The Catholic Church defended human rights during Chileโs dictatorship. An archive tells the story
The archive of the Vicariate of Solidarity gives an account of a painful episode in Chileโs history: 47,000 instances of human rights violations during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, who took power after a military coup that deposed President Salvador Allende 50 years ago.
Spain's ombudsman registers 445 church sex abuse complaints
Spainโs ombudsman says an independent commission set up a year ago to investigate historic sex abuse by the Catholic church has collected testimonies from 445 victims, as the nation tackles an issue other European countries acted on long ago.
Nicaragua proposes suspending Vatican ties after comments
Nicaragua โs government says it has proposed suspending relations with the Vatican days after Pope Francis compared President Daniel Ortegaโs administration to a communist or Nazi dictatorship amid a crackdown on the Catholic Church in the country.
Sri Lankan court orders ex-leader to pay victims of bombings
Sri Lankaโs Supreme Court has ruled that inaction by the countryโs former president and four others led to Easter Sunday bomb attacks in 2019 that killed nearly 270 people and ordered them to pay compensation for violating the basic rights of the victims and their families.
German bishops assure Vatican but vow to proceed with reform
Germanyโs Catholic bishops are vowing to continue their controversial reform process after a week of tense meetings with Vatican officials seeking to put the brakes on proposals to ordain women, bless gay unions and rethink church teaching on sexuality.
Benedict woes come as German church reform pressure rises
A report on decades of sexual abuse in Germany that shone an unflattering spotlight on retired Pope Benedict XVI has come on top of already strong pressure in Germany to reconsider Catholic rules on issues including homosexuality and womenโs roles.
Rwanda's Kagame welcomes French 'truth' about the genocide
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda on Wednesday described a French report documenting Franceโs role in the 1994 genocide as โa good thing,โ welcoming efforts in Paris to โmove forward with a good understanding of what happenedโ 27 years after the massacres that shocked the world.
German archbishop offers to resign after abuse criticism
The report commissioned by Cologne's archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, absolved Woelki himself of any neglect of duty with respect to abuse victims. Francis has previously declined, at least initially, to accept resignations when they were offered to repent for mishandling sex abuse cases, though he has relented after time. Woelki said he also would temporarily suspend two Cologne church officials based on the findings of the investigation. The report found Schwaderlapp neglected his duty to inform and report abuse allegations in eight cases. AdIn January, a new system drawn up by the church to compensate abuse victims took effect.
Belgian bishop lashes out at Vatican over gay unions decree
FILE - In this Saturday, May 8, 2010 file photo, from left, Liege Bishop Aloysius Jousten, Brussels Archbishop Andre Leonard, Tournai Bishop Guy Harpigny and Antwerp Bishop Johan Bonny attend a press conference at the Vatican. Belgian bishop Johan Bonny, in an opinion piece, has lashed out at the Vatican over its decree that the Catholic Church won't bless same-sex unions. The Congregation's note distinguished between blessing same-sex unions and the churchโs welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it endorsed. It argued that such unions were not part of Godโs plan and that any sacramental recognition of them could be confused with marriage. AdThe orthodoxy office's document argued that same-sex unions can't be blessed by the Catholic Church because they are not part of that plan.
Vatican bars gay union blessing, says God 'can't bless sin'
(Tiziana Fabi/Pool photo via AP)ROME โ The Vatican declared Monday that the Catholic Church won't bless same-sex unions since God โcannot bless sin.โThe Vaticanโs orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. Since gay unions aren't intended to be part of that plan, they can't be blessed by the church, the document said. Francis has endorsed providing gay couples with legal protections in same-sex unions, but that was in reference to the civil sphere, not within the church. At the time, Argentine lawmakers were considering approving gay marriage, which the Catholic Church opposes. AdSpeaking of families with gay children, he said: โYou canโt kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine research method creates conflict for Catholics
The pandemic has ended so many lives and vaccines are in high demand, but the J&J vaccine is born out of research that the church has long spoken out against. AdMichigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phasesWhile the Archdiocese of Detroit recognizes the need for more vaccines, the J&J vaccine emerged from research dating back to the 1970s that proves controversial for Catholics. โIf no other vaccines are available, certainly take the J&J vaccine,โ Smetanka said. The vaccines developed by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are more morally problematic, however. If one does not have a choice of vaccine and a delay in immunization may bring about serious consequences for oneโs health and the health of others, it would be permissible to accept the Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca vaccine.
Vatican clears retired US bishop of multiple abuse claims
His attorney, Thomas Jubin, said multiple allegations against Hart were โspecious,โ with some based on second- and third-hand information, and with some accusers emphasizing that Hart didn't physically touch them. โDespite this, Bishop Hart asks me to convey that he continues to pray for all involved in this case so that they may find peace and healing. In Cheyenne, Biegler has previously stood by the findings of his review board, which determined a half-dozen claims were credible. As a result, the sentence showed the arbitrary nature of Vaticanโs canonical sex abuse deliberations and judgments, which aren't public. The first known allegations against Hart dated to the early 1960s and were made in the late 1980s.
