Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
Italian prelate, bishops’ newspaper deny media reports on admission of gay men to seminaries
The president of the Italian bishops’ Episcopal Commission for the Clergy and Consecrated Life and the Italian bishops’ newspaper have denied media reports that newly approved norms for...Free eBook:
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| Free eBook: Liturgical Year 2024-2025, Vol. 2 |
San Antonio archbishop rips ‘tyrant’ Trump, links Trump’s words to violent ‘tragedies’
In a series of tweets on January 1 and January 2, the archbishop of San Antonio called for civil discourse and charity, described the terrorist attack in New Orleans as the “result of words...Only 52% of funds spent by US bishops’ Catholic Relief Services collection went to CRS, report shows
Only 52% of the funds expended by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Relief Services Collection in 2023 were allotted to Catholic Relief Services, according to the...Pope’s autobiography, Hope, released
Hope, an autobiography of Pope Francis, was released on January 14, published simultaneously in over 100 countries. Described by the English-language publisher, Random House, the 320-page...Vatican increases penalties for illegal entry
The government of Vatican City has quietly raised the penalties imposed on people who enter Vatican territory illegally.Anyone who enters Vatican territory illegally is subject to criminal prosecution, with penalties now reaching as high as €25,000 (about $25,000), and prison sentences up to four years. These penalties could be increased if the illegal entry involves violence.
Anyone convicted for entering the Vatican illegally will subsequently be barred from legal entry for up to 15 years.
Although St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican Museums are open to visitors, other entries to the Vatican’s walled territory are closely guarded, with only authorized visitors allowed.
Tabernacle recovered intact from devastated Los Angeles church
A firefighter in Los Angeles recovered the tabernacle from Corpus Christi church, four days after the church building had been reduced to ashes by wildfire. The tabernacle was intact; the Blessed Sacrament unharmed.Captain Bryan Nassour of the Los Angeles Fire Department said that he searched through the remains of the church after watching his brother and several friends lose their homes. He said “if I could save just one thing, let it be this, so they have something to believe in.”
Cost of US sex-abuse scandal tops $5 billion
The latest study of the clerical sex-abuse crisis in the US has found that American dioceses and religious orders have paid more than $5 billion to resolve abuse cases.The study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), covering abuse charges that have been filed in the past 20 years, puts the overall cost of the scandal a just over $5 billion, including legal fees.
The study finds that the number of sex-abuse complaints has dropped, with only 3% of the cases involving incidents that occurred after 2000. More than 90% of the cases covered in the study dated back to before 1989; in many such cases the alleged perpetrator was already deceased.
The CARA study confirmed that 80% of the abuse complaints involved male victims, with a vast majority (80%) involving adolescent or teenage boys.
Biden honors Pope with Medal of Freedom
President Joe Biden has awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing the Pontiff for his work on behalf of the poor, the environment, and world peace.In announcing the award, the White House emphasized that Biden was, for the first time, presenting the award “with distinction.” The outgoing president made the award on January 11: the date when he had planned to meet with the Pontiff in Rome.
In 2004, President George W. Bush presented Pope John Paul II with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The White House released the citation on the award for Pope Francis:
As a young man, Jorge Bergoglio sought a career in science before faith led him to a life with the Jesuits. For decades, he served the voiceless and vulnerable across Argentina. As Pope Francis, his mission of serving the poor has never ceased. A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths. The first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, Pope Francis is unlike any who came before. Above all, he is the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world.
Pope’s ‘State of the World’ address calls for ‘diplomacy of hope’
In a January 9 address to the diplomats accredited to the Holy See— his annual “State of the World” address— Pope Francis called for a “diplomacy of hope,” to be realized during the Jubilee Year of...Cuba to release prisoners in Jubilee gesture
The Cuban government has announced plans to release more than 500 prisoners, “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025.”The prisoners to be released have been “convicted of various crimes,” the Cuban regime announced, without specifying whether political prisoners would be set free.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel discussed the possibility of releasing prisoners with Pope Francis when they met in August 2022, the government said. The decision to release prisoners came after American President Joe Biden announced his decision to end the treatment of Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism.
The prisoners will be released soon, Cuba announced, with some set free before the end of Biden’s presidential term on January 20.
