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☆ Pope Will Allow Women to Vote at Meeting of Bishops
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Vatican announced on Wednesday that Pope Francis would for the first time allow women to vote at a coming meeting of bishops, an important step toward giving them more say in the affairs of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope also increased the number of laypeople who will participate next October at the meeting, the Synod of Bishops, which periodically meets at the Vatican to discuss issues such as how to deal with divorced couples. The coming synod is centered on fostering a greater involvement of the faithful as the church moves forward. The Synod advises the pope and is influential, although only he makes church policy. The rule changes for the bishops’ meeting were made public on Wednesday in a document outlining the norms governing the synod.

Coronations at Westminster Abbey go back almost one thousand years. Like Charles III, William had his coronation at Westminster Abbey. Gross says coronation blunders do not become truly significant for monarchs until their reign starts to go wrong. A “beautiful and symbolic” silver cross containing a piece of the so-called True Cross will lead King Charles’ coronation procession in London next month. Meanwhile, gun salutes will sound from military bases and ships at sea to mark the moment Charles is crowned King.

☆ Catholic leader accuses Ron DeSantis — who has positioned himself as a defender of the Christian faith — and Florida Republicans of seeking to criminalize 'empathy' with new anti-immigrant crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski says a Republican immigration bill would criminalize "empathy." Wenski accused Florida Republicans of trying to "demonize" vulnerable people. In a statement issued Thursday, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski echoed that criticism, accusing Florida Republicans of playing state-level politics with a federal issue. It is not the first time that DeSantis and Florida's Republicans have run afoul of the Catholic Church. In February, the Florida Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops, told Insider that it opposes a DeSantis-led push to expand the death penalty.

☆ Ukraine says it seized assets of billionaire accused of aiding Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has accused Novynskyi of "aiding" Russia, which invaded Ukraine last year. The representative, who did not want to be named, on Friday said the billionaire denies the charge. The SBU said it had seized assets including ownership deeds to 40 Ukrainian enterprises and 30 natural gas wells. "The property of pro-Russian oligarch Vadym Novynskyi, who is involved in aiding the aggressor country, was seized," the SBU said in a statement. The details of the accusations against him for aiding Russia have not been spelled out by the SBU.

☆ Oklahoma to vote on first religious charter school in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

April 11 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board is set to vote on Tuesday on whether the state will allow the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S. - a decision that promises to ignite a legal battle testing the concept of separation of church and state. The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board will vote on an application backed by the Catholic church for the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, planned by its organizers to offer an online education for kindergarten through high school initially for 500 students and eventually 1,500. The board is a state entity that considers applications for charter schools - publicly funded but independently run - that operate virtually in Oklahoma. Laser disagreed and said her organization would fight the Catholic church in any court over St. Isidore and any other publicly funded religious school. "There is an attack being waged on public schools in Oklahoma, and that attack is to convert public schools into religious schools," Laser said.

☆ Evangelicals say Ron DeSantis is threatening religious liberty with his support for a bill that criminalizes aid for immigrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A group of Florida evangelicals on Thursday criticized a bill that criminalizes the transport of migrants. Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans to make it a felony to knowingly transport an undocumented immigrant, calling it a potentially dangerous infringement on religious liberty. Violators could be charged with a second-degree felony under the bill, which in Florida is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Another church leader suggested DeSantis and other Republicans were playing politics — but confusing evangelical support for the rule of law with backing for punitive measures targeting vulnerable immigrants. It's not the first time religious leaders have clashed with DeSantis, who has styled himself a warrior for the Christian faith.

☆ Pope Francis Extends Rules for Sex-Abuse Investigations to Catholic Lay Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pope Francis has been criticized for not releasing the names of bishops and heads of religious orders investigated for abuse. ROME—The Vatican on Saturday published new legislation that extends to lay leaders of Catholic organizations the existing rules for investigating bishops over sex abuse or its coverup. The amended rules aim to fill a major gap in the Vatican’s effort to improve accountability over sex abuse, following revelations of abuse by lay leaders, but the changes are unlikely to quell criticisms that the procedure in place lacks transparency.

