High Court orders Christian Brothers to reveal membership details needed for lawsuits

The Christian Brothers have been ordered by the High Court to disclose the names and addresses of dozens of former members to seven alleged abuse victims seeking to sue the congregation for damages.

The plaintiffs had to seek the orders due to a controversial legal strategy under which the religious community refuses to appoint a nominee to act as a defendant in such lawsuits.

Because the Christian Brothers is an unincorporated association, if it does not provide a nominee, it cannot be sued. 

The only way around this is to sue all members at the time the abuse is alleged to have occurred, under the doctrine of vicarious liability.

However, this is not straightforward as the congregation has also refused to divulge the names and addresses of members during the relevant periods without a court order.

The applicants, all represented by Dublin law firm Coleman Legal, sought orders requiring the release of the names and addresses of members of the congregation at specific times relevant to each case.

In one of the cases, relating to allegations of abuse at a Dublin primary school, details were sought of all members between September, 1986 and June, 1987.

The orders were granted by Mr Justice Michael Twomey after he heard the leader of the organisation’s European province, Brother David Gibson, refused to act as nominee.

An affidavit filed by solicitor Patrick Coleman also outlined correspondence in which Brother Gibson said he was not in a position to provide addresses for former brothers who had left the congregation as no forwarding addresses were retained.

Barrister Andrew Nugent, for the seven plaintiffs, said Brother Gibson was uniquely placed to provide information due to his position.

He said the plaintiffs had no other means of getting the details sought.

Barrister Isabelle Aylmer, representing Brother Gibson, said her client was neither consenting nor objecting.

She said the only reason for this was because “it is personal information we cannot release without a court order”.

Mr Justice Twomey said it was appropriate to make the orders sought, but refused to award the costs of the applications to the plaintiffs, instead reserving them until the cases are resolved.

The judge said Brother Gibson’s approach to the proceedings was “reasonable in that there is not an obligation upon him and his counsel is neither objecting nor consenting to the application”.

In a statement issued to The Herald earlier this year, Brother Gibson stood over the stance he had taken.

The controversial strategy was first adopted under Brother Gibson’s predecessor, Edmund Garvey, who retired as province leader in 2022.

It has been criticised by survivors and their lawyers as being obstructive and a mechanism to dissuade victims from seeking compensation.

Its use was highlighted in the case of Ken Grace, who received a public apology and a settlement in 2023 over abuse he suffered at the hands of Paul Hendrick, a former principal of Westland Row CBS in Dublin.

Mr Grace was forced to sue 120 brothers individually and his case took four-and-ahalf years and 25 court appearances before it was resolved.

Documentary exposing ‘haunting’ Church of England abuse scandal wins BAFTA

A Channel 4 documentary examining the abuse carried out by late Christian barrister and camp leader John Smyth has won a BAFTA.

See No Evil picked up the award for factual series at the British Academy Television Awards on Sunday evening. 

The two-part programme investigated decades of abuse committed by Smyth and the institutional failures that allowed it to continue unchecked.

Accepting the award, director Benedict Sanderson paid tribute to survivors and victims’ families featured in the film.

He said: “Thank you to the extraordinary victims, some who are here tonight, and survivors of John Smyth and to his family for their brave and brilliant testimony in the film and for trusting us to tell this strange, disturbing, haunting, but hugely important story.”

Researcher and author Andrew Graystone, who helped bring the story to wider public attention and appeared prominently in the documentary, joined the production team on stage.

Smyth, who died in 2018 and was never convicted, has been described as the Church of England’s “most prolific serial abuser”. 

He abused boys and young men connected to Christian camps in the 1970s and 80s before moving to Zimbabwe and later South Africa, where abuse allegations continued.

Ahead of the documentary’s release last year, Smyth’s daughter Fiona Rugg spoke publicly about growing up with her father and the impact of his abuse on survivors and family members.

In an interview with Premier’s Woman Alive magazine, she said she never allowed her father’s behaviour to destroy her Christian faith.

“I never confused my dad with God,” she said. “I looked at Jesus in the Gospels, his kindness, his mercy, the way he championed women, and it was nothing like the man I lived with.”

Rugg also praised the courage of survivors who took part in the documentary, saying she was “astounded” by their bravery in sharing their experiences publicly.

Rome & the SSPX: Both at Fault (Opinion)

The news as of late has simply been dominated by the spectre of the impending SSPX consecrations in July. 

I have hitherto avoided any discussion of the matter, as I don’t follow SSPX news nor do I have any history with the Society, for good or ill. 

I came to Tradition apart from them and have never found them to be an integral part of my own spiritual journey. 

And I certainly do not view them as an escape hatch in case things get bad enough, nor do I see them as standard-bearers of the Trad movement, so I don’t feel that invested in whatever happens in July. 

Nevertheless, I do realize this is important for many and several people have asked my opinion, so I thought it might be wise to get my thoughts out - although, I should warn you, this is far from systematic, which has compelled me to present my thoughts rather as a miscellany of theses rather than a single comprehensive “argument” (so as you read, keep in mind I am making no single argument, but rather throwing out discussion points). 

Here follows my thoughts, such as they are at this time:

*    *    *    *    *    * 

1. It is fully possible for both Rome and the SSPX to be at fault. Both sides could have acted or be acting in bad faith. 

That is, in fact, what I think. Both sides are culpable for where we are at today.

2. There is a difference between consecrating bishops without papal permission and consecrating bishops against an explicit papal directive. 

These things are not equivalent and it is frustrating that this point is generally ignored. 

3. I have never attended an SSPX chapel, nor were they formative in my life in any sense. 

That being said, I have known many persons from the Society; I have taught many children from Society families, and they are often the kindest, brightest children I have the privilege to teach. 

If anything makes me sympathize with the SSPX, it is my experience with these good people.

4. But what ultimately diminishes my sympathy for them is reading the actual public statements of the SSPX. 

In fact, I have never seen any public statement of the Society that actually increased my sympathy for them, and in my opinion, all of Pagliarini’s comments of late have been destructive and regrettable, unnecessarily combative, serving essentially to confirm many of the worst stereotypes repeated by the Society’s opponents.

5. Speaking of opponents: there are opponents of the Society who devote all their time to refuting, attacking, and opposing the SSPX, as if this is the singular most important issue facing the Church. 

Every post, every article, every comment is some dig at the Society. 

I am incredibly irritated by these people and their obsession with this subject. I find them the singularly most pretentious and annoying faction in this discussion.

6. A major problem is that Rome has insisted that the SSPX must “accept the Second Vatican Council” but for thirty years refused to elaborate on exactly what that means - what specific propositions must be accepted? 

Unless this is defined, reconciliation on the basis of “accepting” Vatican II is chimerical.

7. Those who say that this is unnecessary because it is already perfectly clear what “accepting Vatican II” means without need of any further clarification or discussion are either daft or arguing in bad faith.

8. On the other hand, when Cardinal Fernández finally proposed discussions to clarify “the minimum requirements necessary for full communion with the Catholic Church” back in February and Pagliarani rejected it without even hearing what Fernández wanted to discuss, this was in my opinion, a fumble on Pagliarani’s part. 

It also made it clear to me that the SSPX is not actually interested in reconciliation. 

Pagliarini said the dealbreaker was Fernández’s statement that the documents of Vatican II could not be amended. 

This demonstrates that, from the Society’s perspective, it’s Rome that needs to be “regularized,” not them. 

It is, of course true, that Rome is in a sorry state and has been for some time, but that notwithstanding, negotiating with Rome from the assumption that Rome must change first is incredible hubris.

9. The Society, too, has a fundamentally undefinable goal: when has Rome “converted” enough to justify reunion? 

Where is the goal post for what Rome must do to “come back to Tradition”?

10. On Facebook I hypothesized that Rome would not issue any new excommunications against the Society for the impending consecrations. 

In light of Fr. Pagliarani’s letter to Cardinal Fernández, I am not so sure anymore. 

