Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-meets-with-president-of-swiss-confederation.html

Pope Francis meets with President of Swiss Confederation
06 May 2021, 14:45

At a private audience on Thursday morning, Pope Francis welcomed the President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, where both expressed appreciation for the good relations and the desire to continue working together on international issues.

On the day of the swearing-in of new members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, Pope Francis and President Parmelin recalled "the generous service" of the Swiss Guards. A Holy See Press Office communique noted appreciation expressed for "the good relations and fruitful collaboration between the Holy See and the Swiss Confederation". It mentioned the recent centenary of the resumption of diplomatic relations with both parties underscoring "their wish to strengthen this reciprocal collaboration" over key international issues of our day.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-greets-new-swiss-guard-recruits.html

Pope Francis greets new Swiss Guard recruits
06 May 2021, 14:15

Pope Francis on Thursday receives 34 new members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, ahead of their swearing-in ceremony, telling them that the qualities of courtesy and helpfulness in their work “are a beautiful testimony and a sign of the Church's welcome.”
By Vatican News staff reporter

Greeting the 34 new Swiss Guards and their families in the Vatican on Thursday, the Pope recalled the history of the Corps and the work many young men have carried out with commitment and fidelity which continues today.

He also spoke of members of the Guard that “have gone so far as to sacrifice their own lives to defend the Pope.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-migrants-refugees-wider-we-world-day-message.html

Pope calls for joint efforts on path towards an ever wider "we"
06 May 2021, 11:30

Pope Francis highlights the importance of inclusiveness and fraternity in his 2021 Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, stressing that an ever wider “we” will help renew the human family, build a future of justice and peace, and ensure that no one is left behind.
By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ

Setting the scene for the message for the 107th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis explained that in the Encyclical Fratelli tutti, he expressed a concern and a hope that once this health crisis passes, “we will think no longer in terms of ‘them’ and ‘those’, but only ‘us’.”

For this reason, said the Pope, “I have wished to devote the Message for this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees to the theme, Towards An Ever Wider “We”, in order to indicate a clear horizon for our common journey in this world.”

Annually, the World Day for Migrants and Refugees is the last Sunday of September. It is a day set aside to express concern and show solidarity for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges and increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers. This year, it will be commemorated on 26 September.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-message-bishops-argentina-rosary-lujan.html

Pope: "A strong memory guarantees a secure future"
06 May 2021, 12:00

Pope Francis expresses closeness to the Bishops of Argentina as they pray the Rosary for the health of the Argentine people and for an end to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also urges them to remember all that Our Lady has done in the country, as a strong memory guarantees a secure future.
By Vatican News staff writer

Addressing the bishops of Argentina in a video message, Pope Francis said that in this “month of May, month of Mary, May 8” he looking toward Lujan.

Pope Francis expressed his closeness to them as they come together to pray the Rosary for the health of the Argentine people at vespers on Friday, 7 May – the eve of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of Argentina.

“From here, I accompany you,” Pope Francis said to the Bishops.

The Pope also noted that on Saturday, 8 May, the Bishops will join in praying the Rosary at 1: 00 pm with the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján – the sanctuary leading the prayers of the day for the May Rosary initiative promoted by the Pope.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-05/council-of-cardinals-reflects-on-life-of-church-in-pandemic.html

Council of Cardinals reflects on life of Church in pandemic
06 May 2021, 19:38

The Council of Cardinals discuss the impact of the Covid-19 crisis around the world, and the Church's response to it, during a virtual meeting held on Thursday afternoon. The also continue talks on the upcoming Apostolic Constitution which will focus on the organisation of the Roman Curia.
By Vatican News staff reporter

In a meeting held virtually on Thursday afternoon, members of the Council of Cardinals shared their experiences of the “economic and social consequences” of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and discussed “the Church’s commitment to health, economic recovery and the support offered to those most in need.”

