Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI has apologised to victims of child sex abuse by Catholic priests in Ireland. In a pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, he acknowledged the sense of betrayal in the Church felt by victims and their families. The Pope said there had been “serious mistakes” among bishops in responding to allegations of paedophilia. The pastoral letter is the first public statement by the Vatican on the sexual abuse of children, dating back decades… Read more »

H.G. Archbishop Mgr. Paul Cremona O.P. has entrusted Caritas Malta with the task of exposing the face of poverty in Malta, and said that this would be a difficult mission as poverty was hidden. The Archbishop was addressing a Forum organised by Caritas Malta to launch its programme of activities to mark the year 2010, which has been designated by the European Commission as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion (EY2010)… Read more »

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict has written a pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland with guidelines on preventing and punishing sexual abuse of children by priests.

It follows revelations last year of paedophilia within the Irish Catholic Church, which rocked the institution. Scandals involving Roman Catholic priests have also been reported from a number of other countries, including the Pope’s native Germany… Read more »

On Saturday, 6th March, 2010, a seminar for youth, on the theme ‘Meet them at the centre of their lives’ was organized by the Secretariat for Catechesis in collaboration with KDŻ.

During this seminar a practical approach towards achieving ‘outreach’ was discussed. Some of the ideals mentioned during this seminar were: a person has to be informed and open to their religion and also keep an active relationship with the Lord through Sacraments and prayer… Read more »

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

“The current crisis is not only economic, but has been caused by a deficit of moral values and by practical behaviours that are contrary to the law of God and, thus, contrary to man; behaviours that undermine justice and have negative impact on the material and spiritual development of society”, said today in Rome Card. Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, reflecting on the encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” in the presence of the executive board of Confindustria, the main organisation representing Italian manufacturing companies… Read more »

Pope Benedict XVI

Corruption, ethnic tensions, indifference and injustice must be tackled to bring lasting peace to Sudan, Pope Benedict XVI told the country’s bishops. “Treaties and other agreements, indispensable building blocks in the peace process, will only bear fruit if they are inspired and accompanied by the exercise of mature and morally upright leadership,” the pope said. Meeting the bishops of Sudan March 13 at the end of their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican, Pope Benedict praised their work in promoting peace, reconciliation, economic justice and human rights through the rule of law… Read more »

On Sunday, 15th March, 2010, Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. celebrated Mass at St. John’s Co Cathedral on the occasion of the Emigrants’ Convention. After Mass the Archbishop attended the official opening of the Convention at the Exchange building where he made a short address to all those migrants who suffered abuses in search of a better future:

Greetings. On behalf of the Church in Malta and Gozo, I welcome you to our shores.  … Read more »

Pope Benedict XVI

Today Benedict XVI visited a Lutheran church in Rome with the purpose of promoting unity by emphasizing the ways in which Catholics and other Christians bear common witness to Christ.

In the German-language service, in which both the Pope and a Lutheran pastor gave homilies, the Pontiff affirmed, “We hear many laments about the fact that there are no new developments in ecumenism, but we must say, and we can say it with much gratitude, that there have already been elements of unity.”

In his address, which the Holy Father delivered without a written script, he invited his listeners to be thankful for the fact that “we are here together on this Laetare Sunday, that we sing together, that we listen to the Word of God together, that we listen to each other, all looking to the one Christ and, thus, rendering testimony to the one Christ.”

Benedict XVI was welcomed with prolonged applause in the Christuskirche on the Via Sicilia in Rome… Read more »

Pope Benedict XVI

The Vatican has denounced attempts to link Pope Benedict XVI to a child abuse scandal in his native Germany. Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said there had been “aggressive” efforts to involve the Pope, but added: “It’s clear that these attempts have failed.” The Holy See’s prosecutor meanwhile said that “to accuse the current Pope of hiding [cases of abuse] is false”… Read more »