Reading this letter, I could not help concluding that this man wants to sabotage the discussion.

11. If Rome does not take action, it is not because “the Society is too big” or any such nonsense. It will be because Leo decides some other response is better suited. 

The initiative on what will or will not be done in response to these consecrations will be entirely with Rome, because of Rome’s reasons, on Rome’s timetable. 

12. The SSPX does not have the leverage people think they do; in fact, they have none. That they are the biggest traditionalist group is irrelevant. 

When traditional movements, bishops, orders, etc. who enjoy regular canonical status are still run over roughshod, why would an irregular organization think it has any clout? 

The Society has zero leverage.

13. The actions or inaction of Rome with regard to the Chinese bishops, Fr. James Martin, and other “whatabout” cases are irrelevant. 

Rome is seldom consistent in its approach to anything, and its lethargy in Case A does not invalidate its attention to Case B. 

If anything, all this does is make Rome look partisan (which it is) but it has no ultimate relevance in what consequences follow nor the validity of those consequences.

14. Pope Leo recently stood shoulder to shoulder with representatives of schismatic churches, celebrated vespers together, and proclaimed “We are one! We already are!” 

Among these schismatics to whom the pope spoke were the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, who are non-Chalcedonian and don’t even accept the two natures of Christ. 

If such a generous and accommodating attitude can be shown to schismatics who literally reject one of the seven ancient councils, there is absolutely room for a very generous attitude towards the Society at every level of the Church - even if we granted the Society is in schism. 

Even if you disagree with the Society, why can we not adopt the attitude modeled by Leo in his meeting with other Christian schismatics, whose schisms are much bigger, older, and graver? 

Would you be willing to stand with the SSPX and say “We are one! We already are!” If you aren’t, then either you are off or Rome is.

15. Despite the opinions of anti-Society apologists, it is clear that Rome views communion on a spectrum. 

It considers full communion something that is progressively journeyed towards, not something either possesses or does not possess in a binary fashion; the phrase “full communion” really only makes sense if communion is being considered on a spectrum. 

Setting aside the question of whether this comports to traditional ecclesiology (it doesn’t), I find it incontestable that this is how Rome views the matter today, especially if you examine the totality of Rome’s statements with regards to other Christian sects, non-Christian religions, etc. 

Opponents of the Society who stubbornly insist on a binary view of this question (“You’re either in or you’re out and since you’re irregular you’re out”) are working from an ecclesiological paradigm that Rome itself is not applying.

16. The Society’s attitude that it will not seek regularization until Rome “renounces its errors” is utterly delusional. Even more delusional is the notion that Lefebvre will ever be canonized. 

17. One thing that is plainly clear from looking at the history is that schism does notnecessarily entail denial that an authority exists. 

The SSPX argument that they are not in schism because they have not denied the legitimate authority within the Church is a weak argument that creates a definition of schism so narrow that virtually no one other than Sedevacantists would fit it. 

It is not necessary that the SSPX (or any group) deny the existence of a legitimate authority to be in schism—it is enough to disobey that authority whilst maintaining a distinct and autonomous authority, even if one continues to admit the existence of the legitimate authority. 

The argument that the Society cannot be in schism because they claim to be in communion with the pope and remember him in their prayers is nonsense. 

Mind you, I am not saying they are in schism, only saying that their professions of loyalty to the pope do not prove that they aren’t. 

The argument that future consecrations will not be schismatic because of this intention is semantic and unconvincing, akin to a wife caught in adultery denying she’s an adulteress because she “didn’t mean” to cheat. 

18. Over the years I have wavered in my approach to the Society, sometimes leaning more towards them, sometimes away. 

But at no time ever have I found their state of necessity argument convincing in the least. 

To me, this argument has always been the weak link in SSPX’s claims.

19. As bad as the Catholic demographic freefall is, it does not constitute the kind of “state of necessity” as envisioned by canon law. 

The reader will have to forgive me as I cannot remember where I saw this, but some years ago I read a commentary on this phrase in canon law and it explained that the state of grave necessity envisioned was something like a situation where Holy Orders in a given territory was in danger of going extinct. 

For example, say there are three bishops in a mission territory and two of the three bishops are unexpectedly killed. This would constitute a state of grave necessity, as if that final bishop were killed it could mean the extinction of Holy Orders in that territory. 

Such a bishop would be justified in consecrating new bishops without papal approval and without the customary co-consecrators. 

But the point is this principle of grave necessity in canon law was never meant to be invoked for something like gradual demographic decline of practicing Catholics.

20. Even less could the “state of the necessity” be the need to provide for the continued existence of the SSPX. 

I am not aware of a single incident in the entire history of the Church where the propagation of a particular order or institution within the Church was licitly invoked as justification for such prolonged and grave violation of canonical norms. 

21. If, on the other hand, you really do think Holy Orders are literally in danger of extinction except for the SSPX, then it’s difficult to see in what sense you don’t believe that the Church has defected, which resolves into an argument that the SSPX represents the rump of the “true Church” and the Church in Rome led by Pope Leo is, quite literally, some kind of false Church, a position that I find completely untenable.

22. Too often schism is defined as simple disobedience. 

Defining schism as simple disobedience is not a sufficient definition. 

There are scores of cases in which a Catholic, lay or clergy, disobeys legitimate authority without committing a schismatic act. 

This is not to suggest that disobedience is inconsequential, but that the equation of disobedience with schism is far too simplistic and unhelpful.

23. The famous 1991 case of the “Hawaii Six” demonstrates that it is not inherently schismatic for lay persons to receive the sacraments from the SSPX. 

That being said, this case proves far less than the Society claims. 

The SSPX argues that the Hawaii Six case proved “beyond a doubt that the faithful who attend the chapels of the Society of St. Pius X, or receive the sacraments from its clergy (either bishops or priests) are neither schismatic nor excommunicated for doing so - thus proving the claims made by the SSPX for many years.” 

The actual decision, however, was made on circumstances relating to the very specific case of one particular woman, a Mrs. Patricia Morley. The judgment is a narrow one pertaining to the facts of her situation- facts which were not divulged in the ruling. 

The actual text of the ruling says, “This Congregation has examined carefully all the available documentation and has ascertained that the activities engaged in by the Petitioner, though blameworthy on various accounts, are not sufficient to constitute the crime of schism. 

Since Mrs. Morley did not, in fact, commit the crime of schism and thus did not incur the ‘latae sententiae’ penalty, it is clear that the Decree of the Bishop lacks the precondition on which is founded.” 

At most, this ruling says that one particular woman’s actions - based on factors left unstated - did not constitute the canonical crime of schism. I certainly understand extrapolating legal precedent from particular case law, but that usually depends upon the elaboration of legal principles germane to the case. 

In the Hawaii Six case, there is no elaboration; Cardinal Ratzinger simply says “available documentation” vindicates Mrs. Morley. 

We don’t know if this “available documentation” pertains to the status of the Society itself or to factors particular to Mrs. Morley. 

Based on this, I find it quite a stretch to try to extrapolate this case into a general canonical precedent with universal applicability. 

24. An excommunicated individual, even if he is morally certain his excommunication is invalid, is nevertheless bound to obey the legitimate authority and behave as one under excommunication while he strives to prove his innocence and seek the overturn of the sentence. 

An excommunication can never be ignored in the external forum; it must be observed, even if the subject of the censure believes or even knows himself to be innocent.

25. I often see people pretending that having no jurisdiction and being in schism are equivalent and that simply isn’t so. 

One can be in an irregular canonical status without being in schism. We all know of clerics who have no jurisdiction but are not considered schismatic. 

My own understanding is that this is the state of the Society, at least after Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications: they remain without jurisdiction (as Benedict had stated) but they are not in schism. Schismatics are simply not granted faculties. 

The 2017 letter of Cardinal Müller on this subject avoids the word schism, using instead “canonical irregularity.” But what the heck do I know?