Pope Francis took part in the meeting from his residence in the Casa Santa Marta, which the other members of the Council – Cardinals Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Reinhard Marx, Sean Patrick O’Malley, Oswald Gracias, and Fridolin Ambongo Besungo – joined the conversation from their respective countries. Cardinals Pietro Parolin and Giuseppe Bertello, along with the Council’s Secretary, Bishop Marco Mellino, were connected from the Vatican.

After considering the current situation in their various regions, the members of the Council turned their attention to the forthcoming Apostolic Constitution, which will deal with the organisation of the Roman Curia. A note from the Holy See Press Office explained that the Cardinals discussed “the working methodology that will have to be implemented for the revision and correction of some normative texts” after the new document takes effect.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/05/vatican-conference-to-discuss-mind-body-and-soul-of-medical-advances

Vatican conference to discuss ‘mind, body, and soul’ of medical advances
Inés San MartínMay 6, 2021

ROME – On Thursday, the Fifth International Vatican Conference will begin to explore “the mind, body and soul,” bringing together religious leaders, scientists and personalities from sports and Hollywood.

Pope Francis is expected to address the participants.

The May 6-8 online gathering will include conversations on the latest breakthroughs in medicine and health care delivery, as well as the cultural impact of technological advances.

Organized in partnership between the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, the Cura Foundation, and the Science and Faith (STOQ) Foundation, the summit is also expected to speak about COVID-19 vaccines.

An April 22 email from the Cura Foundation noted that “the Catholic Church has come under scrutiny for questioning the use of the J&J vaccine but came out on the side of science saying it’s better to get any vaccine — and that is the point of this gathering.”
 
Though generally supportive of the conference during his remarks, Pope Francis has thus far always taken the opportunity to note that not everything is justifiable in the name of scientific progress.
 

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/vatican-health-conference
Vatican Health Conference: A Platform to Combat COVID-19 ‘Vaccine Hesitancy?’
Edward Pentin Blogs April 23, 2021

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Update:  Cardinal Becciu

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247546/security-consultant-says-cardinal-becciu-asked-her-to-compile-files-on-vatican-personnel
‘Security consultant’ says Cardinal Becciu asked her to compile ‘files’ on Vatican personnel
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome, Italy, May 6, 2021 / 05:05 am America/Denver (CNA).

Cecilia Marogna, a self-styled security consultant under investigation by the Vatican for embezzlement, has claimed that Cardinal Angelo Becciu asked her to create dossiers of incriminating information on Vatican personnel.

In an interview aired on the Italian investigative news program “Report” May 3, Marogna alleged that she was asked to create “dossieraggio,” an Italian neologism meaning a file or dossier of confidential information on a person, especially for the purpose of blackmail.

Marogna claimed that the request came from Cardinal Becciu, then the number two at the Secretariat of State.

Asked if these files were to be compiled also on people inside the Vatican, Marogna responded: “Also, yes. Then there was a discussion of the immoral conduct of some prelates.”

A lawyer for Cardinal Becciu, reached by CNA on Thursday, said there was “no official response” to Marogna’s claims at this time.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/general-audiences-with-the-presence-of-the-faithful-to-resume.html

General Audiences with the presence of the faithful to resume on May 12
07 May 2021, 10:38

Beginning on Wednesday, 12 May, Pope Francis’ General Audiences will be open once again to in-person participation of the faithful.
By Vatican News

The Pope will once again be holding his weekly General Audience in the Courtyard of St Damasus, beginning on Wednesday 12 May, with the faithful able to attend in person. The Holy See Press Office made the announcement on Thursday evening, reporting what had been communicated by the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
 
When public General Audiences resume next Wednesday, the faithful will be able to participate by entering through the Bronze Gate in St Peter’s Square. No entrance tickets are necessary, but the faithful will be required to observe health restrictions in force.

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Vatican Conference 2021:  Days 1 and 2

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247553/anthony-fauci-deepak-chopra-speak-at-first-day-of-vatican-health-conference
Anthony Fauci, Deepak Chopra speak at first day of Vatican health conference
By CNA Staff

CNA Staff, May 6, 2021 / 17:00 pm America/Denver (CNA).

