Communion for Protestants Now Reality in German Catholic Church

July 2, 2018 By Cameron Doody

The Archbishop of Paderborn has become the first of the German bishops to put into practice the new “orientation aid” published by the episcopate last week that enables Protestants, in some cases, to receive the Catholic Eucharist. According to the Westfalen-Blatt, Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker has declared that although the new archdiocesan policy should not be understood as a “general admission to the reception of Communion” by Protestants, a process of pastoral accompaniment of non-Catholics in interconfessional marriages may open the... Read more

Austrian Bishops Slam Move to Extend Working Hours

June 28, 2018 By Cameron Doody

The Austrian Bishops’ Conference has blasted proposed changes to the country’s Working Hours Act as “questionable in terms of democratic policy” and a “show of contempt for family life” which would bring “grave consequences for the social order”. In a communiqué released June 28th, the episcopate claims that the planned introduction of longer work days and weeks not only endangers the Sunday and holiday rest enshrined in the country’s treaty with the Holy See, but also encroaches upon the rights... Read more

On Interfaith Dialog, Pope Shifts from Theological to Political

June 25, 2018 By Cameron Doody

Embed from Getty Images The Pope called Saturday 23rd for a “healthy pluralism” among the religions in the world, “respectful of the differences and values” of all believers. In an address to representatives of the Emouna Fraternité Alumni Association of Paris, Francis underlined that “dialog between believers of different religions is a necessary condition for contributing to peace in the world”, and suggested that there are three “fundamental attitudes” necessary for promoting such dialog: “the duty of identity, the courage... Read more

Albanian Religious Leaders Knock on EU Door for Country

June 21, 2018 By Cameron Doody

In 2014 Pope Francis hailed the “climate of respect and mutual trust” between the different religions of Albania as a “precious gift to the country”. Now, in 2018, Albanian religious leaders have stepped up again on behalf of their countrymen and women. Heads of the country’s Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, Bektashi and Evangelical communities have signed a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel asking for their support for the Balkan State’s accession to the EU by... Read more

Irish Bishops Take Two Steps Forward for Life, One Step Back

June 18, 2018 By Cameron Doody

After the people of Ireland voted last month to legalize abortion, the Irish bishops have taken two decisive steps forward in the defence of life, and one step back. At the end of its Summer 2018 General Meeting Wednesday 13th in Maynooth, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference announced that it would establish a new Council for Life, on the one hand, and that it would not oppose attempts to remove the offense of blasphemy from the country’s Constitution, on the... Read more

Vatican Flounders Over Papal Support for Lula da Silva

June 14, 2018 By Cameron Doody

Embed from Getty Images News broke Tuesday 12th that Pope Francis had sent a rosary and a card to Lula da Silva, the Brazilian ex-president and icon of the social justice struggle in Latin America currently serving twelve years’ jail on money laundering and corruption charges. Despite the fact that the news was first published on the politician’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts, in the space of a few hours the Portuguese version of Vatican News published a note denying... Read more

Pope, ‘Vice-Pope’ Warn Against “Unlimited Faith in Markets”

June 11, 2018 By Cameron Doody

Embed from Getty Images On Saturday 9 Pope Francis addressed a gathering of the heads of some of the world’s major energy corporations, from ExxonMobil to Pemex, on the same day that his right-hand man and “vice-pope”, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was in Turin for the elite and secretive Bilderberg Meeting, a private conference of global political, business and media leaders. While we may not know for certain what Parolin said in Turin to the gathering widely regarded as a “shadow... Read more

European Christians Prouder of Their Nationality Than of Their Religion

June 7, 2018 By Cameron Doody

To continue with the series we started on Monday, more today on the political implications of Pew Research Center’s finding that Europe’s Christians are still in the majority on the continent, even if they attend Church less and less. 4. 64% of all European citizens in favor of the separation of Church and State On the question of the relationship Europeans desire between Church and State, 64% of all the adults surveyed by Pew say religion should be kept separate... Read more

European Christians Overwhelmingly Pro-Abortion, Pro-Gay Marriage

June 4, 2018 By Cameron Doody

According to a major new Pew Research Center study of 24,000 adults from 15 countries, 71% of Western Europeans still identify as Christians in what is described more and more as one of the world’s most “secular” regions, even though just 22% attend Church at least on a monthly basis. “Christian identity remains a meaningful marker in Western Europe”, concludes Pew, warning at the same time that “it is not just a ‘nominal’ identity devoid of practical importance”. What, then,... Read more

Austrian Church Seeks “Seriousness” and “Credibility” with Ethical Investments

May 31, 2018 By Cameron Doody

The Catholic Church of Austria has made a choice for ethics over economic gain in the new guidelines for responsible Church investments that it presented mid-May in a press conference in St. Pölten. “The criteria follow the proven triad of ecumenical Christian ethics: justice, peace and the integrity of creation“, said the moral theologian Michael Rosenberger, charged alongside Bishop Klaus Küng with the presentation of the guidelines. This list of ethical investment criteria – approved by the bishops and religious... Read more