26. No, I am not going to read John Salza. Who can get through all the content he has created on the subject? 

27. While it is enlightening to cite the words of Marcel Lefebvre in order to get insight into the founding ethos of the Society, Lefebvre’s words are not relevant to questions of the Society’s status today, just like one cannot make determinations about the state of contemporary Lutheranism by pulling up salacious quotes from Martin Luther. 

The Society’s canonical status in 2026 is completely unrelated to whatever personal opinions Lefebvre might have held.

28. The word schism is used far too recklessly, especially by opponents of the Society. 

They also tend to blur the difference between the sin of schism and the canonical state of schism, which are two different things, as one can be guilty of the former without incurring the latter.

29. I do not believe the Society actually wants reconciliation. 

I think that if Rome came to them tomorrow and said, “We will regularize you at once with no conditions whatsoever” that the Society would still refuse - and not only refuse, but refuse in such a way as to frame it as Rome’s fault. 

While I wholly agree that the concept of “schismatic mentality” is generally overblown, it is, nevertheless, a real phenomenon that can happen when a group gets so used to being on the outside that they no longer wish to be on the inside. 

It does seem to me that the SSPX exhibits this thinking. 

30. I have never believed that we “owe” the preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass to the SSPX. 

There were other groups and individual dedicated to preserving the old Mass besides the Society, even before 1988. 

31. Nor do I believe the future of the Traditional Latin Mass is with the Society, their numerical growth notwithstanding. 

All of the most important intellectual, scholarly, and ecclesial developments in Traditionalism have occurred outside the Society. 

Most Catholics discover Traditionalism through diocesan TLMs and “Ecclesia Dei” groups, using resources and content created by persons representing the same. 

Intellectually speaking, the SSPX is actually the most inert and stultified quadrant of Traditionalism. 

They may have been the standard-bearers of the movement at one time, but those days are long gone.

32. It should be remembered that SSPX faced ostracism well before their canonical status was ever in doubt. 

As early as 1974, only four years after the Society was established and when it was still on the straight and narrow as a pious union, the French episcopate had already collectively agreed to sideline the Society by refusing to incardinate any of their priests, effectively ghettoizing Lefebvre’s group. If the SSPX exists on the margins of the Church, a good argument can be made that they were driven there. 

I do believe those in authority continue to drive them to the peripheries - and not the good peripheries that Francis was always bloviating about.

33. In 1982, the traditionalist Sacerdotal Society of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney (SSJV) was founded in the Diocese of Campos, Brazil by Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer. Like the SSPX, the SSJV was considered out of union with Rome after Mayer participated in the 1988 consecrations. 

The SSJV was reconciled with Rome in 2002 after swearing an oath of fidelity to the pope, saying that they recognized “his Primacy and the government of the universal Church, her pastors and her faithful’, and likewise declaring: ‘For no reason do we wish to be separated from the Rock (Peter) on which Jesus Christ founded his Church.” 

This oath is remarkable: no mention of Vatican II or the new Mass at all! Why can’t we use something like this formula to regularize the SSPX? 

If John Paul II was comfortable sidestepping the entire question of Vatican II and the Novus Ordo for the SSJV, we can do the same for the SSPX.

34. Sometimes we Trads can act as though absolutely anything is justified in the name of Tradition. I cannot accept this premise. I cannot believe that anything is justified if it supports the Tradition. 

Pitting the Church against its own Tradition was probably the most successful strategy Satan ever unleashed upon the Church, as we cannot have one without the other, and forcing us to choose only ensures that everybody loses. 

The Tradition can only survive in the soil of the institutional Church within which it emerged; and the Church will remain a barren garden unless it clings to its Tradition. 

I refuse to accept the premise that an institutional break is necessary to remain faithful to Tradition, nor can I accept sleight-of-hand attempts to recontextualize a break as something other than what it is - but neither will I accept that the Church’s autodemolition of its own Tradition is anything other than an unfathomable catastrophe that must needs be rejected with all possible vigor. 

Do I know how to reconcile all these things? No. Do I need to know how to reconcile them? Also no. And that’s okay.

35. The popes have consistently demonstrated greater charity, openness, and consideration for the Society than anti-SSPX apologists. 

This includes Pope Francis. Anti-SSPX crusaders should model their behavior towards the Society on that of the popes.

36. By its delusional insistence that Rome must convert first for regularization, the SSPX has pushed reconciliationinto the realm of the eschatological; it is something that can only happen in a far-distant and hazy future, over the horizon of history. 

It is no longer a concrete reality to be attained through negotiation in the here and now, but an idealized fantasy that can only exist “somewhere-over-the-rainbow” in an illusory future where Rome has converted to the SSPX’s point of view. 

Essentially, the Society has begun treating reconciliation with Rome the way Rome treats reconciliation with the Protestants. 

37. The amount of chaos and confusion being sowed by Rome is mindboggling - confusion which Rome itself does little to remediate and does much to make worse. 

With Rome and our bishops responsible for so much of this situation, it is absolute gaslighting to turn on regular rank and file pewsitters who, in their own conscience, feel that attending a Society chapel is in their best interest. 

The princes of the Church upend our traditions, devastate the vineyard, sow confusion and chaos everywhere, govern with incompetence or outright malice - and when a tiny handful of faithful respond to this by going to get their sacraments from the Society, they get ruthlessly attacked like they are the problem? 

Whatever I may think about the Society and its arguments, I would never lay blame with the people who are just trying to find a refuge from decades of disorder.

38. If Rome is concerned about people going over to the Society, the best action it could possibly take would be to revoke Traditiones custodes and return to the settlement of Summorum pontificum.

39. While appeal to Tradition does not justify everything, we can’t act like this doesn’t matter. We cannot simply bracket the autodemolition of the Church and set it aside while we discuss these matters. 

I often see anti-SSPX people doing this, making appeals to authority and pretending like our situation is nothing new and we are operating by the same norms the Church always has. 

This is some shady compartmentalized thinking. We are in uncharted territory and we do no one any favors by pretending we’re not.

40. If Rome sees communion as existing on a spectrum, there is room for opinion on where along that spectrum the SSPX is situated. 

This is why I have said before and will say again that I don’t think Rome itself understands whether the SSPX is in schism.

Mazuelos calls for "not politicizing" immigration while the Church backs mass regularizations

The Bishop of the Canary Islands, José Mazuelos, has called for immigration to stop being used as a political weapon and has urged the recovery of “the spirit of the Transition” ahead of the upcoming visit of Leo XIV to Spain. 

However, his words come after the constant support from broad sectors of the Spanish Church toward the mass regularization promoted by Pedro Sánchez’s Government.

In an interview granted to The Objective, Mazuelos insisted that immigration “cannot be used to win votes” and described the political polarization around this issue as a “ticking time bomb.” 

The problem is that much of that polarization has not arisen solely from political parties, but also from an institutional Church that, on numerous occasions, has actively intervened in the public debate defending welcoming and regularization policies promoted by political power.

“Not politicizing” after years of ecclesial positioning

The Canary Islands bishop argued that the migratory phenomenon must be addressed from the common good and not from ideological interests. “Enough is enough,” he stated, criticizing the use of immigration to “win votes and fuel an ideology.”

However, it is now difficult to separate immigration and politics when much of the Spanish ecclesiastical hierarchy has been actively participating in the migration debate for years. 

The pressure from various Catholic organizations in favor of extraordinary regularizations, humanitarian corridors, and expansive welcoming policies has been constant.

Mazuelos himself acknowledged that the Church had been demanding the regularization of immigrants in Spain for more than a year and a half, precisely one of the most controversial measures recently promoted by the Executive.

A regularization that divides even within Catholicism

Although the bishop defended the need to integrate many immigrants who already work in Spain laborally, especially in elderly care, he also criticized the methods chosen by the Government to push through the regularization.

“It was more because of the elections in Aragón than the Pope’s visit, because it suited them,” he stated, suggesting that the Executive once again used immigration for partisan purposes.