The Latest: Hong Kong ends lockdown in Kowloon neighborhood
The district has been at the center of a worsening coronavirus outbreak, with over 160 cases reported over the first three weeks in January. As of Sunday, Hong Kong has reported 10,086 cases of the coronavirus, with 169 deaths recorded. The nation of 26 million people has reported fewer than 30,000 virus cases and a little over 900 deaths. There have been 373,090 total virus cases and a death toll of 3,279 since the pandemic began, according to the health department. The U.S. accounts for roughly one of every four cases reported worldwide and one of every five deaths.
โA really welcome changeโ: Pope officially expands womenโs roles in Catholic Church
Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, Monday Jan. 11, 2021, while reaffirming they cannot be priests. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, FILE)DETROIT โ The role of women in the Catholic Church is expanding and itโs no longer based on the decision of an individual Bishop. โItโs a really welcome change from the Pope,โ Katie Lacz, of Womenโs Ordination Conference, said. Advocates for gender equality in the Catholic Church are praising the decision by Pope Francis. Pope Francis has now made it canon law.
Archdiocese of Detroit moves to reorganize Catholic parishes
DETROIT โ The Archdiocese of Detroit has announced plans to form 51 new families of parishes in an effort to better serve worshippers. The idea to form 51 families of parishes was conceived years ago amid a priest shortage, and is designed to help the diocese become more missionary. The Deacon says the transition will help spread resources and keep the doors of the churches open. โThis allows us to keep the parishes open with fewer clergy and thatโs our goal,โ Houghton said. Officials say the transition will happen in two waves: one in January 2021 and the second in July.
Archdiocese of Detroit extends Mass dispensation due to COVID surge
DETROIT โ For months, mass at St. Clare Montefalco Parish in Grosse Pointe Park has been different in many ways, but still celebrated weekly. Allen Vigneron, extended a blessing. Announced on Friday, the dispensation from the obligation to attend mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation was extended to Ash Wednesday, Feb, 17, 2021. Those who stay at home should keep holy the Lordโs Day by reading scripture or watching mass virtually. You can read the full letter from Reverend Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit here.
Archdiocese of Detroit: Mass dispensation extended until Ash Wednesday
DETROIT โ The Archdioceses of Detroit announced Friday that mass dispensation for Catholics will be extended until Ash Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2021. DispensationAfter carefully considering these and other factors, I am extending the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation for people living in or visiting the Archdiocese of Detroit until Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021. At the same time, one should not take advantage of the dispensation without a true need. To that end, many of our parishes have been broadcasting their services over the internet during these last several months. With assurances of my prayers for you, I remain,Sincerely yours in Christ,The Most Reverend Allen H. VigneronArchbishop of Detroit
Orthodox priest shot at church in France, motive unknown
Police officers and rescue workers block the access to the scene after a Greek Orthodox priest was shot Saturday Oct.31, 2020 while he was closing his church in the city of Lyon, central France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)LYON โ A Greek Orthodox priest was shot Saturday while he was closing his church in the French city of Lyon, and authorities locked down part of the city to hunt for the assailant, authorities said. โWe donโt know at this stage the motive for this attack.โAntoine Callot, the pastor at another Greek Orthodox church in Lyon, identified the wounded priest as Nikolas Kakavelakis, a 45-year-old father of two. No one was guarding the church targeted Saturday in Lyon, or the church attacked in Nice on Thursday. The Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement: โWe condemn the attack against an Orthodox priest of Greek origin near the Church of the Annunciation in Lyon, France.
Poland activists vow largest protest yet over abortion ban
The past week of social upheaval followed a ruling last week by the constitutional court, which ruled that abortion in the cases of severe fetal deformities is unconstitutional. It allowed abortion only in the cases of fetal defects, risk to the woman's health and incest or rape. Last week's constitutional court ruling leaves only the woman's health or pregnancy resulting from crimes as legal reasons for abortion. Health Ministry figures show that 1,110 legal abortions were carried out in Poland in 2019, mostly because of fetal defects. Polish women seeking abortions get them in Germany or other nearby nations, or illegally in Poland.
Vatican, China extend bishop agreement over US opposition
VATICAN CITY โ The Vatican and China extended a controversial accord on bishop nominations Thursday over strong opposition from the White House and conservative Catholics given Beijing's crackdown on religious believers. The Holy See and Beijing government jointly announced a two-year extension to the 2018 agreement, which expired Thursday. In an unsigned article accompanying the announcement of the extended agreement, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said the Vatican โdoes not fail to attract the attention of the Chinese government to encourage a more fruitful exercise of religious freedom." Beijing foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing Thursday that China and the Vatican decided to extend the agreement โafter friendly consultations." The Vatican has been vigorously defending the agreement in recent weeks after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly criticized it and urged the Holy See not to extend it.