Where a Roman Catholic deacon ponders the world
The Washington Post gives another perspective on the papal resignation—and lifts the curtain on the mess that is the Curia: Guests at the going-away party for Carlo Maria Viganò couldn’t understand why the archbishop looked so forlorn. Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Viganò ambassador to the United States, a plum post where he would settle [...]
A few tidbits this morning from Catholic News Service: Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, confirmed this morning that top cardinals and canon lawyers at the Vatican are studying the possibility of beginning the conclave to elect a new pope before March 15. But only the cardinals can announce the exact date the conclave will [...]
That, at least, is one view in this morning’s Washington Post. Ashley McGuire explains: Sorry to be a wet blanket, but the Catholic Church is not going to change its teaching on any of the fun stuff (contraception, female “ordination,” homosexuality, abortion, etc.) with the next pope. Nor will it ever. When news of the pope’s [...]
Details: A high-ranking Vatican official on Monday (Feb. 4) voiced support for giving unmarried couples some kind of legal protection even as he reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Council for the Family, also said the church should do more to protect gays and lesbians [...]
He made his remarks in an interview with a German newspaper. Details from the AP: The Vatican’s head of doctrine says critics in North America and Europe are conducting a “concerted campaign” to discredit the Catholic Church that is resulting in open attacks against priests. In an interview published Saturday by Germany newspaper Die Welt, [...]
NCR’s John Allen speculates: President Barack Obama needs to find a new envoy to the Vatican since Ambassador Miguel Diaz, appointed in 2009, has accepted a position as professor of faith and culture at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Obama’s choice for a replacement is being closely watched in Rome, according to one senior [...]
It’s sounding more and more like what is happening in corporate America: Vatican clergy and employees will be issued with an identity card complete with a microchip-tracking device in sweeping new security measures designed to prevent a repeat of the Vatileaks scandal. Much tighter controls have already been introduced for anyone seeking access or photocopies [...]
From AFP: Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday held a private audience for several thousand circus artists, urging them to continue offering “healthy entertainment” despite difficulties posed by the craft. “Thanks to the variety of your professions and the originality of your shows, you know how to surprise, elicit wonder and offer opportunities… for healthy entertainment,” [...]
From the Associated Press: Not even the Vatican is immune from the economic crisis. For the first time, the Vatican is seeking funds directly from pilgrims, collectors and tourists to pay for the ambitious restoration of the 17th century Bernini colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican’s Philatelic and Numismatic Office, which sells commemorative coins [...]
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