But the debate goes beyond the methods. Ecclesial support for mass regularizations has generated growing criticism among many Catholics who believe that the Church has adopted the dominant ideological framework on immigration without sufficient nuances, ignoring issues of integration, security, pressure on public services, and the pull effect.

The risk of mass regularizations, institutional messages, and certain symbolic gestures ends up incentivizing new waves of irregular migration toward Spain, fueling the growing “romanticization” of migration routes, especially in places like the Canary Islands, sometimes presented from an emotional approach that sidelines the reality of mafias, exploitation, and deaths surrounding these journeys.

Mazuelos tried to distance himself from that accusation by assuring that the Church “is not in favor of irregular immigration,” but rather of immigration “as humane as possible.” 

Even so, the message clashes with the increasingly widespread perception that much of the ecclesial structures have acted as moral legitimators of polarizing migration policies.

Leo XIV and the risk of political instrumentalization

The upcoming visit of Leo XIV to the Canary Islands adds even more sensitivity to the debate. Mazuelos insisted that the trip should not be interpreted politically and assured that the Pope “is not coming to scold anyone.”

However, the very design of the trip makes it difficult to separate pastoral care and politics. The Canary Islands have become one of the symbols of the European migration crisis, and the fact that the Pontiff visits the archipelago will inevitably be read in a political key, both within and outside Spain.

The bishop also expressed his desire for Leo XIV to bring “the spirit of the Transition” to Congress and help reduce political tension. “There is a large majority of Spaniards who miss that spirit,” he stated.

The underlying issue will be whether that call for unity manages to stay on the sidelines of the ideological battle or ends up reinforcing discourses already very present within certain ecclesial and political sectors.

The migration crisis in the Canary Islands remains unresolved

Beyond the political debate, Mazuelos once again denounced the situation of unaccompanied migrant minors and criticized that many are left abandoned upon turning 18.

“When they turn 18, they are sent to the street,” he lamented, warning that many end up trapped in environments of prostitution, delinquency, or exploitation.

On this point, the bishop highlighted the work of Cáritas and the Canary Islands Church, which have been assuming welfare functions for years where public administrations do not reach.

The problem, however, remains structural. While the migratory flow continues to grow and political solutions remain blocked, the sense of improvisation increases both in the Canary Islands and in the rest of the country.

And in that context, the ecclesial discourse on immigration is increasingly perceived with greater skepticism, because it is no longer clearly distinguished between pastoral accompaniment and political positioning.

LGBT drift in Italy: more than twenty dioceses support 'inclusive' vigils

At least twelve Italian bishops will participate this year in vigils organized for the “overcoming of homotransphobia”, a series of events promoted by Christian LGBT groups and supported by numerous dioceses, parishes, and ecclesiastical organizations in Italy.

According to La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, in the months of May and June, dozens of vigils and celebrations are scheduled in Italy and other European countries. 

The list, updated by Progetto Gionata, currently includes 47 events, many of them held in churches, parishes, convents, or spaces directly linked to Catholic dioceses.

Twelve bishops involved in the vigils

The most relevant fact is the increase in the number of bishops who will preside over or participate in these vigils. 

If in 2025 there were five, this year the figure already rises to twelve, more than double.

Among them are the bishop of Parma, Enrico Solmi; the bishop of Cremona, Antonio Napolioni; the archbishop of Florence, Gherardo Gambelli; the bishop of Fano, Andrea Andreozzi; and the archbishop of Pesaro, Sandro Salvucci. Joining them this year are the bishops of Padua, Rimini, Modena, Savona, Verona, Bari, and Forlì.

Episcopal participation is not the only striking element. 

According to the count by Progetto Gionata, at least 23 dioceses would have some kind of involvement in the organization, support, or sponsorship of these initiatives. 

Among them are major dioceses such as Milan, Bologna, Bergamo, Como, Catania, Cosenza, Agrigento, and Albano Laziale.

A phenomenon that already extends beyond the local sphere

Progetto Gionata presents these vigils as a path begun in 2007 in Florence, when Christian LGBT groups began to gather to pray against violence and discrimination. 

Almost twenty years later, these celebrations have spread outside Italy, with events also in Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Malta, Poland, Switzerland, and Ireland.

The motto chosen for 2026 is a quote from Isaiah: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name”. For the organizers, this verse expresses recognition, dignity, and identity.

The doctrinal critique: welcome does not mean approval

The Catechism is clear in calling for respect, compassion, and sensitivity toward these people. 

The problem arises when that pastoral welcome becomes a way to dilute or silence Catholic teaching on chastity, sin, and conversion.

Many of these vigils do not seem oriented toward accompanying people toward Christian life, but rather toward normalizing within the Church categories, language, symbols, and demands proper to the LGBT agenda.

The Italian media outlet also recalls the 1986 letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, signed by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in which it already warned about attempts to normalize homosexuality within the Church through pressure groups and ambiguous pastoral programs. 

The document stated that “no authentic pastoral program can include organizations in which homosexual persons associate with each other, without it being clearly established that homosexual activity is immoral”, and added that “only what is true can ultimately also be pastoral”.

Ratzinger also warned against initiatives that, under the appearance of welcome or accompaniment, ended up diluting Catholic teaching: “Any departure from the teaching of the Church, or silence about it, under the pretext of offering pastoral care, does not constitute a form of genuine attention or valid pastoral care”. 

For the then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, true pastoral charity did not consist in confirming people in an objectively disordered situation, but in accompanying them toward conversion and Christian life.

The Italian synodal drift

The increase in these encounters is also due to the synthesis document of the Italian Synodal Journey, published in October 2025, in which the Italian Episcopal Conference opened the door to supporting with prayer and reflection certain days promoted by civil society against violence and various forms of discrimination, including so-called homophobia and transphobia.

That formulation has been used by some dioceses as backing for LGBT pastoral initiatives. In Como, for example, there is even an “Equipe LGBTQ+” linked to the diocese and to family pastoral care.

The result is a landscape in which the boundary between pastoral accompaniment and assimilation of ideological discourse becomes increasingly blurred. 

What was previously presented as a marginal sensitivity gains institutional presence, liturgical spaces, and episcopal support.

The rise of these vigils also coincides with the support that various Catholic LGBT groups are showing toward the current synodal process. 

Progetto Gionata recently disseminated the statement from the Catholic LGBT+ Pastoral Council of Westminster, in which it celebrated that the contributions of European LGBT networks “have left their mark” in the final report of Study Group No. 9 of the Synod on Synodality.

A pastoral increasingly conditioned by the LGBT agenda

The presence of groups like La Tenda di Gionata, Progetto Gionata, Kairos, and other “Christian LGBT” associations shows to what extent these networks have managed to insert themselves into diocesan structures, parishes, movements, and ecclesiastical spaces.

The collaboration of well-known Catholic realities is also noteworthy, such as Catholic Action, Scouts Agesci, the Focolar Movement, and various family pastoral organizations. 

Therefore, these are not isolated acts organized outside the ecclesiastical sphere, but a growing network of initiatives with internal support.

Christian charity does not consist in confirming each one in their situation, but in leading them to the truth of Christ. 

And in this area, the Church seems increasingly willing to speak the language of the world rather than that of the Gospel.

Accusations of clandestine sexual encounters implicate priests from northern Portugal

The Judicial Police of Oporto is investigating a complaint that points to the possible holding of sexual encounters between men in parish houses and other spaces in northern Portugal, with the alleged participation of priests from the dioceses of Oporto and Braga.

The information was published by the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã, which claims to have had access to the complaint filed with the judicial authorities and to testimonies from one of the participants in these encounters.

According to the complainant, the meetings were organized through gay contact apps like Grindr and subsequently coordinated via WhatsApp groups, where passwords and locations were shared to access the parties.

The complaint mentions priests and parish houses

According to the account published by the Portuguese media outlet, some of these encounters would have taken place in parish houses, as well as motels and other private spaces.