At the first day of an online Vatican conference on “exploring the mind, body, and soul,” Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about the evolution of the scientific community’s response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, and the difference between acting based on instinct and acting from data.

Fauci, an immunologist and chief medical adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, responded to questions from CNN journalist Sanjay Gupta, who asked him how much doctors “have to rely on faith, not just religious faith, but your own system of belief,” when confronting something new, like COVID-19.
 
The conference’s website lists more than 100 speakers, including Kerry Kennedy, Cindy Crawford, John Sculley, Brandon Marshall, Joe Perry of the rock band Aerosmith, and Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, prefect emeritus of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications.
_________________
Conference's website:  https://vaticanconference2021.org/dignitaries-and-speakers/

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247573/vatican-conference-2021-chelsea-clinton-francis-collins-speak-on-second-day
Vatican Conference 2021: Chelsea Clinton, Francis Collins speak on second day
CNA Staff, May 7, 2021 / 17:00 pm America/Denver (CNA).

On the second day of an online Vatican conference on “exploring the mind, body, and soul,” Chelsea Clinton called for the regulation of “anti-vaccine content” on social media.

She made the appeal during a May 7 discussion on building a more equitable health system in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
 
On Saturday, the conference’s final day, there will be a “private virtual audience” for participants with Pope Francis.

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Vatican Conference 2021:  Day 3(final day)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247588/pope-francis-jane-goodall-speak-on-what-it-means-to-be-human-at-vatican-health-conference
Pope Francis, Jane Goodall speak on ‘what it means to be human’ at Vatican health conference
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, May 8, 2021 / 10:30 am America/Denver (CNA).

Pope Francis and Jane Goodall both offered perspectives on “what it means to be human” on the final day of an online Vatican health conference on Saturday.

In a video message to the virtual conference on May 8, the pope said that Saint Augustine’s words in "The Confessions" are timeless: “Man is himself a great deep."

“The Scriptures, and philosophical and theological reflection in particular, have employed the concept of ‘soul’ to define our uniqueness as human beings and the specificity of the person, which is irreducible to any other living being and includes our openness to a supernatural dimension and thus to God,” the pope said.

Pope Francis said that “this openness to the transcendent” is fundamental and “bears witness to the infinite value of every human person.”

Anthropologist Jane Goodall, famed for her work with chimpanzees, also spoke at the Vatican conference on “mind, body, and soul,” giving a talk entitled “What does it Mean to be Human?”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-message-body-mind-soul-conference.html
Pope sends message to Vatican conference on Mind, Body and Soul
08 May 2021, 17:30

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247587/pope-francis-calls-for-suspension-of-covid-19-vaccine-patents-in-vax-live-concert-video

Pope Francis calls for suspension of Covid-19 vaccine patents in ‘Vax Live’ concert video
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, May 8, 2021 / 06:40 am America/Denver (CNA).

Pope Francis called for the "temporary suspension of intellectual property rights" for COVID-19 vaccines in his video message to the "Vax Live" concert co-chaired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

“The coronavirus has produced death and suffering, affecting the lives of everyone, especially the most vulnerable,” Pope Francis said in his message to the concert, which will be broadcast on May 8.

“I beg you not to forget the most vulnerable,” the pope said.

More than 20,000 vaccinated people filled a stadium at “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World,” which was pre-taped on May 2 in Los Angeles.

The concert was organized by Global Citizen, an advocacy organization founded in Australia in 2008 focused on poverty reduction, with support from the Coca-Cola company, Delta Airlines, Verizon, Citi, Cisco, and Procter & Gamble.

Selena Gomez hosted the concert which included performances by Jennifer Lopez and the Foo Fighters, as well as appearances by David Letterman, Ben Affleck, and Chrissy Teigen.

In the pope’s video message, he said that a “sick economy” is one that “allows a very rich few, a very rich few, to own more than the rest of humanity.”

Pope Francis also spoke about the “virus of individualism” and the “virus of closed nationalism,” which he said stands in the way of the “internationalism of vaccines.”
 
