Several unplanned protests have broken out in Rome in recent days over coronavirus restrictions, and among the demonstrators have been some high-profile traditionalist Catholics.
International News
Analysis: Reality of the Abuse Scandals Now Seems a Tale of Two Cardinals
Over the last three years, sexual abuse charges against two high-profile and massively influential cardinals have rocked the Catholic Church, and now, seemingly, both stories have reached their conclusions. Cardinal George Pell is a free man, while Theodore McCarrick is laicized and exposed as a cunning manipulator able to hoodwink three papacies until his string finally ran out.
Brunei Cardinal Says He Was ‘Hijacked’ Into Priesthood After Saying, ‘Oh, Hell No!’
A self-described ‘crypto-charismatic,’ Brunei’s new and first-ever recipient of a red hat, Bishop Cornelius Sim, said he never dreamed of being a priest, let alone a cardinal, but welcomes his appointment “with open arms.”
World Day of Poor Initiatives Adapt to Pandemic, Vatican Official Says
Even during a global pandemic, the World Day of the Poor will be an important opportunity for parishes to highlight the importance of charity and spiritual comfort for those in need, said a Vatican official.
Analysis: History-Making Report Sets a Precedent the Vatican Can’t Walk Back
In the end, it’s possible the McCarrick report may be remembered as the single most consequential step toward reform during the Pope Francis papacy, not only because of what it reveals about this particular case, but the precedent it sets for how all future cases ought to be handled.
Pope Blesses Statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Pope Francis blessed a statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal as it was to begin a pilgrimage throughout Italy to mark the 190th anniversary of Mary’s apparitions to St. Catherine Laboure.
Fighting Abuse: What Pope Francis Has Done During his Pontificate
In more than seven years as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has issued numerous new laws and guidelines for handling accusations of clerical sexual abuse and its cover-up by church officials.
Analysis: A Reader’s Guide to McCarrick Report: Beware of Bad Guys, Smoking Guns
It’s taken far too long to get here, with agonizing delays, chaos, confusion, and reversals of fortune along the way, not to mention accusations of fraud and cover-up. Even now that we have a final result, heated arguments over its meaning and legitimacy probably are only beginning. That’s not a summary of the 2020 U.S. election, though it easily could be. The reference instead is to the Vatican’s release today of its long-awaited report on ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick, promised more than two years ago and finally at hand.
McCarrick Report Summary Cites Lack of Serious Investigations of Rumors
Although dogged for years by rumors of sexual impropriety, Theodore E. McCarrick was able to rise up the Catholic hierarchical structure based on personal contacts, protestations of his innocence and a lack of church officials reporting and investigating accusations, according to the Vatican summary of its report on the matter.
Iraqi Priest Doubles Down on Christianity’s Survival in the Middle East
Ever since the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS), there’s been rising alarm regarding the future for Christians in the Middle East. A Catholic priest who recently returned to his village in northern Iraq after six years in Rome described what he found as “shocking,” but doubled down on the need for Christians to survive.