Peter's

☆ Ron DeSantis is quiet about his Catholic faith, but it could be his secret weapon to court voters away from Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Tiffany Stanley | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Ron DeSantis rarely mentions the specifics of his religion, faith, or practice of it. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks during the Project Opioid conference at First Presbyterian Church in Orlando on Aug. 20, 2019. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey stand during the Pledge of Allegiance at a campaign event, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey, bow their heads during a prayer at a campaign event, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Clive, Iowa.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, wouldn't, —, Joe Burbank, Brian Burch, Burch, DeSantis, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, He's, Nate Hochman, Hochman, Maria Sullivan, Casey, Charlie Neibergall, Sullivan, Piers Morgan, there's, that's, Phelan M, Paul Harvey, Cary McMullen, John F, Kennedy, El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Wenski, heartburn, US Sen, Joni Ernst, David Polyansky, Ted Cruz, Bob Vander Plaats, Vander Plaats, John Stemberger, Stemberger, we've, Trump, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Pat Robertson, Michael Binder, Tom O'Shields Organizations: Catholic, Service, Florida Gov, First Presbyterian Church, Orlando Sentinel, DeSantis, GOP, New York, Our Lady Star, Republican, Gov, AP, Lourdes Catholic School, The, Catholic Church, El Paso Bishop, Miami Archbishop, Florida Conference of Catholic, US, Policy Council, Trump, University of North, Lilly Endowment Inc Locations: Florida, GREENVILLE, S.C, Iowa, South Carolina, Orlando, Tallahassee, DeSantis, Catholic Church, Northeast Florida, Cedar Rapids , Iowa, Dunedin , Florida, Ohio, Galilee, Israel, Tampa , Fla, Lakeland , Florida, California, Texas, Des Moines , Iowa, Clive , Iowa, University of North Florida, Greenville, Easley , South Carolina

Rome CNN —Pope Francis was recovering well in a Rome hospital on Thursday, the day after the 86-year-old had abdominal surgery that renewed health fears. “This wasn’t an urgent surgery,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who operated on Pope Francis, said at a press conference. Pope Francis, seated in a wheelchair, attended a weekly general audience at the Vatican on June 7. Pope’s fragile healthThis operation is the latest in a series of health scares surrounding Pope Francis. Medical sources say that the intervention was likely related to the surgery Francis underwent in 2021, which removed half of his colon.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN — Pope Francis, “, ”, Matteo Bruni, Francis, ” Dr, Sergio Alfieri, Pope Francis, ” Alfieri, Andreas Solaro, Alfieri, he’s “, –, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Bruni, Francis ’, Pope Francis now, Annatuli, Carina, State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Tarcisio Bertone, ’ ”, Pope Benedict XVI, Gregory XII, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Rome CNN, Vatican, Gemelli, Reuters, Catholic, Papal, Getty, CNN, Spanish, ABC, State, Catholic Church Locations: Rome, AFP, The Prefecture, Mexico, Myanmar, Iraq, Ukraine

☆ Pope Francis to have abdominal surgery, in latest health concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( John Allen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —Pope Francis will have surgery on his abdomen and remain in a Rome hospital for several days, the Vatican said Wednesday, sparking renewed fears over the 86-year-old’s fragile health. The pope was forced to cancel several work commitments in late May after he was debilitated by a fever. According to medical sources, the intervention is likely related to the surgery Francis experienced in 2021 to remove half of his colon. Should Francis be incapacitated for any length of time, the Vatican could find itself facing something of a constitutional crisis. Francis said he wrote the letter several years ago and gave it to then-Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who resigned in 2013.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN — Pope Francis, Francis, he’s “, Vatican, Matteo Bruni, ” Francis, Pius XI, ”, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Tarcisio Bertone, ’ ”, Francis ’, Pope Benedict XVI, “, Gregory XII Organizations: Rome CNN, Vatican, Rome’s Clinic, Catholic, Spanish, ABC, State Locations: Rome, St

The Vatican announced his visit, which many observers see as an uphill effort, in a short statement. It said the main purpose was "to listen carefully to Ukrainian authorities on the possible ways to reach a just peace and support humanitarian gestures that may help ease tensions". At the meeting in May, Zelenskiy asked the pope to back Kyiv's peace plan, which Zelenskiy has repeatedly said is not open to negotiation. "There can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor," Zelenskiy said after his May 13 meeting with the pope. Zuppi hails from the Sant' Egidio Community, a Rome-based peace and justice group which has been instrumental in several peace negotiations, particularly in Africa.

