Political events and news in effecting Catholics and Catholic concerns in Europe.
October 8, 2019
VATICAN CITY -- Synod participants offered several proposals to address the lack of priests in the Amazon region, including revising the formation program for candidates to the priesthood and instituting new ministries for lay men and women.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- As Port-au-Prince began its fourth week of paralysis due to serious social unrest, the Haitian bishops' justice and peace commission called on President Jovenel Moise to step down.
VATICAN CITY -- Too many Christians today are "as long as" Christians, obeying God "as long as" God and the church meet their conditions and criteria for what is acceptable, just and righteous, Pope Francis said.
VATICAN CITY -- Climate change, water resources, inculturation and indigenous practices were among the topics discussed during the first afternoon session of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.
October 7, 2019
OXFORD, England -- Europe's Catholic bishops urged their citizens to "wake up" and find new hope by rediscovering the continent's Christian roots.
VATICAN CITY -- People in Western countries need to see the different cultural expressions of faith that exist in other parts of the world, said some participants at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.
WASHINGTON -- Nearly nine in 10 Catholics surveyed said they want their donations to church institutions to be ethically invested and a majority of those responding voiced particular opposition to investments in companies that produce pornography, tobacco products and e-cigarettes, according to a new survey.
VATICAN CITY -- With its mandate to seek "new pathways for the church and for an integral ecology," the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon follows Pope Francis' call for the church to move forward without fear, Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes told participants.
VATICAN CITY -- While the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon is focused on one small, but important geographical area, the issues involved impact the universal Catholic Church, said Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.
VATICAN CITY -- The Synod of Bishops for the Amazon is a time of reflection, dialogue and listening to the needs and sufferings of indigenous people, Pope Francis said.