The complainant assured that the meetings involved men from very diverse profiles, including several priests. He also stated that alcoholic beverages, drugs, and stimulants were consumed during the parties.

The complaint would include names, phone numbers, and other data of several priests belonging mainly to the diocese of Oporto.

According to Correio da Manhã, the informant has also expressed his willingness to hand over messages, photographs, and videos to the Judicial Police if formally requested by the authorities.

The priests deny the accusations

The Portuguese newspaper claims to have contacted several of the priests mentioned in the complaint, including one of the alleged organizers of the encounters. 

All denied having participated in this type of activities.

One of them, according to the newspaper, even warned about possible legal actions to prevent the disclosure of his identity.

To date, no verified evidence has been publicly presented, nor are any specific judicial actions known against any of the priests implicated.

The diocese of Oporto assures that it had not received complaints

The diocese of Oporto stated that it had no prior knowledge of the reported events and assured that it had not received any formal complaint related to the case.

In a statement issued during the day, the diocese noted that it was informed of the situation through the media and announced that it will collaborate to clarify the facts and apply the norms of canon law” in case improper conduct is confirmed.

A new focus of tension for the Portuguese Church

The case has caused a strong media impact in Portugal due to the seriousness of the accusations and the possible misuse of ecclesiastical spaces for activities incompatible with priestly life.

For the moment, the complaints are in a preliminary phase, and no opening of canonical processes or formal judicial charges against the mentioned priests is recorded.

Departure of the vicar general of Salamanca faces opposing versions about the climate in the curia

The resignation of Tomás Durán as vicar general of the Diocese of Salamanca has sparked conflicting versions between reports in ecclesiastical media and the official response from Bishop José Luis Retana. 

While some sources pointed to an atmosphere of tension and weariness within the Salamanca curia, the prelate has publicly come out to deny the existence of a breakdown in trust or internal division.

Durán’s resignation, already accepted by the bishop, was first reported by Religión Confidencial, which cited diocesan sources according to which, in recent months, growing unease had arisen within the curia and among part of the Salamanca clergy.

According to the disseminated information, two regulations promoted during Tomás Durán’s tenure as vicar general had generated internal backlash. 

One of them affected the economic organization of the diocese and was interpreted by some priests as a concentration of powers around the Vicar General’s Office. 

Another text related to the internal functioning of the curia had also provoked criticism for being considered excessively interventionist.

Retana denies “an atmosphere of division”

Following the dissemination of these versions, the Diocese of Salamanca published a statement signed by Bishop José Luis Retana in which he categorically rejects the existence of internal deterioration.

The prelate states that the reports about an alleged “atmosphere of distrust and division” respond solely to “the personal opinion of some person” and assures that “at no time has trust or the relationship with the bishop been weakened.”

Retana also sought to dispel “any kind of doubt or rumor” about his relationship with Tomás Durán, insisting that the priest “has had and continues to have the trust and affection of the bishop.”

In the statement, the bishop expressly thanks the work carried out by his main collaborator over the past years and emphasizes that his efforts “have been a valuable help to the bishop and a benefit for the entire diocese.”

Recognition of Tomás Durán’s pastoral trajectory

The diocesan statement also highlights Tomás Durán’s pastoral trajectory and his closeness to priests, religious, and laity in the diocese.

Retana particularly praises “his capacity for listening and dialogue with priests and with the various teams in the diocesan delegations,” as well as the time dedicated to visiting parishes, religious communities, and institutions.

Tomás Durán was born in El Bodón (Salamanca) in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1983. Over more than four decades of ministry, he has held various pastoral and training responsibilities within the Salamanca diocese.

From 2004 to 2018, he served as vicar for pastoral affairs during the episcopate of Carlos López, a period in which he promoted initiatives such as the Diocesan Assembly held between 2014 and 2016 or the Pastoral Weeks.

Since April 2023, he had held the position of vicar general of Salamanca, combining that responsibility with pastoral care for several parishes and the coordination of the Catechumenate for Unbaptized Adults.

A departure that leaves questions in the diocese

Although the bishop has sought to publicly close any speculation about internal conflicts, the departure of the vicar general has generated attention within the diocese due to the weight that Tomás Durán had in the Salamanca governance structure.

For the moment, the diocese has not announced who will assume the Vicar General’s Office following Durán’s departure.

Santiago Martín: «If there are no sanctions in Germany, it will be clear that the Church is governed by the god of money»

The open challenge from the German episcopate to the Vatican has entered, according to Father Santiago Martín, a decisive phase that directly compromises the authority of Pope Leo XIV and the credibility of the Church’s government.

In an analysis broadcast on Magnificat TV, the founder of the Franciscans of Mary argues that the German bishops’ refusal to withdraw the benedictional for homosexual couples, divorced and remarried individuals, and cohabiting couples constitutes an unprecedented recent public disobedience and that, if it does not end in sanctions, it will demonstrate that «those who rule the Church are not the Pope, but the god of money.»

The immediate origin of the conflict dates back to November 2024, when the German episcopate sent a draft benedictional inspired by the declaration Fiducia supplicans to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

According to Santiago Martín’s account, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández responded just a few days later rejecting the text and demanding modifications. 

However, the letters remained secret and, months later, in April 2025, with Pope Francis recently deceased and the Holy See vacant, the German bishops published the benedictional anyway without addressing the Roman objections.

The priest considers it particularly grave that the publication occurred «with the Pope still present in body,» interpreting it as a deliberate gesture of defiance taking advantage of the power vacuum in Rome. 

From there, numerous German dioceses began to apply the liturgical blessings to couples in irregular situations, while the Vatican maintained silence.

The situation escalated definitively when Cardinal Reinhard Marx ordered on April 20 that priests in Munich apply the benedictional throughout the archdiocese. 

Just three days later, Pope Leo XIV responded publicly during the return flight from Africa, stating that the Holy See «does not agree with the formalized blessing of homosexual couples or those in irregular situations.»

For Santiago Martín, Cardinal Marx’s subsequent gesture further aggravated the crisis. The Archbishop of Munich described critics of the German synodal path as «reactionaries» and claimed that those attacks came from the United States. 

Many interpreted those words as an indirect allusion to the Pontiff himself, who is American and had just spoken out against the benedictional.

The tension increased when the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith finally published, on May 3, the letter sent in 2024 rejecting the German benedictional. 

This publicly confirmed that Rome had been tolerating an open disobedience for nearly two years without adopting disciplinary measures. 

Father Santiago Martín considers this fact to have exposed «the passivity of the Vatican in enforcing the law it promulgates itself.»

In his analysis, he contrasts the treatment given to the German bishops with that received by prelates considered conservatives, such as Joseph Strickland or Daniel Fernández Torres, who were removed from their positions without comparable doctrinal accusations. 

In his view, the difference can only be understood by the enormous economic weight of the German Church within Vatican finances.

The Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, recently hinted at the possibility of canonical sanctions, although he expressed his desire to avoid disciplinary measures. For Santiago Martín, that mere mention demonstrates that Rome has reached «the limit.» 

However, he warns that time is running against the Pope: if Germany does not rectify soon and the Vatican does not act, the pontifical authority will suffer irreversible damage.

The priest concludes with a particularly harsh statement: «It would be more honest to remove the crucifixes and put up a golden calf.» 

According to him, if the German disobedience ends without consequences, it will demonstrate that the true power in the Church does not reside in Rome or in Catholic doctrine, but in the economic capacity of the German Church.

Cobo promoted León XIV's next speech in the Spanish Cortes

The announced speech of Leo XIV before the General Courts has been a coordinated initiative in conversations between Cardinal José Cobo and the Pontiff, and subsequently confirmed with the support of two major parliamentary groups, according to what Religión Confidencia has revealed, which allowed Congress and Senate to officially issue the invitation.

The Pope’s intervention will take place on June 8 at 10:30 in the Congress of Deputies and will make Leo XIV the first Pontiff to formally address the Spanish Cortes. 