Persons: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Zuppi, Sant, Philip Pullella, Nick Macfie Organizations: CITY, Vatican, Italian Bishops Conference, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Bologna, Russia, Zuppi, Crimea, Rome, Africa, Mozambique

☆ Spain's Catholic Church finds hundreds of alleged child abusers over eight decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, June 2 (Reuters) - An investigation by the Spanish Catholic Church into child sexual abuse by members of the clergy and non-clerical staff has so far identified 728 alleged abusers and 927 victims since the 1940s, according to its first report. "We acknowledge the harm caused," said Jose Gabriel Vera, the spokesman for the Spanish Bishops' Conference. "We want to know what went wrong in the selection of candidates for the priesthood, what went wrong during their training...what has led a person who decided to give himself to God, to give himself to sexual abuse," Vera said. According to the victims - most of them male - more than 63% of the alleged abusers have died. Reporting by Emma Pinedo and Miguel Gutierrez Editing by Andrei Khalip and Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jose Gabriel Vera, Vera, Emma Pinedo, Miguel Gutierrez, Andrei Khalip Organizations: Spanish Catholic Church, Bishops ' Conference, El, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, El Pais, U.S, Ireland, France

☆ Vatican chastises bishops who stoke division on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, May 29 (Reuters) - The Vatican urged bishops and high-profile lay Catholic leaders on Monday to tone down their comments on social media, saying some were causing division and stoking polemics that harmed the entire Church. A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media." It condemned polarisation and extremism that had led to "digital tribalism" on social media, saying individuals were often locking themselves in silos of opinion that hindered dialogue and often led to violence, abuse and misinformation. "The Christian style should be reflective, not reactive, on social media. For example, when groups that present themselves as 'Catholic' use their social media presence to foster division, they are not behaving like a Christian community should," the document said.

☆ Nicaragua accuses Catholic Church of money laundering, freezes accounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 27 (Reuters) - Nicaraguan police said on Saturday they are investigating several dioceses of the Catholic Church for money laundering, a day after local media reported that the bank accounts of parishes in the Central American country had been frozen. Investigations "confirmed the unlawful removal of resources from bank accounts that had been ordered by law to be frozen," the police said in a statement. Ortega's government has intensified attacks against the Catholic Church in the wake of 2018 anti-government protests in which some 360 people died after what human rights groups call police repression. The police statement said the bank accounts were linked to religious figures convicted of treason and other crimes, and that the investigations confirmed the funds entered the country irregularly. "People have their bank accounts here, this is how they carried out their work," Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes said in an article posted on news website despacho505.com.

☆ Pope asks Italian cardinal to carry out Ukraine peace mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Cardinal Matteo Zuppi attends the opening of the inter-religious meeting "The Cry of Peace" in Rome, Italy, October 23, 2022. REUTERS/Remo CasilliVATICAN CITY, May 20 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has asked Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops' conference, to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, the Vatican said on Saturday. Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2019 and he was elected head of the Italian Episcopal Conference last year. Zelenskiy met Pope Francis at the Vatican last Saturday but afterwards appeared to downplay the possibility of a papal mediation. "With all due respect for His Holiness, we do not need mediators, we need a just peace ... Putin only kills.

☆ Charles Is Crowned King in Ancient Ceremony With Modern Twists
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Anointed with holy oil and enthroned on St. Edward’s chair, King Charles III was crowned on Saturday in a solemn ritual that stretches back more than a millennium but unfolded with multiple concessions to the modern age. The coronation, the first since Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953, was a royal spectacle of the kind that only Britain still stages: four hours of pageantry that began with the clip-clop of horses’ hooves on Pall Mall and ended with the vaporous trails of acrobatic jets streaking above Buckingham Palace, as Charles watched from the balcony with Queen Camilla, who had been crowned shortly after him. Yet this was a coronation for a radically different country than when Elizabeth first wore the crown. Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh leaders greeted Charles as he left Westminster Abbey, and there were various attempts — not always successful — to make a medieval ritual more inclusive and democratic. Female bishops from the Church of England took part in the liturgy; hymns were sung in Welsh, Scottish and Irish Gaelic; and when Charles, 74, took a sacred oath to defend the Protestant faith, he also offered a personal prayer, in which he promised to be a pluralistic monarch for a diverse society.

☆ The Coronation of King Charles: Order of Service
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +46 min

The Archbishop saysI here present unto you King Charles, your undoubted King: Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same? Christopher Finney GC saysI here present unto you King Charles, your undoubted King: Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same? We praise thee, we bless thee,we worship thee, we glorify thee,we give thanks to thee for thy great glory,O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O clap your hands together, all ye people;O sing unto God with the voice of melody. The King touches the Ring and the Archbishop saysReceive this Ring, symbol of kingly dignity and a sign of the covenant sworn this day, between God and King, King and people.

