World News
Former doctrinal enforcer used pontificate to crack down on sex abuse
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's disgust over the abuse scandals marring the church was made evident even before his election as pope. In his forceful Way of the Cross meditations, which he wrote as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the few weeks before his election as pope in 2005, he wrote for the world to hear: "How much filth there is in the church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him."
Pope accepts cardinal’s resignation; Scot to stay away from conclave
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, 74, announced he would not participate in the conclave to elect Pope Benedict XVI’s successor because he did not want media attention focused on him instead of the election of a new pope. Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the cardinal’s resignation as archbishop of St. Andrews and […]
Vatican official: German bishops’ rule on ‘Plan B’ for rape acceptable
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church has long accepted the possibility of preventing ovulation in a woman who has been raped, but withdraws that option if there is a possibility that ovulation may have already occurred, said the president of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life. A recent statement by bishops in Germany saying it was acceptable to use medication that hinders conception after rape reflects an "unassailable rule" that has been proposed by the Catholic Church the past 50 years, said Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula.
Papal biographer: Fixing Vatican bureaucracy is a top job for next pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Threats to religious freedom around the world, the human costs of globalization, media transformed by the revolution in information technology -- these are some of the challenges that the next pope is bound to face in leading the church. According to one highly informed observer, the next pope will also have an urgent task at home: reforming the Roman Curia, the church's central administration at the Vatican.
Conclaves: Vatican Library official shares interesting, strange facts
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Ambrogio Piazzoni, vice prefect of the Vatican Library and author of the book, "History of Papal Elections," shared facts and curiosities with journalists at the Vatican Feb. 20.
Canonist explains ‘rigid, highly formal’ rules for electing pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The voting by cardinals to elect the next pope takes place behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, following a highly detailed procedure that underwent major revisions by Blessed John Paul II and a small, but very significant change, by Pope Benedict XVI.
Twelve to watch as cardinals gather in Rome
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Wherever journalists and bookmakers may be getting the names on their lists of top candidates for the next pope, it's not from the cardinals who will actually vote in the election. Both custom and canon law forbid the cardinals to discuss the matter in such detail with outsiders. Moreover, the true "papabili" -- literally, pope-ables -- are likely to emerge only after all the worlds' cardinals -- not just the 117 who will be under 80 and eligible to vote -- begin meeting at the Vatican in the coming days.
What the church needs now: Synod gives clues to cardinals’ priorities
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — One task facing the College of Cardinals already has been completed: A job description for the Catholic Church’s chief evangelizer already is written. He must be humble, but firmly grounded in church teaching; joyful and enthusiastic; willing to listen to and dialogue with others; and courageous in defending human rights, including […]
Family remains ‘fundamental unit of human society,’ says Archbishop Paglia
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — Despite threats on many sides and prophesies of its extinction, the traditional family remains a vital resource for society, according to speakers at a U.N. event Feb. 15. The panel was held in conjunction with the 51st session of the U.N. Commission for Social Development. It was sponsored by the Holy […]
Barrier’s extension could separate West Bank Salesians from communities
The Israeli Supreme Court recently heard Israel's appeal to extend the Israeli-Palestinian separation barrier, a series of cement slabs, barbed wire fences and security roads that would separate the city of Beit Jalla from two Israeli settlements, creating a contiguous strip of land that could be used for expansion and their eventual joining. It will also separate 57 Christian Palestinian families from their agricultural lands, the last green area left for expansion of the city.