Displaying items by tag: Vatican

Italian evangelical Christians have protested against the ‘active and public’ participation of Thomas Schirrmacher, secretary-general of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) in a large ecumenical prayer vigil organised in the Vatican on 30 September. This featured prayers led by the heads of twenty Christian confessions, including Mr Schirrmacher. The Italian Evangelical Alliance (AEI) said, ‘We are confused and disappointed. Once you pray publicly with the Pope, in St. Peter’s Square, in front of a Marian portrait, embracing the message of spiritual unity with liberals and orthodox leaders, your alleged distinction becomes secondary.’ Pope Francis said the event would help to sow unity among Christian confessions. According to the event’s website, he shared ‘personal memories of his ecumenical journey’. The Spanish Evangelical Alliance has also criticised WEA’s participation: see

'Christmas reminds us that Jesus is our peace, our joy, our strength, our comfort’, Pope Francis said at the Vatican’s traditional lighting ceremony: ‘Let there be light.’ A 30-metre-tall spruce was placed just off-centre in St Peter’s Square. It was lit during a small and socially distanced ceremony as prelates invoked a spirit of peace and encounter after a year marked by the Covid pandemic. Across Europe there have been public unveiling of nativity scenes, lighted trees, angels, and other Christian symbols. We can pray that all who see these artistic creations will be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

Archbishop Wojciech Polak has called on the Church hierarchy to launch proceedings following the release of a documentary telling the story of two brothers who sought to confront the priest who allegedly abused them as children. The Vatican is expected to assign an investigator to the case. The film, ‘Hide and Seek’, has been viewed over 1.9 million times on YouTube and is the second documentary on the subject by Marek and Tomasz Sekielski. Poland plans to double jail terms for paedophiles, and the Pope has made it mandatory for clergy to report abuse after victims failed to bring to account those in the Church who were responsible for covering up their abuse. A senior bishop allegedly knew about the allegations for years without taking any action.

Frédéric Fornos, director of the Pope's worldwide prayer network, has said that the eRosary combines the best of Church tradition with the best of technology. The device is aimed at young people who seek to learn how to pray and who don't really know how to. It reminds them to pray three times a day. Once connected to its application, the Rosary has specific content, such as thematic prayers, allowing fervent users to record and share their spiritual activity. One researcher said a security flaw in the application allows an attacker to take over the account of the victim and get the victim's personal information just by knowing their email address. Another problem is the price of the device, which many consider to be too high.

Catholic bishops are meeting to discuss the Roman Catholic church's response to the sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy for the first time. The Vatican says it wants four days of reflection and discussion with survivors and it is likely to be a defining moment for Pope Francis. Before the conference, Archbishop Eamon Martin offered a message to survivors and victims of abuse in Ireland asking for forgiveness and ensuring that church activities are as safe as possible for children and vulnerable people. Meanwhile women in the Contemplative Sisters of St John who were sexually abused by priests when younger, then silenced, are now speaking out. CNN has spoken to several women who say they are victims of the devastating sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse they suffered within the community. See

Senior Anglicans are asking the Archbishop of Canterbury to force his ambassador to the Vatican to resign because he does not believe Jesus rose from the dead. In an Easter sermon some years ago Dr John Shepherd said, ‘It is important for Christians to be set free from the idea that the resurrection was an extraordinary physical event, which restored to life Jesus’s original earthly body. The resurrection of Jesus ought not to be seen in physical terms, but as a new spiritual reality.’ He added that the disciples merely ‘felt his presence after his death’, and the Gospel accounts in the Bible were not historical records as we would write history today. Senior Anglicans have rounded on his unorthodox views. Dr Shepherd’s appointment came after the previous ambassador stood down following accusations of sexual misconduct.

The Vatican and China have signed a provisional agreement to allow jointly-approved Catholic bishops in China for the first time. Some say it is a significant step towards re-establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. But critics ask why the church, historically a defender of human rights and Christian values, would willingly join forces with the increasingly authoritarian atheist Chinese government. The agreement will allow the Holy See and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association to approve jointly the appointment of bishops in China. It comes at a time when religious persecution is escalating after the Chinese government issued new regulations forcing churches to display the national flag and the president’s portrait, while at the same time removing crosses from buildings. See

The Pope's chief financial adviser has decided to take a leave of absence after being charged with historical sex crimes. Cardinal George Pell, the third most senior Catholic at the Vatican, has fiercely denied the multiple allegations against him. At a news conference on 29 June, he said the two-year investigation had been fuelled by ‘relentless character assassination’. He has now been called back to Australia, to appear before Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 18 July. ‘I am innocent of these charges. They are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me’, he told reporters. ‘The court proceedings offer me the opportunity to clear my name and then return to my work in Rome.’ In another story, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has been asked to step down from an honorary role in the Diocese of Oxford, after being criticised in an independent review of the church’s handling of sex abuse. The review into disgraced former bishop Peter Ball, who was jailed in 2015, revealed that Lord Carey had failed to pass key information on Ball to the police in 1992. See