Independent panel to review religious education in NI

The provision of religious education at schools in Northern Ireland is to be reviewed by an independent panel.

However, Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan said Christianity will "remain central to the syllabus".

It comes after a Supreme Court judgment last year that the provision of Christian religious education at schools in the region does not comply with human rights standards.

The court upheld an appeal brought by a pupil at a Belfast school and her father and reinstated an earlier court ruling that the teaching of religious education and collective worship breaches human rights as it does not approach the subject in an "objective, critical and pluralist manner".

The pupil, known as JR87, was at a controlled primary school in Belfast in 2019 when, as part of the curriculum, she took part in non-denominational Christian religious education and collective worship.

Mr Givan responded to that judgment in the Assembly chamber this morning.

During that address to MLAs, he announced a review to revise the religious education curriculum and the introduction of formal inspection of religious education across all schools.

It is to be led by Professor Noel Purdy from Stranmillis University College, Belfast, and former primary school principal Joyce Logue, supported by a drafting group comprised of teachers from across sectors.

It is also to involve extensive engagement with churches, teachers, school leaders, parents and young people.

Mr Givan said the review will develop a revised religious education syllabus that is fully consistent with the Supreme Court judgment.

He said following full public consultation, he anticipates bringing forward new regulations this autumn, and a new syllabus to be implemented from September 2027.

"The time is now right for a review of a syllabus, it has been nearly 20 years since it was last revised, a wider curriculum review is already under way," Mr Givan said.

"I am especially mindful of the need to safeguard religious education as an important academic discipline within the curriculum.

"A useful and enriching knowledge of Christianity and more widely the world's main religious and philosophical traditions, studied with academic rigour, will be the ambition of the new syllabus."

He added: "However, let me be clear, and as upheld by the court, Christianity will remain central to the revised syllabus.

"The reality of Northern Ireland's historical, cultural and legal context means that Christianity should and will continue to be the primary focus on the revised syllabus.

"It will give continued recognition to the historical role of Christianity in Northern Ireland's education system and society.

"While religious diversity is increasing, Christianity continues to shape our cultural norms, public holidays and civic life.

"A curriculum that ignores this reality would fail to prepare pupils for the social and historical context in which they live."

The minister concluded his remarks, describing a "measured and responsible response to the Supreme Court judgment".

Meanwhile, the Department of Education in Northern Ireland has published new guidance on the right of withdrawal from religious education and collective worship for schools.

Vatican denies it will open restaurant on terrace of St. Peter’s Basilica

The Vatican has said it is considering enlarging a small coffee and drinks bar already present on the terrace of St. Peter’s Basilica and has denied reports it plans to open a restaurant atop the historic church, according to Vatican News.

Italian newspaper Il Messaggero claimed earlier this week that renovations are being carried out to open a “bistro” on the roof area of the Vatican basilica.

“To cope with the increased number of visitors, an extension of the terrace area accessible to pilgrims is being considered,” the basilica communications office said, according to Vatican News.

There is already a small café serving coffee, drinks, and gelato on the roof of St. Peter’s Basilica. Above the church and below the dome, the bar is situated at a halfway point for pilgrims climbing the stairs to visit St. Peter’s cupola.

“Some spaces would be made available to expand the small refreshment area already in place, with a sober style appropriate to the context, respectful of the sacredness of the place, and meeting the needs of pilgrims,” the basilica said.

The basilica’s statement claims such an expansion “would reduce the concentration of visitors in the basilica and promote a more contemplative atmosphere.”

Cardinal Zenari reaching age 80 concludes mandate as Nuncio in Syria

Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nunico to Syriapapal representative in Damascus since 2008, whose mandate was extended by Francis - who created him cardinal in 2016 - submitted his resignation Monday upon reaching the age limit. 

Over these nearly seventeen years, he has carried out intense diplomatic and humanitarian activity in the Middle Eastern country, becoming a steady point of reference for a population suffering from war, poverty, terrorism, sanctions, crises, and earthquakes.

In 2021, upon turning 75 (the canonical age for “retirement”), he submitted his resignation from what for nearly seventeen years had been more than a diplomatic post — a true mission: serving as Apostolic Nuncio in Damascus, representative of the Pope and a point of reference for the universal Church in “martyred” Syria. 

Pope Francis rejected the resignation and chose to keep him in office “for an indefinite period,” a decision that “Don Mario” interpreted as yet another sign of attention toward the population, wounded by war and poverty and subjected to constant upheavals, that saw in him a stable and authoritative point of reference.

“War veteran”

After five years, however, with reaching age 80 on 5 January, Cardinal Mario Zenari brings to an end his long ministry as papal representative in one of the most wounded territories in the world. 

His resignation was announced today, February 2, in the bulletin of the Holy See Press Office. Yet, despite the brief institutional notice, lies a great story.

It is the story of a priest from Rosegaferro di Villafranca di Verona, trained at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and soon becoming a “war veteran,” as he himself defines it, serving as Apostolic Muncio in the early 2000s in Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Burkina Faso, and then from 2004 to 2008 in Sri Lanka. 

In 2008, he set foot in Syria for the first time, following the appointment of December 30 desired by Benedict XVI.

At the time, Syria was entirely different from the one we know today — and that many young Syrians and children know, having known nothing in life other than the misery and horrors of war. 

It was a country marked by apparent stability and a phase of economic opening, with tourism on the rise, yet crossed by underlying social tensions. 

In 2011 came the outbreak of the conflict, the uprisings, the ISIS massacres — and Zenari always there, as the Pope’s representative, carrying out diplomatic and mediation work aimed at a peaceful solution to the conflicts, as well as humanitarian efforts of closeness and comfort to people living what he himself often called “hell on earth.”

Denunciations and hardships

Cardinal Zenari never hid the difficulties — even personal ones — experienced in Syria. He did not hesitate to speak of a “humanitarian catastrophe,” of hope that has “died” among the people, especially among the young, even today, despite various political and social changes, at the center of a hemorrhage. 

He was not afraid to denounce the international oblivion surrounding the conflict, the grip of sanctions on the population, the endemic poverty that forces people to stand in line for kilometers for a piece of bread or to pay for gasoline with a month’s salary.

These were strong, but never shouted, statements, which the Cardinal always delivered in a soft tone, with a particular expression on his face through which pain — and also weariness — could be perceived, in seeing all that he had seen. War, bombings, hunger, and also — as if that were not enough — the 2023 earthquake that devastated the northern regions, with Cardinal Zenari immediately driving from Damascus to Aleppo, transporting in the trunk barrels filled with diesel fuel, difficult to obtain.

Cardinal in 2016

From 2016, Zenari carried out his role as Apostolic Nuncio wearing the red zucchetto — bestowed on him by Pope Francis, who created him a cardinal at his third Consistory. 

At the time, this was an unprecedented decision that in some way broke with the practice of the past century, which had consistently provided that papal diplomats be granted episcopal rank but not the cardinalate, which some of them attained only after a change of assignment.

It was also a novelty in the history of the Eastern Catholic Churches, which for the first time saw the scarlet not conferred on a member of the local episcopate, but on the head of the Vatican’s diplomatic mission. Cardinal Zenari commented on the Pope’s choice with just a few words: “A gesture of love.” 

“A gesture of love for the martyred Syrian population, but also a gesture of support for diplomacy,” he said.

By granting his envoy the Cardinal’s dignity, the Pope, the nuncio further emphasized, “gives added value to this presence and to the diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis. I feel encouraged in my service.” 

Being Cardinal in fact implied Zenari’s permanence in Damascus. 

Not that he had considered a transfer, as he had said, “How could a representative of the Pope be credible if he fled from where he is most needed? For me this mission is a privilege given to me by God, a deeply moving human experience.”

Cardinal Zenari's stay in Syria lasted far longer than expected, also considering the political complications that replacing the papal representative could entail. 

In December 2024, he was also able to witness the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government and the emergence of the new leadership led by Ahmad al-Shara.

Thus, with today’s resignation, the mission of a “field nuncio,” a long-serving diplomat and shepherd of a martyred flock, comes to an end.

Do Catholics have a theological problem with a woman being the archbishop of Canterbury? (Opinion)

Q: The Anglican Church has elevated its first woman to the role of archbishop of Canterbury, the chief diocese of the Church of England. Theologically, do we as Catholics see this as a problem?

A: I think the answer here could be either "yes" or "no," depending on how we approach the question.

