WelCom May 2022 In his Urbi et Orbi [‘to everyone’] blessing at Easter, Pope Francis lamented an ‘Easter of War’ as he prayed for peace in Ukraine and around the world. He gave the blessing following Easter Sunday Mass. Around 100,000 people were present at the Vatican and in the surrounding area for the blessing […]
WelCom May 2022 Pope Francis has given Russia’s President Vladimir Putin the edge of his tongue for launching a ‘savage’ war. The pope was speaking during a two-day visit to the island of Malta last month. Rather than use the Russian president’s name, Francis instead referred to Putin as ‘some potentate’ who had unleashed the […]
WelCom May 2022 Pope Francis has made a historic apology to Indigenous peoples for the ‘deplorable’ abuses they suffered in Canada’s Catholic-run residential schools. Francis, in an address to Indigenous leaders after meetings with Métis, Inuit and First Nations delegates, also said he hoped to visit Canada in July. One of the leaders, who want […]
WelCom May 2022 Australia’s Catholic bishops have welcomed their Government’s decision to see up to 450 asylum seekers resettled in New Zealand, but say hundreds more need to be offered a pathway out of detention. On 24 March 2022, Australia Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Karen Andrews, and New Zealand Minister of Immigration, the […]
WelCom May 2022
WelCom May 2022 The preparatory documents for the 2021–2023 Synod of Bishops on synodality make it clear ‘every effort’ must be made to listen to the voices of those who feel ‘excluded or marginalised’ from society and the Church. Dioceses in the United States are reaching out to people with intellectual and physical disabilities, those […]
WelCom May 2022 Four properties owned by the Archdiocese of Seattle and St James Cathedral have been sold and will be redeveloped to create a carbon-neutral community that enhances the future of Seattle’s First Hill neighbourhood while also supporting the mission of the Catholic Church. Global developer Westbank and its affiliate Creative Energy have partnered […]
WelCom May 2022 More than 70 bishops from around the world have released a ‘fraternal open letter’ to Germany’s bishops warning that sweeping changes to Church teaching advocated by the ongoing process known as the Synodal Path may lead to schism. The letter expresses ‘our growing concern about the nature of the entire German Synodal […]
WelCom May 2022 The Russian Orthodox Church’s use of Christian teaching to justify Russia’s war on Ukraine is leading to calls for its expulsion from the World Council of Churches (WCC). Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Rowan Williams said the case for expelling is ‘a strong one’. He says he cannot accept the use of […]
WelCom May 2022 Archbishop Charles Balvo, a former Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, has arrived as Pope Francis’ ambassador to Australia. The 70-year-old has served 35 years in the Vatican’s diplomatic service. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Archbishop Balvo said the task of any Apostolic Nuncio is to be ‘the […]