Vatican: Investigation of Canadian cardinal found no 'misconduct or abuse' 

Cardinal Gerald Lacroix is archbishop of Quebec, Canada. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNACNA Staff, May 21, 2024 / 10:50 am (CNA).The Vatican on Tuesday said it would take "no further canonical procedure" after an investigation into abuse allegations against a Canadian cardinal revealed no evidence of misconduct or abuse.Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, the archbishop of Quebec and member of the Council of Cardinals that advises Pope Francis, was accused as part of a class-action lawsuit against his archdiocese of abusing a 17-year-old girl almost four decades ago. The cardinal has denied the accusation. The Vatican in March commissioned André Denis, a former judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, to conduct an investigation into the allegations.In a Tuesday statement, the Vatican said Denis' investigation concluded on May 6 and had been "consigned to the Holy Father in the following days.""In the light of the facts examined by the judge, the report does not permit to identify any acti...

Pope Francis names Bishop Joseph Williams as coadjutor bishop of Camden, New Jersey

Bishop-elect Joseph A. Williams. / Credit: Courtesy of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and MinneapolisRome Newsroom, May 21, 2024 / 09:06 am (CNA).Pope Francis on Tuesday named Bishop Joseph Williams as coadjutor bishop of Camden, New Jersey.Williams, 50, has served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis since 2022.As coadjutor, Williams will assist 79-year-old Bishop Dennis Sullivan in the administration of the Camden Diocese and will automatically succeed him as bishop upon Sullivan's retirement next year. "I am overjoyed in coming to a diocese whose bishop is held in such high esteem by both the faithful and the Holy Father," Williams said after the announcement was made public."I look forward to learning from Bishop Sullivan, my brother priests in Camden, the deacons, consecrated women and men, and the faithful of South Jersey about their needs and their hopes for the future."According to the Diocese of Camden, Sullivan submitted his let...

Pope Francis praises historic council in China as 'an authentic synodal journey'

Pope Francis delivers a video message to the conference "100 Years Since the 'Concilium Sinense'" at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. / Credit: Fabio Gonnella/EWTNRome Newsroom, May 21, 2024 / 13:57 pm (CNA).Pope Francis has praised the Catholic Church's first council in China 100 years ago as "an authentic synodal journey" that opened the way for the Church in China "to increasingly have a Chinese face."In a video message to a conference in Rome on the Catholic Church in China, the pope noted that Chinese Catholics have endured "times of patience and trial" in the past century."The Lord in China has safeguarded the faith of the people of God along the way. And the faith of God's people has been the compass that has shown the way throughout this time," Pope Francis said in the May 21 address.Pope Francis delivers a video message to the conference "100 Years Since the 'Concilium Sinense'" at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome on Tuesday, May...

German priests do not support Synodal Way, new study finds

Cardinal Reinhard Marx. / Credit: Rudolf Gehrig/CNA DeutschCNA Newsroom, May 21, 2024 / 12:56 pm (CNA).Priests in Germany are not supportive of the controversial German Synodal Way, according to a new study commissioned by the German Bishops' Conference.The study, officially titled "Who Becomes a Priest?", found that priests are "alienated from the concerns of Church reform," lead author Matthias Sellmann said on May 17."Priests are also clearly not supporters of the German Synodal Way," Sellmann emphasized. According to a statement by the bishops' conference, the study aimed to investigate "the socio-religious background and motivations of newly ordained priests in order to make strategic personnel decisions based on the results." Researchers contacted all of the 847 priests who were ordained between 2010 and 2021 in Germany to take part in the study. "In total, a representative sample of 17.8% took part."Among other findings, more than 70% of those surveyed said tha...

Spain archbishop on schismatic nuns: 'I don't know if they realize the profound consequences'

The schismatic decision of the Poor Clares "seems absolutely wrong to me" but we must see "if it is possible to heal it, cure it, reverse it," said Spanish Archbishop Mario Iceta. / Credit: Archdiocese of Burgos, SpainACI Prensa Staff, May 21, 2024 / 12:26 pm (CNA).Archbishop Mario Iceta of Burgos, Spain, in whose jurisdiction is located the convent of the Poor Clares of Belorado and Orduña, expressed his surprise and concern over the nuns there going into schism and noted: "I don't know if they realize the profound consequences" of their decision.The prelate made the remarks May 17 on the "La Linterna de la Iglesia" ("The Church's Lantern") program broadcast by the Spanish radio station COPE following the schismatic decision of the Poor Clares of Belorado to leave the Catholic Church to place themselves under the authority of Pablo de Rojas, a false bishop excommunicated in 2019. "I'm worried about the situation, thinking about what has come about in s...