Of course, for Catholics it would be a problem if someone were to propose that the Catholic Church should ordain women as bishops, since this goes against our well-established doctrine on the nature and purpose of the sacrament of holy orders.

As Saint John Paul II recounted in his 1994 apostolic letter "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis," on reserving priestly ordination to men alone:

"When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: 'She (the Catholic Church) holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church.'"

Extending this into a more big-picture point of view, the Catholic Church would disagree with any Christian theology in support of women's ordination, since it undermines the concept of "apostolic succession." 

Apostolic succession refers to our teaching that every bishop – along with the priests who participate in their bishops' pastoral ministry – was ordained by an older bishop who was in turn ordained by a bishop himself, forming an unbroken chain through which the power to administer the sacraments was "handed down" from the original Twelve Apostles.

But along these lines, a female archbishop of Canterbury would not be a new or especially pressing problem for us, since branches of the Anglican Communion have already had "ordained" women, including women bishops, since the late 20th century. 

And furthermore, the Catholic Church believes that there have not been valid Anglican ordinations at all since shortly after the Reformation era.

Historically, the Church of England (the original Church of the Anglican Communion, which includes branches such as the Church of Ireland and the Episcopal Church in the United States) began in 1534 when, for political reasons, King Henry VIII decided that the Church in his country should be independent of the Holy Father in Rome. 

And so at the beginning, all the bishops of the Church of England had been validly ordained Catholic bishops.

But as Pope Leo XIII observed in his 1896 apostolic letter "Apostolicae Curae" ("On the Nullity of Anglican Orders"), during the reign of King Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII, a new ordination ritual for the Church of England was created. 

The wording of this new ritual departed from our traditional Catholic sacramental understanding of the priesthood. 

Thus, Leo XIII clarified that Anglican ordinations since that time are "absolutely null and utterly void."

Because of this, Catholics see Anglican priests and bishops as being more like Protestant ministers, who can lead services and teach the faith in a non-sacramental sense, and less like Orthodox priests who, while separated from full communion with the Catholic Church, are nevertheless still ordained with apostolic succession and can therefore celebrate valid sacraments.

Insofar as some Anglicans might indeed see themselves as "ministers" rather than sacramental "priests," in a certain sense we might even "agree" with them about a female archbishop of Canterbury, since the Catholic Church has always acknowledged that women are capable of non-sacramental teaching and leadership.

Yet as Saint Paul VI was aware even in the 1970s, the ordination of women in the Anglican Communion does present an additional obstacle to Christian unity, and this by itself will always be a problem.

Synodal way meeting ends with clash over monitoring dioceses

The “first phase” of the German synodal way ended Saturday with a heated debate over whether a new permanent national synodal body should regularly monitor the implementation of synodal way resolutions in dioceses.

The debate flared Jan. 31, on the final day of the synodal way’s sixth plenary assembly in Stuttgart.

The synodal way was a six-year initiative that brought together the German bishops and select lay people to discuss sweeping changes to Catholic teaching and practice following an abuse crisis in Germany.

At five assemblies between 2020 and 2023, participants endorsed 150 pages of resolutions that included appeals for women deacons, a re-examination of priestly celibacy, lay preaching at Masses, a larger lay role in selecting bishops, and a revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding homosexuality.

The sixth assembly, held Jan. 29-31, focused on how the resolutions have been implemented in Germany’s 27 dioceses, ahead of the creation — subject to Vatican approval — of a new permanent national body known as the synodal conference.

Although the synodal way formally concluded in 2023, a Jan. 31 press release said the sixth assembly marked “the end of the first phase of the synodal way,” suggesting that a second phase would begin when the synodal conference holds its first meeting, scheduled for Nov. 6-7.

German media reported that there was “widespread outrage” at the Jan. 30 session of the sixth assembly after the presentation of a study of the implementation of synodal way resolutions in dioceses. The text was heavily criticized because it presented the results for all 27 dioceses without singling out any by name.

At the Jan. 31 session, participants debated a resolution calling on the synodal conference “to regularly monitor the implementation of the decisions of the synodal way.”

According to a live report on the debate by Kirche und Leben, a Catholic news site based in the Münster diocese, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising strongly objected.

The site quoted him as saying: “I foresee significant difficulties. I do not want a higher authority that constantly monitors me as a bishop. This is precisely what Rome has criticized. It is not desirable.”

“I caution against pursuing this path. It is evident that we are discussing decisions in principle. However, I am firmly opposed to this proposal.”

Marx’s intervention was notable, because he was one of the synodal way’s architects, presiding over the initiative’s launch in 2019, when he was chairman of the German bishops’ conference.

Marx received support from Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz.

Kohlgraf was quoted as saying: “The discussion following yesterday’s presentation of the monitoring report was very emotional and accusatory. I cannot accept that in the long term. There are still images in my mind that need to be clarified: if the synodal assembly says it is sovereign, that is certainly not compatible with the universal Church.”

When the resolution was put to the vote, some delegates had reportedly already left the hall to check out of their hotel.

The resolution passed by 122 votes in favor, 11 votes against, and six abstentions. There were initially 177 delegates when the meeting began Jan. 29, suggesting almost 40 were absent.

Among the bishops, there were 21 votes in favor, 10 against, and two abstentions. As abstentions were not counted, the number of “yes” votes only just reached the two-thirds majority of bishops necessary to pass the resolution.

The vote could prove controversial because only 33 out of 59 eligible bishops were present at the vote.

The bishops are due to vote on whether to approve the synodal conference’s statutes at their Feb. 23-26 plenary meeting in Würzburg.

A majority of bishops are believed to support the creation of the new body. But aome bishops who otherwise support the synodal way could be reluctant to back the synodal conference if it has the power to monitor how resolutions were being implemented in their dioceses.

The synodal conference’s statutes do not use the word “monitoring.” They insist that the new body “respects the constitutional order of the Church and preserves the rights of the diocesan bishops and the German bishops’ conference, as well as diocesan procedures and bodies.”

The Vatican will likely be concerned by the Jan. 31 vote because it has repeatedly intervened in the synodal way since 2019 to emphasize that no synodal body can limit the authority of a bishop in his own diocese.

Supporters of the Jan. 31 resolution argue that the monitoring would be less about control and more about the “accompaniment” of dioceses as they grapple with implementing the synodal way’s resolutions.

Observers point out that the resolution used the German word “monitoren,” rather than the stronger word “kontrollieren,” to describe the synodal conference’s role in overseeing the implementation of synodal way resolutions.

But a document presented at the sixth assembly said it was difficult to assess how some resolutions were being implemented locally because the synodal way texts themselves were “unclear in their intention,” did not specify who was responsible for introducing them in dioceses, or give a timeline for their completion.

If the bishops approve the synodal conference’s statutes, they will be sent to the Vatican for approval on an experimental basis (recognitio ad experimentum).

At the close of the sixth assembly, participants released a final statement declaring the synodal way a success, despite “tensions, setbacks, and crises along the way.”

When the German bishops meet in Würzburg, they will also elect a new bishops’ conference chairman, who will succeed Bishop Georg Bätzing, who has led the body since 2020. The vote is scheduled to take place Feb. 24.

Irme Stetter-Karp, who served as co-president of the synodal way alongside Bätzing, said she hoped his successor would have “respect for the path we want to take together.”

Stetter-Karp, the president of the lay Central Committee of German Catholics added:

“And it would be difficult if it were someone who considers the synodal way to be completely wrong. That would be a setback for the important lessons that have been and continue to be learned from the many studies on abuse.”

“Even if only to promote the concerns of the German reform debate in the Vatican, it would be an advantage if the new chairman had good connections in Rome. That is obvious.”

Bishop questions Bloody Sunday perjury decision

The Bishop of Derry has questioned the decision not to prosecute former soldiers who were investigated for given false evidence over Bloody Sunday.

Thirteen people were shot dead when soldiers opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in the Bogside area of Londonderry on 30 January 1972.

Last week, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) upheld its April 2024 decision not to prosecute eight surviving soldiers out of the 15 who were investigated for perjury at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

At an event to mark the 54th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Bishop Donal McKeown said "truth and justice have to come out at some stage" and "sometimes it seems impossible through the legal systems".

"The struggle continues", McKeown told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

He said the Bloody Sunday families "deserve our full support and our full encouragement".

"We will encourage them to keep going as far as they can, for as long as they can."

Following the PPS decision, Mickey McKinney, whose brother William was killed on Bloody Sunday, told the BBC he and other victims' families were "not happy" with the decision.

