'Vatican star gazer' says new website promotes Church's support for science
- Apr 9, 2021
Officials from the Vatican and from the Russian Orthodox churches met Friday for a virtual discussion on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and how to collaborate in responding to the complex and multifaceted challenges posed by COVID-19.
Organizers have said this year’s Week for Christian Unity is especially relevant given the coronavirus pandemic, which requires a joint effort from all people regardless of ethnicity, race or creed in order to stop the spread and assist the sick and the poor.
The ministry of a Catholic bishop must reflect the Catholic Church’s commitment to Christian unity and must give ecumenical engagement the same kind of attention as work for justice and peace, said a new Vatican document.
The formal structures that sponsor Catholic-Jewish dialogue are important, but their decades of success have relied on strong personal friendships and mutual respect, both of which must continue to spread among all Catholics and Jews, officials involved in the dialogue said.
Marking the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s encyclical on Christian unity, Pope Francis said he shares “the healthy impatience” of those who think more can and should be done, but he also insisted that Christians must be grateful for the progress made.
Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, canceled his participation in an upcoming Mass because one of the celebrants is a newly ordained priest with a history of alleged Nazi sympathies.
After a rare summit between German bishops and Vatican officials on Thursday to discuss a dispute on intercommunion, the Vatican said Pope Francis wants the Germans to find a “possibly unanimous” solution.
A May 3 summit between German prelates and Vatican officials on the issue of intercommunion neatly captures three grand ironies about the state of things in 21st century Catholicism.