Free Republic

At the General Congregations, the so-called pre-conclave, the cardinals gathered in the Vatican are currently discussing the state of the Church and the profile of the next pope. What "skills" will the next head of the 1.4 billion Catholics need? And what issues will the cardinals be particularly concerned with when they soon retreat to the Sistine Chapel for the Papal election, the Conclave? "I believe that the issue of abuse will already play a role in the preliminary discussions, the so-called pre-conclave," German child protection expert Hans Zollner told the news agency Kathpress in Rome based on conversations with...

The Pope's loss of confidence, the financial issue, or a lack of pastoral experience are obstacles Is Parolin's candidacy fading? "Although Francis appointed him as Secretary of State, over time he realized he no longer trusted him," La Nación reports, quoting a bishop of the Curia, who maintains that, if elected, Parolin will hinder the "flourishing of the Church" brought about by Bergoglio. He has traveled all over the world, and he is the only one whom the most heterogeneous conclave in history knows and values. Furthermore, at the second of the novendiales, held this Sunday, he launched his candidacy...

While the Italians are agitated and the Spanish are conspicuous by their absence, two voices resonate strongly in the Synod Hall: those of the Dutchman Willem Eijk and that of the African Robert Sarah. The general tone among the cardinals is surprisingly serene.

During the Sede Vacante, the cardinals are responsible for the day-to-day business of the Church. The reins of power are held by the Cardinal Treasurer and three assistants – two are chosen by lot, one is appointed: Cardinal Marx. His work in Rome begins now. Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx has been participating in the interim leadership of the world Catholic Church since today. The Cardinals present in Rome confirmed him as one of three assistants to Cardinal Treasurer Kevin Farrell in governing the Church during the Sede Vacante, due to his role as co-ordinator of the Council for the Economy....

New document in the Zanchetta case complicate the Church's case The Vatican was aware of the allegations against the ex-bishop before giving him a position, they say, and he is accused of abuse and commercial mismanagement with the Pope's "endorsement". Internal Church documents show that Church authorities, including Pope Francis, were aware of allegations of sexual abuse and economic mismanagement against the now ex-Bishop of Oran, Gustavo Zanchetta, before giving him a high position in the Vatican and transferring him to Rome.

...while heretical and immoral bishops can do as they please". Cardinal Gerhard Müller: “Yes, it is terrible what is being done to Bishop Strickland, an abuse of office against the divine right of the episcopate. If I could advise Bishop Strickland..."

Víctor Manuel Fernández: "The Pope will not go where his visit can be used (or complicated) for political convenience or where the authorities despise his presence" "The extreme right forgets that there is a commandment even more important than the sixth (because it affects justice and charity) which asks not to bear false testimony or lie" "I have several other texts from years ago that could be considered much more 'dangerous' from a theological point of view and yet you have not even seen them. Maybe I am wrong to mention it, but it is the truth" "There will undoubtedly...

In 1966, just one year after the Second Vatican Council, the Church of Saint Agnes in Berlin was consecrated. The people cried out for Redemption and all they were given were the hardest of brutalist stones, within and without. It proved to be a sepulchre for the Faith, as worshippers could never be comfortable in a place which also entombed them and their souls.

Full interview in English “This started with a crazy idea and here we are.” This is how Francisco's welcome begins. With the naturalness with which he has impregnated every corner of a pontificate that has already exceeded a decade and does not smell of wear or liquidation due to closure. At least, that is perceived. Not only first, but when the conversation delves into any topic.

Argentine Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, chosen by Pope Francis to head a powerful Vatican office, admits he made mistakes in the way he handled the 2019 case of a priest accused of child sex abuse, which still brings him criticism for allegedly protecting the cleric.

After several months of intense activity by the factions opposed to the novelties of Chapter VII of Amoris laetitia – minority but hyperactive – or strong attempts to conceal them, the war seems to have come to a standstill. We must now pause to recognize what Francis left us concretely as an irreversible novelty.

In the homily in the Cathedral of La Plata on Sunday, March 5, Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández assured that the Church has been wrong for a long time. Preaching about love for others, the Archbishop of La Plata stated that “if we do not learn to look at the other in a different way, nothing changes. If I don't learn to look at his beauty beyond his appearance, his abilities, his sexual orientation... whatever it is... I can't end up loving him".

When Bergoglio visited Bolivia in 1979, "it was the time of greatest abuse," says the former Jesuit Lima The former Jesuit Pedro Lima, who has become one of the most visible faces that denounces paedophilic priests, points out that in a meeting in 1979, in which the current Pope Francis participated, they knew about "the issue of John XXIII College."

The Bishop of Orihuela-Alicante, Monsignor José Ignacio Munilla, has returned to the fray against the President of the Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, for defending abortion. Munilla has been openly criticising both the PP and its national president for several months for abandoning the defence of life and bowing to the dogmas and parameters of the left.

Improvements in the registration of the sex of minors are urgently needed. The BDKJ Federal Board supports the aim of the Federal Government to replace the discriminatory Transsexual Act (TSG) with the Self-Determination Act (SBGG) and to strengthen the gender self-determination of affected persons. "The de-bureaucratisation and recognition of gender diversity by law is urgently needed to ensure trans*, intersex and non-binary persons the acceptance of their gender identity also formally and to break down patriarchal thought patterns,"

After a raid by the Public Prosecutor's Office which included the Archbishop's residence of Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the calls for his resignation are getting louder again: from canon lawyers, theologians and the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics. The official announcement of the Archbishopric of Cologne is meagre: the public prosecutor's office in Cologne had searched business premises of the Archbishopric of Cologne on Tuesday and will try to determine whether the accusation of perjury against Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki can be proven by inspecting business documents and e-mails. Until then, the Archdiocese asks the public "not...

Week for Life: Break between Catholics and Protestants? With the annual "Week for Life" campaign, the two major churches have been advocating for the protection of life since 1994. The Catholic Bishops' Conference has now confirmed that the Protestant Church has withdrawn from the project. But the Protestant Church is keeping a low profile.

Glettler: Church also an important cultural carrier in contemporary art Innsbruck "Art Bishop" on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the "Collection of Contemporary Art of the Vatican Museums": Exciting learning process that allows both those involved in culture and those responsible for the Church to learn from each other The Catholic Church is an important bearer of culture in Austria, not only in relation to traditional art, but also "in the pulsating field of contemporary art". Bishop Hermann Glettler of Innsbruck has pointed this out. The field of contemporary art makes possible...

Recognition at the bishops' meeting Homosexuality: initiatives in the Church of France to change the discourse In France, a number of Bishops have proposed that the Pope reformulate the paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church concerning homosexuality. In addition, at the request of the French Bishops' Conference, theologians are working to make the institution's message on the subject more audible.

Sistine Chapel choir trial, Gänswein questioned as a witness Examination of about an hour in the second hearing of the trial for the management of funds to the German archbishop, for years secretary to Benedict XVI, about the behaviour of the defendants Palombella and Nardella, then director and administrative director of the Choir of the Musical Chapel, entrusted to his responsibility as Prefect of the Papal Household. Next hearing on 26 July.