Pope expresses 'spiritual closeness' to Iran after death of president in helicopter crash

People participate in a funeral procession of president Ebrahim Raisi and his seven aides in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, on May 21, 2024. / Credit: Photo by AZIN HAGHIGHI/MOJ News Agency/AFP via Getty ImagesCNA Staff, May 21, 2024 / 11:56 am (CNA).Pope Francis on Monday offered prayers to the Islamic Republic of Iran after the country's president was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was among eight killed in the Iranian Air Force helicopter crash in the country's East Azerbaijan Province on May 19.Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was also among those killed. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. In a telegram signed by Pope Francis on Monday, the Holy Father wrote that he sent "condolences upon the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and all who perished" in the disaster."Entrusting the souls of the deceased to the mercy of the Almighty...

Pope Francis on female deacons: 'No'

Pope Francis sits down for an interview with Norah O'Donnell on CBS' "60 Minutes," which aired Monday, May 20, 2024. / Credit: CBS News/Adam VerdugoCNA Staff, May 21, 2024 / 11:26 am (CNA).Pope Francis has once again come out strongly against an ordained female diaconate, reiterating what for the Holy Father has been a consistently firm stance against women becoming clergy. The pope made the remarks this week in an interview with CBS News anchor Norah O'Donnell during an appearance on the network's flagship magazine program, "60 Minutes.""You will have many young boys and girls that will come here at the end of next month for World Children's Day," O'Donnell said to the pope at one point during the interview. "And I'm curious, for a little girl growing up Catholic today, will she ever have the opportunity to be a deacon and participate as a clergy member in the Church?""No," the pope replied. Pressed by O'Donnell as to whether a female di...

Philippine cardinal condemns chapel bombing as 'horrendous sacrilegious act'

Archbishop Orlando Beltran Quevedo / Credit: Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, May 21, 2024 / 18:20 pm (CNA).A Catholic cardinal condemned the grenade attack on a village chapel during a Bible service that left two wounded in the southern Philippines on Sunday.The grenade attack happened on Pentecost Sunday at Santo Niño Chapel in Cotabato City at about 10:30 a.m.Cotabato City is in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, known as "Bangsamoro," an area that has experienced religious freedom challenges in recent years. Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, the archbishop emeritus of Cotabato, denounced the grenade attack, calling it a "dastardly bombing," according to the news site of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.Of the about 20 people in attendance, the two churchgoers injured in the attack were Maribel Abis, 46, and Aniceta Tobil, a senior citizen. Initial reports revealed the attack was by two men riding a motorcycle. Quevedo called the attack a "h...

'Equal Rights Amendment' that could have expanded abortion fails in Minnesota

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in early May urged Catholics to join a rally to oppose the "Equal Rights Amendment" (ERA) at the state capitol in St. Paul. The proposal "fails to protect Minnesotans from discrimination based on religion, could constitutionally mandate legal abortion up to the moment of birth, and promotes harmful gender ideology," the archdiocese said. / Credit: ShutterstockCNA Staff, May 21, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).A controversial proposed constitutional amendment in Minnesota, which the state's Catholic bishops had opposed due to concerns it would expand abortion access, failed to advance this week amid partisan deadlock.The proposed amendment, sponsored by St. Paul Rep. Kaohly Her of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), would have added several protected categories to the state's constitution, in part saying the state cannot discriminate against a person on the basis of sex.Within the category of sex, the proposal included "...

Possible miracle at Lourdes: Almost-blind woman recovers her sight

null / Credit: Célian de La Rochefoucauld via youheritage.comACI Prensa Staff, May 21, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).The Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes of Madrid, an archdiocesan pilgrim service organization, concluded its 101st pilgrimage on May 19, serving 800 participants, one of whom apparently was cured of severe visual impairment. This extraordinary event, however, will have to be studied before it can be qualified as a miracle.The most recent miracle at Lourdes, No. 70, was officially recognized in February 2018. This case could become No. 71.The adviser to the archdiocesan association of faithful, Father Guillermo Cruz, sent a statement to the different groups that made up the pilgrimage, calling on them to accept what happened with humility and simplicity, following the example of St. Bernadette."The experience of making a pilgrimage and discovering the love of God through our Mother, the Virgin Mary, as St. Bernadette teaches us in simplicity and humility, will always be ...