The Explainer: What the Catholic Church says about political violence and the need to forgive – even would-be assassins
JOANNE M PIERCE, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at how Catholic views on the morality of killing have evolved over time, embracing the idea of warfare for self-defence and the common good and emphasising forgiveness for enemies…
Essay: Pope Francis may have surprised many by inviting comedians to the Vatican, but the value of humour has deep roots in Catholic tradition
JOANNE M PIERCE, a specialist in medieval Christian history, looks – in an article first published on The Conversation – at how Christians have long embraced the role of humour as a valuable part of Christian spirituality…
Posters near Vatican urge Pope to stop Latin Mass crackdown
Rome, Italy AP Posters calling on Pope Francis to stop his crackdown on the old Latin Mass were plastered near the Vatican on Tuesday, in the latest display of conservative opposition to the pontiff. The posters featured images of Pope Benedict XVI and St John Paul II and quoted from their texts speaking positively about the old […]
Vatican probes alleged abuse negligence by Polish cardinal
Warsaw, PolandAP The Vatican’s embassy in Poland said Saturday that a Holy See envoy spent 10 days in the country checking reports of alleged negligence by a retired archbishop of Krakow who had served as personal secretary to the late Pope St John Paul II. The embassy said that during his 17th to 26th June […]
Polish bishops defend John Paul II after McCarrick report
Warsaw, Poland AP Polish bishops defended St John Paul II on Friday against evidence that he rejected reports that ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick slept with his seminarians, seeking to salvage a papal legacy that has been badly tarnished by his inaction on clergy sexual abuse. The head of the Polish bishops conference, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, said […]
Sculpture of John Paul II with rock, red water makes waves
Warsaw, Poland AP A new statue that depicts the late Pope St John Paul II throwing a rock into red water has provoked debate in his native Poland and revived memories of a 1999 Italian sculpture that showed him crushed under a rock, to which the new work was intended as a counter-statement. The statue […]