Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
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Hans Küng, dissident theologian, dead at 93
Hans Küng, the theologian whose work drew a censure from the Vatican, died on April 6 at his home in Tubingen, Germany, at the age of 93. Born in Switzerland, Küng was trained as a theologian,...
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Proposed California curriculum would encourage chants to Aztec deities
“Students first clap and chant to the god Tezkatlipoka—whom the Aztecs traditionally worshipped with human sacrifice and cannibalism—asking him for the power to be ‘warriors’ for ‘social justice,’” according to the report. “Next, the students chant to the gods Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, and Xipe Totek, seeking ‘healing epistemologies’ and ‘a revolutionary spirit.’”3
Jesuit university president who celebrated Inauguration Day Mass for Biden placed on leave
Father Kevin O’Brien, the Jesuit president of Santa Clara University, lauded Biden at a special January 20 Mass in Washington’s cathedral. Father O’Brien was placed on leave because the Jesuit Provincial Office “recently received accounts that Father O’Brien exhibited behaviors in adult settings, consisting primarily of conversations, which may be inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries.”4
Homosexual couples ‘will not be denied’ blessings, Cardinal Schönborn says
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna has said that despite a Vatican ruling, homosexual couples may receive church blessings. The cardinal reasoned that the statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith “does not preclude blessings given to individual persons with homosexual inclinations.” He said that “if it is really the request for God’s blessing for a life path that two people, in whatever situation, are trying to walk, then they will not be denied this blessing.”5
Church cannot bless same-sex unions, Vatican rules
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has issued a ruling that “the Church does not have, and cannot have the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex.” The CDF statement, issued March 15, is a response to questions about blessings for homosexual couples, which have been proposed by the German hierarchy. The CDF explains that “it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage.”6
Report: leading cardinals fear German push toward schism
Two leaders of the Roman Curia thought that the president of the German bishops’ conference should be called to Rome for correction after a January interview in which he questioned Church teachings, reports Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register. But the request from Cardinals Luis Ladaria and Kurt Koch was turned down by Pope Francis. Another former Vatican official, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, voiced fears that the Pope does not recognize the danger of schism, caused by “the Protestantization of liberal theologians,” embraced by much of the German hierarchy.7
Belgian bishop rips ‘painful’ Vatican statement on same-sex unions
Bishop Johann Bonny of Antwerp has voiced his “intellectual and moral incomprehension” of the Vatican’s statement that the Church cannot bless same-sex unions, saying that the statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith does not “reach the intellectual level of high school.” Bishop Bonny said that the statement was a “shame for my Church,” and apologized for it.8
Pope celebrates surprise Holy Thursday evening Mass with ousted cardinal
Pope Francis celebrated the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the chapel of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who resigned in September. Members of the Focolare movement were also present, according to an Italian Vatican News report. (Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, was the principal celebrant at the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.)9
Former Franciscan University priest indicted on rape, battery charges
Father David Morrier, TOR, has been indicted on “one count of rape and two counts of sexual battery of a female patient dating from November 2010 to the spring of 2013.” Father Morrier was banned from campus in 2014, according to Franciscan University; he then became parochial vicar of a Texas parish.10
