The strong condemnations of clerical sexual abuse, as well as those times when the Church has mishandled these terrible cases, is of course understandable and fair. As many have rightly pointed out, one case of clerical abuse is one too many.

But many have also noted that much criticism directed at the Church as a whole over this issue has been unjust and disproportionate, not least the spurious accusations directed against Pope Benedict XVI which have been very ably unpacked by my colleague Jimmy Akin.

Child sexual abuse is a scourge for society at large, not just for the Church. Currently making headlines in Germany, for example – where condemnations of the Church’s record have been...READ MORE

EASTER MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER AND ‘URBI ET ORBI’ BLESSING

Cantemus Domino: gloriose enim magnificatus est.
“Let us sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!” (Liturgy of the Hours, Easter, Office of Readings, Antiphon 1).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I bring you the Easter proclamation in these words of the Liturgy, which echo the ancient hymn of praise sung by the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea. It is recounted in the Book of Exodus (cf 15:19-21) that when they had crossed the sea on dry land, and saw the Egyptians submerged by the waters, Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the other women sang and danced to this song of joy: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed...READ MORE

The comments of the Pope’s preacher, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, in which he quoted a Jewish friend at this evening’s Good Friday homily in St. Peter’s is causing yet further media controversy for the Church.

But as always, it helps to read such comments in context. Thanks to Robert Moynihan of Inside the Vatican for obtaining the whole homily. The relevant remarks are in bold at the end. 

“WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST”

Homily on Good Friday 2010 in Saint Peter’s Basilica
by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, ofmcap

“We have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God”: thus begins the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews that we heard in the second...READ MORE

The Easter Triduum at the Vatican is perhaps easier to follow this year than ever before.

The Vatican website pope2you is offering live video and audio streaming of all the events, with each of the ceremonies being broadcast in English as well as Italian, Spanish, French and German.

The broadcasts are a team effort between the Vatican’s Television Center, Vatican Radio and the Holy See’s Internet Service.

And in case you missed them, all the homilies and meditations will be available on the Vatican’s website dedicated to Holy Week. Some are already online, such as Cardinal Camillo Ruini’s Via Crucis meditations. The Pope’s Urbi et Orbi address will also be available there. For...READ MORE

The Holy See press office director under John Paul II, Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, has today criticized the media for “a raging phobia” against the Church over pedophilia while ignoring the problem in the rest of society which he says is widespread.

Writing in the Italian daily La Repubblica, the former medical doctor did not lessen the “grave criminal phenomenon” in the Church, but quoted alarming figures of abuse against children in society in general, adding that to focus only on the Church was “very misleading.”

The current papal spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said over the weekend that the recent media attacks “have without doubt caused damage” to the Church but...READ MORE

The new Vatican commission being set up to investigate the reported apparitions at Medjugorje is allegedly considering the creation of a new diocese to include the Bosnian town.

According to Andrea Tornielli, Vatican correspondent for the Italian daily Il Giornale, the proposal for a new diocese, combining the territories of three existing sees, was advanced last year. He said Bishop Ratko Peric, who heads the existing Mostar diocese where Mejugorje is located, strongly opposed the idea.

Yesterday, I asked the Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, about the report. He was unaware of the speculation but stressed that the commission was only just getting started and so it was...READ MORE

The Vatican really does now have a Twitter account.

The new service was launched over the weekend and timed to coincide with the Holy Father’s letter to Irish Catholics on clerical sexual abuse. As well as English, there are Twitter feeds in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

The service will also be used by Vatican Radio and other Vatican media whenever there is “news or multimedia content particularly relevant to the life of the Church.” The Vatican has also launched a new page dedicated to major news events of the day called ‘resources’ which can be found here. Currently it is dedicated to the sexual abuse crisis. 

Earlier this year a Twitter page, which looked to be...READ MORE

Easter is fast approaching and one of the best places to celebrate Our Lord’s Resurrection is, of course, the Holy Land with a pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to make such a trip, but thanks to a Turkish multimedia company, it’s now possible to make a virtual visit from your own computer.

Two websites, www.360tr.com and www.std24.net, have teamed up with Turkish photographer, Aykut Ince, to create this stunning panoramic virtual tour of the basilica. Using your mouse or cursor keys, you can view the basilica in detail from every possible angle. Note you will need a fast/broadband connection and Adobe Flash to view it....READ MORE