francis

Married Catholic Priests; Could Pope Francis Say Yes?

October 6, 2019 8:40 am

Catholic bishops from around the world are meeting at the Vatican to discuss the future of the Church in the Amazon with Pope Francis.

Over the next three weeks, some 260 participants will talk about climate change, migration and evangelism.

Pope Francis opened the talks on Sunday by blaming destructive “interests” that led to recent fires in the Amazon.

“The fire of God is warmth that attracts and gathers into unity. It is fed by sharing, not by profits,” he said.

But one topic has dominated the headlines: whether married men will be allowed to become priests.

One of the …

Pope Francis to visit Iraq in 2020

June 10, 2019 8:39 am

Pope Francis said Monday he wants to visit Iraq as early as next year in spite of the security conditions.

“An insistent thought accompanies me when I think about Iraq, where I want to go next year so that it can look to the future through peaceful and shared participation in the construction of the common good,” Francis told a Vatican audience.

The pope voiced hope that Iraq “does not return to the tensions which come from the never-ending conflicts between regional powers.”

Iraq has been a battleground for competing forces, including the jihadist Islamic State group, since the US-led …

Vatican moves to allow married men be ordained priests

Pentecost : Pope Francis condemns social media, propaganda

June 9, 2019 8:30 am

Pope Francis has lamented what he calls today’s “culture of insults” in the world. In his homily during Pentecost Mass Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, Francis also decried that “the more we use social media, the less social we are becoming.”

He warned of the temptation to cling to “our little group, to the things and people we like,” saying it’s only a “small step from a nest to a sect, even within the church.”

The pope said that “nowadays it is fashionable to hurl adjectives” in what’s tantamount …

Priests, nuns must report sex abuse – Pope Francis

May 11, 2019 2:02 pm

The Roman Catholic Church’s one million members of clergy must report all suspicions of sexual abuse by church leaders at any and all levels, Pope Francis ordered on Thursday in a landmark decree.

Each diocese – or district of church governance – must set up clear and accessible reporting systems by June 2020, the pope declared, in a bid to tackle the sexual abuses that have called the church’s moral authority into question and seriously damaged its reputation.

“We have said for years that priests should follow certain strict rules, so why should bishops and other members of the Church

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Pope Francis to tackle clergy sex abuse crisis

February 22, 2019 7:20 am

Pope Francis made it clear: He expects more than talk from the historic summit he’s called to deal with the Catholic Church’s clergy sex abuse crisis. He wants “concrete and effective” results.