He said the families will now consider a judicial review of the PPS decision and added: "If that's what it takes, that's what it takes."

Hundreds of people took part in a march in Derry on Sunday, from Creggan to Free Derry Corner in the Bogside, to remember those killed on Bloody Sunday.

Speaking at a separate commemoration earlier in the day, Reverend David Latimer, formerly the minister at First Derry Presbyterian Church, said he did not agree with the PPS decision.

"That's why all the more I'm happy to stand with these families, let's unite on them, justice must be top of the agenda," he said.

Latimer said the PPS decision, coming months after a former paratrooper known as Soldier F was found not guilty of two charges of murder and five of attempted murder on Bloody Sunday, was "enough to knock these families down".

"But you know something, we've learnt from observing them in the past, if they do go down they don't stay down for long and they're up," he said.

In 2010, Lord Saville's report into Bloody Sunday stated that some soldiers had knowingly given false accounts.

In April 2024, the PPS said there was "insufficient" evidence to prosecute 15 former soldiers and a former member of the Official IRA for perjury.

The PPS was asked by some of the Bloody Sunday families to review the decision relating to the eight surviving soldiers who had been investigated.

The families and those soldiers were told last week that the original decision stands.

In a statement, the PPS said criminal convictions required proof beyond reasonable doubt and prosecutors must assess the prospects of conviction based on admissible evidence.

A spokesperson said detailed written explanation had been provided to the families to help them understand the decision.

"These decisions do not diminish the findings of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

"Public inquiries and criminal trials follow very different rules and much material available to the inquiry cannot be used in court."

German Catholic parish plans to host “Harry Potter ecumenical service”

A Catholic parish in western Germany is facing opposition after promoting what it has described as a “Harry Potter ecumenical service” to be held inside a consecrated church later this month, prompting a conservative Catholic group to launch a campaign calling for the event to be cancelled.

The event is scheduled for 28 February at 5pm at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Herne and has been advertised online as an ecumenical service drawing on imagery from the popular Harry Potter book series. 

Promotional material circulated by the parish invites “fans and Hogwarts newcomers” to gather for an evening “among candles, light and darkness” in which “hope takes shape”, with references to butterbeer, house colours and “magical attire” alongside the use of the church’s entrance hall and nave.

The advertisement states that the doors of the “Great Hall” will be opened for the evening and encourages attendees to dress in costume, while assuring them that “Muggle clothing is also permitted”. 

The parish website describes the gathering as beginning with a “magical prelude” inside the church building before continuing with the service itself.

The plans have drawn sharp criticism from the conservative Catholic outlet Christkönigtum, which has launched an online campaign urging the local diocese to intervene. 

The petition argues that the use of “magical occult motifs” within a consecrated church constitutes a desecration of sacred space and causes scandal to the faithful. It calls for the event to be halted immediately.

The diocese has not issued a public statement on the matter, and no official intervention has yet been announced. The parish did not respond to phone calls asking for comment beyond the promotional description already published online.

The Holy See has never taken an official position on the novels, but a range of contrasting views have been expressed by senior Church figures.

In 2003, Fr Peter Fleetwood, then an official of the Pontifical Council for Culture, spoke positively about the series when asked whether its depiction of magic should be grouped with New Age practices criticised by the Vatican. 

“If I have understood well the intentions of Harry Potter’s author, they help children to see the difference between good and evil,” he said, adding that the author “is Christian by conviction, is Christian in her mode of living, even in her way of writing.” 

His remarks were widely reported at the time as an implicit Vatican endorsement, though no formal approval was ever issued.

Other voices were far more critical. Fr Gabriele Amorth, for many years the chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome, warned that “behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil”.

Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, expressed concern in two private letters written in 2003, stating that the novels contained “subtle seductions” which “deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly”.

The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reflected this division in a 2008 full-page discussion of the phenomenon. 

One article argued that the stories conveyed lessons about love and self-giving, while another warned that they promoted witchcraft as a positive force and embodied “the old Gnostic temptation of confusing salvation and truth with a secret knowledge”. 

The paper later offered a more favourable assessment of one of the film adaptations, noting that it drew a clear moral line between good and evil and rejected the pursuit of immortality at any cost.

Support for the series has also come from senior Church figures elsewhere. Cardinal George Pell, then Archbishop of Sydney, wrote that the books displayed values “deeply compatible with Christianity” and praised them as “a good yarn” containing “a good dose of moral truth”.

The controversy forms part of a wider pattern within the German Church. The event reflects a permissive culture fostered by the Synodal Way and a broader progressive approach that has normalised experimental uses of sacred space. 

The willingness to host a themed service drawing on fictional magic has been part of a longer trajectory in parts of Europe since the promulgation of the post-conciliar liturgical reforms.

The issue at stake is less about Harry Potter itself, even though there are grievances, than an ecclesial problem of accommodating such a service within a church building. 

The event risks trivialising and desecrating what Catholics believe to be a consecrated space set apart exclusively for divine worship.

Double gas chamber suicide pod for couples, Dr Death’s latest invention

A pro-assisted suicide campaigner who has been accused of publishing material online that has reportedly been linked to the deaths of over 90 people in the United Kingdom, including the suicides of several teenagers, has invented a suicide gas chamber for couples to end their lives simultaneously.

Dr Philip Nitschke, a former GP nicknamed ‘Dr Death’, who invented the Sarco gas chamber assisted suicide pod, has now invented what has been called the ‘Double Dutch’ gas chamber suicide pod for couples to end their lives by suicide at the same time.

Nitschke said that he received some feedback on the original gas chamber assisted suicide pod, stating: “One of the comments made was: ‘It’s so lonely, I want to be held by someone when I die… when you’re in a capsule, you’re isolated’.” This drove him to create a gas chamber pod for couples.

“If they both want to die, they have to die together, [and] they have to both press the buttons at the same time,” Nitschke said of the new pod.

As with the model intended for use by a single occupant, the device has been designed to be 3D printed. According to Nitschke: “We expect that in a couple of months [the double gas chamber suicide pod will] be ready.”

In 2024, two British pensioners who do not believe they would receive prompt NHS treatment said they were looking to become the first couple to make use of it.

The couple stated their intention to die together because of their infirmity and ‘physical decline’, as well as their lack of confidence in the NHS. One of the individuals, Peter Scott, said: “The chances of getting prompt NHS treatment for the ailments of old age seem pretty remote, so you end up trapped by infirmity and pain.”

‘Double Dutch’ assisted suicide pod to use AI for mental capacity assessments

Nitschke has also said that the new ‘Double Dutch’ gas chamber assisted suicide pod would use AI for its mental capacity assessments, rather than requiring individuals to undergo psychiatric assessments.

Regarding mental capacity assessments, Nitschke said: “Traditionally, that’s done by talking to a psychiatrist for five minutes, and we did that. [The first individual who ended her life in the suicide pod] had a rather traditional assessment of mental capacity through a Dutch psychiatrist.”

“But with the new Double Dutch, we’ll have the software incorporated, so you’ll have to do your little test online with an avatar, and if you pass that test, then the avatar tells you you’ve got mental capacity,” Nitschke added.

Suicide pod creator allegedly linked to over 90 deaths in the UK

Nitschke has been linked to over 90 deaths in the UK by publishing guides on how to end one’s life. He said he published details of a lethal poison, which he described as offering a “cheap” and “reliable” method of achieving a “peaceful death”, in an online suicide ‘handbook’.

Nitschke also said that he introduced the poison to Kenneth Law, a former chef who then began selling the poison and who has been linked to more than 90 deaths in the UK. 

Law is currently awaiting trial on 14 charges of first-degree murder and 14 counts of aiding and counselling suicide.

Law allegedly offered a lethal substance and other methods of committing suicide on now-defunct websites called ‘Imtime Cuisine’ and ‘Escape Mode’. Over 1,200 packages are thought to have been ordered from these websites and delivered to people in 40 countries around the world.

Nitschke reportedly defended the actions of Law, claiming that he was only providing people with the choice of how to end their lives. “We published Ken Law’s contact details in the [online suicide handbook],” Nitschke said, telling people that “Amazon don’t sell [the poison] anymore, go to Ken Law – and they did”.

A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said: “It is incredibly worrying that Philip Nitschke is creating an assisted suicide pod capable of ending two lives at once.

“This terrible development would leave the door wide open for coercion and pressure to end lives to occur. The proposal to use artificial intelligence to replace mental capacity assessments would be a laughable suggestion if it were not so dangerous.

