Displaying items by tag: Roman Catholic Church

Pope Francis, despite health challenges, has embarked on his longest trip as pope, visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. In this significant visit, which will cover over 32,000 km, he will aim to strengthen ties with Asian countries where Catholicism is often a minority faith but plays a crucial role in education and charity. The trip also highlights the shift in the Catholic Church’s focus toward Asia and away from a Eurocentric model. In Indonesia, the Pope will meet with Muslim leaders and sign an interfaith declaration, emphasising harmony between religions. Francis will again urge world leaders to take stronger action against climate change, particularly when he is in Papua New Guinea, and in the background there are ongoing efforts to rebuild diplomatic ties with China. This trip demonstrates the Pope’s continued energy - even at the age of 87 - and commitment to global outreach.

Contrary to the Archdiocese of Southwark's recommendation, John Fisher Catholic School governors voted not to cancel a talk by Simon Green, a writer of gay teen fiction. Two governors subsequently resigned, and the archdiocese sacked the rest. National Education Union members started industrial action on 28 April, with 40 people demonstrating outside the school. Their president said taking industrial action was an ‘absolute last resort’. Ofsted said the talk was due to take place on World Book Day and was offered as a ‘planned part of the curriculum’. Simon Hughes, for the archdiocese, had recommended the school leaders cancel the book-signing event. He said, ‘From time to time materials or events emerge for consideration that fall outside the scope of what is permissible in a Catholic school. In such circumstances, we have no alternative but to affirm our unequivocal and well-known theological and moral precepts and to act in accordance with them.’

A report has shown that the Church prioritised protecting the institution over victims who were urged to stay silent. The number of abused minors rises to an estimated 330,000 when including victims of people with other links to the Church, like Catholic schools and youth programmes. Between 2,900 and 3,200 abusers worked in the Catholic Church between 1950 and 2020, out of a total of 115,000 priests and other clerics. ‘The Church is the place where the prevalence of sexual violence is at its highest, other than in family and friend circles’, said the report, which found that children were also more likely to be abused within Church settings than in state-run schools or summer camps. This report follows similar ones from other countries.

The world’s smallest state, in the heart of Rome and the papal domain, is losing credibility through numerous scandals, aggressive papal doctrinal positions, and sustained decline in vocations (of priests, monks and nuns), which are bringing many changes to Catholicism. Pray for the impact of charismatic renewal on Catholics worldwide: a large proportion of the Catholic missionary force is charismatic. At the same time, the Church is expanding in theological conservatism, Marian devotion (prayers to Mary), and folk religious practices.