☆ Factbox: Key moments in King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - From the religious symbolism of his anointment to the moment when the crown is placed on his head, what are the highlights to look out for during the coronation of King Charles on Saturday? It has been used at every coronation since King William IV's in 1831 and was first used by George III to travel to the State Opening of Parliament in 1762. "This is often thought to be the most sacred part of the ceremony," Charles Farris, Public Historian At Historic Royal Palaces, said. "The big moment, the big photograph moment, the big moment that everyone's going to be talking about, making memes of, making TikToks of, that's when the king is crowned, when the king has the crown put on his head". While the newly-crowned king and queen will be the centre of attention, all eyes will be on whether Charles' younger son Prince Harry appears.

☆ King Charles' coronation to include invitation to public to swear allegiance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - King Charles' coronation on Saturday will include an invitation to the public to swear allegiance to the monarch and to his heirs and successors, the Archbishop of Canterbury's office said, as it published the liturgy to be used for the event. The invitation to people to make their homage by participating in a "chorus of millions of voices" was listed among the new elements of an ancient ceremony in a statement from Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's office. That part of the liturgy reads: "All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. "This Coronation celebrates the traditions of over 1000 years," Welby said on Twitter. Reporting by Muvija M Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Opinion: Why we’re still waiting for the Catholic women’s ‘revolution’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Opinion Opinion Celia Wexler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Celia Wexler is a journalist and the author of “Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Hurt and Hope.” She writes frequently on Catholicism, feminism and politics. That means in the United States, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, that bastion of conservatism, will do the choosing. Will Zagano, who has written extensively about the role of women deacons in the early church, be given a vote? How about British theologian Tina Beattie, who has worked tirelessly to amplify women’s voices in the church? In 2014, Beattie founded Catholic Women Speak, an international group of women focused on one goal: increasing women’s participation in the life and governance of the church.

Rome CNN —Pope Francis will allow women to participate and vote for the first time at an upcoming meeting of Catholic bishops in October. The meeting, known as a synod, normally only allows bishops to vote. Pope Francis on Wednesday approved guidelines that will expand participation and voting to include lay people and women. The changes allow for the participation of 70 non-bishop members, of whom 50% should be women, according to the Vatican’s synod office. A synod is a gathering of bishops which takes place at the request of the pope to discuss a particular topic.

☆ Pope Francis Allows Women to Vote in Bishops’ Assembly for First Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pope Francis has ruled out the ordination of women as priests or bishops but has vowed to make women more prominent in church leadership. Photo: Evandro Inetti/Zuma PressROME— Pope Francis will allow women to participate in an assembly of bishops as voting members for the first time this year, in his latest move to increase the presence of women in leadership roles in the Catholic Church. The Vatican said on Tuesday that the next meeting of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for this October at the Vatican, will include at least 40 women voters, including members of religious orders as well as laywomen.

☆ What Is the Synod of Bishops?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Gaia Pianigiani | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Synod of Bishops is a religious assembly of bishops from all over the world who gather in Rome to discuss issues vital to the Roman Catholic Church and act as an advisory body to the pope. The word synod means “coming together.” It stems from ancient Greek, and is a combination of the word “together” and “road” or “way.”Pope Francis announced on Wednesday that for the first time at an upcoming synod, women and laypeople will be able to vote. As a result, half of the 70 non-bishop voting members will be women, and five nuns will also have voting rights. Preparation for such events requires years, as church leaders hold consultations and listen to their local communities before the selected bishops travel to the Vatican to gather around the pope, who ultimately decides possible changes to the church’s discipline or administration. The Vatican has described synods as opportunities for bishops “to interact with each other and to share information and experiences, in the common pursuit of pastoral solutions which have a universal validity and application.”

☆ Pope allows women to vote at upcoming bishops' meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops, a historic reform that reflects his hopes to give women greater decision-making responsibilities and laypeople more say in the life of the Catholic Church. Francis approved changes to the norms governing the Synod of Bishops, a Vatican body that gathers the world's bishops together for periodic meetings, following years of demands by women to have the right to vote. At the end of the meetings, the bishops vote on specific proposals and put them to the pope, who then produces a document taking their views into account. In addition, Francis has decided to appoint 70 non-bishop members of the synod and has asked that half of them be women. He has appointed several women to high-ranking Vatican positions, though no women head any of the major Vatican offices or departments, known as dicasteries.

☆ Pope allows women to vote at bishops meeting for first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Pope Francis leaves following the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneApril 26 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in a historic move that could lead to more inclusiveness in decision-making in the Roman Catholic Church, will allow women to vote for the first time at a global meeting of bishops in October. The revolutionary rules, announced on Wednesday, allow for five religious sisters with voting rights. The 70 priests, religious sisters, deacons and lay Catholics will be chosen by the pope from a list of 140 people recommended by national bishops' conferences. In another last year, he named three women to a previously all-male committee that advises him in selecting the world's bishops.

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