The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to Ireland, following the Irish parliament’s severe criticism of the Roman Catholic Church’s role in covering up child sex abuse. A Vatican spokesman said Monday that Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza had been recalled from Dublin for consultations. The highly unusual step came after Ireland’s parliament accused church officials of covering […]
Vatican Recalls Its Ambassador to Ireland
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
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China to Ordain 7 More Bishops
Posted July 22nd, 2011 at 5:43 am (UTC-5)
China’s official media reported Friday that the state-controlled Catholic church plans to ordain at least seven more bishops, despite a deepening rift with the Vatican. The China Daily newspaper cited the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association as saying local churches in seven dioceses were preparing to ordain bishops. The report did not indicate when the ordinations […]
Vatican and Malaysia Establish Diplomatic Ties
Posted July 18th, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
The Vatican and the predominately Muslim nation of Malaysia have established diplomatic relations. The Vatican made the announcement Monday after Pope Benedict met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak south of Rome. Religious tensions have been on the rise in Malaysia in recent years, with religious minority groups complaining of discrimination by the country’s Muslim […]
US Group: Vatican’s Excommunication of Chinese Bishop Based on Church Law
Posted July 17th, 2011 at 9:40 pm (UTC-5)
A U.S.-based religious rights group says the Vatican’s decision to excommunicate a Chinese bishop ordained last week without the pope’s approval is based on Church law. Joseph Kung is a spokesman for the Cardinal Kung Foundation that advocates the rights of Roman Catholics in China. He told VOA that the Chinese-ordained bishop has no authority […]
Vatican Excommunicates Bishop Ordained by China
Posted July 16th, 2011 at 9:20 am (UTC-5)
The Vatican says it has excommunicated a bishop ordained this week in China without papal approval, heightening tensions between the Roman Catholic church and Beijing. The Holy See on Saturday condemned China’s state-sanctioned Catholic church for ordaining Joseph Huang Bingzhang despite its warnings that he would not be recognized because the Vatican already has a […]
Vatican to Display Historic Secret Documents
Posted July 5th, 2011 at 9:25 pm (UTC-5)
The Vatican has announced that 100 specially selected documents from its secret archives will go on unprecedented public display in Rome next February. The priceless artifacts include papers from the trial of Italian inventor Galileo, charged with heresy for contradicting 17th-century church teachings that the sun revolves around the Earth. Other documents include a letter […]
Vatican Says It Is Profitable Again
Posted July 2nd, 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
The Vatican says it was profitable in 2010, after three years of being financially in the red. The Vatican said Saturday that it made a profit of more than $14 million last year on revenue of about $356 million. That contrasts with a loss of nearly $6 million in 2009 and losses in 2007 and […]
Poland Asks Vatican To Intervene with Outspoken Priest
Posted June 27th, 2011 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
Poland has asked the Vatican to intervene with a radical outspoken Polish priest who told European lawmakers that his country was run by a “totalitarian” regime. Priest Tadeusz Rydzyk, who runs the Catholic radio station Radio Maryja as well as a television station in Poland, said the country had not been ruled by Poles since […]
China to Ordain 40 Catholic Bishops Without Vatican Approval
Posted June 24th, 2011 at 1:20 am (UTC-5)
China’s state-controlled Catholic church says it wants to quickly ordain at least 40 bishops, a move likely to further aggravate tensions with the Vatican. The official Xinhua news agency quoted Yang Yu, spokesman for the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, as saying more than 40 of the country’s 97 dioceses were without a bishop. The report […]
Vatican to Launch Online Database, Intl. Conference to Combat Sex Abuse
Posted June 18th, 2011 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
The Vatican says it is taking new steps to combat sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, including preparations for an online database and an international conference to offer guidance to priests and abuse victims. At a news conference Saturday, Vatican officials said they will launch a multi-lingual e-learning center to educate Catholic authorities around the […]
