One of the nation’s foremost champions for the cause of female deacons considers the Vatican’s new apostolic constitution — which in part opens top Vatican leadership roles to any baptized layperson, including women — an important step for Pope Francis’s vision, but not necessarily one that affects the future of women in the diaconate.
Author: John Lavenburg
Seattle Archdiocese Redeveloping Property Into Affordable Housing
The Archdiocese of Seattle and its St. James Cathedral will sell and redevelop four properties in the city’s First Hill neighborhood as part of a project that aims to create affordable housing and steer the neighborhood towards carbon neutrality.
Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez Retires After Pope Francis Accepts Resignation
Pope Francis on Wednesday morning accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Paul R. Sanchez of Brooklyn. Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Paul Sanchez of Brooklyn remembers in 2012 when he received the call that Pope Benedict had named him auxiliary bishop, the apostolic nuncio told him that “you will be very happy in this ministry.”
Eco-Activist Who Uses Faith to Fight Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Wins ND Award
Sharon Lavigne, a renowned environmental activist in Louisiana, will receive the 2022 Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame, one of the oldest and most prestigious honors given to American Catholics.
Cardinal Dolan, Ukraine’s UN Envoy Stand ‘United Against The Russian Atrocity’
Before Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations participated in a March 24 vote to get more aid to Ukraine, he stood behind a podium inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan and called on the international body to take swift action against Russia citing decades of wrongdoings worldwide that have gone unpunished.
Visa Delays Causing Hardships for Church Workers in U.S.
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso considers the process temporary religious worker visa recipients endure to maintain lawful status a “race against time” with federal processing backlogs making it difficult to satisfy different permissions and expiration dates.
Archbishop Claims Pope Francis Is Being Prevented From Speaking to Putin
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has thwarted efforts by Pope Francis to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak said on March 15.
U.S. Bishops Cheered By One Migration Ruling, Dismayed by Another
The current and incoming leaders on migration for the U.S. bishops expressed cautious optimism about a recent court decision mandating that migrants can’t be expelled to “places where they’ll be persecuted or tortured,” but dismay over another striking down protections for unaccompanied minors from immediate expulsion.
Diocese Announces New Vicar General, Other Top Positions
Bishop Robert Brennan announced Wednesday several prominent changes to his Chancery administration.
Catholic Relief Services on the Ground in Moldova Helping Ukrainian Refugee
When Caroline Brennan met Ukrainian refugee Mahamudoff Gazym at an overcrowded bus station in Otaci, Moldova, he spoke about the questions his grandchildren ask that he doesn’t have a concrete answer to: “Who is making all the sounds of the bombs? How long are we going to sleep in the car?”