Bishops and some politicians reacted negatively after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte questioned the logic of the Bible creation story and called God “stupid.” Ucanews.com reported that, speaking during a technology summit in the southern city of Davao, Duterte questioned how Adam and Eve brought about “original sin.”
In the wake of historic allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in countries around the world, the Catholic Church is experiencing the same challenge that has brought a reckoning to those who used their authority to abuse or silence victims, said an Australian archbishop.
A relic of bones of an early pope was given to the Catholic Church after it was stolen from a car and recovered by a waste disposal company.
After a day of touting ways in which Christians might share in greater unity, that commitment to coming together didn’t prevent Pope Francis from backing the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog in its decision to insist on caution regarding proposals for intercommunion with Protestants.
While the purpose of Pope Francis’s trip to Geneva on Thursday was spiritual diplomacy, he also engaged in a bit of global peacemaking when he greeted a delegation of North and South Koreans earlier today.
In an address to nearly 150 Christian leaders from around the world on Thursday, Pope Francis called for a “new ecumenical spring” to redefine efforts towards unity – one marked not by tailoring the faith to “worldly ways of thinking,” but rather, one made possible by an attractive witness to the joy of the Gospel.
Speaking to a crowd of an estimated 40,000 Swiss Catholics on Thursday, Pope Francis used the “Our Father” as a tool for reclaiming Christian roots and values.
On his ecumenical pilgrimage to Geneva, Pope Francis said that Christian life requires sacrifice, because it demands that personal interests, such as ethnic ties or party lines no longer become central to one’s identity.
In a video message two years ago marking the 35th anniversary of the Jesuit Refugee Service welcome center in Rome, Pope Francis spoke directly to refugees and said “Each one of you refugees who knock on our doors has the face of God and is the body of Christ.”
Five years into his papacy, Pope Francis continues to enjoy enviously high polling numbers of public support, with new survey results showing that over 84 percent of American Catholics approve of him.