Neither Saint John Paul II nor Benedict XVI delivered speeches in the Lower House during their visits to Spain.

Cobo the intermediary before the Cortes

Sources from the organizing team explained to the aforementioned medium that, after the initial contacts between Cobo and the Pope, they worked discreetly to ensure the necessary political consensus. 

Finally, the boards of Congress and the Senate approved the proposal unanimously, after the support of the main parliamentary groups.

The dimension of the event has also been highlighted by the Spanish Episcopal Conference. During the official presentation of the apostolic trip, the president of the Episcopal Conference, Mons. Luis Argüello, stated that Leo XIV’s intervention could “contribute to the regeneration of political life”.

Argüello also highlighted the institutional significance of the Bishop of Rome intervening in the place where Spanish laws are made. 

In his opinion, the Pope’s relevance transcends the strictly ecclesial sphere because he is a figure with internationally recognized moral and spiritual authority.

A moment of social tension and political polarization in Spain

The future intervention of Leo XIV arrives in a context of strong political polarization and growing secularization of Spanish society, factors that increase the expectation about the content of the speech and the reactions it may provoke inside and outside Parliament.

The preparation of the event was carried out with special discretion. 

According to Religión Confidencial, members of the Madrid curia involved in the organization pointed out that the Holy See paid a lot of attention to the political and symbolic context of the trip. 

They also indicated that both Congress and Senate showed full willingness from the beginning to receive the Pontiff.

“Synodal pastors” attack the sheep

The Catholic Church is accustomed to attacks against its teaching. The history of heresies over the centuries reveals the endless efforts of those who seek to replace Catholic doctrine with various errors. 

What the Church has only recently become accustomed to is that these attacks come from some of its own pastors, especially from the constant statements emanating from the office of the Synod of Bishops.

The latest imposition from the Synod is the recent full endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle contained in the Final Report of Study Group Number 9, titled “Theological Criteria and Synodal Methodologies for the Shared Discernment of Emerging Doctrinal, Pastoral, and Ethical Issues”.

This report attempts to discredit the Catholic teaching on the intrinsic immorality of homosexual acts - and on the disordered character of the homosexual inclination - by labeling it as an expression of an “obsolete” “paradigm” that can no longer be considered valid for communicating God’s will to his people.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “paradigm” as “a philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations, as well as the experiments performed to test them, are formulated”. 

Describing Catholic teaching using the analogy of a framework upon which theories and experiments are organized implies degrading it from the realm of truth to that of a mere possibility among other ways of presenting divine revelation. Jesus Christ said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jn 14:6). Is that a paradigm that needs to be improved?

The report includes two appendices in the form of testimonial interviews. In them appear two Catholic men - one Portuguese and one American - who proudly describe themselves as married to another man, even though the Catholic Church teaches that such a thing is impossible. 

Why would the Synod of Bishops publish interviews with men who reject the Catholic teaching on the nature of marriage, inspired by the Holy Spirit, as part of its attempt to discern the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church of today?

Report Number 9 gives us the answer: the Synod considers the so-called “homosexual marriage” as an open question:

Finally, in listening to the Word of God lived in the Church, it is necessary to address with parrhesia the currently recurring question of whether one can speak of “marriage” in relation to persons with same-sex attraction, equating their relationship to heterosexual conjugal union without recognizing the differences. 

Among these differences is, primarily, the evident impossibility of procreation per se linked to sexual difference, with respect to which assisted reproduction techniques pose additional difficulties.

Worse still, Report Number 9 considers all of Catholic teaching as susceptible to change:

The Church’s mission does not consist in proclaiming abstractly and applying deductively immutable and rigid established principles, but in fostering a living encounter with the person of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, engaging with the lived experience of faith of the People of God in its personal and social relevance, in relation to the various life situations and multiple cultural contexts. 

Only the fruitful tension between what is established in the Church’s doctrine and its pastoral practice and the life practices in which what is established is verified, in the exercise of personal and communal life in the light of the Gospel, expresses the generative dynamism of Tradition: in the face of the temptation of sterile and regressive ossification of principles and statements, of norms and rules, independently of the experience of individuals and communities.

Can the “lived experience of faith of the People of God” prevail over the doctrine of the faith? Welcome to the ecclesiastical embrace of “liquid modernity,” where metaphysical realism is abandoned and the dictatorship of relativism and subjectivism subjects everything to constant redefinition.

What is at stake, as is clearly understood, is the overcoming of the theoretical model that derives praxis from a “prefabricated” doctrine, “applying” general and abstract principles to the concrete and personal situations of life. 

The task, therefore, consists in rediscovering a fruitful circularity between theory and praxis, between thought and experience, recognizing that theological reflection itself proceeds from experiences of “good” inscribed in the sensus fidei fidelium.

The Synod has become the officially sponsored agent of the Holy See for the destruction of Catholic doctrine, presented and despised as a set of deductively formulated immutable and rigid principles: sterile, regressive, and ossified assertions; “prefabricated” doctrines that would be mere abstractions and theories.

Instead, we are told that we must listen to the “concrete and personal life situations,” because “theological reflection itself proceeds from experiences of ‘good’ inscribed in the sensus fidei fidelium”.

The testimony of the American homosexual Catholic - Jason Steidl, author of LGBTQ Catholic Ministry, Past and Present, whose photograph appeared on the cover of The New York Times alongside his “husband,” being blessed by Father James Martin, S.J., the day after the publication of Fiducia supplicans - offers a clear idea of where the Synod thinks theological reflection based on personal experience should be directed:

My sexuality is not a perversion, disorder, or cross; it is a gift from God. I have a happy and healthy marriage and flourish as an openly gay Catholic. It has taken years of prayer, therapy, and affirming community to get here, but I thank God for my sexuality and my state of life… Being an LGBTQ Catholic is not easy, and many days I suffer from the harm the Church has caused. But I also have hope. I have witnessed a conversion during Pope Francis’s pontificate at the local and universal level of the Church, and I hope to help build the body of Christ that reflects Jesus’s ministry of healing and inclusion.

The Synod’s office has decided to publish the statement of a homosexual lifestyle activist claiming that “I know many priests who have been attacked for supporting LGBTQ people… they receive arrows of hatred from homophobia.” 

Is this statement an example of the “sense of the faith of the faithful”? Or a repudiation of Christ’s faith in favor of immorality?

This destructive subversion sponsored by the Vatican must end now. Souls are being put in danger by the scandalous false teachings propagated by the Synod. 

Pope Leo must strengthen the brothers in the faith by putting an end to this poisonous betrayal of God’s truth.

Metropolitan Shio elected 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia

Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku has been elected the 142nd head of the Georgian Orthodox Church at a meeting of clergy in Tbilisi following the death of longtime Patriarch Ilia II.

Shio, who will be known as Shio III, was selected as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia by members of the Church’s Council following a vote by bishops at the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

His election marks a new chapter for the Georgian Orthodox Church after the death of longtime Patriarch Ilia II, who led the institution for 49 years before his death in March.

"I accept my distinction as Catholicos-Patriarch with obedience, God's grace, and hope," Shio III said after the result was announced. 

He secured the most votes from bishops ahead of his rivals for the role, Metropolitan Iobi, 65, and Metropolitan Grigol, 69. Shio received 22 votes, while Metropolitan Iobi and Metropolitan Grigol took nine each. One vote was spoiled.

He will be ceremonially enthroned on 12 May at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia, northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi. 

The day's events 

Clergy, delegates and representatives from dioceses across the country were among the nearly 1,200 people in attendance at the event. Proceedings opened with a memorial service for the late Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II.

Shio, who had also been serving as acting head of the Church, opened the expanded council convened to elect a new Patriarch with a welcoming address in which he emphasised the significance of the vote.

“Against the backdrop of the storms of modern life, great historical experience, and the contributions of divinely distinguished individuals, our choice is especially responsible before God and the nation,” he said.