Pope Francis recorded his video message in Spanish. It was played on a large projection screen at the concert. The pope said: “Dear young people in age and spirit: Receive a cordial greeting from this old man, who does not dance or sing like you do, but who believes with you that injustice and evil are not invincible.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-vax-live-concert-coronavirus-healing-videomessage.html
Pope to VAX Live: “We need light and hope, paths of healing and salvation"
In a video message sent Saturday to participants in the VAX Live concert, Pope Francis stresses the need for deep healing, both from the effects of the Covid-19 virus and the virus of individualism and closed nationalism.
By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ

Video, in Spanish, at the link below--
Video Mensaje del Papa para el Vax Live – The Concert To Reunite the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnag0iSO8Ak

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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-regina-coeli-abide-in-love-service.html
Pope at Regina Coeli: Love means serving others, not controlling them
09 May 2021, 12:07

At the Regina Coeli prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis reflects on what it means to abide in Jesus’ love, saying it is best expressed in self-giving service to others.
By Devin Watkins

Taking his cue from the day’s Gospel (Jn 15:9-17), Pope Francis explored the fruit that can be seen when a Christian abides in Jesus’ love.

Jesus, said the Pope, “invites us to abide in His love so that His joy may be in us and our joy may be full.”
 
http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2021/documents/papa-francesco_regina-caeli_20210509.html
POPE FRANCIS
REGINA CAELI
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 9 May 2021

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-beatification-rosario-livatino-mafia-corruption.html
Pope calls Blessed Rosario Livatino a 'martyr of justice'
09 May 2021, 12:33

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-appeal-jerusalem-palestinian-clashes.html
Pope appeals for peace in Jerusalem amid ongoing clashes
09 May 2021, 12:42

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-mothers-day-greetings-colombia-afghanistan.html
Mother’s Day: Pope applauds all moms, mums, and mamas
09 May 2021, 13:04

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-latvia-egils-levit-meeting-holy-see-press-office.html

Pope Francis meets with President of Latvia
10 May 2021, 14:11

Pope Francis receives the President of Latvia, Mr. Egils Levits, in audience on Monday morning in the Vatican.
By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis met Monday with Mr. Egils Levits, the President of the Republic of Latvia, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office.

Mr. Levits subsequently met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, accompanied with the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

During the cordial talks, satisfaction was expressed for the good bilateral relations, recalling the centenary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Latvia.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-05/vatican-working-group-excommunication-mafia-dicastery.html

New Vatican working group aims to excommunicate mafia members
10 May 2021, 14:12

A new working group established by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has as its aim the excommunication of members of organized-crime groups.
By Vatican News staff writer

The Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has announced the creation of a working group with the aim of excommunicating members of the mafia.

Rosario Livatino

The formation of the group coincided with the 9 May Beatification ceremony in Agrigento, Sicily, of the Sicilian magistrate, Rosario Livatino, who was killed by the Mafia in 1990. Rosario Livatino is the first beatified judge in the history of the Church.

The initiative is a further step in the commitment on these issues of the Dicastery presided over by Cardinal Peter Turkson, who had already created an international global network against corruption, organized crime and mafias in August 2018.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247592/vatican-creates-group-to-study-separating-mafia-from-the-catholic-church
Vatican creates group to study separating mafia from the Catholic Church
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, May 10, 2021 / 04:10 am America/Denver (CNA).

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247606/cdf-highlights-its-note-on-catholics-in-politics-in-letter-to-us-bishops-on-eucharistic-coherence

CDF highlights its Note on Catholics in politics in letter to US bishops on Eucharistic coherence
By Carl Bunderson
Denver Newsroom, May 10, 2021 / 15:16 pm America/Denver (CNA).

The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote Friday to the head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding admission to Communion, affirming the centrality of the congregation’s 2002 note on Catholic’s participation in politics and the importance of safeguarding the rights of ordinaries in their local Churches.