☆ Pope extends sexual abuse law to include lay leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] People reach out to touch Pope Francis' hand during his meeting with the faithful of parishes from Rho at the Vatican, March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiVATICAN CITY, March 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday updated rules on dealing with sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, expanding their scope to include lay Catholic leaders and spelling out that both minors and adults can be victims. BishopAccountability.org, a not-for-profit organisation looking to document the abuses within the Roman Catholic Church, said the revision was "a big disappointment" and fell short of the "extensive revamping" the policy against the abuses would have required. The updated provisions have been unveiled a month after the Roman Catholic religious order of Jesuits said that accusations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse against one of its most prominent members were highly credible. Rupnik has not spoken publicly of the accusations, which have rattled the worldwide order, of which the pope is a member.

☆ Zelenskiy: Ukraine seeks 'spiritual independence', acts against church
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine's punitive actions against a branch of the Orthodox church linked to Russia are part of a drive to achieve "spiritual independence," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday. Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian leaders have accused the long-established Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of undermining Ukrainian unity and collaborating with Moscow. "One more step towards strengthening our spiritual independence was taken this week," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, without referring directly to the order. Orthodoxy is the primary faith in Ukraine and the Moscow-linked church has been in competition for worshippers with an independent Orthodox Church, founded after the Soviet collapse in 1991 but only recognised by church hierarchy in 2018. The Ukrainian culture ministry says the Moscow-linked church has until March 29 to leave the Pechersk Lavra monastery complex.

☆ Russian Orthodox head appeals against eviction of church from Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 11 (Reuters) - Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on Saturday asked Pope Francis and other religious leaders to persuade Ukraine to stop a crackdown against a historically Russian-aligned wing of the church. Kyiv on Friday ordered the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to leave a monastery complex where it is based, the latest move against a denomination the government says is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow. Kirill said it was regrettable that Ukrainian worshippers' rights and freedoms were being blatantly violated. Among the many leaders to whom the appeal is addressed are Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros as well as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk, the church said. Most Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a separate branch of the faith, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of Moscow's authority.

☆ Ukraine orders Russian-aligned Orthodox church to leave Kyiv monastery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 10 (Reuters) - Ukrainian officials on Friday ordered a historically Russian-aligned wing of the Orthodox Church to leave a monastery complex in Kyiv where it is based, the latest move against a denomination regarded with deep suspicion by the government. Kyiv is cracking down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) - which accepted the authority of the patriarch of Moscow until after Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year - on grounds that it is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow. The Ukrainian culture ministry said the UOC had been ordered to leave the 980-year-old Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, where it has its headquarters. Authorities said they had found pro-Russian literature on church premises, and Russian citizens being harboured there, allegations the UOC denied. Most Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a separate branch of the faith, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of Moscow's authority.

☆ The life and times of Pope Francis as he marks his 10th anniversary as pontiff
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/3] Pope Francis greets people as he attends the weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, March 8 (Reuters) - Following are some of the major events of the life and ministry of Pope Francis, who marks the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on March 13. 2017Jan. 2 - Pope Francis says in a letter bishops must show zero tolerance to clergy who sexually abuse children. May 18 - In unprecedented move, all Chile's bishops offer to resign after attending crisis meeting with Pope Francis. In March 2022, he introduces a reform saying Catholic women could in future take charge of most departments.

☆ Pope Francis again turns screws on use of traditional Latin Mass
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday further tightened the screws on Catholic conservatives over the use of traditional Latin Mass, rebuking bishops who had allowed it to be said in parishes without previous permission from the Vatican. Francis issued a brief but unequivocal decree underscoring sections of a document he issued in 2021, when he overturned liberalising decisions by his two predecessors, who had been more lenient towards the traditional Latin Mass. Some also had closed an eye to the regulation that priests ordained after 2021 needed special permission from the Vatican to say the old-style Latin Mass. Some conservatives in the Church have used the Latin Mass as a battle cry in their general opposition to the reforms of the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, which included the introduction of Mass in vernacular languages. Many missed the Latin rites' sense of mystery and awe and the centuries-old sacred music that went with it.

