Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
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US bishops table key votes on response to scandal, at Vatican’s request
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will not vote this week on two highly-anticipated proposals to respond to the sex-abuse crisis, after a last-minute Vatican intervention. As the...2
Sicilian priest excommunicated for public attacks on Pontiff
Father Alessandro Maria Minutella, a Sicilian priest who has denounced Pope Francis as a “false prophet” and urged resistance against the Vatican, has been excommunicated. The Archdiocese of Palermo announced that the rebellious priest—who had been removed from his parish assignment last year—had incurred the penalty of excommunication latae sententiae “for the crimes of heresy and schism.”3
Report: Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Wuerl collaborated on alternate sex abuse proposal
The proposal originally under consideration by the US bishops “would have established an independent lay-led commission to investigate allegations against bishops,” CNA reported. “The Cupich-Wuerl plan would instead send allegations against bishops to be investigated by their metropolitan archbishops, along with archdiocesan review boards.” Cardinal Cupich subsequently denied this report.4
11th-century church vandalized in Bordeaux
The Church of the Holy Cross (photograph) is a Romanesque church and onetime abbey. One French commentator said that such “hateful acts are increasing exponentially today in France.”5
Survivors call Vatican telling US bishops to wait on abuse ‘totally unacceptable’
This report comes from the newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, and not the British newspaper of the same name.6
Pope Francis names Cardinal Cupich, 3 others to organizing committee for international meeting on abuse scandal
The four members of the organizing committee for the meeting on the protection of minors in the Church (February 21-24) are Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai (India), Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta (Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), and Father Hans Zollner, SJ (president of the Centre for the Protection of Minors at the Pontifical Gregorian University).7
Vatican message calls for action against antimicrobial resistance
Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, issued the message for World Antibiotic Awareness Week.8
Deceased bishop accused of abuse while a priest in Minnesota diocese
Bishop Harold Dimmerling led the Diocese of Rapid City (South Dakota) from 1969 until his death in 1987. Bishop Donald Kettler of Saint Cloud has deemed the allegation credible.9
Archbishop Lori: many bishops want to vote, despite Vatican directive
Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore said that many American bishops would prefer to vote on proposed responses to the sex-abuse scandal, despite instructions from the Vatican. Archbishop Lori indicated that he was one of the bishops who would favor a vote.10
