Pope Francis has taken the rich social tradition of the Church that was championed by Pope John Paul II and “made it front stage,” says Bishop Frank Dewane. He said that while there has been a constant tradition of Catholic social activism, he believes there’s been an uptick during the Francis papacy.
Feb. 8 is declared as an international day of prayer and awareness of human trafficking. On this year’s occasion, the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia has announced a bold initiative to slavery proof its supply lines — a move that imitates a similar decision made by the Vatican in 2016.
Less than a week after the Vatican announced Pope Francis was sending a trusted investigator to Chile to listen to people with information about a bishop accused of covering up clerical sexual abuse, the Associated Press reported the pope was given a detailed letter from a survivor almost three years ago.
Ross Douthat and Austen Ivereigh, two of the most prominent commentators on 21st century Catholicism, shared a stage for the first time to engage in a high-level conversation on the Francis papacy.
When Pope Francis convalidated the marriage of two flight attendants in the air, the story sent waves of turbulence through the Catholic blogosphere, but the Holy Father did not make the decision on the fly.
Pope Francis asked a longtime expert in handling abuse allegations to gather new information in Chile concerning Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno.
Pope Francis apologized to victims of clergy sex abuse, saying he unknowingly wounded them by the way he defended a Chilean bishop accused of covering up abuse by his mentor.
Photos from Pope Francis’ trip to Chile
Photos of Pope Francis’ trip to Peru
Pope Francis tackled politically charged issues during his weeklong visit to Chile and Peru, decrying human trafficking, environmental destruction, corruption and organized crime in speeches before audiences that included political leaders.
