Pope Francis is opening what observers are calling the most critical week of his papacy.
This week two separate commissions investigating the finances of the Vatican will issue their reports and make recommendations for reforming church procedures. The bank has been long believed by Italian authorities to be a place of money laundering by wealthy Italians and the Pope has vowed to make sure any illegal activity involving the bank is immediately stopped.
The preparations are also getting underway for a major family issues summit that will deal with what church officials call a “widespread rejection by Catholics of church teaching” on issues like contraception, marriage and divorce.
A survey commissioned by the Pope of lay Catholics showed that a wide majority of those calling themselves practicing Catholics reject the church’s core teachings on sexual morals, birth control, marriage and divorce. The number one reason given was that they were “unrealistic and outdated” compared to the world’s view.
The Pope and leaders will meet to determine how to bring Catholics back to the teachings of the church and Scripture and reject worldly views on controversial issues.
A Pennsylvania teenager is behind bars charged with a brutal attack on a retired nun.
Andrew Bullock, 18, attacked the nun outside of St. Titus Church near Pittsburgh. He reportedly asked the nun if she needed help. When she declined, he grabbed her by the neck, choked her and punched her.
The nun is hospitalized with severe injuries including a broken jaw. She communicated information about the details of her attack by writing them down for police before she was taken into surgery.
“The Sisters of St. Joseph are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the assault of one of our Sisters,” a statement from the order said. “As we offer continued prayers of healing for our Sister, we also pray for the young man who has been arrested in the assault.”
Bullock is held on $50,000 bond for charges including aggravated assault. Bullock confessed to the attack during questioning by police.
The Catholic group Priests For Life has joined with individual plaintiffs to file a lawsuit against Obamacare’s demands that employers provide free contraceptives to employees.
Father Frank Pavone of PFL said that forcing his group to provide no-cost access to contraception that can actually induce abortions violates their religious freedom. He also said that even if the group is given an exemption from the law requiring them to provide the plan, the requirement they facilitate employees finding access to another provider on their own brings unacceptable costs.
The lawsuit is now one of 80 by religious groups across the country regarding the health care law’s infringements on religious rights. The University of Notre Dame and the Fellowship of Catholic University Students filed suits last week.
“I think the Obama administration’s attempts to take religious freedom away from anyone are bound to fail,” Matthew Bowman, the senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, told Fox News.
Pope Francis released an 84-page “apostolic exhortation” yesterday which will form the official platform for his papacy.
The document calls for a renewal within the Roman Catholic Church and said that unfettered capitalism is “a new tyranny” that increases poverty and inequality.
The statement marked a stronger criticism of global economic system than in previous comments. Pope Francis said all world leaders should guarantee citizens dignified work, education and healthcare.
“Just as the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills,” Pope Francis said. “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 points?”
The Pope also called for the church to get outside of its walls and do the work of Jesus.
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” he wrote.
A federal judge has ruled that Catholic groups do not have to immediately comply with mandates in Obamacare.
The Pittsburgh Diocese challenged the law because of the requirement that all employees would have to be provided with contraceptives.
“The issue with the services in the mandate is that they either go against preservation of human life or involve the actual taking of human life,” Bishop David Zubik told the court during emotional testimony.
At issue was charities connected to the church not being exempted from the law’s contraception mandate. The Church said that any charity connected to the Diocese had to maintain the teachings of the church.
The injunction is only preliminary and those involved expect it to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Catholic Church is reporting a huge upswing in attendance in the 8 months since Pope Francis was chosen to lead.
Churches in Britain have seen a 20% rise in attendance with a mix of new and returning members. More than half of priests in Italy have reported seeing a significant upturn in attendance and Spain’s church leaders report a decade-long slump in attendance has suddenly reversed.
In addition, leaders in the U.S., France and Latin America report growth.
All of those surveyed credited Pope Francis and his appeal to those who have felt like they were being cast aside from the church. Surveys say that people are very impressed with his simple lifestyle, devotion to service to the poor and needy and his commitment to rid the papacy of pedophile priests.
One columnist even said that Pope Francis has become the world’s biggest voice for change in the current system getting people to focus on the needs of others.
The Catholic cathedral in Santiago, Chile was forced to close for at least five days after pro-abortionists attacked the church and caused significant damage.
At least 100 people ransacked the building, destroying confessional booths, shouting insults at people worshipping and spray painting hate-driven graffiti on the walls. Continue reading →
Pope Francis made a statement today saying that the Catholic Church needs to follow the example of St. Peter and stop seeking to accumulate wealth.
The church brings in hundreds of millions of euros every year. Continue reading →
The Archdiocese of New York, Notre Dame University, and the Archdioses of Washington, D.C. are among 40 Catholic groups that filed suit today against the Obama Administration claiming their freedom of religion has been impeded.
The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. placed a statement on their website explaining the move. Continue reading →