A 2004 memo from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, then the prefect of the same congregation, should “be discussed only within the context of the authoritative Doctrinal Note,” read the May 7 letter by Luis Cardinal Ladaria to Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, which was obtained by CNA.

Archbishop Gomez had written the congregation in March to inform it that the US bishops will be addressing the situation of Catholics in public office who support permissive legislation regarding abortion, euthanasia, or other moral evils.

Cardinal Ladaria opened his reply by emphasizing that the 2004 letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to Theodore Cardinal McCarrick about the same problem “was in the form of a private communication to the bishops” and that “insofar, therefore, as these principles are not published by the Conference, they may be of assistance in the preparation of the draft of your document.”

He said Cardinal Ratzinger had “offered general principles on the worthy reception of Holy Communion in order to assist local ordinaries in the United States in their dealings with Catholic pro-choice politicians within their jurisdictions. Cardinal Ratzinger’s communication should thus be discussed only within the context of the authoritative Doctrinal Note which provides the teaching of the Magisterium on the theological foundation for any initiative regarding the question of worthy reception of Holy Communion.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

DOCTRINAL NOTE
on some questions regarding
The Participation of Catholics in Political Life

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, having received the opinion of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has decided that it would be appropriate to publish the present Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life. This Note is directed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church and, in a particular way, to Catholic politicians and all lay members of the faithful called to participate in the political life of democratic societies.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-establishes-ministry-of-catechist.html

Pope establishes ministry of catechist
11 May 2021, 11:20

With a new Apostolic Letter issued “motu proprio,” Pope Francis establishes the lay ministry of catechist, intended to respond to an urgent need for the evangelisation of the modern world, and undertaken in a “secular” manner, avoiding clericalisation.
By Isabella Piro

“Fidelity to the past and responsibility for the present are necessary conditions for the Church to carry out her mission in the world,” writes Pope Francis in the Apostolic Letter Antiquum ministerium, with which the Holy Father institutes the lay ministry of catechist.

In the context of evangelisation in the contemporary world and in the face of “the rise of a globalised culture,” it is necessary to recognise “those lay men and women who feel called by virtue of their baptism to cooperate in the work of catechesis.” At the same time, Pope Francis emphasises the importance of “genuine interaction with young people,” as well as “the need for creative methodologies and resources capable of adapting the proclamation of the Gospel to the missionary transformation that the Church has undertaken.”
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247611/pope-francis-institutes-new-ministry-of-catechist
Pope Francis institutes new ministry of catechist
CNA Staff, May 11, 2021 / 03:35 am America/Denver (CNA)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247613/what-is-the-new-ministry-of-catechist-a-cna-explainer
What is the new ministry of catechist? A CNA explainer
Vatican City, May 11, 2021 / 08:00 am America/Denver (CNA).

http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20210510_antiquum-ministerium.html
APOSTOLIC LETTER
ISSUED "MOTU PROPRIO"
BY THE SUPREME PONTIFF

FRANCIS

"ANTIQUUM MINISTERIUM"

INSTITUTING
THE MINISTRY OF CATECHIST

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247612/vatican-fixes-website-glitch-showing-two-versions-of-catechism

Vatican fixes website glitch showing two versions of Catechism
By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, May 11, 2021 / 06:00 am America/Denver (CNA).

The Vatican has corrected a problem on its website that meant it displayed at least two different editions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in English.

When using an online search engine, internet users could land on two different editions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in English, one of which was an earlier edition.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told CNA last week that “it is one of those cases where the system updates are incompletely coordinated, so one page had the older version and the other the more recent one.”

Bruni explained that after being alerted, Vatican staff realigned the pages of the Catechism in English and were checking the website for similar problems in other languages.

Before it was corrected, the Vatican website showed two versions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sometimes not reflecting recent significant changes to the document.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247614/vatican-responds-to-bishops-call-to-amend-church-law-on-crimes-against-minors

Vatican responds to bishops’ call to amend Church law on crimes against minors

CNA Staff, May 11, 2021 / 09:00 am America/Denver (CNA).

