Pope Francis’ exhortation on the family should prompt discussion and even debate, but accusing him and others of heresy is completely out of place, said German Cardinal Walter Kasper.
International News
Canonization Date for Paul VI
Blessed Paul VI will be declared a saint in late October at the end of the Synod of Bishops on youth and discernment, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.
Pope to Visit Switzerland
Pope Francis will visit Geneva in June, the Vatican confirmed.
Priest Killed in Congo
Police in Congo are continuing their search for the person who killed a Catholic priest and dumped his body in a river.
Holy Sepulcher Church Reopened After Dispute
Christian leaders in the Holy Land announced they would reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulcher Feb. 28 after the Israeli government has set up a negotiating team to resolve a municipal dispute over property taxes.
Redemptorists Leaving Canadian Monastery
The Redemptorists are leaving their Ste.-Anne-de-Beaupre monastery, where they have been living since the 19th century.
Vatican Denies Report That Pope Benedict Has ‘Degenerative Illness’
The Vatican has denied that retired Pope Benedict XVI has a degenerative neurological disease or paralyzing condition after his brother, 94-year-old Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, told a magazine that Pope Benedict had a debilitating disease.
Violence Forces Nuns to Vacate Town in Mexico
An order of nuns has withdrawn from an especially violent city after the parents and sister of one of the women religious were kidnapped and killed.
Pope Appoints New Members of Minor Protection Commission
Pope Francis has named nine new members to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, including abuse survivors or the parents of survivors, the Vatican said.
‘Rejected’ Nigerian Bishop, Backed by Pope, Resigns
Eight months after ordering priests in a Nigerian diocese to pledge their obedience to the pope and accept the bishop that now-retired Pope Benedict XVI had named for them, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the disputed bishop.