Report: Cologne Catholic Church failed in handling sex abuse claims (The New York Times) A Roman Catholic archbishop in Germany offered his resignation and two other high-ranking officials were suspended in the wake of a report that found decades of “systematic cover-up” in the church’s handling of accusations of sexual abuse at the hands of clergy members…
Pope: St. Joseph is a model for pastors (Vatican News) Pope Francis is urging priests to learn the art of fatherhood from St. Joseph by being a shepherd who only seeks the good of the flock entrusted to them. He made the exhortation on Thursday to a delegation from the Belgian Pontifical College, a hostel for priests from Belgium who study in Rome. Receiving them on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the College, he recalled that Saint Pope John II had been a boarder there as a student priest from 1946 to 1948 …
Florida man charged with hate crime in Catholic church arson attack (WFLA) A man accused of setting a Florida church on fire last year is facing a federal hate crime charge. Court records show that a federal grand jury in Orlando returned an indictment on Wednesday against 24-year-old Steven Shields. He’s charged with using fire to commit a felony and intentionally damaging religious property. He also faces state arson and burglary charges. According to the indictment, Shields intentionally set fire last July to the Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala…
Pandemic vocations: when the call is answered on Zoom (CNS) When Liz Dodd was formally welcomed as a candidate for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace last November, she took part in the ceremony from her bedroom in London, with her housemates alongside her, while family members, friends and dozens of sisters from around the world joined by Zoom. “Normally this ritual would be in person — but are we not blessed that despite COVID-19 and the large distances between us” so many can “take part in this step Liz is taking,” said Sister Coralie Muzzy, the congregation’s formation director at the start of the Nov. 5 ceremony, speaking from her congregation’s office in Bellevue, Washington…
