Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
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Vatican financial authority an ‘empty shell,’ says departing board member
A member of the board of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (AIF) has resigned, telling the Associated Press that there is “no point in staying on the board of an empty...2
US bishops elect Archbishop Gomez as conference president
Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles has been elected president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Archbishop Gomez—the first Hispanic prelate to head the...3
Cardinal Zen: Vatican’s China policy is ‘terrible, terrible, terrible’
Cardinal Joseph Zen has described Vatican policy toward China as “terrible, terrible, terrible” in a new interview. Cardinal Zen said that he strongly suspects that a diplomatic...4
Pope plans new Catechism change to condemn nuclear deterrence
Pope Francis announced today that he plans to change the Catechism of the Catholic Church to say that the possession of nuclear weapons— even for purposes of deterrence— is immoral. “The use of...5
Vatican newspaper: Pachamama is not a god, but mother earth
Pachamama is not a divinity or idol that is worshiped, but is mother earth, honored as the “creation and manifestation of the love of God,” writes retired Mexican Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel. He recalls that years ago, while in Bolivia for a meeting, he asked a member of the indigenous Aymara people whether his people consider Pachamama and Inti to be gods. The man replied, “Those who have not received evangelization consider them gods; for those of us who have been evangelized, they are not gods, but God’s best gifts.” Bishop Arizmendi commented, “Wonderful response! … They are manifestations of God’s love, not gods.” (For background on the deities, see the Encyclopedia Britannica articles on Inti and Pachamama.)6
Pope Francis: ‘Move the deacons away from the altar’
In an address to participants in a Vatican conference on the laity’s identity and mission, Pope Francis extemporaneously “warned against the danger of what he termed as ‘clericalizing the laity,’” according to Vatican News. “Sometimes, he said, permanent deacons, who are to be the custodians of service in dioceses, soon find themselves ‘looking at the altar’ and end up as ‘wannabe priests.’ Work with the laity but don’t clericalize them, the Pope said. ‘Move the deacons away from the altar … They are the custodians of service, not first-class altar boys or second-class priests.’”7
Pope condemns possession of nuclear weapons [News Analysis]
"The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral," Pope Francis told a crowd in Hiroshima on November 24. He added: "As is the possession of atomic weapons." Previous Pontiffs have called...8
Archbishop Viganò criticizes interreligious initiative as ‘temple of the world syncretistic Neo-Religion’
A mosque, a synagogue, and a church will be built on a single site in the United Arab Emirates.9
New chief named for troubled Vatican financial-oversight agency
Pope Francis has named Carmelo Barbagallo, the head financial supervisor for the Bank of Italy, as president of the Vatican’s Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF). Barbagallo replaces Rene...10