“If assisted suicide were to be legalised in England and Wales, legal academics have confirmed that the original assisted suicide pods invented by Nitschke will be legal under the assisted suicide Bill with the Health Secretary’s approval. We must never allow the actions of such men to be vindicated, and we must never allow this dangerous Bill to become law.” 

‘Dramatic’ decline in Catholic marriage highlights need for ‘proactive’ Church response

A steep decline in Catholic marriages in the U.S. over the past few decades is underscoring the need for “proactive” marriage support in the Church.

Data obtained by EWTN News from the Official Catholic Directory shows a major drop-off in U.S. Catholic marriage, from about 267,000 in the year 2000 to just 111,718 in 2024, a decline of nearly 60%.

The drop is even starker when compared with midcentury numbers: In 1970 there were about 426,000 Catholic marriages in the United States, compared with about 108,000 in 2025, a roughly 75% drop-off, though the 2025 numbers are still provisional.

Those declines have come even as the total number of Catholics in the U.S. has risen, from about 47.8 million Catholics in 1970 to 68 million last year.

‘Broader societal factors’ contribute to drop-off

Christian Meert, the founder and president of the Colorado-based Agape Catholic Ministries, told EWTN News that society is “not moving in the ‘marriage direction.’”

Agape offers Catholic marriage preparation and enrichment as well as other services such as natural family planning instruction. Marriage prep, Meert argued, should offer “real relational skills, communication, finances, and faith integration” for couples on the verge of matrimony.

But various factors — including “delayed adulthood, high divorce rates, economic pressures, shifting priorities, rising individualism, the evolution of dating culture, [and] cohabitation” — have all helped drive marriage rates down, he said.

The Catholic marriage decline has occurred alongside a steep decline in marriage throughout society, Meert said, though the Catholic drop-off is “disproportionately larger.”

“Yes, society in general is not helping, politicians are not helping, secularization and cultural shifts have eroded social support for all religious institutions,” he pointed out.

But the Church can take “proactive steps” to help reverse the decline, he said, including fostering “community spaces where young adults can meet and form healthy relationships,” focusing on “individual marriage formation” rather than broad, “cheap” programs and engaging parish families to “accompany engaged couples during their marriage preparation and after.”

Church leaders make regular appeals for a healthier and more fruitful marriage culture. Pope Leo XIV in November 2025 urged the Roman Rota to avoid “false mercy” when considering marriage annulments, warning again on Jan. 26 against “pastoral decisions [on annulments] lacking a solid objective foundation.”

In 2024, meanwhile, the U.S. bishops announced the “Love Means More” initiative, one meant to “bring clarity and compassion” to issues surrounding love, marriage, and sexuality.

Still more efforts have come from the lay faithful. In 2025 Emily Wilson-Hussem and her husband, Daniël, launched a new Catholic dating app, “SacredSpark,” which Wilson-Hussem described as a place “where we can connect people who will build up the Church because they’ve entered into a sacramental marriage and will build up the family.”

The Life-Giving Wounds ministry, meanwhile — founded in 2020 by husband and wife Daniel and Bethany Meola — ministers to adult children of divorce, helping them overcome the pain and trauma of their parents’ divorces in order to strengthen their own marriages.

In a June 2025 homily, Pope Leo described marriage as “not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman,” one that is “total, faithful, and fruitful.”

“In the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation,” the Holy Father said. “It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts.”

The marriage decline has even formed part of the secular discourse, as experts have warned that steep drop-offs in fertility in most of the developed world can be tied in part to declines in marriage rates and that policymakers who want to encourage more births should also be encouraging more marriages.

Meert, meanwhile, said Catholic families should be offering positive examples for young people to follow in the faith and in marriage.

He disputed the argument that “all the blame [can be put] on the clergy” for failing to transmit Catholic teaching to the faithful over the past few decades.

“What example are parents and grandparents giving to their children? How do they practice their faith? How do they transmit their faith?” he said. “When we see the rise in divorce, families not practicing their faith, not going to church, not active in their parishes — what can we expect?”

“We, the Church, the whole community of faithful, aren’t we all responsible?” he said.

Hundreds of thousands register to venerate relics of St. Francis of Assisi

About 350,000 people have registered to venerate the relics of St. Francis of Assisi — the first public display of the bodily remains of the beloved saint.

From Feb. 22 to March 22, the Lower Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi will welcome pilgrims from around the world who will come to the Italian city to pray before the body of the man whom ecclesial tradition has described as “the living mirror of the Gospel.”

The event marks a moment of great historical and spiritual importance on the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death: For the first time, his body will be transferred from its resting place in an underground chapel and placed in front of the papal altar in the Lower Basilica. 

In this way, the church will hold a “revealed treasure” for one month, granting pilgrims time for veneration and prayer.

Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a special jubilee year for St. Francis of Assisi on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of his death. The year will extend until Jan. 10, 2027, during which the faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence.

A body hidden for centuries

After his death in 1226, St. Francis was buried beneath the main altar of the Lower Basilica in a location that was difficult to access in order to prevent any attempts to steal his remains. 

His body remained hidden there for centuries until it was discovered on the night of Dec. 12–13, 1818. 

Following an official examination of the tomb in 1819, the identity of the remains of the Poor Man of Assisi was confirmed.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, the tomb was opened twice: first in 1978 and then in 2015. Each time, the conviction was renewed that the saint’s body is a powerful sign of the love that moved him. 

It was shown to be the body of a man worn down by illness and by the wounds of Christ that he bore during the last two years of his life, pointing to his living of the Gospel until the very end.

Events accompanying the display of the remains

Before the public display of the saint’s body to the faithful, vespers will be celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. local time, reserved exclusively for Franciscan friars. 

The mortal remains will then be transferred in procession from the chapel that houses it to the Lower Basilica.

The event will also be accompanied by the publication of a special issue of the magazine “San Francesco Patrono d’Italia,” produced by the Sacred Convent of Assisi. 

The 160-page issue is entirely dedicated to the saint and includes contributions from the most prominent contemporary Franciscan scholars.

A Franciscan jubilee year

This special jubilee year dedicated to St. Francis is considered a unique spiritual gift for the entire Church. 

The Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary explained that the Holy Father is opening the way during this year to obtain the indulgence under the usual conditions.

Faithful throughout the world may obtain the indulgence by visiting any Franciscan church — or any place of worship anywhere in the world dedicated to St. Francis or connected with him for any reason — and by fulfilling the required conditions for obtaining the indulgence: receiving the sacraments of reconciliation and holy Communion, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father.

A plenary indulgence, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, is God’s remission of the temporal punishment that follows forgiven sins. 

The Church is able to remit these consequences of sin, since God has made her steward of the fruits of redemption.

Clerical sexual abuse victim shares story with Pope Leo XIV: ‘I didn’t hold back’

A victim of clerical sexual abuse from Ireland shared his story in a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday.

David Ryan, who was sexually abused by a Catholic priest at Blackrock College in Dublin in the 1970s, told a small group of reporters, including Colm Flynn of EWTN News, after the meeting that the pope “was horrified” by his story during their 40-minute conversation Feb. 2.

“I didn’t hold back. I told him about the abuse,” said Ryan, whose deceased brother, Mark, was also abused while attending the same school.

The pope “just listened to me and then I put my questions to him and we spoke about each one at length,” Ryan said.

Ryan said Leo called his questions “tough” and asked if he could have more time to reflect on them and respond further via email at a future date.

“What an experience. I’ll never, never forget it. [Pope Leo’s] sincerity, his empathy. He felt my pain,” Ryan said.

Ryan, who has been open about being abused for years from around age 11 by a Catholic priest from his school, said in a 2024 interview with EWTN News that “you never forget about it. It ruined my life, it ruined Mark’s life.”

He said that he shared with Leo that it took him 40 years to realize what happened to him was not his fault.

“I did get a feeling of being listened to and being understood,” he said, adding that he hopes other victims will feel inspired to come forward.

Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One In Four, an Irish organization that supports child sexual abuse survivors, also briefly met Pope Leo.

Kenny called the encounter “very human … very down-to-earth.”

Ryan said he is not “very religious,” which he told the pope, but that he talks to God “in my own funny, little way.”

Italian cardinal named president of Vatican bank oversight commission

Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, the retired archbishop of L’Aquila, Italy, has been appointed president of the Cardinalitial Commission of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican bank.

Petrocchi succeeds Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the retired archbishop of Vienna, who has led the commission since 2014 and is stepping down after reaching the age limit.

