News in Church Issues

Dust off your Bible

Catechisms and Canons are important, but they must be shaped by the Word of God, measured by the Word of God and in service to the Word of God. As Vatican 2 declared, “like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture.” In September 2019, the pope issued Aperuit illis, a motu proprio (a teaching on his own initiative) that declared “that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.”

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The week of prayer for Christian unity begins on 18 January. Many gifts have been exchanged between previously divided Christian traditions over the past hundred years – but Nicholas Sagovsky wonders how far the fruits of dialogue have been taken to heart by the leaders and members of the Churches. 

Spiritual Parents

The term “spiritual” is one of those words which, although it had a profoundly rich meaning in the early days of Christianity and in all the great epochs of the history of the Church, every now and then it becomes weakened  by more superficial meanings, or is transformed into a synonym of largely negative terms – such as “incorporeal, immaterial” – and becomes just one of many edifying words, a synonym of “religious” or “supernatural.”

Francis’ Government: What is the driving force of his pontificate?

After the years of this pontificate, what is its driving force? Some commentators and analysts have wondered if Francis’ drive still exists; others have tried to reflect on its substance. The question could be re-phrased as follows: What kind of government does Francis exercise, and how do we interpret it in the light of these seven years? I intend to address this question here, examining the meaning of his way of governing, which comes from his personality, his own life and formation.

A Time of Leprosy: Contagion and healing in the Bible

In the dramatic health situation that is upsetting our current historical situation, reflections on the theme of leprosy in Sacred Scripture can perhaps help us to deal with the threatening contagion of Covid-19 from the always therapeutic perspective of salvation history.

Religious Symbols and Political Exploitation: A Biblical reflection

Religious symbols have recently been increasingly appearing in the political arena. Often God is exploited, improperly invoked as testifying for a political party or as a label to promote a party. The subject is certainly topical, but the problem has ancient roots. That is why the Hebrew-Christian scriptures themselves contain antibodies against any instrumentalization of the divine.

The Emergence of Religion in Human Evolution

Church rebuilds Europe by answering life's great questions.

Cardinal Nichols: Church rebuilds Europe by answering life's great questions. As the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences holds a golden jubilee celebration in Rome, English Cardinal Vincent Nichols explains the organization's mission and how it can help rebuild Europe's Christian roots.

Diversity and Communion among the First Christians: The genesis of the New Testament

A considerable effort needs to be made to become immersed in the religious world of the first century. It involves dealing with a world very different from today, if only because the term “religion” did not always mean the same thing for people of that time as it does for people now. It was a world in which Christianity was a modest reality. The evangelical parable of the small seed that becomes a large tree is very suitable for describing the beginnings of Christianity.

Internally bleeding Indian church too weak to face challenges

Relations between three Rites of the Catholic Church – Latin, Syro-Malankara and Syro-Malabar – have also never really been the warmest. They had sunk rock bottom before the Pope gave the two Oriental groups independent status and a pan-Indian jurisdiction, overlapping that of the Latin Dioceses.  They are still not fully in a state of equilibrium as several unresolved issues remain.

Our society 'fears difference' – Timothy Radcliffe OP on synodality

“Synods depend upon both having the confidence to speak and the humility to listen. Listening is daring to open yourself to people who’ve got views other than your own, views with which you may disagree with strongly,” he said in a video posted by General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops at the end of August.

Catholic Church is failing to embrace reform, says McAleese

 “We have to hope and pray that enough faithful in every diocese including laity, religious, priests and bishops will find the courage to insist that the recognition in Church law of the equality and intellectual freedom of all Church members must be a priority in the national episcopal reports that will go to Rome for the 2023 Synod. It will be the most important reset button the Church has ever hit.”

DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA - NOVEMBER 9

The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. It was built by Constantine and was for centuries the habitual residence of the Popes. This basilica is a symbol of the unity of all Christian communities with Rome. It is called “mother of all the Churches,” and for this reason, we celebrate this holiday worldwide. 

John Paul II and the Social Doctrine of the Church

When the cardinals gathered in conclave and elected Cardinal Karol Wojty?a as the successor of St Peter on October 16, 1978, the choice was somewhat surprising. He was the first non-Italian pope since Hadrian VI (elected in 1522) and, above all, he came from Eastern Europe, from beyond the Iron Curtain, from Krakow in Poland. Few would have imagined that the new pontiff was about to bring a renewal to the Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC). 

Saint Robert Bellarmine: Servant of the Truth and Doctor of the Church

Four centuries ago, on September 17, 1621, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine’s earthly life ended in Rome. He was almost 79 years old and his name was known throughout Europe. In 1599, Clement VIII, during a consistory in which he announced the names of cardinals, pronounced what one might well consider an apt eulogy: “We choose one who has no equal in the Church of God as far as doctrine is concerned, and is the nephew of the excellent and most holy pontiff Marcellus II.”

What is the Synodal Journey? The Thought of Pope Francis

“For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission” is the title of a journey solemnly begun on October 9-10, 2021, in Rome, and then again on October 17 in each particular Church around the world. On March 7, 2020, the announcement had been made that Francis wanted to hold the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2022 on the theme: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.”

Cultural Challenges during Vatican II

John XXIII himself, in his opening speech, Gaudet Mater Ecclesia, stressed that Vatican II was not convened – as had been the case with the twenty previous Councils – to condemn heresy or to define a truth of faith or to heal schisms. The purpose of Vatican II was, instead, to restate and almost redefine Christian identity and Church identity in a profoundly changed historical and cultural context: how to proclaim the Gospel amidst the contradictions of modernity, in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious world.

To the Bishops in Europe

Those words – “Reflect on your ways!” – are challenging because today, in Europe, we Christians can be tempted to remain comfortably ensconced in our structures, our homes and our churches, in the security provided by our traditions, content with a certain degree of consensus, while all around us churches are emptying and Jesus is increasingly forgotten.

The bishops must hear the laity if the synodal process is to succeed

The development of the laity to play a constructive part in this synodal process should be a major priority. Its reference to participation is modelled exclusively on church worship, and the sharing of the Eucharist. There needs to be some recognition that the listening needs to be deep and sustained. Synodality is a process rather than a product; it speaks to a vision of a permanent dialogue between the constituent parts of the Church.

Fed up, but still Catholic

One of the fastest-growing religious affiliations, or more accurately disaffiliations, is the large number of people who declare themselves to be former Catholics. Departures from the Church are especially pronounced among the young, but are not limited to them. In places like Australia, France, Germany and increasingly in the United States, which for many years differed from other places, the Catholic Church is hemorrhaging members.