An old-school confessional revives saying ‘I’m sorry’
DERBY, Conn. (RNS) The Rev. Janusz Kukulka can’t say his parishioners are sinning more — but they sure are lining up at the new confessional booth that’s decidedly old-school.
Archives
Senior cardinal says Francis will bring new life to Vatican II
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis has ushered in a new phase in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, shifting the focus of the Catholic Church from the concerns of the industrialized North to the “problems of the Southern hemisphere.”
Benedict intends to live ‘hidden from the world’
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday that he intends to live “hidden from the world” in retirement even as his closest aide will assist his successor.
Pope Benedict’s American fan club full of evangelicals
(RNS) Not all Catholics appreciated Pope Benedict XVI’s staunch defense of Christian orthodoxy, traditional marriage and life from conception to natural death. But American evangelicals sure did.
GUEST COMMENTARY: The Vatican’s strong defense of the Jews
(RNS) The head of a schismatic traditionalists recently labeled Jews “enemies of the Church.” And while that statement could have sparked an interfaith crisis, it’s instead motivated Catholic leaders to directly repudiate him with strongly worded pledges of friendship with Jews.
Vatican admits stalemate in talks with traditional SSPX group
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A senior Vatican official admitted that years of talks between the Vatican and a breakaway group of ultra-traditionalist Catholics have led to a “stalemate.” By Alessandro Speciale.
Four priests, four friends: Bishops witness historic changes in Catholic life
(RNS) Released from the Catholic cocoon of seminary in 1962, the four young priests faced a church on the brink of volcanic reform with the opening of the Second Vatican Council. After being schooled in a Vatican I church, the foursome would step down as powerful American prelates, five decades later, as quintessential Vatican II men. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.
Vatican: Calling Jews ‘enemies’ of the church is unacceptable
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Catholic Church reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue with Jews after the head of a breakaway conservative group labeled Jews as “enemies of the Church.” By Alessandro Speciale.
Pope Paul VI inches one step closer to sainthood
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Paul VI, who guided the Catholic Church through a tumultuous period of change in the 1960s and 70s, took a crucial first step toward possible sainthood when Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday (Dec. 20) recognized his predecessor’s “heroic virtues.” By Alessandro Speciale.