☆ Ron DeSantis styles himself a culture warrior for God. But his push to expand the death penalty is 'deeply concerning' to the Catholic Church.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Catholic Church is speaking out against a GOP push to expand the death penalty. Making it "easier to impose death is deeply concerning," Michael Sheedy of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops told Insider. 'Deeply concerning'Any effort to expand the death penalty in Florida will face obstacles: the state and US constitutions. "An execution represents a judgment by fallible human beings that a person is beyond redemption – a judgment the Catholic Church rejects," they said. Tony Argiz, right, recalled how the Catholic Church helped him when he came to the US from Cuba as an unaccompanied minor.

☆ More than 100 priests suspected of abuse remain active in Portugal's Catholic Church
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People walk by a church on the day Portugal's commission investigating allegations of historical child sexual abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic church will unveil its report, in Lisbon, Portugal, February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File PhotoLISBON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - More than 100 priests suspected of child sexual abuse remain active in church roles in Portugal, according to the head of a commission investigating the issue. "There is an approximate (number of accused priests) and it will clearly be more than 100," child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, who headed the commission, told SIC television. The commission said it was preparing a list of accused priests still working to send to the Church and to the public prosecutors' office. Strecht said the Church had the "moral and ethical duty to collaborate with judicial authorities" on the matter.

[1/5] A cross at the top of a church is seen on the day Portugal's commission investigating allegations of historical child sexual abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic church will unveil its report, in Lisbon, Portugal, February 13, 2023. Strecht said the 4,815 cases were the "absolute minimum" number of victims of sexual abuse by clergy members in Portugal since 1950. The Portuguese Catholic Church was rocked last year by cases of alleged cover-up of sexual abuse including by bishops who remain active in church roles. The Portuguese commission started its work in January 2022 after a report in France revealed around 3,000 priests and religious officials sexually abused over 200,000 children. The commission, which says it is independent, was financed by the Catholic Church.

REUTERS/Antony NjugunaJUBA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will lead prayers at the mausoleum of South Sudanese liberation hero John Garang on Saturday, an acknowledgement of the importance for the world's youngest nation of perhaps the one leader who could ensure unity. The mostly Christian and animist south voted in a referendum six years later to secede from the mostly Muslim north. When South Sudan became independent on July 9, 2011, tens of thousands flocked to Garang's mausoleum in the new capital of Juba to celebrate. Garang rallied South Sudan's disparate ethnic groups behind a common cause. Garang's widow, Rebecca, is one of South Sudan's five vice presidents, along with Machar, in a unity government formed after the 2018 peace deal.

Summary Pope received vibrant welcome in KinshasaAddressed DR Congo's struggles with war, exploitationNow heads to predominantly Christian South SudanArchbishop of Canterbury joins for South Sudan legKINSHASA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis wraps up an emotional visit to Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday and heads to neighbouring South Sudan, another nation struggling to overcome decades of conflict and grinding poverty. On Wednesday, he heard harrowing stories from victims of conflict in eastern Congo who had witnessed the killings of close relatives and been subjected to sexual slavery, amputation and forced cannibalism. The pope will be joined for the whole of his visit to South Sudan by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the global Anglican Communion, and by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields. It is the first joint foreign trip by the three Christian leaders, who have called it a "pilgrimage of peace". South Sudan broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011 after decades of north-south conflict, but civil war erupted in 2013.

