Pope hopes China deal on bishops will be renewed soon
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis said that while the Vatican’s secret and contested agreement with China on the appointment of Roman Catholic bishops is not ideal, he hopes it can be renewed in October because the church takes the long view. Relations with China was one of the many church and international topics the 85-year-old pontiff […]
Popes and presidents: A look back at the history of US presidential visits to the Vatican
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, looks at the history of meetings between popes and US presidents…
Africa-wide Roman Catholic body marks 50 years of progress
Nairobi, KenyaRNS Roman Catholic leaders in Africa are celebrating the church’s progress and steady growth across the continent as they meet in Kampala, Uganda, this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. Established during Pope Paul VI’s 1969 first-ever papal visit to Africa to give its churches […]
KNOW IT ALL SPECIAL: FIVE FAITH FACTS ABOUT THE MOON LANDING – SPACE COMMUNION AND A PRAYER LEAGUE OF ITS OWN
In a special ahead of this weekend’s 50th anniversary of the 1969 Moon landing, EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER and JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, look at five “faith facts” related to the lunar event…
ESSAY: LIVES OF LOVE – POPE FRANCIS CANONISES POPE PAUL VI AND ARCHBISHOP ROMERO
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE reflects on Pope Francis’ decision to declare Pope Paul VI and martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero saints…
Slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero and Pope Paul VI made Catholic saints
Martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero and Pope Paul VI are among seven people canonised as saints by Pope Francis on the weekend. Archbishop Romero was gunned down by a death squad while celebrating Mass in 1980 after denouncing military oppression at the start of El Salvador’s civil which ran until 1992 and claimed an estimated […]
ESSAY: ‘HUMANAE VITAE’ – SEX AND AUTHORITY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Fifty years after it was first released, Catholic priest THOMAS REESE looks at how the dispute among Catholics over the controversial papal encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’ wasn’t just about sex but about church authority itself…
ESSAY: HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CAME TO OPPOSE BIRTH CONTROL
In an article first published on The Conversation, LISA MCCLAIN, professor of history and gender studies at Boise State University in the US, looks at the Catholic Church’s position on birth control, 50 years after the landmark ‘Humanae Vitae’…
ESSAY: ARCHBISHOP OSCAR ROMERO WAS GUNNED DOWN INSIDE HIS OWN CHURCH 38 YEARS AGO. HE’LL SOON BECOME EL SALVADOR’S FIRST SAINT
US academic MICHAEL E LEE, in an article first published on The Conversation, reflects on the history of the controversy surrounding the Catholic Church’s upcoming canonisation of slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero…