At a 2007 meeting of the Latin American bishops in Aparecida, Brazil – where then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio would play an instrumental role that would later serve as a catalyst for his election to the papacy – he’s said to have remarked that “Oscar Romero is saint and a martyr, and if I became pope I would canonize him.”
According to the Catholic theology of sainthood, canonization amounts to a judgment that a particular individual is already in heaven enjoying the beatific vision, meaning the unmediated presence of God – to quote St. Paul in 1 Corinthians, no longer seeing the splendor of God “indistinctly, as in a mirror, but face to face.”
Catholic clergy and laypeople have been expelled from Myanmar’s northern Shan state by a China-backed ethnic minority army. Two Salesian priests, three nuns from the Missionary Society of St. Paul and three lay teachers were ordered by the United Wa State Army to leave the Wa Hills, which border China, reported ucanews.com.
Bishops from Chile and Puerto Rico told the Synod of Bishops that the Church must do more to help young people live out their faith and involve them in the life of the Church rather than leaving them to find guidance elsewhere.
The Archdiocese of Washington has voluntarily released the names of abusive priests and stated that there have been no credible claims of abuse made against archdiocesan priests in almost 20 years.
From its high majestic mountains, picturesque villages and coastal towns to its bustling cities, Lebanon is rich in breathtaking scenery, cultural diversity and religious sites.
It’s no mystery that Protestants often embarrass Catholics in terms of mastery of scripture. While a Lutheran, for example, could be found reciting the entire Book of Deuteronomy, many Catholics would struggle to distinguish certain scripture verses.
At the age of 54, Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Kenya is one of the youngest prelates among the “old” participants of the Oct. 3-28 meeting of bishops on youth taking place in Rome. As someone who finds it “uncomfortable” to be referred to as “you elderly people,” he has one key message for his brother prelates: “Waste time with young people.”
Just because some young people disagree with Catholic moral teaching, including in the area of sexuality, does not mean the Church’s teachings are unclear or should change, Cardinal Robert Sarah told the Synod of Bishops.
It has been seven years since the Egyptian military brutally murdered 26 Coptic Christians who were peacefully protesting against sectarian attacks on their churches. Not only has justice not been served, but the hardliners’ attacks also have continued.