In a statement, the commission thanked Schönborn “for his valuable leadership and for the commitment with which he supported and accompanied the institute during decisive phases of its reform process over the 12 years of his mandate,” adding that his service helped ensure guidance consistent with the institute’s mission.

Schönborn, for his part, expressed “profound gratitude” to Pope Francis for his “constant and enlightened support” during the IOR’s “long and demanding” reform process. 

He also thanked the bank’s director general, Gian Franco Mammì, and the institute’s leadership and staff as well as the supervisory board chaired by Jean-Baptiste de Franssu for guiding what he described as a far-reaching transformation that has earned broad recognition within the international financial community.

Petrocchi said he has witnessed “important developments” carried out by the institute in service of the Holy Father and the universal Church, and said the commission and the supervisory board will continue that work with an emphasis on continuous improvement, collaboration, and respect for Catholic ethics, transparency, and shared responsibility.

At the same meeting, the commission welcomed Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, who was recently appointed a member of the commission by Pope Leo XIV.

The Cardinalitial Commission oversees the IOR’s fidelity to its statutes. It is composed of five cardinals appointed by the pope, who designate one of their members as president. Members serve five-year terms and may be confirmed once.

In addition to Petrocchi and Fernández Artime, the commission includes Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, and Cardinal Emil Paul Tscherrig.

Catholic Church and Italy investigate sacred and profane cherub seemingly modeled on Meloni

There is a long tradition of painters depicting real people in their religious art, but the appearance in a Roman church of a cherub that bears a striking resemblance to Premier Giorgia Meloni has sparked a minor scandal for both church and state in Italy.

The diocese of Rome and the Italian Culture Ministry both announced investigations into the recent renovations at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, after photographs of the Meloni-esque cherub were published in Italian newspapers this weekend. 

Their swift and harsh reactions indicated little tolerance for the profane in a sacred place.

The ruckus has given the basilica, already well known as one of the oldest churches in Rome, newfound celebrity status. 

It was jammed on Sunday and Monday with curiosity-seekers straining to photograph the angel in a side chapel up near the front altar, at times disrupting Mass.

Meloni, for her part, tried to tamp down the outcry and make light of it.

“No, I definitely don’t look like an angel,” Meloni wrote on social media with a laughing/crying emoji alongside a photo of the work.

The basilica is located on one of Rome’s fanciest piazzas just down the block from the Spanish Steps. 

It was consecrated in 440 by Pope Sixtus III and subsequently enlarged and rebuilt. It is now the property of the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for its upkeep.

In 2000, one of the front chapels was renovated to include a bust of the last king of Italy, Umberto II. Included in the decoration was a cherub holding a map of Italy, seemingly kneeling down before the king.

That figure is now under scrutiny since the cherub’s face appears modelled on Meloni’s. It is problematic because the cherub appears in a position of deference to the king. 

Italians rejected the monarchy after World War II because of its support for Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini; Meloni’s right-wing party has its roots in the neo-fascist party that succeeded Mussolini.

The cherub was restored after water infiltrations damaged the basilica starting in 2023. The parish priest, Father Daniele Micheletti, acknowledged the resemblance to Meloni but dismissed the significance, noting that plenty of artists depicted real life people in their works.

Caravaggio is said to have modelled the Virgin Mary on a prostitute in one of his works; Michelangelo painted himself as St. Bartholomew in the Sistine Chapel’s Last Judgement.

“The priest is not responsible for the decorations in the sense that the owner is someone else,” Micheletti told The Associated Press on Monday in his office, as his phone rang constantly. “So, what do they want from me? I did not do the painting.”

Over the weekend, the Culture Ministry sent a special delegate, Daniela Porro, and ministry officials to the basilica to survey the angel. Their aim, according to a ministry statement, was to “ascertain the nature of the work” and “decide what to do.”

The restorer, for his part, has denied wrongdoing and denied he used Meloni as a model.

In interviews with Italian media, Bruno Valentinetti said Meloni was in the eye of the beholder and that he merely restored the original painting, which he himself had made in 2000.

The investigations are looking to determine what the original 2000 cherub looked like.

The vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, was far less forgiving. He announced an investigation and criticized Micheletti’s blasé attitude.

“In renewing the diocese of Rome’s commitment to the preservation of its artistic and spiritual heritage, it is firmly reiterated that images of sacred art and Christian tradition cannot be misused or exploited, as they are intended exclusively to support liturgical life and personal and communal prayer,” the diocese said a statement.

Accused of sexual abuse in Spain and Bolivia, Jesuit priest escapes trial due to statute of limitations

Jesuit Father Francesc Peris, accused by numerous former students of committing sexual abuse against them at a school in Barcelona, Spain, and another in Cochabamba, Bolivia, will not face criminal prosecution due to the statute of limitations of his crimes, according to a judicial decision issued last week.

Spanish judge Santiago García had opened an inquiry into Peris’s actions and concluded that two allegations of abuse, committed by him in 1999 and 2004, could lead to criminal proceedings.

However, according to a story published on Jan. 25 by the Catalan newspaper El Periódico, the District Attorney’s Office determined that the 2004 incidents have already reached the statute of limitations, meaning the 1999 allegation will likely meet the same outcome.

These were the most recent of several accusations made against Peris by students of Casp–Sagrat Cor de Jesús School, run by the Catalan Jesuits in Barcelona since 1881.

Although he denied all allegations before judicial authorities on more than one occasion, victims such as Enric Soler told El Periódico that it was widely known that Peris had abused students since the 1960s.

During an internal investigation carried out by the Jesuits, Peris acknowledged that he had abused boys and girls, both in Barcelona and in Cochabamba. 

The administrative process recorded more than 20 cases of abuse committed by him. He also admitted guilt in proceedings conducted by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

According to Spanish victims, El Periódico reported, Peris would take students to a holiday house in Viladrau, about 50 miles from Barcelona, where he bathed naked with them.

His school office was also a known location for the abuse. He would often summon students there under the pretext of mentoring or spiritual guidance. Known as Cesc, students nicknamed him “Sex Penis.”

After numerous complaints, the Society of Jesus sent Peris to Bolivia in 1983. The Bolivian Community of Survivors of Ecclesial Sexual Abuse believes the move was intended to cover up his abuses in Spain and prevent justice from being served there.

That is how the Catalan priest ended up at John XXIII School in Cochabamba.

“Since 1972, the Society of Jesus had known about Peris’s crimes. His transfer to Bolivia was not coincidental,” Edwin Alvarado, a spokesperson for the Community, told Crux.

In Cochabamba, he allegedly repeated his long-standing pattern of behavior. Alvarado said one victim, then a girl studying at John XXIII, reported that Peris would go from “bed to bed” in the girls’ dormitory.

He also abused at least one boy there.

“A boy was sleeping during the day, alone in the dorm, when he was woken by Peris, who was abusing him. Before striking him with a guitar, he saw Father Alfonso Pedrajas watching them,” Alvarado said.

Pedrajas, known as Padre Pica, was another serial sexual abuser from Spain who kept a diary of his crimes for decades. He lived in Bolivia for most of his life and died there in 2009. 

His diary, which documented more than 80 abuses, was discovered by a nephew and given to the Spanish newspaper El País, which broke the story in 2023.

Peris remained in Bolivia for only one year before returning to Barcelona. He continued committing abuse until 2004. In 2005, he was finally removed from Casp by the order and barred from teaching children. Since then, he has lived in a Jesuit residence in Valladolid.

His actions in Bolivia had serious consequences. The Survivors’ Community is aware of five victims. Three suffer health problems resulting from the abuse, and two are receiving psychiatric treatment.

“Some of his victims could not overcome their trauma. They have emotional scars and heart problems,” Alvarado said.

The Community received the news of the dismissal of Peris’s case in Barcelona with sadness.

“In Bolivia, we have already seen how historical truth is not important for the judiciary. A judicial ruling can close an entire case due to dates and procedural mechanisms,” he lamented.

The Community is now preparing to file civil lawsuits against Peris in Spain.

“Given that the Catalan Society of Jesus sent someone it knew was an abuser to Bolivia, the Society of Jesus is complicit in the abuses,” he said.

He added that more victims will likely come forward and join the effort, which Alvarado describes as a “moral sanction, since criminal punishment is no longer legally possible.”

“The Society of Jesus and the world must be aware of that man’s depravity. More than 30 years after the abuse in Bolivia, he still kept a photograph of one of his victims on his desk in Barcelona,” Alvarado said.