“This duty gives us strength and hope that, with the Lord’s help, the Georgian Orthodox Church, which has always been a unifier of the nation, a defender of the true faith, the Georgian language, traditions and historical memory, will continue to walk this path,” Metropolitan Shio added.

Following his remarks, the session was closed to the public and clergy heard from the three Patriarchal candidates: Metropolitan Shio, Metropolitan Iobi and Metropolitan Grigol.

The opening of the Church Council meeting, the voting process and the official announcement of the results were held in public. During the counting of votes, the session was closed to the public.

Members of the public gathered in the courtyard outside the church during the proceedings. Georgia’s Internal Affairs Ministry announced temporary traffic restrictions around the cathedral area in Tbilisi from 09:00 to 18:00 local time (06:00 to 15:00 GMT).

Death of Ilia II

The death of 93-year-old Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II in March triggered the search for a new head of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Ilia II became head of the Georgian Church in 1977 during the Soviet era, when the institution still faced repression.

He was the longest-serving Patriarch in the history of the Georgian Orthodox Church and increased the Church’s influence over public life in the country during his 49-year tenure.

Mourners and clerics attend the funeral service for the late Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, in Tbilisi, Georgia, 22 March, 2026.

Around 89% of Georgia’s 3.8 million inhabitants identify as Orthodox Christians. Ilia II was staunchly conservative, opposed abortion and compared LGBT people to drug addicts. In 2008, he was named Georgia’s most trusted man in a poll.

Life and background  

The youngest of the three candidates, 57-year-old Metropolitan Shio has served as acting head of the Church since the death of Ilia II.

He studied theology in Moscow before becoming a monk in 1993 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1996.

Metropolitan Shio was made a bishop in 2003 and spent time in Australia and New Zealand overseeing Georgian Orthodox parishes in the two countries.

Considered a favourite of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, he is seen as a radical conservative, a supporter of closer ties with the Russian Orthodox Church and more vocally anti-Western than his predecessor.

Ilia II named Shio as his designated incumbent back in 2017, effectively his chosen successor. For nine years, Shio served as Ilia's right hand, running the Church as the Patriarch's health declined.

It was Shio who announced Ilia's death outside the Caucasus Medical Centre in Tbilisi on 17 March. 

Bikers at cathedral for bishop's safety blessing

Motorcyclists gathered at a cathedral on Sunday to be blessed by the Bishop of Exeter ahead of the summer motorcycling season.

The Blessing of the Bikes event was organised by keen biker and vicar Matthew Cashmore and was a a first for Exeter Cathedral.

Dozens of people parked their motorcycles outside the 15th Century building to receive a holy water blessing on their bikes from the Right Reverend Dr Mike Harrison.

Cashmore said the event was about building community between bikers and Christians who both had the common ability to "welcome anybody".

Cashmore, the vicar in Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot, said bikers and Christians "very much fit together".

"Bikers pray more than Christians I think, especially when we go round corners and there's a wet patch in the middle of the road, he said.

"We both have an ability to welcome anybody.

"Anybody who is on two wheels is immediately welcomed into any gang of bikers and that's exactly what we model as Christians.

"My hope is people come to Exeter Cathedral with their bikes, perhaps with questions, perhaps on the edge of faith and see what what it means to be blessed by God."

Former chorister Abraham Saxon, who took his Triumph motorcycle to the event, said it was about "celebrating faith" and the "brotherhood which motorcycling brings".

After the ceremony Cashmore said it was "amazing" to hear the bikes revving as they were leaving.

"(It was) a joyful noise, but not necessarily the noise you would expect from the cathedral," he said.

"I was astonished how many people came into the cathedral. It was beautiful to have the normal congregation mingling with the bikers and inviting them in."

Church of England theologian says “time for disestablishment has now arrived”

An academic and former Church of England priest has called for separation of Church and state in a new paper.

Prof. Martyn Percy has said "England's time for disestablishment has now arrived" in a paper published in the Journal of Anglican Studies.

Calling establishment "an outdated artefact from medieval governance", Prof. Percy says a bill to end the Church of England's established status is "long overdue" and "would command widespread support from within the CofE, across England, and throughout the UK".

He says: "While the UK can claim to have religious freedom, it regrettably lacks religious equality due to the CofE's continued privileges compared to other religious organisations".

The UK state is constitutionally Christian. The Church of England is the established religion and the head of state, the monarch, is "Supreme Governor" of the Church. Additionally, 26 Church of England bishops are given seats as of right in the House of Lords ('lords spiritual').

The National Secular Society, which has campaigned for disestablishment since its founding in 1866, welcomed the paper. In 2023 the NSS backed a bill to disestablish the Church.

Percy was the former Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, but stepped down from his post and left the Church of England after a four-year acrimonious dispute that resulted in the college paying out a substantial sum in compensation and reimbursing his legal costs.

Prof. Percy spoke in favour of disestablishment at two NSS events in February and May 2023.

Established church "remains rooted in hierarchies and autocracy"

In the paper, Prof. Percy says there are "serious concerns" regarding the Church's internal culture and a "lack of alignment between ecclesial and public values".

He says: "The paradox for members of the CofE is that, while the English population is primarily pro-equality and democratic, the established church remains rooted in hierarchies and autocracy".

He points out the CofE is "unaligned" with standards of public life on its attitudes to LGBT people and female priests, in addition to its resistance to scrutiny on safeguarding. He says safeguarding in the CofE is "totally unworthy of trust or professional esteem".

The paper calls for reform of the House of Lords to remove the CofE's privileges, saying: "It need hardly be stressed that to privilege one English denomination with 26 automatic seats in the HoL makes little sense in the context of a Parliament that is there for the whole of the UK".

Prof. Percy said bishops "cannot meaningfully claim to represent their wider population of their designated dioceses" and "demonstrably do not have the kinds of expertise or experience that most other members of the HoL bring to debates".

He adds that the bishops can be chosen "through a closed ecclesiastical committee process that primarily gratifies internal church politics".

As the paper points out, Iran is the only other sovereign state where religious leaders have automatic seats in the legislature.

The paper says other home nations "function perfectly well" without an established Church. It says the bill to disestablish the Church of England in Wales, enacted in 1920, "can be extended" to England.

Prof. Percy highlights how disestablishment would grant the Church the same independence as other religious institutions. He says: "Parliament would cease to have any role in regulating the CofE or its General Synod, and CofE ecclesiastical law would operate at the same level it does for other Anglican churches in the UK".

NSS: "when Church and state are shackled together, neither are free."

NSS head of campaign Megan Manson said: "Prof. Percy's paper makes it clear that when Church and state are shackled together, neither are free.

"As the paper suggests, disestablishment elsewhere in the UK has worked well, and extending this to England make sense both in principle and in practice.

"An established Church has no place in a pluralist democracy which values equality, fairness and freedom of religion or belief. As Prof. Percy says, disestablishment is long overdue."

Near West Side priest removed over alleged inappropriate conduct with women, minors

The Archdiocese of Chicago has removed a priest ministering on the Near West Side after he was accused of "improper and inappropriate" conduct with women and children.

The archdiocese sent a letter to parishioners at Saint Francis of Assisi on Saturday, informing them of the removal of Rev. Jose Molina, who had been working at the parish since last August.

Cardinal Blase Cupich says the archdiocese is assisting with the investigation and offering support services to the alleged victims.

"I want to stress that the welfare of our parishioners, and especially the children entrusted to our care, is our paramount concern. The Archdiocese of Chicago takes all allegations of misconduct seriously," he said.

Madrid priest sentenced to eleven years in prison for sexual assault

The provincial court of Madrid has sentenced a priest (Wooby O. JO) to eleven years in prison for a continuous crime of sexual assault.

According to the ruling, on several occasions in 2022, the priest took advantage of a woman's situation of economic and social vulnerability in the Madrid district of Puente de Vallecas.

The ruling establishes that the defendant, parish priest of the church of San Pedro Regalado and San José de Calasanz since 2018, took advantage of his position in the parish to recruit immigrant women in need of financial assistance and accommodation.

