Pope Francis insisted Sunday that restricting access to sacraments such as priestly ordination, as the Catholic Church does for women, and marriage, in the case of the LGBTQ+ community, is not a sign of close-mindedness.
Sacraments
English Police to Allow Priests to Give Last Rites at Crime Scenes
Police in England have produced national guidelines to allow priests to give last rites to Catholics dying at crime scenes.
Everyone Needs Forgiveness, to Feel Loved by God, Pope Tells Confessors
Confession helps the penitent and also the confessor, who has the opportunity to be like the father of the prodigal son and experience the joy of seeing a child return home, Pope Francis said.
Texas Airport Chaplains Offer Sacraments, Provide a Listening Ear to Travelers
Just about every kind of person can be found in an airport — from vacationers heading for a little piece of heaven to business people whose schedules seems like hell on earth.
Preserve Christian Identity Received at Baptism, Pope Francis says
Before baptizing 16 babies in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Francis reminded parents and godparents of their responsibility to care for and preserve the Christian identity the infants were about to receive.
Here Come the Brides: 28 Couples Say ‘I Do’
How many times would an organist have to play the traditional “Bridal Chorus” ballad during the beginning of a wedding? For those in attendance for the ceremony outside Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, Queens, on July 17, the answer was unequivocally simple: as many times it takes to let nearly 30 brides walk down the church aisle.
Pope Says Disabled Persons Have a ‘Right’ to the Sacraments
Pope Francis weighed into a long-standing debate about whether people with intellectual disabilities should be able to receive the sacraments Thursday, saying the disabled are members of equal standing in the Catholic Church and, as such, have the same right to the sacraments as everyone else.