Over the last three years, sexual abuse charges against two high-profile and massively influential cardinals have rocked the Catholic Church, and now, seemingly, both stories have reached their conclusions. Cardinal George Pell is a free man, while Theodore McCarrick is laicized and exposed as a cunning manipulator able to hoodwink three papacies until his string finally ran out.
A self-described ‘crypto-charismatic,’ Brunei’s new and first-ever recipient of a red hat, Bishop Cornelius Sim, said he never dreamed of being a priest, let alone a cardinal, but welcomes his appointment “with open arms.”
Pope Francis and U.S. bishops have worked hard to combat clergy sex abuse, according to officials who said the church has made a serious effort to put the victims first even if it means publicly exposing ugly facts about crimes.
Even during a global pandemic, the World Day of the Poor will be an important opportunity for parishes to highlight the importance of charity and spiritual comfort for those in need, said a Vatican official.
In the end, it’s possible the McCarrick report may be remembered as the single most consequential step toward reform during the Pope Francis papacy, not only because of what it reveals about this particular case, but the precedent it sets for how all future cases ought to be handled.
It’s taken far too long to get here, with agonizing delays, chaos, confusion, and reversals of fortune along the way, not to mention accusations of fraud and cover-up. Even now that we have a final result, heated arguments over its meaning and legitimacy probably are only beginning. That’s not a summary of the 2020 U.S. election, though it easily could be. The reference instead is to the Vatican’s release today of its long-awaited report on ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick, promised more than two years ago and finally at hand.
People sometimes forget life’s ultimate purpose is to prepare for the kingdom of heaven, Pope Francis said.
At a time when supporting your local retailers is a way of helping them weather the COVID-19 storm, one ice cream shop hiding in the shade of St. Peter’s Basilica that has one special faithful customer: Pope Francis.
After someone attending Pope Francis’ weekly general tested positive for COVID-19, the Vatican announced the audiences would return to being livestreamed without the presence of pilgrims and visitors.
The formal structures that sponsor Catholic-Jewish dialogue are important, but their decades of success have relied on strong personal friendships and mutual respect, both of which must continue to spread among all Catholics and Jews, officials involved in the dialogue said.
