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Pope chooses 21 new cardinals: who are they? [News/Analysis]
Pope Francis has announced a consistory on December 8 at which he will confer red hats on 21 new members of the College of Cardinals. “Their origins,” the Pope said, “express the...
Cardinal Grech: Every Catholic is invited to weigh in on synod study groups’ deliberations
The Vatican newspaper has reported that Cardinal Mario Grech, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, said that every group in the Church—and every individual Catholic—may offer...Rare public conflict at Vatican over laicization of Argentine priest
In a highly unusual ruling, the Vatican in September rescinded the laicization of an Argentine priest who had been found guilty of sexual abuse of minors. But on October 7, the Dicastery for the...Trump victory will lead to ‘authoritarian remake’ of United States, Vatican newspaper’s ‘expert analysis’ warns
A victory by Donald Trump will lead to an “authoritarian remake” (rifacimento autoritario) of the United States, according to an expert analysis of the US presidential election published...Synod, October 2: Pope defends inclusion of non-bishops; Cardinal Fernández: ‘no’ to women deacons
The second and final session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops opened on October 2 with Mass in St. Peter’s Square (video). The synod’s official theme is...Cardinal-designate Radcliffe links African bishops’ opposition to homosexuality to pressure from evangelicals, Moscow, and Muslims
In an article published in the Italian daily edition of the Vatican newspaper, Cardinal-designate Timothy Radcliffe, OP, one of the synod session’s two spiritual assistants, took repeated...The ‘divine inspiration’ is ‘present in every faith,’ Pope tells interreligious gathering
In a message to an interreligious gathering in Paris for peace, Pope Francis wrote that the divine inspiration is present in every faith. “We need to keep meeting, to weave bonds of...Synod, October 7: Cardinal Hollerich calls for suggestions to make Church less ‘pyramidal’; women’s ministry discussion resurfaces
On October 7, 351 of the 365 participants in the second and final session of the synod on synodality gathered in Paul VI Audience Hall to begin their four-day consideration of the session’s...San Diego diocese bans homeschool groups from parish properties
The Diocese of San Diego, California, has announced that homeschool groups will no longer be allowed to meet on parish properties.A diocesan directive indicated that homeschool groups were prohibited from using parish building because “such usage can undermine the stability of nearby Catholic schools and lead people to think that the Church is approving and advancing particular alternative schools and programs.” A memo announcing the policy further explained:
All religious education must be carried out in a way that builds unity within the Church. No home schooling can be tolerated which does not promote the understanding that being a Christian is not a private matter of individual choice but rather of a personal vocation within the context of the Church lived out in the experience of the parish community.
The diocesan policy comes into force at a time of explosive growth in home schooling, particularly in California, where dissatisfaction with public schools has fueled a 78% increase in the number of home-schooled students in the past five years. Sources in the diocese also told The Pillar that many parents prefer to provide their children with religious education at home rather than in official parish CCD programs—an option that vindicates the parents’ rights as primary educators, but irks diocesan officials.
The San Diego policy sometimes allows non-Catholic schools to use parish properties, evaluating applications on a case-by-case basis.