☆ Demonstrators in DR Congo demand pope meet sexual abuse victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Benoit Nyemba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Luc GnagoKINSHASA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Around two dozen activists and sexual abuse victims demonstrated in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital on Thursday across the road from a cathedral where Pope Francis was meeting clergy. They held up placards, including some demanding that the pope meet with clergy abuse victims in the country. The demonstration in Kinshasa was organised by Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), an international group, one of many that have been bringing attention to sexual abuse in the worldwide Church. There were no plans for the pope to meet with victims of sexual abuse in Congo, where about 50% of the population is Roman Catholic. The 86-year-old pope has met with many victims of sexual abuse, both in Rome and on foreign trips.

☆ 1 dead in Spanish church machete attacks, terror link probed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The assailant then went to a second church, Nuestra Señora de La Palma, a five-minute walk away, where he attacked the sexton. Police gather outside the Church of San Isidro, in Algeciras, Spain on Jan. 25, 2023. Nono Rico / Europa Press via APThe Algeciras town hall said the sexton was named Diego Valencia and identified the wounded priest as Antonio Rodríguez. The town hall said he was hospitalized and in stable condition. The town hall declared a day of mourning when flags will fly at half-staff.

☆ Pope Francis says homosexuality is a sin but not a crime and criticizes 'unjust' anti-gay laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church. “Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Experts say even where the laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigmatization and violence against LGBTQ people. Declaring such laws “unjust,” Francis said the Catholic Church can and should work to put an end to them. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.”“It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another,” he added.

☆ Homosexuality not a crime, Pope Francis says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as "unjust," saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church. "Being homosexual isn't a crime," Francis said during an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Declaring such laws "unjust," Francis said the Catholic Church can and should work to put an end to them. On Tuesday, Francis said there needed to be a distinction between a crime and a sin with regard to homosexuality. when he was asked about a purportedly gay priest, Francis has gone on to minister repeatedly and publicly to the gay and trans community.

☆ Pope calls for an end to violence in Peru, urges talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Pope Francis on Sunday made an impassioned plea, delivered partly in Spanish, for an end to widening violence in Peru over demands for the resignation of the country’s president. No more deaths!”Francis, who is a native of Argentina, pointed out that Peruvians were among the faithful in the square on Sunday. A woman waves a Peruvian flag Friday during an anti-government protest in Lima. Guadalupe Pardo / APUntil recently, the protests increasingly engulfing Peru had been concentrated in the country’s south. Demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Dina Boluarte, the former vice president sworn into office Dec. 7 to replace Castillo.

☆ Church of England apologizes for treatment of LGBTQ people
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The Church of England formally apologized Friday for its treatment of LGBTQ people even as it said that same-sex couples still will not be allowed to marry in its churches. The apology from the church’s bishops came in a report following five years of debate on the church’s position on sexuality. The report will be delivered to the church’s national assembly, the General Synod, which is meeting in London next month. It has proposed offering same-sex couples the chance to have a church service with prayers of dedication, thanksgiving or for God’s blessing after they have a civil wedding or register a civil partnership. Same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales since 2013, but the church did not change its teaching when the law changed.

☆ Church of England apologises to LGBTQI+ people for 'shameful' treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Muvija M | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Church of England refuses to allow same-sex marriagesLeader of the church: 'It's a long journey'LGBTQ+ campaign group says church not inclusive enoughLONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Church of England bishops apologised to LGBTQI+ people on Friday for the rejection and hostility they have faced, with the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledging that the religious body was still "very divided" on the subject. The Church of England, central to one of the world's oldest Christian institutions, the Anglican communion, stood by its teaching that marriage is between "one man and one woman" in the proposals. A spokesperson for gay and transgender lobby group Stonewall said the Church of England had "once again" fallen short on being inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ+ Christians. The Church of England and the Anglican Communion are very divided," Welby told reporters on Friday, ahead of a meeting of the synod next month where the proposals will be deliberated further. But this is an enormously important point, not only within the Anglican Communion and the Church of England, but also across the global church," he added.

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