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June 2015

June 1

Key figure in families meeting investigated for alleged misuse of funds

June 1, 2015

PHILADELPHIA - Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the head of the Pontifical Council for the Family and lead Vatican organizer of September's World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, is under investigation by Italian prosecutors for alleged embezzlement.

Reconciliation walk marks end to Truth and Reconciliation Commission mandate

June 1, 2015

TORONTO - Close to 500 people, equal numbers of native and non-native Canadians, walked through a cold, constant rain in Toronto to urge reconciliation on Canada’s largest city.

Pope Francis lists abortion, unsafe workplaces among 'attacks on life'

June 1, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Abortion, abandoning migrants at sea, unsafe working conditions, malnutrition, terrorism and euthanasia are all "attacks on life," said Pope Francis.

Vatican defends Australian cardinal against charges he disregarded pedophile priests

June 1, 2015

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican threw its support behind its financial chief, Cardinal George Pell, on Monday (June 1), after he was accused of being “almost sociopathic” in his handling of clergy sex abuse by a leading member of a papal commission dedicated to tackling the issue.

June 2

More Catholics, fewer receiving sacraments: New report maps changing Church

June 2, 2015

A new report mapping the Catholic Church’s more than 1.2 billion souls — on track to reach 1.64 billion by 2050 — holds some surprises. And not all bode well for the Church’s future as it faces major demographic and social shifts.

Pope heads to Bosnia as 'brother messenger of peace'

June 2, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis said he will dedicate his one-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina to encouraging a minority Catholic community in the faith, fostering ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and calling for peace and harmony after the devastations of war.

Reconciliation must begin in the classrooms

June 2, 2015

Catholic schools are ready for reconciliation, ready to equip the next generation with an honest history of Canada, but there’s work to be done.

The healing must begin now, Sinclair says

June 2, 2015

OTTAWA - Now that the tragic history of Canada’s residential schools has been thoroughly documented, it’s time for healing, said Justice Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

TRC says Pope Francis should apologize for abuses at residential schools

June 2, 2015

[Click here to read the 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.] [Click here to read other articles about the Commission's report.] OTTAWA - Pope Francis should personally apologize to residential school survivors and their communities, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission says in its final report.

June 3

Program aims to include girls in politics

June 3, 2015

TORONTO - The walls of the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen’s Park are engraved with the names of former legislators from the province’s past. Not many of these names are female. It’s something a group of girls from Waterloo, Ont., wants to change.

Historic Windsor’s church is added to endangered places list

June 3, 2015

WINDSOR, Ont. - Our Lady of Assumption Church has been placed on Canada’s 2015 Top Ten Endangered Places list.

Cardinal Ortega says Cubans await Pope with 'open arms'

June 3, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Cubans are waiting for Pope Francis "with open arms," said Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana.

San Francisco archbishop blasts gender transitions as threat to faith

June 3, 2015

NEW YORK - Amid the national buzz over transgender celebrity Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner, a leading culture warrior in the Catholic hierarchy on June 3 denounced the spread of “gender ideology” and warned that it threatens the very foundation of the Church’s faith.

Church needs more open dialogue, LCWR leader tells Toronto crowd

June 3, 2015

TORONTO - Having survived five years of investigation, interrogation and suspicion as past president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States, Sr. Carol Zinn of the Sisters of St. Joseph is calling for more open, honest and heartfelt dialogue across the divides within the Church.

June 4

Irish vote could push same-sex unions to fore of upcoming Synod

June 4, 2015

The immediate repercussions from the Irish referendum where voters overwhelmingly supported same-sex marriage were obvious, but the long-term impact on the Church may come beginning this October.

The kingdom awaits those open to receive it

June 4, 2015

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B) June 14, (Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34) Human beings are competitive and love the feeling of pride that comes with achievement. They are also impatient — they want what they want, and they want it now, as the radio commercial goes. The Scriptures teach us another lesson — God’s ways are not ours, nor is God’s sense of time.

Eucharist is not an entitlement

June 4, 2015

On the solemn feast of Corpus Christi a counterintuitive thought occurs: Are too many people receiving Holy Communion too often?

A crumbling foundation

June 4, 2015

As advocates of same-sex marriage celebrated Ireland’s recent referendum, supporters of traditional marriage were left to lament yet another defeat. Meanwhile, I attended the sacramental union of my beautiful sister Alexandra to her dashing husband Michael.

Preserving the beautiful stream

June 4, 2015

Distressing news chez the McLeans: someone has dumped or leaked raw sewage into our stream. For over 200 years the stream has been trickling musically through the woods, falling silent under the ground here and then splashing merrily over a waterfall there. The whole landscape — fields, woods, stream — was designed for the wealthy family that once lived in our house. It is now open to the public, but the woodland path toward the Firth of Forth has had to be roped off. The stream is now a health and safety hazard. It stinks to high heaven.

Time for reconciliation

June 4, 2015

The truth has been well and tragically documented. Now comes the real work — reconciliation.