Vatican announces theme for World Day of Migrants and Refugees
- Mar 1, 2021
In decisions made on July 8, Pope Francis moved forward the sainthood cause of a Hispanic bishop in the US who ministered to farm workers, and who had a special affection for ‘lowrider’ modified cars, and also an Italian layman who refused to swear allegiance to the Nazis.
On Saturday, Pope Francis issued an edict restoring several financial powers to the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), taking them away from Australian Cardinal George Pell and his Secretariat for the Economy. With power, however, also comes the blame if something goes wrong.
Pope Francis on Saturday issued a legal decree intended to create a clear distinction between administration of the Vatican’s financial resources and oversight of that administration. Politically, the result is seen as trimming the powers of Australian Cardinal George Pell and his new Secretariat for the Economy.
In early July, three separate statements by senior Catholic prelates on the implications of Pope Francis’ recent document on the family, Amoris Laetitia, indicate that the debate it opened, especially on Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, is far from resolved.
Pope Francis has dedicated his prayer intentions for the month of July to indigenous peoples and cultures across the planet, saying in a new video released on July 6, “I want to be a spokesman for the deepest longings of indigenous peoples.”
A Vatican court has sentenced a Spanish monsignor to 18 months in prison for “Vatileaks 2.0,” given a former female member of a papal commission who gave birth during the trial a 10-month suspended sentence, absolved an Italian layman, and declared it lacks jurisdiction over two Italian journalists.