Crux Now

Papal confidante says 'Amoris' critics locked in 'death-trap' logic

Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, rector of the Catholic University in Buenos Aires and sometimes described as the pope’s amanuensis, has issued a systematic defense of "Amoris Laetitia," Francis's controversial document on the family, saying its critics are locked in a "death-trap" logic and their approach risks “a betrayal of the heart of the Gospel.”

Pope calls for an end to 'collective and arbitrary' expulsion of migrants

In a message for the Vatican-sponsored "World Day of Migrants and Refugees," set for Jan. 14, Pope Francis called the “lamentable situation” of migrants and refugees fleeing war, persecution, natural disasters and poverty a “sign of the times,” and called for nations to rise up to the challenge of "Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees."

School kids in CAR get 'guns instead of pens,' cardinal laments

Speaking exclusively to Crux on a visit to neighboring Cameroon, Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, described the youth of his country as “a lost generation, because they are born into violence," and also insisted that the root causes of the carnage are political rather than religious.

Secret deal? Author hopes Vatican archives shed light on efforts to end Holocaust
- Carol Glatz
- August 21, 2017
Based on evidence gleaned from archives and recorded testimonies, historian Max Wallace claims secret deals, bribes and false promises were used to manipulate Heinrich Himmler over the course of several months in order to get him to shut down Nazi death camps months before the end of World War II, “exploiting his desperate desire for a separate peace with the Western Allies.”
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CMSM speaker: Religious brothers often overlooked in church life
- Catholic News Service
- August 21, 2017
Religious brothers are not there to serve the priests of their order, except through the mutual responsibilities that characterize any group that aspires to be a real community. The annual meeting of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men recently discussed the role of religious brothers at their annual meeting.
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Military archbishop offers prayers for USS John S. McCain
- Crux Staff
- August 21, 2017
Ships and planes from several navies are searching for ten missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain, after it collided with an oil tanker near Singapore. Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, said: “Mindful of those who defend the nation in troubled times and in danger, we renew our prayers for a just and lasting peace in the world.”
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Head of Australia's bishops: Employees entering same-sex marriages could be fired
- Crux Staff
- August 21, 2017
Ahead of a plebiscite in Australia on same-sex marriage, the head of the Australian Catholic bishops’ conference said, “Our teachers, our parish employees are expected totally to uphold the Catholic faith and what we believe about marriage. People have to see in words and in example that our teaching of marriage is underlined.”
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Get off the couch to see the good that our fathers left us, pope says
- Claire Giangravè
- August 21, 2017
“We can’t watch reality from the terrace, nor can we remain comfortably seated on the couch watching the world pass before our eyes on TV,” the pope wrote in a letter to the annual Rimini Meeting by Communion and Liberation. “Only by earning back the true, the beautiful and the good that our fathers have left us, will we be able to experience as an opportunity this epochal change that we are immersed in, as a chance to communicate convincingly to men the joy of the Gospel.”
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Irish bishops tell priests who father children to "face up" to responsibilities
- Crux Staff
- August 21, 2017
The bishops of Ireland say that in the case of a child fathered by a Catholic priest, the priest should not walk away from his responsibilities – legal, moral and financial. The guidelines written by the Irish Bishops’ Conference were written as the Vatican faces a deadline to respond to UN recommendations to “assess the number of children fathered by Catholic priests, find out who they are and take all necessary measures to ensure that the rights of those children to know and to be cared for by their fathers is respected.”
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Orthodox leader calls Moscow and Rome to support persecuted Christians
- Claire Giangravè
- August 21, 2017
On August 21 Vatican Secretary of State sets off for his visit to Russia where he will visit the President Vladimir Putin and the Patriarch of the Russian Catholic Church Kirill. The main topics on the agenda will be the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
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Amid monument debate, statue of St. Junipero Serra defaced in L.A.
- Crux Staff
- August 20, 2017
Many people are debating whether or not to remove statues considered offensive by many from public places after the violence in Charlottesville. In the wake of that debate, a statue of St. Junipero Serra, praised as the “Apostle of California” but linked by critics with abuses of Native Americans, was defaced last week near the San Fernando Mission in northern Los Angeles.
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Explaining papal calm on security, plus a note on the convert debate

August 20, 2017

In the wake of the latest spike in violence across Europe, the Vatican says it’s not taking extra security precautions, in part because safeguards were already “very strong.” Popes often feel a greater degree of calm about their safety than other public figures, because, let’s face it, from their point of view, they’ve got the ultimate safety net.

Former Belgian PM challenges Pope Francis on euthanasia ban for religious hospitals

August 14, 2017

Herman Van Rompuy, who has formerly served as the President of the European Council and Prime Minister of Belgium, has tweeted a message implying Pope Francis cannot tell a Belgian religious order to stop performing euthanasia at its medical clinics. Van Rompuy serves on the board of the Brothers of Charity Group.