News in Church Issues

The Question of Vocations: Old and new issues

The Question of Vocations: Old and new issues

by: Marc Rastoin, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

The now clearly fragmented nature of the global Catholic world means that there are some very diverse situations regarding vocations to consecrated celibacy, both for  diocesan clergy and for those in religious life. Asia and Africa have slow but steady growth, while vocations continue to decline in the northern hemisphere and, in an almost similar way, in Latin America.  Bishops, as well as superiors of religious orders, are writing letters to raise awareness of the issue.

Women to vote in synod assembly for first time

Women to vote in synod assembly for first time

by: Christopher Lamb - The Tablet in Church Issues,

The Synod of Bishops will include female voting members for the first time, organisers revealed today in a landmark development for the Church’s synod process. Pope Francis has approved changes to allow lay women, including religious sisters, and lay men, to take part as full members of the synod summit in October, emphasising that it restores a model of the Church as the “People of God” and where the hierarchy is in close relationship with the laity. 

The Atlas of Francis: The Vatican and international politics

The Atlas of Francis: The Vatican and international politics

by: Cardinal Pietro Parolin - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

On March 13, 2023, to mark the 10th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis, La Civiltà Cattolica organized a presentation of Fr. Antonio Spadaro’s volume “L’atlante di Francesco. Vaticano e politica internazionale” (The Atlas of Francis. Vatican and International Politics). The President of Italy’s Council of Ministers, the Hon. Giorgia Meloni, and the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, were guests of honor. Below we publish the text of His Eminence’s speech. 

 
Crisis and the Future of the Church

Crisis and the Future of the Church

by: Antonio Spadaro, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

Does the Church have a future? What is the Church’s relationship with the passage of time, that is, to its history? The risk of going astray in answering these questions is very high. We can either fall into a merely sociological view, or make a purely abstract theological analysis, that is, embrace the ideology of the “youthfulness” of the Church with her “magnificent good fortune  and progress” in times of crisis.

The Meaning of Francis’ International Politics

The Meaning of Francis’ International Politics

by: José Luis Narvaja, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

 In order to trace the pope’s political map of the world and grasp the roots of his international politics, we must avoid simplification and find the right keys to interpretation.nIt is useful to start from his biographical and cultural roots, but it is also necessary to go beyond this. In any case, we must always bear in mind that the pope’s agenda is open and that this openness is a specific characteristic of his politics.

Church of England refuses to back same-sex marriage

Church of England refuses to back same-sex marriage

by: SYLVIA HUI - Associated Press in Church Issues,

 The Church of England said Wednesday it will allow blessings for same-sex, civil marriages for the first time but same-sex couples still will not be allowed to marry in its churches. The decision followed five years of debate and consultation on the church's position on sexuality. It is expected to be outlined in a report to the church's national assembly, the General Synod, which meets in London next month.

Bishops emphasise dignity in new migrants document

Bishops emphasise dignity in new migrants document

by: Patrick Hudson - The Tablet in Church Issues,

The bishops of England and Wales have published a document on the Catholic response to refugees and migrants, days after the bishops’ conference’s lead on the subject criticised the government’s Illegal Migration Bill. The new document, Love the Stranger, from the conference’s department for international affairs, outlines 24 principles derived from historic Catholic social teaching.

The Legacy of Cardinal Martini - His Origins and Inspirations

The Legacy of Cardinal Martini - His Origins and Inspirations

by: Carlo Casalone, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini (1927-2012), numerous books have been published and various articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers. Many aspects of the cardinal’s life, thought and pastoral ministry, have been recalled and studied. Recent texts explore the way Martini carried out his commitment at the European level and some experiences of the period when he lived in Rome as a teacher and rector at the pontifical institutions entrusted to the Jesuits (the Biblical Institute and the Gregorian University).

 
Pope Francis Ten Years on

Pope Francis Ten Years on

by: Stephanie Bennett - The Tablet in Church Issues,

Ten years on, many thousands of articles have been written about Francis’ papacy across a variety of global media. Fortunately for Tablet readers, our digital archive contains some of the most insightful, incisive, authoritative and well-informed writing on our current pope. Isabel de Bertodano wrote that on the eve of his inauguration, Francis called a friend in Buenos Aires to say “Hello, it’s Bergoglio. They trapped me here in Rome and they won’t let me come home.

SVP reports doubling in numbers seeking support

SVP reports doubling in numbers seeking support

by: Ellen Teague - The Tablet in Church Issues,

Increasing prices combined with the decline of household incomes has meant the number of people requesting support from the St Vincent de Paul Society has doubled in comparison with last year.This is according to Stories from the Frontline: The real price of the cost of living crisis, a new SVP publication which describes the extent to which individuals and support structures are fatigued and under-resourced.

