Bishops have been given a year to turn in guidelines for dealing with the sexual abuse of minors by clergy or religious, according to three Vatican documents made public today.
The request is made in a circular letter, along with an introduction and a summary, published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The letter provides a broad set of principles to help bishops’ conferences to establish guidelines, thereby ensuring that the universal Church will respond to sexual abuse consistently from one country to another… Read more »

A conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace will reflect on the Church’s social doctrine, especially in the context of modern-day globalization and injustices.

In regard to the results expected from the congress, Bishop Mario Toso, the dicastery’s secretary explained, “We hope there will be a new awareness of the importance of the mobilization of all ecclesial communities and the various lay associations and movements in respect to the great problems of the world.”

The three-day international congress on the theme “Justice and Globalization: From ‘Mater et Magistra’ to ‘Caritas in Veritate’” will be held in Rome beginning Monday… Read more »

Il-Knisja se tkompli twassal messaġġ favur żwieġ stabbli u għalhekk anki kontra d-divorzju u tħeġġeġ lill-Insara jinvolvu ruħhom b’mod attiv fil-ħajja soċjali u politika, u dan minkejja li jkollha tbati minħabba f’hekk.

Din kienet, f’sinteżi, it-tema ta’ messaġġ li ta’ l-Arċisqof Pawl Cremona OP waqt laqgħa maċ-chairperson u r-rappreżentanti tal-Moviment Żwieġ Bla Divorzju, fir-residenża tiegħu Ħ’Attard.

Fil-messaġġ tiegħu l-Arċisqof saħaq li li l-Knisja f’Malta, l-istess kif għamlet f’pajjiżi oħra, trid tkompli twassal it-tagħlim kollu ta’ Kristu dwar iż-żwieġ stabbli u fl-istess ħin tkompli ddawwal lil dawk li jemmnu fih biex iwettquh… Read more »

Benedict XVI is urging the faithful to spend more time in prayer, which he called an expression of man’s profound need for meaning and understanding.

“Dear brothers and sisters,” the Pope appealed at the end of today’s general audience, “let us learn to spend more time before God.”

“Let us learn to recognize in silence the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ,” he continued, “to recognize in the depth of ourselves his voice that calls us and leads us back to the profundity of our existence, to the fount of life, to the source of salvation, to make us go beyond the limits of our life and to open ourselves to the measure of God, to the relationship with Him who is Infinite Love.”

The Holy Father explained to those gathered in St… Read more »

Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Fernando Filoni, 65, substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The Vatican announced today that the archbishop will succeed Cardinal Ivan Dias, 75, who resigned due to reasons of age after serving for five years as head of the dicastery that directs the missionary work of the Church… Read more »