WelCom April 2021 Matthew Balm In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti – on fraternity and social friendship, Pope Francis wrote, ‘God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters.’ This context of ‘fraternity’ means we are all united by human dignity […]
WelCom April 2021 Kneeling before them in the dust of a northern Myanmar city, Sr Ann Rose Nu Tawng begs a group of heavily armed police officers to spare ‘the children’ and take her life instead. The image of the Catholic nun in a simple white habit, her hands spread, pleading with the forces of […]
WelCom April 2021 The Catholic Church in the Philippines has chosen Easter Sunday, 4 April 2021, to formally inaugurate the year-long celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. On Easter Sunday, Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), will officiate at the opening of […]
WelCom April 2021 The Catholic Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions, the Vatican office responsible for doctrine has said. Answering the question, ‘does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?’ the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) responded, ‘negative’. […]
WelCom April 2021 Ireland’s Catholic bishops plan to hold a synod within the next five years to – among other things – hear from people who have left the Church. The bishops said they are ‘acutely aware of the huge challenges to the Catholic faith’ that have emerged during the past 50 years, including the […]
WelCom April 2021 The Vatican has warned that it has nearly depleted its financial reserves from donations to cover budget deficits over recent years and is urging continued giving from the faithful to keep the Holy See afloat. The Vatican has published its 2021 budget in its latest effort at greater financial transparency and a […]
WelCom April 2021 Asked in an interview whether he might consider writing a future encyclical on sport, Pope Francis gave an intriguing response: ‘Perhaps this conversation can be defined as the start of an encyclical on sport. Let’s see what God will suggest for the rest of the pontificate!’ The Pope himself was a keen […]
WelCom April 2021 Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli tutti has been translated into Russian and presented at a cultural centre in the capital, Moscow. The translation was overseen by a Muslim group. The Pope said he was ‘delighted and impressed by the fact that it was the Muslim International Forum that edited this Russian-language translation’. The […]
WelCom March 2021 As WelCom goes to print, Monday 1 March 2021, Auckland is at Alert Level 3. The rest of New Zealand is at Alert Level 2. These Alert Levels came into effect from 6am on Sunday 28 February to be in place for the following 7 days. After the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s […]
WelCom March 2021 Lent is a time to reconsider the path one is taking in life and to finally answer God’s invitation to return to him with one’s whole heart, says Pope Francis. Speaking in a homily at the Vatican on Ash Wednesday, 17 February 2021, the Pope said Lent was ‘about discerning where our […]