Essay: Before tackling troublesome issues, Pope Francis insists on synodality
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE says – in an article first published on Religion News Service – that he feels like he is on the Titanic while the crew is meeting to talk about how they should listen to one another…
Essay: Catholic synod – three reasons why the voices of church leaders in Africa are not being heard
In an article first published on The Conversation, STAN CHU ILO, research professor in world Christianity and African studies at DePaul University, explains why there seems to be no clear African agenda articulated through African Catholic church leaders…
Pope Francis opens a big Vatican meeting on the church’s future and says ‘everyone’ is welcome
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis said the Catholic Church needed to be rebuilt to make it a place of welcome for “everyone, everyone, everyone,” as he opened a divisive meeting on the future of the church that has sparked hope among progressives and alarm among conservatives. Francis presided over a solemn Mass in St Peter’s Square […]
Catholic Church: The Vatican’s ‘Synod on Synodality’ is about to begin. Here’s what to know.
The unprecedented gathering of 464 Catholic clergy and laypeople, including women, begins on 4th October at the Vatican. CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, looks at what to expect…
Vatican chastises bishops who stoke division on social media
Vatican CityReuters The Vatican urged bishops and high-profile lay Catholic leaders on Monday to tone down their comments on social media, saying some were causing division and stoking polemics that harmed the entire church. The appeal was part of a 20-page document by the Vatican’s communications department titled, “Towards Full Presence. A Pastoral Reflection on […]
UMC bishops request 2026 General Conference as hundreds more churches disaffiliate
Chicago, USRNS United Methodist bishops have proposed a five-day meeting of the denomination’s global decision-making body, the General Conference, in May, 2026. The announcement comes at the end of the Council of Bishops’ spring meeting last week in Chicago and a weekend that saw hundreds of United Methodist churches in the United States leave […]
United Methodist bishops meet, look to pivot after 2,400+ churches disaffiliate
Chicago, USRNS About 100 active and retired United Methodist bishops from across the globe are meeting this week in Chicago for the first time in person since the COVID-19 pandemic and since the launch one year ago of the Global Methodist Church, a conservative denomination formed for United Methodist churches looking to disaffiliate over LGBTQ […]
German Catholic Church reform assembly calls for same-sex blessings
Berlin, Germany AP A meeting between Germany’s Catholic bishops and lay representatives agreed Friday to call for the church to approve blessings of same-sex unions. The three-day gathering, which is part of the “Synodal Path” launched in 2019 in response to the sex abuse crisis that has rocked the church in Germany and many other […]
Church of England apologises to LGBTQI+ people for ‘shameful’ treatment
London, UK Reuters Church of England bishops apologised to LGBTQI+ people on Friday for the rejection and hostility they have faced, with the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledging that the religious body was still “very divided” on the subject. The apology comes days after the Church of England set out proposals developed by the bishops that showed it would refuse to allow same-sex […]
Pope warns Vatican staff an “elegant demon” lurks among them
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis warned Vatican bureaucrats on Thursday to beware the devil that lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith. Francis used his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia to again put the cardinals, bishops and […]