Browse › 2018 › August

August 2018

August 9

Editorial: Another betrayal

August 9, 2018

The soul-crushing case of former cardinal Theodore McCarrick is yet another example of one of God’s shepherds doing the devil’s work in a Church failing still to wash away what Pope Benedict XVI called the filth of clerical sexual abuse.

Questioning Faith: Evidence points to leap of faith

August 9, 2018

Are you afraid of the dark?

August 10

Explainer: How Vatican abuse trials work

August 10, 2018

VATICAN – Any member of the clergy accused of the sexual abuse of a minor is tried according to procedures outlined in the Code of Canon Law and specific norms spelled out in "Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela" ("Safeguarding the Sanctity of the Sacraments").

Social media plays role in breaking Church sex abuse stories

August 10, 2018

WASHINGTON – Magazines and newspapers have long been sources to break big news stories. Now, too, social media is taking its turn.

Fr. Raymond J. De Souza: Where are the missionaries who will evangelize today?

August 10, 2018

Thanks to the excellent coverage by Salt + Light Television, I was able to follow the “Catholica 200” celebrations in St. Boniface, Man., marking the bicentennial of the arrival of the first French missionaries in the Canadian West.

August 11

God's word on Sunday: God is ready to help in our life’s journey

August 11, 2018

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 12 (Year B) 1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51

August 13

Not doing evil is not enough to make one a saint, Pope tells youth

August 13, 2018

VATICAN – Being a Christian isn't just about not doing evil, but it is a daily exercise in loving others through good works and deeds, Pope Francis said.

Fight church scandal by living Catholic faith authentically, Pope tells youth

August 13, 2018

ROME – Members of the Catholic Church sin and give scandal, it's true, Pope Francis said, but it is up to each Catholic to live the faith as authentically as possible and witness to the world the love of Jesus.

Cardinal O'Malley calls for investigation at Boston seminary after social media reports

August 13, 2018

WASHINGTON – The Archbishop of Boston said in an Aug. 10 statement that he has asked the rector of its main archdiocesan St. John Seminary to go on sabbatical leave immediately and is asking for an investigation of allegations made on social media about activities there "directly contrary to the moral standards and requirements of formation for the Catholic priesthood."

Vanessa Santilli-Raimondo: Food and family creates a perfect recipe

August 13, 2018

Pesto tastes like summertime to me.

Northern B.C. residents 'broken' as wildfire ravages homes, church

August 13, 2018

VANCOUVER – Catholics in the Diocese of Whitehorse, Yukon, sought assistance after a devastating wildfire in Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, destroyed a mission church, rectory and homes.

Glen Argan: Renewal enhanced in ‘a deserted place’

August 13, 2018

Jesus told His apostles who had just returned from a missionary trip, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

'Appalling sexual abuse' by monks covered up at schools in England, inquiry finds

August 13, 2018

MANCHESTER, England – The "appalling sexual abuse" of children as young as 7 was covered up in two leading Benedictine-run schools in England to protect the reputations of predatory monks, a government-backed investigation concluded.

Francis Campbell: Follow God’s direction at life’s crossroads

August 13, 2018

By the time this scribbling reaches publication online and in print, our long summer journey will be more than half completed.

Readers Speak Out: August 5-12, 2018

August 13, 2018

SETTING RECORD STRAIGHT Re: Standing on guard for life (July 22-29): Your recent story about Fr. Tony Van Hee’s long vigil on Parliament Hill made reference to an incident during which I, then a Member of Parliament, attempted to remove a sign he was holding. I want to clarify what led to that exchange. As he confirmed, I always supported Fr. Van Hee’s right to speak out on the abortion issue, including defending him when efforts were made to remove him from the Hill. The sign he was holding that day, however, did not refer to abortion. It attacked gay people, equating us with pedophiles. I had told him I found that sign deeply offensive, and asked him to remove it. I had every right not to be confronted by such abusive words as I entered Parliament. Despite our deep differences, I have always believed passionately in our constitutionally protected rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and I always treated Fr. Van Hee with dignity and respect, which was always reciprocated. His incredible commitment to his beliefs over more than 30 years is to be applauded, and I was pleased to read the article in The Catholic Register telling his remarkable story. Svend Robinson (MP 1979-2004), Limassol, Cyprus

August 14

Priest sent second letter reporting McCarrick abuse to Cardinal O'Malley

August 14, 2018

WASHINGTON – In a June 2015 letter to Boston's Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley obtained by Catholic News Service, a New York priest tells the prelate about "sexual abuse/harassment/intimidation" allegations he had heard concerning then-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick and asks that if the matter doesn't fall under his purview, to forward it to the "proper agency in the Vatican."

'Mountaintop Mass' celebrated to honour Father McGivney draws more than 1,000

August 14, 2018

WATERBURY, Conn. – More than 1,000 people gathered in the rain on top of Holy Land USA as Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of Hartford celebrated Mass to honour Waterbury native Father Michael McGivney, a candidate for sainthood, founder of the Knights of Columbus, and two-time seminarian in Quebec.

Australian court approves house arrest for Archbishop Wilson

August 14, 2018

ADELAIDE, Australia – An Australian judge approved home detention for Archbishop Philip Wilson, the retired archbishop of Adelaide who was found guilty of failing to report child sexual abuse allegations in the 1970s.

Myanmar's Cardinal Bo backs Pope's opposition to death penalty

August 14, 2018

MANDALAY, Myanmar – Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, Myanmar, hailed Pope Francis' admonition that imposing the death penalty is always inadmissible.

Chaldean Catholic synod give alms for return of displaced Christians

August 14, 2018

DAHUK, Iraq – The Chaldean Catholic Church concluded a weeklong synod in Baghdad offering thanks to God for the return of numerous displaced Christians to their hometowns in the Ninevah Plain and for pastoral achievements in their dioceses.