On Oct. 12 the Vatican announced several key personnel moves, the most significant of which is the appointment of Bishop Marcello Semeraro to the Vatican’s saint-making office after its former prefect, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, was fired over allegations of embezzlement.
Father Julio Lancellotti was caught by surprise Oct. 10 when Pope Francis personally called him asking about his work with the homeless.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has asked Pope Francis to apologize for the church’s role in the conquest of the Americas. It’s the second time he has made such a request of the pontiff in less than two years.
A German bishop says Pope Francis expressed a “dramatic concern” over the Catholic Church in Germany and its “synodal path” of reform that began last year, which could include reviewing “taboo” issues such as priestly celibacy and a female priesthood.
Chinese Catholics say undisclosed details about negotiations between the Vatican and the Chinese government add to confusion about Church leadership in their native country. The confusion also drives a wedge between Catholics willing to cooperate with government regulators and others who want only to recognize the Vatican’s leadership, local Chinese clergy say.
Sister Norma Pimentel, who recently made it on this years’ “Time” 100 Most Influential People list for her work on the U.S.-Mexico border, has lamented the politicization of the immigration issue, insisting that politics should serve people, not partisan interests.
Pope Francis tackled several issues in his new encyclical, but the section devoted to ending capital punishment was particularly cheered by U.S. Catholics who oppose the death penalty.
Pope Francis’s new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti,” outlines his recipe for rebuilding a post-pandemic world, beginning with a complete restructuring of politics and civil discourse in order to create systems prioritizing the community and the poor, rather than individual or market interests.
Calling all people of goodwill to care for one another as brothers and sisters, Pope Francis urged people not to despair of making the world a better place, but to start creating the world they want through personal action and political lobbying.
Has Pope Pope Francis provided the Church with the resources to navigate another such great global struggle and come out the other side, alive and kicking? Only time will tell, but when that assessment eventually is drawn up, the conversation almost certainly will begin with ”Fratelli Tutti”.
