Leaders of the Sodality of Christian Life (SVC) have confirmed that Pope Francis has dissolved their movement. A January 20 statement from the SCV acknowledged the accuracy of reports that the Vatican had announced the dissolution of the movement during a general assembly of the SCV in Brazil. The statement said, however, that public reports of the Vatican action had included some inaccuracies—but did not provide further details. A report issued earlier this week had indicated that the SCV—which has been under Vatican investigation for months—had been suppressed because of abuses of leadership ..read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, has issued a call to the world’s Catholics to resume pilgrimages to the Holy Land, in light of the ceasefire in the Gaza war. ”This ceasefire is a turning point,” the cardinal said. “So it’s about time to take courage to come here. We are waiting for you.” In a video message— which he recorded along with Father Francesco Patton, the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land (a title that the Patriarch once held), Cardinal Pizzaballa reminded the faithful: “The source an origin of hope is here at the Holy Sepulchre with Jesus, the risen Lor ..read more

Ana Redondo, the Minister of Equality for the Spanish government, has threatened criminal prosecution of a priest who denied the Eucharist to a local official who is involved in a homosexual union. ”You cannot discriminate against an LGTBI citizen and require him to choose wither his faith or his sexual condition,” said Redondo, insisting that this would be “contrary to the Spanish constitution.” Redondo was responding to a controversy in the town of Torrecaballeros, where Mayor Ruben Garcia said that his parish priest had denied him Communion ..read more

More than 4 million people took part in devotions to the Santo Niño de Cebú, an image of the Christ Child venerated in the Philippines. “The Holy Child has been our constant source of hope and joy over the years,” said Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu. “In His childlike form, we see innocence and the enduring power of love that sustains us through all hardships. His presence assures us that we are never alone, and through Him, we are given the strength to endure ..read more

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was among the five clergy who offered prayers at President Donald Trump’s inauguration. “Please, God bless America, please mend her every flaw,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan said at the conclusion of his prayer. “You are the God in whom we trust, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen!” Father Frank Mann, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, delivered the benediction. Rev. Franklin Graham, Rabbi Ari Berman (president of Yeshiva University), and Lorenzo Sewell (pastor of Detroit’s 180 Church) also offered prayers ..read more

Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, the president of the French bishops’ conference, has asked the prosecutor’s office in Paris to investigate a possible cover-up of sexual abuse committed by Abbé Pierre (1912-2007). In September, the bishops’ conference opened its archives on the priest to historians and journalists, following serious new charges of sexual abuse. Ordained to the priesthood in 1938, Abbé Pierre took part in the French resistance against the Nazis during World War II and was a member of the French parliament from 1945 to 1951. Known for his ministry to the poor and homeless, h ..read more

The Vatican newspaper—which customarily turns to Italian academics to analyze American politics, with sometimes amusing results—turned to the policy director of an American conservative think tank to analyze President Donald Trump’s election victory. In an article for the January 20 edition of the Vatican newspaper, Chris Griswold, policy director of American Compass, wrote that “if international observers want to understand what is happening in American politics and why Donald Trump is back in the White House, it may be helpful to know that America’s political, economic, and business elites h ..read more

Speaking at Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City (video), Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago said that “the reports being circulated of planned mass deportations targeting the Chicago area are not only profoundly disturbing but also wound us deeply.” “The Catholic community stands with the people of Chicago in speaking out in defense of the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers,” he continued. “Similarly, if the reports are true, it should be known that we would oppose any plan that includes a mass deportation of US citizens born of undocumented parents,” as well as att ..read more

In a January 20 audience with seminarians of the Almo Collegio Capranica in Rome, Pope Francis asked, “When does one end up straying, or floundering?” Seminarians end up going astray, the Pope answered, when they do not cultivate closeness to God, the bishop, the people, and one another. In the Vatican’s English translation of the Pope’s remarks, the Pope also said, “The courage of St. Paul VI placed synodality as the aim of the Council” (emphasis added)—a statement not borne out by the historical record. In Pope Francis’s original Italian, Pope Francis said that Paul VI inserted synodality “a ..read more

Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement on President Trump’s expected executive orders. “The Catholic Church’s foundational teaching calls us to uphold the sacredness of human life and the God-given dignity of the human person,” she said shortly after the president’s inauguration. “This means that the care for immigrants, refugees, and the poor is part of the same teaching of the Church that requires us to protect the most vulnerable among us, especially unborn children, the elderly and the infirm.” “The bisho ..read more