The Community will also join networks of clerical abuse survivors in neighboring Latin American countries to change legislation in the region and make child abuse a crime with no statute of limitations.

“This way, we can better prevent new cases in those countries,” he said, adding that being a member of the clergy should be considered an aggravating factor.

US woman resolves misdemeanor case opened after accusing priest of predatory behavior

An Alabama woman has resolved a misdemeanor case that authorities opened against her within days of speaking out about a Roman Catholic priest whom she accused of predatory behavior.

Heather Jones had publicly recounted that she was 17 when the priest, Robert “Bob” Sullivan, arranged to provide her financial support in exchange for companionship including sex – prompting him to resign from the clergy in November.

Jones agreed on 28 January to serve two years’ probation for what authorities deemed to be unauthorized practice of law, said an official with the Marshall county clerk’s office in Alabama.

Separately, Jones told the Guardian that the agreement left her feeling “free and clear” of a legal matter that she can’t help but surmise may have been pursued to undermine her credibility after coming forward against Sullivan.

“When I lay down at night, I am at peace with my actions and my intentions,” Jones said in a statement. “I hope that ‘they’ feel the same about theirs.”

The district attorney’s office, which prosecuted Jones, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jones, 33, has said her story – which was first reported months earlier by the Guardian – illustrates what survivors of religious misconduct can endure before and after they step out of the proverbial shadows.

She first encountered Sullivan, 61, after growing up in foster care and being removed from her mother’s custody due to severe neglect. 

In a complaint that she would later file with church leaders, she wrote that she sought out employment as an exotic dancer at an establishment outside Birmingham, Alabama, after lacking reliable “adult support” during her formative years.

Jones says she was 17 when she met Sullivan at that establishment, which hired Jones despite her being under an applicable age limit. As Jones put it in her complaint, Sullivan was a regular patron, tipped her money during her shifts and eventually offered to “change” her life through “an ongoing relationship that would include financial support in exchange for private companionship”.

She alleged that Sullivan took her shopping, dining, drinking and to hotel rooms across Alabama to engage in sex beginning when she was 17 and over a span of several years. 

She also said he paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars to remain silent about it all, buttressing her complaint with financial and email records as well as a copy of a legal agreement.

At first, Jones said she didn’t grasp the exploitative nature of her acquaintance with Sullivan and went along with it out of desperation. 

She described struggling with depression, addiction and emotional instability during the arrangement – and said she ultimately decided to speak out against Sullivan because he had continued working closely with families and children as the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows church in Homewood, Alabama.

Sullivan had also been appointed as one of the vicars general – a high-ranking administrative position – for the diocese of Birmingham.

Jones filed her complaint against Sullivan with the Birmingham diocese in August. She provided a copy of the complaint to the Guardian after he abruptly announced to his congregation that he was taking “personal leave” without specifying why.

Birmingham church officials forwarded Jones’s allegations to the entity at the Catholic church’s worldwide headquarters in the Vatican, which investigates clergy misconduct cases. 

Sullivan then asked Pope Leo XIV “to be dispensed from all the obligations of the priesthood”, and the pontiff granted the request on 22 November, church officials said.

Attempts to contact Sullivan have been unsuccessful.

Catholic priests promise to be sexually abstinent. Additionally, under policies that US Catholic bishops adopted in the early 2000s amid the worldwide church’s decades-old clergy molestation scandal, those younger than 18 are considered minors – and sexual contact with them is considered abusive.

There is no indication, however, that Sullivan ever drew scrutiny from Alabama law enforcement authorities. The legal age of sexual consent in Alabama in 16, and it was not until the spring of 2024 that the state made it a felony for clergy to engage in sexual activity with people younger than 19.

Meanwhile, eight days after the Guardian reported on her complaint against Sullivan, Jones was arrested on allegations that she had filed a legal motion on behalf of a man involved in a Marshall county court case despite not being a licensed attorney. 

Prosecutors later said the motion in question was signed under Jones’s name as an “advocate/law student” – and that she had engaged in the practice of law without authorization, as Alabama news outlet WHNT reported.

She agreed to serve probation on the morning that case against her was scheduled to be tried.

After, Jones said in a statement she had “met a network of survivors who have offered nothing but encouragement and support” in the wake of her speaking out about Sullivan.

“Thank you to those who supported me during this time, and I truly mean that,” Jones wrote. “And to those who doubted me, I thank you even more.”

Society of St. Pius X to consecrate bishops without Rome’s approval, courting excommunication

The Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) announced Monday that it plans to consecrate new bishops on July 1 even without authorization from the Holy See, a move that would likely lead to automatic excommunication of all the bishops who take part and harden a decades-old split with Rome.

The SSPX, which exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and maintains doctrinal differences with certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, has not consecrated new bishops since 1988 when the society’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without Rome’s approval. The move directly contravened canon law and led to their, and the archbishop’s, automatic excommunication.

Even though Pope Benedict XVI remitted the 1988 excommunications in 2009, the Vatican says the SSPX exists in a state of “institutional irregularity” or “imperfect communion” with the Holy See, lacking a formal, recognized canonical structure. Ongoing doctrinal disagreements are the stated reason why no stable canonical structure has yet been granted.

The SSPX said Monday that its superior general, Father Davide Pagliarani, requested an audience with Pope Leo XIV last August to present, “in a filial manner,” the current situation of the SSPX, including its need for bishops.

The society’s statement continued: “After having long matured his reflection in prayer, and having received from the Holy See, in recent days, a letter which does not in any way respond to our requests, Father Pagliarani, in harmony with the unanimous advice of his council,” has decided to proceed with consecrating new bishops.

The SSPX has only two serving bishops: Bishop Bernard Fellay, a former superior general of the society, and Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta. Bishop Richard Williamson was expelled in 2012 for persistent disobedience and open opposition to the society’s superiors and their policy toward Rome. He died last year. Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais died in 2024.

Both Benedict XVI and Pope Francis tried to regularize the SSPX gradually, with Pope Benedict pursuing dialogue that was halted in 2017. Pope Francis granted faculties for confessions and marriages while keeping doctrinal issues open.

Observers say moving ahead with new consecrations after explicitly seeking and not receiving Rome’s agreement signals a clear divergence of judgment that will likely harden positions on both sides, making any future canonical solution more difficult.

They also say the move implicitly challenges how the Holy See is handling liturgy, doctrine, and the traditionalist movement globally at a time when debates over the older liturgy are already intense.

“Excommunications are back on the menu, obviously because it’s automatic,” said Joseph Bevan, a senior SSPX layman and author of the 2025 book “Traddy Daddy — Memories and Thoughts of the Father of a Catholic Family.” He said he believes such a development was “inevitable,” adding that the discussions have been ongoing since July 2025 but with no progress. “Who can blame them?” he told EWTN News. “Rome is dragging its feet and being obstructive.”

But a Rome canonist speaking on background to EWTN News held out hope that as the consecrations have not yet happened, a solution could possibly be found in the meantime, and today’s announcement could press both parties into coming to a resolution.

The Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In his Feb. 2 message, Pagliarani stressed that the SSPX’s motive remains the service of the Church and the preservation of tradition, citing his 2024 reflection on the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s declaration that formally set out the position of the SSPX.

“The Society of St. Pius X is not primarily seeking its own survival,” Pagliarani said on that occasion. “It seeks the good of the universal Church and, for this reason, is a work of the Church, responding to the needs of an unprecedentedly tragic era… Without any spirit of rebellion, bitterness, or resentment, we pursue our work of forming priests, guided by the timeless magisterium.”

The communiqué concluded by saying that further explanations regarding the present situation and today’s decision would be expected in the coming days.

'He felt my pain' - Irish abuse survivor receives apology from Pope

Pope Leo XIV has apologised to abuse survivor David Ryan, who featured in the RTÉ documentary 'Blackrock Boys', following a meeting between the two at the Vatican.

Mr Ryan described the experience as amazing and credited the Pope for his empathy.

Pope Leo, who had listened to the documentary, said that what stood out for him was when David Ryan's father, on learning that his younger son had been abused 20 years previously, called his older son Mark, who also revealed he had been abused.

They spoke about Mark for a time, whose photo Mr Ryan brought to the meeting.

Pope Leo apologised to Mr Ryan for the abuse he suffered. Mr Ryan is the first abuse survivor to meet the new pontiff in a private audience alone. Mr Ryan said Pope Leo was a "lovely man".

"We just sat down as if it was like talking to Mark, and he looked at Mark's photo and everything," Mr Ryan said.