According to the court ruling, the main victim, a Colombian woman who arrived in Spain in February 2022, went to the parish seeking help after becoming homeless. 

The priest offered her accommodation in a house next to his own and subsequently began making sexual advances towards her.

The court found it proven that Wooby O. JO had entered the home on several occasions, using his own keys, and sexually assaulted her, even threatening to shoot her if she told anyone what had happened.

According to the court, he took advantage of the woman's extreme vulnerability and her dependence on aid provided by a religious organisation.

The victim was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

However, the court acquitted the priest of other charges brought by three more women, ruling that the reported incidents (comments, insinuation or inappropriate behaviour) did not constitute a crime.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a 12-year restraining order banning the priest from approaching or communicating with the victim, ten years of supervised release after serving his sentence and an 18-year ban on working with minors.

He must also pay the complainant 40,000 euros in compensation for moral damages.

Archbishop of Wales encourages 'thoughtful dialogue' amid historic Senedd shift

The Archbishop of Wales has offered congratulations to new members of the Senedd, after a historic election saw Labour lose its long-held majority.

First Minister Eluned Morgan, a committed Christian, lost her seat. Ken Skates, former Welsh Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, has stepped up to act as interim leader of Welsh Labour.

Plaid Cymru are now the leading party, despite falling six seats short of an outright majority. 

With 43 out of 96 seats in the Senedd, leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has confirmed that they will form a minority government, meaning they will lead alone without entering a formal coalition.

The Archbishop of Wales, Most Revd Cherry Van, said: “To be entrusted with public office is both a great privilege and a profound responsibility.

“At a time when political debate can so often become divided and difficult, I pray that all Members of the Senedd will be guided by wisdom, integrity and a commitment to the common good.”

Archbishop Cherry encouraged “thoughtful and generous” dialogue between parties, adding that “democracy is strengthened when disagreement is marked by respect.”

“The Church in Wales assures all Members, whether re-elected or elected for the first time, of our prayers and support as they undertake the important work ahead,” she concluded.

Priest working in Little Italy parish accused of 'inappropriate' behavior toward children, women

A priest working in a Little Italy parish was accused of “improper and inappropriate” behavior toward children and women, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Rev. Jose Molina, who was working as a temporary minister at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, allegedly engaged in “improper and inappropriate conversations and communications with minors and adult women,” according to a letter Cardinal Blase Cupich sent Saturday to the St. Francis of Assisi Parish community.

Molina started working at the Chicago parish in August 2025. Cupich has stripped him of his abilities to minister in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Molina, a priest with the Institute of the Incarnate Word religious order, will return to that order, Cupich said. The archdiocese will cooperate with the order’s investigation, the letter reads.

The archdiocese has reported the allegations to civil authorities and the victims were offered support services, Cupich said.

Molina and Institute of the Incarnate Word could not immediately be reached for comment.

American and Polish clerics join Corkman in triple ordination at St Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh

Three newly ordained Catholic priests, including an American and a Polish cleric, are preparing to take up service in the Archdiocese of Armagh.

The trio were ordained in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, on Saturday, being welcomed to the priesthood by Archbishop and Primate of all-Ireland, Eamon Martin.

Fr Paul O’Reilly, from Cork, was ordained as a deacon in 2018, while Fr Gabriel Neal, from California, and Fr Jacek Tuszkiewicz, from Poland, were ordained as transitional deacons last year.

Speaking ahead of the ordination, Archbishop Eamon Martin said: “We here in the Archdiocese of Armagh feel a deep sense of joy and thanks as we prepare for the ordination of these three men to the priesthood.

“I give thanks for their generous ‘yes’ to God’s call, and my hope is that they will have many years of fulfilment in serving God’s people here in the Archdiocese of Armagh.”

He said Saturday’s celebration “will bring to twelve the number of priestly ordinations for the Archdiocese of Armagh in recent years”.

“At a time when the Church in Ireland continues to face many pastoral challenges, these ordinations are a moment of encouragement and hope for the Archdiocese,” the Archbishop said.

“Deacon Gabriel Neal comes from the United States, Deacon Jacek Tuszkiewicz from Poland, and Deacon Paul O’Reilly from Cork.

“Their ordination reflects the increasingly international character of priesthood in the Archdiocese of Armagh, where priests from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and pastoral experiences now serve local parish communities.

“Their presence is also a reminder of the universal nature of the Catholic Church and of the generosity of those who offer their lives in priestly service, often far from home and family.

“The Archdiocese also acknowledges the importance of its sustained investment in priestly formation, including through Redemptorist Mater Seminary and formation community in Dundalk, where those discerning priesthood have been accompanied through prayer, study, pastoral experience and human formation.

“I humbly ask the faithful of the Archdiocese to keep Gabriel, Jacek and Paul in prayer as they prepare for ordination, along with their families, friends, formators, parish communities and all who have supported them in their vocation. May God bless their ministry.”

Campaigners submit evidence of ‘genocide’ in Nigeria as churches suffer latest attacks

A campaign group submitted “unequivocal evidence” to the United Nations that violence in Nigeria constitutes a genocide against Christians. 

The International Coalition Against Christian Genocide in Nigeria (ICAC-GEN) said its documents refutes the Nigerian government’s account of the violence as the product of clashes between farmers and herders or internal political rivalry.

The submission alleges that Islamist groups – including Boko Haram, ISWAP and sponsored bandits – operate with state-protected impunity to massacre Christians, destroy places of worship and occupy ancestral lands.

Referencing the definitions set forth in the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, ICAC-GEN argues that the targeted nature of these killings, coupled with the government’s failure to prosecute perpetrators, confirms a calculated intent to destroy the Christian population.

It further accuses the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of institutional complicity through official denial, dereliction of the “Responsibility to Protect” and flagrant religious discrimination that marginalises Christians within the federal government.

Citing instances such as the reintegration of “repentant” terrorists and the financial patronage of groups like Miyetti Allah, ICAC-GEN asserts that the state is not merely unable but unwilling to halt the atrocities.

The US Congressman Riley Moore, who has repeated allegations of genocide in Nigeria and visited the country to investigate the claims, again asked President Tinubu to act to stop the violence after further killings in recent weeks.

On the night of 26 April, gunmen attacked Gako Village in Riyom, Plateau State in north-central Nigeria, killing a pastor and three members of his family. 

The victims were identified as the Revd Ayuba Choji, pastor of an ECWA church, his wife Chundung Ayuba, and their two children, Cyril and Endurance. 

Sources in the community said the assailants stormed the village at about 11:00 p.m. and opened fire indiscriminately.

The same day, in a community in western Ekiti State, gunmen killed a pastor and abducted 15 of his worshippers during a church vigil.

A visiting revivalist, Pastor Aregbe, died in the attack on the Christ Apostolic Church in Eda-Oniyo, in the Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State. 

The Eleda of Edaoniyo-Ekiti, Oba Joseph Awolola, the traditional ruler of the area, said the kidnappers demanded ₦1 billion (£540,000) as ransom from the community for the abductees.

The governor of Ekiti State Biodun Oyebanji ordered the suspension of night vigil programmes in churches across the community during a sympathy visit the following Sunday, urging residents to hold religious activities during the daytime until the situation stabilises.

He assured residents that his administration would not tolerate acts of violence, kidnapping or criminality, pledging intensified efforts to secure the release of the victims and prevent further attacks.

Represented by his deputy, Chief Monisade Afuye, Oyebanji described the incident as tragic but expressed confidence in the government’s capacity to restore safety through coordinated action with security agencies.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) demanded the rescue of abducted worshippers, urging swift government intervention to strengthen security in vulnerable communities.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, CAN president Archbishop Daniel Okoh of the Church of Christ International described the incident as “deeply disturbing, to say the least”.

“This is not just an attack on a church; it is a brutal assault on our shared humanity and the sanctity of life,” the statement said, calling on government and security agencies to take immediate and decisive action.