The Vatican has told the bishops of England and Wales that it is amending the Code of Canon Law so that “crimes against minors are considered under a different title than crimes against the obligations of celibacy on the part of clerics.”

The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts shared the information in a letter dated April 19, responding to the English and Welsh bishops’ request for adjustments to canon law concerning clerical sexual abuse.

In the letter, addressed to bishops’ conference president Cardinal Vincent Nichols, it said: “After review of the information and recommendation Your Eminence submitted to this Pontifical Council, I am pleased to inform you that the concerns you have expressed have already been taken into consideration in the revision of Book VI of the 1983 CIC [Code of Canon Law], which is currently in process.”

“In the revised Book VI of the 1983 CIC, crimes against minors are considered under a different title than crimes against the obligations of celibacy on the part of clerics. The revised title will be ‘Crimes against the life, dignity and freedom of man’ and will include a canon that is specific to crimes against minors.”

The letter, received by Nichols on April 23, was signed by the Pontifical Council’s president Archbishop Filippo Iannone and secretary Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta.
 

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Hmmm...

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vatican-puts-brakes-on-us-bishops-confronting-problem-of-pro-abortion-biden-receiving-holy-communion
Vatican puts brakes on US bishops confronting problem of pro-abortion Biden receiving Holy Communion

The Vatican's doctrine head said that any policy from the US bishops on Communion for pro-abortion politicians would have to respect the 'prerogatives of the Holy See'
Tue May 11, 2021 - 11:12 am EST
By Pete Baklinski

UNITED STATES, May 10, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican is warning the United States’ top bishop that a forthcoming policy on giving Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians who call themselves Catholic, such as President Joe Biden, may become a “source of discord” for the country’s episcopate and would unfairly target “only one category of Catholics.”

In a May 7 letter to U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) President Archbishop José H. Gomez, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) Cardinal Luis F. Ladaria referred to “pro-choice politicians” and “pro-choice legislation,” deviating from former Vatican documents that had referrered to politicians or laws that favor, promote, or authorize abortion, thus always mentioning the evil by name.

The letter, according to America Magazine’s Gerard O’Connell, comes as a response to a March 30 letter from Gomez to the CDF in which the archbishop stated that the USCCB is drafting a document on worthiness to receive Communion by politicians calling themselves Catholic who champion abortion and other anti-life-and-anti-family legislation.

Ladaria thanked Gomez for informing him of Gomez’s plan to send the USCCB’s draft text on worthiness to receive Communion to the CDF “for an informal review, prior to its submission to the body of bishops for a vote.”

The CDF, Ladaria said will not honor Gomez’s request that it make available a 2004 letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick that laid out general principles on worthiness to receive Holy Communion by Catholic politicians who champion anti-life policies. Ladaria wrote that since Ratzinger’s letter was “in the form of a private letter to the bishops” and that Ratzinger had specified that “these principles were not intended for publication,” the CDF would continue to honor this request.

Nevertheless, the content letter has been publicly available since 2004, when journalists first published it
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247603/german-catholics-defy-vatican-with-blessing-ceremonies-for-same-sex-couples

German Catholics defy Vatican with blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples
CNA Staff, May 10, 2021 / 14:35 pm America/Denver (CNA).

Priests and pastoral workers in Germany defied the Vatican Monday by conducting blessing ceremonies attended by same-sex couples.

Organizers held a day of protest on May 10 in response to the Vatican’s recent declaration that the Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions.

The ceremonies, known as “Segnungsgottesdienste für Liebende,” or “blessing services for lovers,” were promoted using the hashtag “#liebegewinnt” (“love wins”). Organizers said that the services were open to all couples, including -- and in particular -- those of the same sex.

CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported that ceremonies took place in around 80 cities in Germany as well in Zürich, Switzerland’s largest city.

But it said that it was difficult to calculate the precise number of blessing services.
 

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2021/05/german-bishop-rules-out-general-invitation-to-communion-at-congress/
German bishop rules out general invitation to Communion at congress
Catholic News ServiceMay 11, 2021