"We spoke about Mark. He just listened to me. I put my questions to him. And we spoke about each question in length and he will do everything he can... What a lovely man, a wonderful experience. I'll never forget it," he said.

"His sympathy, his empathy for survivors... he felt it, and he was sorry and it was genuine and I knew it was genuine."

"His sincerity, his empathy. He felt my pain, but he hasn't experienced my pain, but he knows what pain I have gone through and my family.

"What an experience to have, it made my day. I’m so glad I did it and I think Mark would be happy. He gave a blessing to Mark's photo that I had," he said.

"He said he was so sorry to hear of my pain, for my family's pain, and for the other survivors who haven't come forward yet, and he said from me speaking to him today he hoped other people would come forward and speak about it."

Mr Ryan said he had questions for Pope Leo, which the Pontiff addressed at the meeting verbally, however, he added that he would reply to them in more depth.

Mr Ryan said he felt the Pope was genuine in his responses.

"He was sorry and I felt it," Mr Ryan said, adding that Pope Leo "took a deep breath" before he answered each question put to him.

Mr Ryan told the Pope he was not very religious, which Pope Leo said was fine.

As well as speaking about Mark and the impact of the abuse on the wider Ryan family, the two men mainly talked about Blackrock College and St Declan's School on Northumberland Road where David was also abused as a small child prior to attending secondary school.

Mr Ryan expressed hope that others would respond to the meeting by coming forward and speaking up and realising it is not their fault.

Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One in Four, who was there to support David was invited into the room towards the end of the meeting.

Pope Leo asked her about One in Four and thanked her for the work of the organisation.

She described it as relaxed, chilled and human.

Mr Ryan wore cufflinks that belonged to Mark, along with an unworn shirt also given to him by his older brother before died in 2023.

Both brothers were abused by Spiritan priests, neither knowing of the other's plight at the time.

Three years on from when they first met, the producer of the 'Blackrock Boys' documentary described the day as surreal.

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Liam O'Brien said that from Mr Ryan's perspective it was a very emotional meeting, adding that Pope Leo spoke about specific parts of David's story from the documentary that he found very moving.

He said the meeting lasted roughly 45 minutes.

Ahead of the meeting he said that: "Nowhere in our wildest dreams of his or mine did we think it would materially lead to anything like this.

"David just wants to sit down with the head of the Catholic Church and, I guess, eyeball him in a way and tell him what happened in his life; tell him the effect it had on him, his brother, his family, his parents, his wider community, his friends, and the country as a whole."

Mr O'Brien added: "David is unique in that he has lived that experience and so he's able to get a really simple message to the most powerful figure in the Catholic Church."

Private audiences are rare and typically reserved for high-profile individuals like heads of state, officials and bishops.

The Vatican confirmed that since his election in May last year, Pope Leo has met privately with victims and survivors of abuse on two previous occasions.

He met with members of the board of End Clergy Abuse, a coalition representing clergy sexual abuse survivors from more than 30 countries, in October.

In November, he met 15 people from Belgium who were victims of clerical abuse when they were minors.

Therefore, Mr Ryan is the first survivor of abuse to have had a private audience with Pope Leo alone.

OUR CHURCH MUST CHANGE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF EACH NEW GENERATION (Opinion)

I’m think­ing deeply about where reli­gion and, in par­tic­u­lar, the Cath­olic Church are head­ing. 

There comes a time when sit­ting on the fence is not just cow­ardly but also sin­ful.

There are many com­plex issues facing the Cath­olic Church. One is the crass abuse of women. It is no longer defens­ible to deny women their full voice and their legit­im­ate role in the pas­toral work of spread­ing the Good News. 

This is a human rights issue and is spir­itual abuse.

The recent decision not to decide on the pos­sib­il­ity of ordain­ing women as dea­cons is plainly demean­ing. 

The Cath­olic Church needs to wake up to the need for women dea­cons and women priests.

Many theo­lo­gians and scrip­ture experts are con­vinced that women were ordained dea­cons in the early church. 

If that is true, it is not a ques­tion of intro­du­cing the prac­tice but of restor­ing it. They tell us that St Paul’s Let­ter to the Romans iden­ti­fies Phoebe as a dea­con and not just St Paul’s ded­ic­ated assist­ant. 

“Receive her in the Lord” is St Paul’s com­mand.

Many Church his­tory schol­ars are con­vinced that in the early cen­tur­ies of the Church’s exist­ence, women served their com­munity and church in a deep, essen­tial way — as thou­sands of women world­wide wish to do now.

Per­son­ally, I can see no primary theo­lo­gical reas­ons why women should not be ordained as priests either. 

But let’s stick to dea­cons for today.

CLERICS

Male dea­cons make a real con­tri­bu­tion to the life of the Church in many areas of the world. In these coun­tries, their con­tri­bu­tion is lim­ited by the clergy. 

Amer­ica has a longer exper­i­ence, as do the mis­sion­ary areas of Africa. I know that from per­sonal exper­i­ence. 

But, like the cler­ics, these male dea­cons are becom­ing old and grey. Eighty per cent of dea­cons in the United States are over 60 years of age.

Two pos­it­ives still exist in the Church. 

Many women are will­ing to serve as dea­cons (and priests, too). 

Secondly, there is a vast need for their tal­ents to min­is­ter to hurt­ing, suf­fer­ing human beings in need of care and dir­ec­tion. 

We do not have the right to deprive the church of their ser­vices. The women are tal­en­ted, will­ing and able. 

The people in need are cry­ing out for their help.

Masses of people are deprived of heal­ing because women are cast aside just because they are women.

There are hos­pit­als, par­ishes, pris­ons, schools, etc aban­doned because men min­is­ters can no longer serve them and women’s voca­tions are turned away.

Think of the impact that tal­en­ted women from all sec­tions of our com­munity could have, com­pared to that of good but eld­erly, grey­haired men.

I can think of no sus­tain­able argu­ment against the ordin­a­tion of women to the diac­on­ate. Some of the argu­ments often used are pathetic. They say Phoebe wasn’t ordained. 

How can we be sure? Do we know if Paul, Peter, or Apol­los were ordained?

It is often pro­posed that women have other ways to serve. So what? So do men; what’s the point of being a male dea­con or a priest then?

The most con­fus­ing argu­ment of all is that God called only men to the priest­hood. How come, then, that God used a woman to give birth to His Son? 

Or that he gave his women com­pan­ions respect, dig­nity and respons­ib­il­ity? Or that He chose a woman, Mary Mag­dalene, to announce His Resur­rec­tion? She is the apostle to the Apostles.

He sternly reminded guests in Beth­any that a woman who anoin­ted his feet would be remembered forever for doing the right thing (Mark 14:9). There are numer­ous other examples.

SALVATION

The author­it­ies now claim that this tra­di­tion can­not be changed. Hold on a moment.

Priests were allowed to marry for a thou­sand years, yet that was changed — for bet­ter or worse. 

The Second Vat­ican Coun­cil insisted that the church needs con­stant ref­or­ma­tion, i.e. con­stant change.

When I was young, we received the Euchar­ist a few times a year at most. That changed. 

For cen­tur­ies, it was said that out­side the church, there is no sal­va­tion. The Coun­cil, in Lumen Gen­tium, pro­posed another view. 

The Church must change to meet the needs of each gen­er­a­tion; oth­er­wise, we culp­ably fail to spread the Good News of God’s Love.

Across the world, Cath­olic women who dis­cern that their church rejects them have moved to other Chris­tian churches that wel­come women’s ordin­a­tion. 

There, they ful­fil their voca­tion to serve God as dea­cons and priests. Their (dif­fer­ent reli­gions) gain is our loss.

For dec­ades, we have asked the faith­ful to pray for voca­tions, yet con­tinue to reject women’s right­ful voca­tions. It doesn’t make sense.

The latest doc­u­ment from the Vat­ican con­cluded, “there is still no room for a pos­it­ive decision” on women’s ordin­a­tion. 

In my view, it is long past time they aban­doned their pre­ju­dices and opened the way for women to serve the church they love as God calls them.

No plans to increase charges to use RIP.ie, say operators

The operators of the RIP.ie website have said they have no plans to increase controversial charges for death notices introduced 12 months ago as they report "a strong year" with 5% growth in user numbers.

The platform for funeral notices and online condolences is marking 20 years of service this year and was bought by the Irish Times Group for an undisclosed sum in May of 2024.

The introduction of fees of €100 plus VAT for death notices in January of 2025 prompted concerns from funeral directors, who sought clarity on pricing plans and commercial content on the site.

Some opposition politicians also called for the service to remain free, or for the Government to set up a state-run service to maintain RIP.ie's public service role.

One year on, the Irish Times group told RTÉ’s Drivetime that recent customer surveys indicate users and funeral directors are "very happy with the site and the services provided by RIP.ie".

Galway undertaker Joe Grogan was one of many who "didn’t agree with the charge 12 months ago" but says he doesn’t "see any problem with it" now, with all of his client families still asking for their funerals to be listed on RIP.ie.

Most people "don’t even bat an eyelid at the €100 plus VAT charge", he added saying that compared to traditional newspaper charges of "€300 to €400 you don’t mind paying" the RIP.ie charge.

Other undertakers seem to be in agreement too, after assurances were sought from the Irish Association of Funeral Directors from the Irish Times Group when the new charges began.

With over 300 members nationwide, IAFD Spokesperson Jane Clarke – who is the Assistant General Manager of Stafford’s Funeral Directors in Dublin - said she hasn’t seen "any instance where cost is a factor or a barrier that would prevent their family wishing to place their loved one’s notice" on the RIP site.

Having sought clarity on the issue from the Irish Times Group last year, Ms Clarke said the IAFD "understood that visitors to the site would never be charged" and they "expect that that will remain the case".

She added that the IAFD are "not aware of any further cost increases planned".

With many potential rival websites being announced in response to the RIP.ie charges a year ago, few have actually materialised with up-to-date funeral notices online.

Tech Entrepreneur Mark Legge told RTE’s Drivetime that his website, "The Solace" still plans to offer online condolences and memorials through funeral directors, and from their own research, he believes that out of "around 15 rival websites" announced last year, just "two remain".

One of those is the Condolence.ie site, set up as a free of charge service by Donegal funeral supplier Danny Morning. He told the programme that he intends to continue to build his platform as "some people don’t want to pay" for RIP.ie.

With "no plans" to increase charges, the operators of RIP.ie say they have "invested significantly in site security, customer care and increased staffing" since the introduction of their fee structures.

In a statement to Drivetime, they say they have also developed a donations payment gateway where users can donate to a deceased person’s chosen charity raising €1.2 million last year, while they also pointed to other developments including online resources about grief, emotional support and financial planning, a new podcast and plans for various community projects to honour loved ones.

'It was their fault': Blackrock College abuse survivor David Ryan to meet Pope Leo today

ABUSE SURVIVOR DAVID Ryan is set to have a private audience with Pope Leo XIV later today at the Vatican.

Ryan will meet with Leo at around 12 noon Rome time and he told The Journal that he hopes to give a voice to survivors.

He said he wants Leo to “hear my own voice, face-to-face”.

“It was never our fault, it was their fault, and that’s what I want to get across to him and that’s why I’m doing it,” said Ryan. 

“I’ve got a lot of questions to put to him, some of which are going to remain private.

“It will be a huge day.”

Blackrock Boys

In November 2022, Ryan and his brother Mark revealed in an RTÉ radio documentary, Blackrock Boys, that they had been sexually abused at Blackrock College during the 1970s.

Blackrock College is run by the Spiritan Order and its leader issued an apology to all victims following the documentary.

The documentary led to hundreds more allegations being made against 77 Irish Spiritans in ministries throughout Ireland and abroad. 

It is understood that Leo has listened to the documentary and has been briefed on action that has been taken since it aired.

A scoping inquiry report published in 2024 into sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders identified 308 schools where alleged abuse took place.

This in turn led to a Commission of Investigation being established last year into allegations of historical child sexual abuse in every school across the country.

Private audience

After the documentary aired in 2022, Ryan suggested to his brother that they should send a copy to Pope Francis, who was pontiff at the time, and seek a meeting in Rome.

Ryan’s brother, Mark, died suddenly in 2023 and Ryan said the idea was then “put on the back burner”.

However, he said he was “determined to do it and I told Mark I was going to do it” and in 2024, Ryan sent a copy of the documentary to Francis, who agreed to meet with him.

Francis’s health soon declined and the meeting could not take place as a result.

Ryan told The Journal that he again contacted the Vatican after the election of Leo and received an email just before Christmas that an audience with the pope had been granted.

A later email confirmed that it would be a private audience, lasting for at least 40 minutes.

A number of people will accompany Ryan to Rome, though not to the private meeting, including One in Four CEO Deirdre Kenny. 

One in Four is a charity that supports those who were victim of childhood sexual abuse.

Candlemas - 2nd February

2nd February is Candlemas Day.

This ancient festival marks the midpoint of winter, halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox.

In olden times, many people used to say that the Christmas season lasted for forty days - until the second day of February.

It was the day of the year when all the candles, that were used in the church during the coming year, were brought into church and a blessing was said over them - so it was the Festival Day (or 'mass') of the Candles.

Candles were important in those days not only because there was no electric lights. Some people thought they gave protection against plague and illness and famine. For Christians, they were (and still are) a reminder of something even more important.

Before Jesus came to earth, it was as if everyone was 'in the dark'. People often felt lost and lonely. Afraid. As if they were on their own, with no one to help them.

Then came Jesus with his message that he is with his followers always ready to help and comfort them. As if he is a guiding light to them in the darkness.

Christians often talk of Jesus as 'the light of the World' - and candles are lit during church services to remind Christians of this.

Candlemas is a day which holds many different customs

The Romans had a custom of lighting candles to scare away evil spirits in the winter.

One of the most interesting custom took place in Scotland. In the olden days, Candlemas was the day when children brought candles to school so that the classrooms could have light on dull days. 

As time went on, gas lighting took over from candle light. The children took money to the teacher who was suppose to spend it on sweets and cakes for the children to eat. 

The boy or girl taking in the most money were declared Candlemas King and Queen and they 'ruled' for six weeks. They had the power to make one whole afternoon a week a playtime and they could also let anyone they wished off punishment.

Other names for Candlemas Day

Candlemas's Day also has two other names. One is the 'Presentation of Christ in the Temple'. The other is the 'Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary'. Both these names come from special events in the life of baby Jesus.

Candlemas Day Weather-lore, beliefs and sayings

People believe that Candlemas Day predicted the weather for the rest of the winter. 

The weather proverbs express the idea that a fine bright sunny Candlemas day means that there is more winter to come, whereas a cloudy wet stormy Candlemas day means that the worst of winter is over.

Weather Proverbs

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright

Winter will have another fight.

If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,

Winter won't come again.

If Candlemas Day be dry and fair,

The half o the winter's to come and mair;

If Candlemas Day be wet and foul,

The half o the winter's gane at Yule.

Farmer's Proverbs

'A farmer should, on Candlemas Day,

Have half his corn and half his hay.'

'On Candlemas Day if the thorns hang adrop,

You can be sure of a good pea crop.'

German Proverb

" The badger peeps out of his hole on Candlemas Day, and, if he finds snow, walks abroad; but if he sees the sun shining he draws back into his hole."

In America the same story is told about the groundhog or woodchuck.

Candlemas Superstitions

A candle which drips on one side when carried in church on Candlemas, denotes a death during the year of someone dear.

Snowdrops are considered to be unlucky if brought into the house before Candlemas Day, representing a parting or death.

Any Christmas decorations not taken down by Twelfth Night (January 5th) should be left up until Candlemas Day and then taken down.

A PRAYER FOR CANDLEMAS DAY

LORD Jesus Christ, You are the true Light enlightening every soul born into this world.

Today we celebrate the feast of Candlemas.

Before Holy Mass, the priest blesses the candles, whose wax is the humming summer's work of countless bees.

The flames of these candles will shed their light upon the altar at the Holy Sacrifice.

Help us to realize, this day and every day, that our own humdrum daily work, if it is done for love of You, and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, will be a supernatural work, and will shine brightly before You for all eternity.

Help us realize, too, each time we see the blessed candles at Holy Mass, or at the bedside of the sick, that they are a symbol of Yourself, the Light shining in the darkness of this world.

Help us to live in that Light, to make it our own, and to kindle it in the souls of others, increasing the area Of light and lessening the darkness in the World.

This, dear Lord, help us do, through the merits of Your own dear mother, Mary, who did everything for love of You, from the moment she brought You into this world till the day she joined You in the realms of light at her death.

Then we, too, working for You, shall be light-bearers who will help to spread Your kingdom on earth, and increase the number of those who dwell in heaven, the city of eternal light.

Amen