This past week, Rome hosted two very different, but important meetings. The first was at the Vatican, chaired by Pope Francis himself, as a meeting of the Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops. This was a preparatory meeting held to get ready for October’s Synod on the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and Society.
Vatican
For LCWR, Life Returns to Normal After Vatican Report
The president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious said the organization is pleased to be “going on with our normal life, so to speak.”
The Vatican and Ecology
Dear Editor: It was good to see the front-page coverage (May 9) given to Pope Francis’ eagerly awaited ecology encyclical and to the role Catholic groups are playing in the attempt to protect the environment from climate change and other kinds of degradation; I remember the excellent coverage given to the part religious groups played in the Climate March in New York City last September.
Number of Priests, Deacons Has Continued to Rise
The number of Catholics in the world and the number of priests and permanent deacons rose slightly in 2013, while the number of men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics.
Pope Sends Prayers, Donation to Nepal
Pope Francis prayed for those affected by the deadly earthquake in Nepal, encouraged rescue and emergency workers in their efforts, and sent an initial donation of $100,000.
Terrorists Planned Attack on the Vatican
Italian police arrested at least nine people in what officials described as a terrorist cell that had planned, in 2010, to strike at the Vatican with a suicide bomber.
Healthy Relationships Key to Celibate Living
Consecrated men and women must honestly assess their attitudes toward abuse, as well as toward celibacy, said Sister Mary Lembo of the Center for Child Protection at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University.
Pope to Visit Cuba?
Discussions about Pope Francis possibly visiting Cuba in September are so preliminary that the idea cannot be considered more than a hypothesis, the Vatican said.
Vatican, LCWR Reach Agreement on Bylaws
The agreement ended a seven-year process of investigating the group and engaging in dialogue with its officers to ensure greater harmony with Church teaching.
Pope Encourages, Cautions Work of Vocation Directors
Despite fewer vocations to consecrated life, those responsible for formation in religious institutes must know how to say no to unsuitable candidates, so as to avoid a “graver crisis of quality” down the road, said Pope Francis.