 
Bergoglio’s Map: Literature in the formation of Pope Francis

Bergoglio’s Map: Literature in the formation of Pope Francis

by: Antonio Spadaro, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

“The novel, literature, you see, reads the human heart. It helps us embrace desire, splendor and misery. It is not theory. It is helpful for preaching to know the heart…” That is what Francis told me when I interviewed him in 2016, near the end of our meeting. Ten years after his election to the papacy (March 13, 2013), we want to go in search of the formation of his thinking and pastoral attitude.

Christians in Israel Today: Identity, challenges and prospects

Christians in Israel Today: Identity, challenges and prospects

by: David Neuhaus, SJ-La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

Since the first half of the first century, the Holy Land has been home to Christian communities whose members have played an important role both in the development of Christianity and in the evolution of society in the area. In 1948, with the establishment of the state of Israel, Christians became citizens of a state that defined itself as Jewish. For the first time a Jewish majority held sway over a Christian minority, a new historical reality for both Jews and Christians.

 
‘I Believe in the Holy Spirit’

‘I Believe in the Holy Spirit’

by: Miguel Ángel Fiorito, SJandJosé Luis Lazzarini, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

 The pastor who says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” should ask himself some fundamental questions to discover the action of the Spirit among his faithful. In concrete terms he will ask: “How is the Lord present in the life of my people? How do my people welcome his presence? How do my people confess the Holy Spirit?” 

The Bible: A Library Written by Migrants

The Bible: A Library Written by Migrants

by: Dominik Markl, SJ-La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

 We have all seen too many migrants being pulled out of the sea: men, women and children who have drowned during their journeys. Many schools now have refugees in the classrooms: children and young people who by the grace of God have survived the crossing. And in many European countries there are now many who are born with migrant backgrounds. These are sufficient reasons to reflect on flight and migration. 

The Figure of the Bishop According to Pope Francis

The Figure of the Bishop According to Pope Francis

by: Diego Fares SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

In his opening address to the 68th General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference in May 2015, Pope Francis asked the bishops not to be “pilots” but real “pastors.”. On many occasions the pontiff has appealed to bishops to be “bishops who are pastors, not princes,” making references to images he had already used when he governed his previous diocese.

‘For A Synodal Church’: The Working Document for the Continental Stage

‘For A Synodal Church’: The Working Document for the Continental Stage

by: Giacomo Costa, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

A year after opening in October 2021, the Synod “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation, mission” has taken a decisive step forward. Indeed, it has even expanded. At the Angelus on Sunday, October 16, Pope Francis announced that the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will take place in two phases: to the session already scheduled for October 2023 a second one will be added for October 2024.

The pope who was God’s shy, studious, charming, conservative radical

The pope who was God’s shy, studious, charming, conservative radical

by: Catherine Pepinster - The Tablet in Church Issues,

 Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, who died on 31 December 2022, was one of the most influential figures in the Catholic Church during the late-twentieth century and the first years of the twenty-first. He developed a reputation for steely determination and rigorous pursuit of the truth, even to the extent of constraining theological exploration and pursuing those individuals he saw as trespassing outside legitimate doctrinal boundaries during his years as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Benedict XVI In Memoriam

Benedict XVI In Memoriam

by: Federico Lombardi, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

The Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95, at the Mater Ecclesiae convent in the Vatican, to where he had retired after retiring from the papacy and where he spent the last years of his long life in retreat and prayer. A significant exception had been the trip he made to Regensburg from June 18-22, 2020, to visit one last time his beloved elder brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, just days before his death.

‘In Viaggio’ – Pope Francis’ Long Pilgrimage

‘In Viaggio’ – Pope Francis’ Long Pilgrimage

by: Claudio Zonta SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

 The film documents Pope Francis’ numerous journeys, with glimpses into some of the 37 apostolic visits  he has made to 59 countries, concluding with the trip to Malta in 2022. Each stage constitutes a piece of a mosaic that aims to show an outgoing Church, capable of touching the wounds and drying the tears generated by poverty, wars, power, exclusion and human and environmental exploitation.

John Paul II and the Social Doctrine of the Church

John Paul II and the Social Doctrine of the Church

by: Fernando de la Iglesia Viguiristi SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Church Issues,

When the cardinals gathered in conclave and elected Cardinal Karol Wojty?a as the successor of St Peter on October 16, 1978, the choice was somewhat surprising. He was the first non-Italian pope since Hadrian VI (elected in 1522) and, above all, he came from Eastern Europe, from beyond the Iron Curtain, from Krakow in Poland. Few would have imagined that the new pontiff was about to bring a renewal to the Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC).