Taoiseach vows to pursue legal options to force religious orders on compensation

The Taoiseach has vowed to pursue a “detailed examination” of how the state will make religious orders and institutions contribute towards compensating victims of historical sex abuse.

Micheál Martin said the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Education and other state bodies are exploring legal options that could force religious orders to pay for any redress.

On Tuesday, the Government approved the establishment of a commission of investigation into allegations of historical sex abuse in schools across the country.

Mr Justice Michael McGrath will chair the commission.

Mr Martin said changes could be made to the statute of limitations on civil claims, as well as changes to the status of unincorporated associations.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik told the Dáil on Wednesday that as of September 2024, religious orders have paid 16 per cent of institutional redress costs that were owed.

She also said that religious orders involved in historic sex abuse sold more than 75 properties worth a total of more than €90 million since 2016.

Successive governments have been unable to hold religious orders responsible for paying redress to victims of sex abuse over the years.

The Fianna Fáil leader told the Dáil that it was clear from the scoping inquiry that many survivors view financial redress as an “important measure” of accountability for those who ran schools where sexual abuse happened.

“Government is pursuing now in a very detailed way, very detailed examination is taking place in terms of ensuring that those responsible, including religious orders, are held accountable and to ensure that they make redress,” he added.

“The Office of the Attorney General is examining this with the Department of Education and other relevant bodies on legal options that may be available to the state.

“We are looking and examining changes to the statute of limitations on civil claims and changes to the status of unincorporated associations as well as looking at the assets that religious orders have, and an examination of how to ensure compensation from religious orders will run in parallel with the commission of investigation.

“It is complex work. It will require detailed consideration and may take some time to complete, and we will be open to engaging with you and constructive proposals that you have on this.”

Ms Bacik welcomed the commission, but said it must avoid the mistakes of the past.

“I welcome the fact that you’ve spoken of an inclusive and survivor-led approach that’s vitally important,” she added.

“But we do also need to ensure that religious orders that were complicit in the sexual abuse of children should be required to provide appropriate redress to survivors.

“We must also ensure access on a timely basis to redress for survivors.

“We’re conscious the commission is going to run for at least five years, and we don’t believe survivors should be forced to wait a further five years for the outcome of the process.

“Survivors need assurance that organisations, religious bodies, religious orders in the church that were accountable and responsible for abuse that they should be made to pay.

“Church and state, but also religious order,s played a shameful role, as we know, and in particular, within religious orders, clerics were allowed, in some cases, to perpetrate appalling crimes against children with impunity.

“We need to go further than condemnation. We need to remove legal obstacles to pursuing religious orders.

“Religious orders, as we know, Taoiseach, for years, they’ve been carrying out a perfectly legal practice of transferring their assets and their properties to associated lay-run trusts.

“I’ve described this as the developer’s wife syndrome, that puts assets often out of reach in or in some cases, out of reach of state authorities.

“It’s not acceptable.”

The scoping inquiry found some 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders, involving 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools across the country, between 1927 and 2013.

Most of the allegations were reported from the records of some 42 religious orders.

The commission will examine the handling of allegations, suspicions and concerns of sex abuse in schools, failure to treat concerns, causes and responsibility for such failure, failure to prevent harm, and the concealment of child sex abuse.

Synod to vote on final approval of Church’s redress scheme for survivors

FINAL approval for the Church of England’s redress scheme for survivors of abuse will be voted on by the General Synod this weekend, after a delay to allow the steering group to consider the eligibility criteria “in light of the Makin report”.

A report from the steering committee, published on 26 June, sets out a proposed amendment to the draft Abuse Redress Measure which would provide an entitlement to redress “based on a case where a Church officer had had an opportunity to take action which might have prevented a perpetrator from carrying out the abuse to which the application relates but failed to take that action”.

A further amendment, if carried, would allow the Archbishops’ Council to pause the scheme, or vary the method by which awards are determined, if it considers that not doing so puts at risk its continuation as a “going concern”.

Provision to this effect was already part of the draft legislation, but the new clause “requires the exercise of such a power to be more transparent, and subject to greater scrutiny”, the steering committee’s report says.

Under the new wording, the Council would be required to submit its decision to scrutiny by the Synod “as soon as reasonably practicable”, and to give “due regard” to the Synod’s judgement.

In its annual report, also published on 26 June, the Archbishops’ Council Audit and Risk Committee noted these concerns, and said that an audit of the redress scheme “identified the financial feasibility of the scheme as a high risk due to the difficulty in estimating potential demand”.

In February last year, it was confirmed that Ecclesiastical Insurance, one of the main insurers for Church of England bodies, would not participate in the scheme, citing “legal and commercial reasons”.

Pope Leo blesses and signs ‘Popplio’ Pokémon card for pilgrims in Rome

Pope Leo has delighted Pokémon fans by blessing and signing a Pokémon card during a Danish youth group’s visit to the Vatican on 5 July.

He was presented with two Popplio Pokémon cards due to the similarity in the names. The Holy Father blessed a Reverse Holo version and signed a regular version with a ballpoint pen.

Tri Nguyen, whose Pokémon card was signed by the Pope, described how the Pope’s “joyous face and speech touched my heart” and said it was “a great culmination of our pilgrimage”.

Nguyen, 28, who was born and raised in Denmark and lives in Aarhus, is of Vietnamese origin. A cradle Catholic, he is a board member of the Danish youth association Danmarks Unge Katolikker and chairman of its local chapter in Aarhus. He is also a member of his parish council.

He was visiting the Vatican as part of a pilgrimage organised by Danmarks Unge Katolikker for a group of around 50 young people, during which they visited the holy sites of Assisi and Rome. As part of their six-day stay in Rome, the group were fortunate enough to meet the Holy Father.

Nguyen told the Herald: “Being in the papal audience hall was surreal. We didn’t really feel ready to meet the Pope. Every time someone new entered I kept turning my head towards them to see if it was His Holiness. At some point he entered, and it nearly didn’t register with me. He just arrived nonchalantly, down to earth, without much bravado.

“His presence wasn’t intimidating or oppressive. He felt calming to be around. His joyous face and speech touched my heart in ways I haven’t experienced before. It was quite the encounter, and quite the privilege to be there.

“It was a great culmination of our pilgrimage – from days in Assisi to days in Rome, and finally an audience with the Supreme Pontiff.

“One thing that stuck with me was how happy he was. When I got to greet him personally, his smile and laughter were warming. His interest in what I was saying felt genuine.”

Asked about the Popplio connection, Nguyen said: “I am just a huge Pokémon fan who thought that having Pope Leo sign a Popplio card would be really fun because of the similarity in the names.”

He intends to keep the signed card as a “personal artefact” and has placed it in a protective sleeve.

Popplio is a Generation VII Pokémon who evolves into Brionne and then Primarina. Released in 2016, while Pope Leo was Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, Popplio is one of three starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sun and Moon, alongside Rowlet and Litten. The game is set in the Alola region of the Pokémon world.

The Vatican and the Pokémon franchise have enjoyed a cordial relationship over the years. In 2000, the Vatican satellite channel Sat2000 (now TV2000) described the game as “full of inventive imagination”, said it had “no harmful moral side effects”, and noted that it was based on “ties of intense friendship”.

Nuncio celebrates historic Mass in Canterbury Cathedral in honour of St Thomas Becket

In a historic moment for the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom, on Monday, 7 July, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated at Canterbury Cathedral by the Papal Nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía.

The Mass marked the Feast of the Translation of St Thomas Becket, which commemorates the ceremonial transfer of Becket’s remains in 1220 from his original tomb in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral to a grand shrine behind the high altar. 

This event occurred fifty years after his martyrdom and was attended by the teenage King Henry III, a host of European church leaders, and thousands of pilgrims.

While Catholic Masses have taken place in Canterbury Cathedral since the Reformation—and every year on 7 July, the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury allow the Catholic parish of St Thomas of Canterbury to celebrate Mass in honour of St Thomas Becket—this was the first occasion in modern history that a papal nuncio presided over a Mass in the historic Anglican cathedral.

Hundreds attended the Mass, including pilgrims from across the United Kingdom, priests, and even the Vatican’s cricket team. The liturgy began at 7:30pm and included the veneration and blessing of St Thomas Becket’s relics, brought from the local Catholic parish. Music for the Mass was provided by Tenebrae, a London-based professional vocal ensemble founded in 2001 and directed by Nigel Short.

The Herald’s own Gavin Ashenden was in attendance. Reflecting on the day, he said: “Whilst Holy Mass has been celebrated in Canterbury Cathedral by local priests and even cardinals, the papal nuncio brings a special political recognition of the Catholic Church in Great Britain. He read out greetings from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and at the very end, he took the relics of St Thomas—his vestments and finger bone—to bless the congregation.”

As Mr Ashenden was, as a boy, a choral scholar of the cathedral, he was asked to give a tour to the Vatican cricket team. 

Recalling one amusing and enriching moment, he said: “At 11am, as is custom in Anglican cathedrals to do so on the hour, the cathedral paused for prayer. Rather unusually, it included a prayer for the dead. The Thirty-Nine Articles, a foundational document of the Church of England, reject the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, and I explained this oddity to the seminarians and priests who formed the cricket team. I asked if they would like to enhance the prayers of the cathedral by singing the Our Father in Latin. So we filled the great cathedral with the Pater Noster, perhaps to the surprise of the cathedral staff and clergy.”

Vatican officials present new Mass formulary: Mass for the Care of Creation

Two Vatican officials presented a new Mass formulary, the Missa pro custodia creationis (Mass for the Care of Creation), at a July 3 press conference. 

The press conference followed a decree (Latin, English) of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, noted that the current edition of the Roman Missal includes 49 Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions. 

The Mass for the Care of Creation will join the 17 other Mass formularies for civil needs.

Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, OFM, the secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, discussed creation in the liturgy and the Mass formulary itself (Italian remarks, English summary).

Signaling end of Syro-Malabar liturgical dispute, Leo XIV concludes pontifical delegate’s mandate

The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches announced on July 7 that Pope Leo XIV has ended the mandate of Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, SJ, as pontifical delegate in liturgical matters for the Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India.

In doing so, the Pontiff expressed his “deep gratitude to the prelate for the work carried out” and signaled the end of the at-times violent dispute over the sacred liturgy that has roiled the archeparchy (archdiocese) over the past four years. 

The archeparchy’s head is the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See.

Led by the Major Archbishop, the Syro-Malabar Church’s hierarchy sought to implement a uniform method of celebrating the sacred liturgy. 

The uniform method envisions the celebrant turning towards the faithful in the initial rites but then turning towards the altar (ad orientem) during the Eucharistic sacrifice. 

In some eparchies, however, including the Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly, the entire liturgy has been offered facing the people in recent decades.

With near unanimity, the archeparchy’s priests protested the decision of the Major Archbishop and other bishops, and the priests continued to celebrate the sacred liturgy facing the people. 

Pope Francis exhorted the faithful to obey the hierarchy’s decision, entrusted day-to-day governance of the archeparchy to a series of apostolic administrators (2022-2025), and appointed Archbishop Vasil’ in 2023 as his pontifical delegate in liturgical matters. 

Archbishop Vasil’, like the administrators, insisted on obedience to the Syro-Malabar hierarchy’s decision on the uniform method.

Under the terms of the new agreement, priests will be permitted to celebrate a Sunday liturgy facing the people as long as they also offer a Sunday liturgy ad orientem. 

 In addition, newly ordained priests will be permitted to offer the liturgy facing the people; recently, they have been required to pledge, as a condition for ordination. not to offer the liturgy facing the people. 

Finally, several officials of the archeparchy will be replaced.

Miracle-working saint’s story comes to life in beautiful new book

The people of Lebanon have long loved St. Sharbel Makhlouf (often spelled St. Charbel), but the “Miracle Monk of Lebanon” isn’t as well known in the rest of the world. 

That’s a shame, given his incredible story and the abundance of healing miracles God has worked through his intercession.  

The great news is that now we can all get to know him better, thanks to a beautiful new graphic novel, St. Sharbel of Lebanon, Saint of Wonders, which will bring his story of hope to countless more people around the world.

The “Miracle Monk of Lebanon”

On the surface, St. Sharbel Makhlouf’s life seemed like that of many other monks. Born in 1828, he lived for 19 years at the Monastery of St. Maron, then 23 years at a nearby hermitage. He was devoted to prayer, manual labor, and contemplative silence. 

But his quiet life set the scene for a profound union with God. His miracle working was such that when he died his superior wrote:

“What God will perform after his death will be sufficient proof of his exemplary behavior in the observance of his vows, to a degree such that we can say that his obedience was angelic, not human.”

The miracles

God worked wonders through this humble saint. Since 1950, when the monastery began to formally record the miraculous healings, they have archived more than 29,000 miracles. 

Both Muslims and Christians in Lebanon love and honor him. His healing power extends to all who seek God’s aid.

A labor of love brings his story to life

The Family of St. Sharbel USA has created something truly special with their new graphic novel. 

The “Miracle Monk” belongs not only to Lebanon but also to the whole world. 

The Family of St. Sharbel is a lay movement dedicated to spreading the Gospel through the spirituality of St. Sharbel.

Global family

Founded in 1994 after a mystical experience by Raymond Nader, it is active globally. Their activities include prayer events, both online and in person; divine liturgies; retreats; charitable works; sacramentals distribution; and catechizing through digital media, including YouTube, podcasts, social media and a newsletter (you can sign up here!). 

Their team worked three years to produce this book that will introduce him to many more people. Currently, it is available in Arabic, French, and English, with Spanish and Portuguese translations in progress.

The book doesn't just tell his story but reveals his Maronite spirituality and Lebanese culture. 

Maronite Catholics are members of an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. 

As Pope St. John Paul II said, "The Church must breathe with her two lungs!" 

This book offers Western Catholics a beautiful introduction to their Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters.

An invitation to encounter God 

In our age of digital distraction and spiritual seeking, St. Sharbel offers something countercultural. He found God in silence, solitude, and prayer. His Eastern Catholic spirituality provides wisdom that enriches the entire Church.

This new book offers a beautiful entry point into the life of this beloved modern saint. The Family of Saint Sharbel USA invites you to discover St. Sharbel's story, join their prayer community, or simply begin a conversation with this gentle saint who continues to bring God's healing to our world. 

In a time when we all need hope, St. Sharbel reminds us that God's love is always available to those who seek it with sincere hearts.

Pope Leo XIV Given Two Electric, Eco-friendly "popemobiles" for International Travels

Pope Leo XIV has been given two electric vehicles that can be transported by air and will accompany him on his international travels.

According to a statement from the Governorate of Vatican City State, the delivery took place during a July 3 private meeting held at the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, with the participation of a delegation from the Exelentia company and the Club Car Group, responsible for the vehicle design project.

The two vehicles are the result of collaboration between the Italian company Exelentia — founded by Domenico and Giovanni Zappia and specializing in the design, customization, and distribution of electric commuter vehicles for individuals, businesses, and public entities — and the Vatican Gendarmerie, which supervised and validated every stage of development.

The cars, based on electric models from the Garia company (part of the Club Car Group), have been completely customized by hand with high-precision technical and artisanal craftsmanship.

Designed with total sustainability criteria, the vehicles produce no environmental emissions or noise pollution. One of their main advantages is the ability to be transported by plane without having to be disassembled, which represents a logistical benefit for the pope’s travels.

According to the Vatican Governorate, the Italian airline ITA Airways also actively collaborated on the project, providing technical data on the vehicles’ dimensions and the means to secure them in place required for transport on intercontinental flights. 

With a compact design and great maneuverability, the two vehicles are designed to move agilely in tight spaces or with high pedestrian density, such as squares, shrines, or urban centers. Furthermore, according to the Vatican, elements such as a front handlebar and side supports under the armrests have been incorporated, ensuring greater comfort and stability for the pope inside the vehicle.

The project responds to the need to provide the Holy Father with sustainable, practical, and safe means of transportation that adapt to the demands of his pastoral trips. Its use will extend to both private trips and the public appearances that Leo XIV will make in various cities around the world.

Pope Leo and Zelenskyy agree that Vatican could host Ukraine-Russia peace talks

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday and thanked him for the Vatican’s efforts to help return children taken by Russia.

Both he and Leo suggested the Vatican could host peace talks to end the war.

Mr Zelenskyy called on Leo at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, in the Alban hills south of Rome.

Mr Zelenskyy is in Rome to attend the fourth Ukraine recovery conference, which is taking place on Thursday and Friday.

The Vatican said Leo and Mr Zelenskyy discussed the conflict “and the urgent need for a just and lasting peace.”

“The Holy Father expressed his sorrow for the victims and renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions,” a Vatican statement said.

“The Holy Father reiterated the willingness to welcome representatives of Russia and Ukraine to the Vatican for negotiations.”

The United States had indicated the Vatican could host possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but Moscow has not accepted it.

Speaking to reporters as he left the pope’s villa, Zelenskyy said he thanked the American pope for the Vatican’s efforts to help reunite children taken by Russia after Moscow’s 2022 invasion.

He asked for continued help and prayers “to get back our children stolen by Russia during this war”.

Pope Francis had named an envoy, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to try to facilitate the return of children and find “paths to peace” between the two sides.

The Russian government has faced international condemnation over unlawful deportations of Ukrainian families, including children, to Russia following Putin’s order for Russian troops to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022.

In unusual move, Pope transfers Kenyan bishop to far smaller diocese

In an unusual move, Pope Leo XIV has transferred a Kenyan auxiliary bishop to a diocese that is nearly ten times smaller than his former diocese.

In February 2024, Pope Francis named Father Simon Peter Kamomoe, a priest of the Archdiocese of Nairobi—Kenya’s capital and largest city—as a Nairobi auxiliary bishop. The archdiocese has nearly 3.7 million Catholics.

On July 5, Pope Leo appointed Bishop Kamomoe as the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Wote, which has fewer than 400,000 Catholics.

Pope Francis created the Diocese of Wote in 2023 and named Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru, then 60, as its first bishop. 

After the bishop suffered a stroke, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Norman King’oo Wambua of Machakos as apostolic administrator; Bishop Njiru has remained the diocese’s bishop.

The Diocese of Wote, then, has a bishop, an apostolic administrator who is also bishop of another diocese, and a new auxiliary bishop.

The transfer of Auxiliary Bishop Kamomoe leaves the Archdiocese of Nairobi with only one auxiliary bishop. 

In contrast, the Archdiocese of Chicago, which has far fewer Catholics (under 2.1 million), has seven active auxiliary bishops.

Pope Leo interrupts holiday to issue warning: ‘We live in a world that is burning’

Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning about a “burning” world as he interrupted his two-week holiday to urge Catholics to address the climate crisis.

This marks the Vatican's second significant appeal on global warming within a week.

Speaking from Castel Gandolfo, an Italian hill town near Rome where he is on holiday, the pontiff declared during a small outdoor ceremony: "Today … we live in a world that is burning, both because of global warming and armed conflicts."

Leo, who was elected on 8 May to succeed Pope Francis, said: "We have to pray for the conversion of many people … who still do not see the urgency of caring for our common home."

While refraining from naming specific climate-induced disasters, he characterised the global situation as an "ecological crisis".

Leo said the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church was committed to speaking about the issue, "even when it requires the courage to oppose the destructive power of the princes of this world".

The Mass included a prayer for victims of the flash flooding in Texas, where at least 111 people have died and 173 are still missing.

Leo celebrated Wednesday's Mass according to a new Catholic rite that exhorts people to care for creation, first published by the Vatican on 3 July in its latest push to address climate issues.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official who helped to organise the Mass, said that Leo's decision to interrupt his holiday was a sign of the importance the new pope will place on environmental matters.

"By offering this Mass … at the beginning of his holiday, Pope Leo is giving a beautiful example of thanking for God's great gift and praying that the human family learns to care for our common home," said Cardinal Czerny.

Garden mass

Francis, who died on 21 April, was also a firm proponent of care for creation. He was the first pope to embrace the scientific consensus about climate change and urged nations to reduce their carbon emissions in line with the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Leo is reviving a centuries-old tradition of popes taking holidays in Castel Gandolfo with a July 6-20 vacation in the sleepy hill town of about 8,900 residents on the shores of Lake Albano.

Residents earlier said they hope Leo's visit will help boost tourism, with visitors coming to take part in public religious celebrations with the pope on 13 and 20 July.

Wednesday's Mass was held in the 55-hectare gardens of the papal villa, which Francis opened to visitors and turned into an ecological institute.

The ceremony included several senior cardinals and about 50 staff members of the villa, gathered in front of a statue of Mary among tightly trimmed hedges in the garden.

Bishop to bless new mural of Our Lady of Waterford at city cathedral

The Diocese of Waterford and Lismore is inviting the public to join Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan for a blessing of a new mural at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Waterford City.

The blessing will take place on Saturday, July 12, at 12:30pm after midday mass.

The diocese said in a post on social media that the recently completed mural of Our Lady of Waterford represents a rich history.

"The image of Our Lady of Waterford has a remarkable and storied history, dating back to the Dominican Abbey founded in 1226. Even through the darkness of persecution, the people of Waterford held fast to their devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

"In 1541, as the Abbey of St Saviour’s was surrendered to Henry VIII, a miraculous image of Mary in the Lady Chapel was specially noted. 

"Despite religious suppression, Waterford’s faithful continued to honour her — to such a degree that the Anglican bishop complained in 1580 about people praying the Rosary and placing decorated images of Our Lady in their doorways.

"Though hidden and repainted over the centuries to protect her from destruction, the statue survived — restored, re-crowned, and finally returned to Waterford in 1876, where she continues to be venerated today in St. Saviour’s Church.

"The new mural at the Cathedral, commissioned by Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan and painted by artist Marie-Jeanne Jacob, stands as a testament to centuries of enduring devotion — a reminder that Our Lady of Waterford continues to watch over her people. 

"The mural has been painted on the side of the former PTSB bank building, which is next door to the Cathedral," said the diocese in its post.

Notre Dame prepares to reopen towers’ tour with return of famed statues of saints to rooftop

Symbolic lifting of the statues surrounding the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris marked the beginning of one of the last phases of the roof reconstruction before the towers of the Parisian icon will reopen to the public on Sept. 20.

Notre Dame is breaking all-time records of visitors, with the rector of the cathedral confirming to OSV News that “The number of visitors is increasing day by day.”

Notre Dame — Must See in Paris

Father Olivier Ribadeau Dumas said, “Currently, we are welcoming 32,500 to 33,000 per day, and we have well exceeded five million people since the beginning of the year. And every month we see that there are 1,000 more visitors per day.”

At the beginning of September, e-ticketing will start for the visit of the towers, memorable not only for breathtaking views of the City of Lights, but also for the close-up look to the gargoyles, or chimeras, and statues of 16 saints that will soon be back in their original locations.

On June 23, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris censed them during a moment of prayer before the first statue, that of St. Paul, was lifted by crane.

Iconic Statues Back

The statues were designed in the mid-19th century by French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who was responsible for the renovation of Notre Dame at the time. 

The 16 statues were installed in 1861. Standing 11 feet high and weighing nearly 330 pounds each, they represent the apostles, and the symbols of the four evangelists: the lion (Mark), the bull (Luke), the angel (Matthew) and the eagle (John). Since February 2023, they have been on display at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris, on the famed Trocadéro square.

Their restoration had been decided and planned well before the fire on April 15, 2019. Their brown color had turned green over time due to oxidation, and repairs were needed in various places. They were taken down from the spire on April 11, 2019, four days before the inferno, to be taken to a workshop — a move that saved them from destruction when the roof collapsed. Made of a metal frame covered with copper sheets, they would not have withstood the heat.

The restoration work lasted from April 2019 to June 2021 in the Dordogne region of southern France, near Bordeaux. Costing $1.64 million, 85% of the restoration costs were funded by the Fondation Notre Dame, chaired by the archbishop of Paris. The remaining sum was provided by the American foundation Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, the same organization through which Americans subsequently showed great generosity in restoring the cathedral damaged by the fire.

Today, the statues have regained their original brown color and are in impeccable condition.

St. Thomas, Patron Saint of Architects

Among them, that of St. Thomas, patron saint of architects, is of particular interest. It bears the features of Viollet-le-Duc himself, and its gaze is turned toward the spire, unlike the others, which are turned toward Paris. He can be seen holding a large mason’s ruler on which his name is written, with his hand on his forehead as if to watch over his work.

By the end of July, all the statues will have been returned to their original positions and the spire will be completely free of scaffolding and tarps. 

“The replacement of the spire statues is a new highlight of this exceptional collective adventure that allows Notre Dame de Paris to present an ever more beautiful face to the world,” said Philippe Jost, president of Rebâtir Notre Dame de Paris, a public institution responsible for reconstruction efforts.

“The spire will soon be completely stripped of its scaffolding,” he said in a June 24 statement. “We are also completing the work in the western massif and our efforts will then focus on the apse of the cathedral, before other stages … with all the care it deserves and needs, a cathedral that has shown the attachment the entire world has for it.”

“This work had already been planned before the fire and should have been undertaken in 2019,” Father Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the cathedral, told OSV News. He added that it will last until 2028.

Stained-Glass Windows Controversy

Another project will involve replacing the discreet, non-figurative stained-glass windows that Viollet-le-Duc installed in six side chapels on the south side of the cathedral — with contemporary figurative stained-glass windows on the theme of Pentecost, a project expected to be completed by December 2026. Claire Tabouret, a 43-year-old internationally renowned French painter who has lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, was chosen for the work in a public competition.

The project remains controversial as the existing stained-glass windows, to which Parisians have been very much attached, were not damaged by the fire. 

Father Ribadeau Dumas believes however that the work now plays a secondary role in the life of Notre Dame. “The most important thing is what is happening inside the cathedral every day,” he said. 

For the rector, “this is not a passing fad but a much deeper movement. …  It is part of a spiritual awakening that we are seeing in France, but not only here,” he said. 

“Many people are having a spiritual experience at Notre Dame,” Father Ribadeau Dumas said. 

He said that one day in June he “saw a man who, as he was leaving the cathedral, turned around and decided to go to confession, something he had not done in 49 years. It was his visit to the cathedral that prompted him to do so.”

“In the morning, when we open the doors, there are two lines of people entering, one of visitors and one of the faithful who come for the first Mass,” the rector added. “We begin with the Angelus prayer around the baptistery at the entrance. I can assure you that the two lines converge at that moment, just as they do in the evening when we close the doors after a final prayer.”

He emphasized that “visiting the cathedral has important spiritual benefits.”

He referred to the famous Christian poet Paul Claudel, who wrote about how he was suddenly overwhelmed by the certainty of faith at Notre Dame, on Christmas Day 1886. 

“I see many people experiencing the same thing,” Father Ribadeau Dumas said. “Visitors are struck by the life of faith that is lived at Notre Dame. We can find God through beauty, but also through the witness of faith lived by others. This is what impresses me most every day.”

Church of England’s £6.8m plan to increase followers in Cumbria

The Church of England’s Diocese of Carlisle has created a new role to help it grow 100 new worshipping communities across Cumbria by 2030.

The Rev Beth Honey will take up the new role of director of missional revitalisation in September.

The aim is for her to work closely with local churches and mission communities, diocesan and ecumenical partners.

She will have a particular focus on encouraging creative and imaginative mission as well as encouraging younger people to explore their faith and become lifelong Christian disciples.

Her appointment follows a successful bid for £6.8million made by the diocese to the national Church of England in March.

It will fund The Cumbrian Way –to both grow in mission and grow younger – in support of the county’s ecumenical vision and strategy God for All.

There is also a specific focus on the development of 100 new worshipping communities and developing new and diverse lay and ordained leaders, which Beth and colleagues will work towards.

Beth, 43, said: “I’m excited at the thought that I will be working with dozens of people across local churches and worshipping communities who hold that same passion.”

In her new role, Beth will encourage and enable local church leaders to pioneer new worshipping communities in creative ways, which could be developed in existing or new worship spaces.

She will also champion the work of pioneer lay and ordained ministers across Cumbria, who focus on reaching out in innovative and creative ways to create new worshipping communities.

Beth will also have oversight of the work of the Network Youth Church – which engages with hundreds of young people in Cumbria each month – as well as working closely with diocesan colleagues in support of the Growing Younger aims for 18 to 25-year-olds.

For the last four years, Beth has been based in Cumbria supporting the Restore Christian charity shop in Penrith as a chaplain.

Prior to ordination, Beth worked through Friends International Ministries with international students at St Andrew’s Church in Oxford. In 2006 she began studies at Wycliffe Hall Theological College before ordination three years later, aged 28.

Beth served her curacy in the Diocese of Oxford at St Peter’s with St Mark’s in Maidenhead before moving to the Diocese of Derby in 2013 as Pioneer Minister, planting Derwent Oak Fresh Expression set on an outer estate.

She also served the diocese as a Fresh Expressions Enabler and oversaw the Derby Greenhouse project with a particular focus on supporting new expressions of church in market towns and rural settings.

Beth, who also has a Masters in practical theology, with a focus on church planting and ethics, moved to Cumbria with her husband, Ben in 2021. They have three children, aged 11, 10 and eight.

Rachel Head, director of mission and ministry, support and innovation, said: “We are delighted that Beth is to take up this important strategic and operational role which will support local churches, mission communities and schools to both grow missionally in new and exciting ways and to grow younger worshipping communities.

“We recognise that our aim to grow nearly 100 new worshipping communities within five years is ambitious. Yet, with Beth’s proven track record in strategic oversight and pioneering ministry, we know that God has offered us someone who can bring to this role deep learning, past experience and a collaborative approach to mission to make that aim a reality.”

Church of England : no plans for new Lead Bishop on sexuality issues

A group of bishops will take collective responsibility to shape a way forward on matters of sexuality, marriage, relationships and identity after the Church of England announced it wouldn’t appoint a new Lead Bishop for the process known as Living in Love and Faith (LLF) "at this time".

Last month, the Bishop of Leicester, Rt Rev Martyn Snow, stepped down from the role, saying the decision had been made “with a very heavy heart” and that he no longer believed agreement could be reached under his leadership.

The role of Lead Bishop for LLF had been established by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to steer the implementation of proposed work on the subject which was initiated by General Synod meetings in 2023. 

The bishops on the LLF Programme Board, which is chaired by the Archbishop of York, Most Rev Stepehen Cottrell, include the Bishop of Sheffield, Rt Rev Pete Wilcox, the interim Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Rev Ruth Worsley (Liverpool), Very Rev Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol Cathedral and the Bishop of Oxford, Rt Rev Steven Croft. 

They will now together lead the process of developing a proposal which will be taken to the House of Bishops in October.

The House of Bishops will then decide what will be put before the General Synod at its meeting in February 2026.

Their work centres around two proposals which were put forward at General Synod in July 2024. 

The first would allow the House of Bishops and the General Synod to vote on a complete package comprising both proposals for ‘bespoke’ (standalone) Prayers of Love and Faith, and appropriate pastoral reassurance, with clarity on the theological underpinning of these proposals.

The second would allow the House of Bishops to agree on a timetable for consideration of the question of clergy entering same-sex civil marriages.

Ex Officio members of the LLF Programme Board include Canon Dr Jamie Harrison, Chair of the House of Laity, Canon Alison Coulter, Vice-chair of the House of Laity, and  Ven Luke Miller and Rev Canon Kate Wharton, Prolocutors of the House of Clergy. 

The Board is supported by staff from the National Church Institutions (NCIs).

The issue of sexuality and whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry in a church remains one of the most contentious in the Church of England. 

Gay blessings 'will remain' under Pope Leo, Vatican doctrine chief says

The Catholic Church's approval of blessings of couples in same-sex relationships "will remain" under Pope Leo XIV,  the head of the Vatican's doctrine office told an Italian reporter in a brief interview.

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández made the statement in response to a question from a journalist for the Rome-based daily Il Messaggero as he left the Holy See Press Office on July 3.

Fernández's remarks are the clearest indication to date since Pope Leo's election of a likely continuation of Pope Francis' gay-blessings declaration. However, the impromptu interview falls short of an explicit, official statement from the Vatican.

Under Francis, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in December 2023 released a document entitled "Fiducia Supplicans: On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings," which opened the door to church blessings for couples in "irregular" situations, including same-sex relationships.

The document, signed by Fernández and his deputy Msgr. Armando Matteo, and approved by Pope Francis, stressed that such blessings could not take the form of a liturgical rite, and did not imply formal approval of "irregular" unions. 

The blessings document generated considerable conservative backlash, and some critics of the late Pope Francis had expressed hope that Pope Leo would rescind or ignore it. 

Asked on Thursday, July 3, by Il Messaggero whether Leo would backtrack,, Fernández, who had met privately with Pope Leo earlier that same day, responded "I really don't think so — the declaration will remain."

Previously, the most prominent indication of Leo's approach to gay blessings had come in an interview with Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich in the Italian Catholic daily La Stampa in May. The cardinal had said that he thought Pope Leo "might re-interpret" the document, but not "abolish" it.

"Pope Leo has said that the church is open to all," said Hollerich, the Jesuit archbishop of Luxembourg who was elevated to cardinal by Francis in 2019. "This is a continuation of the approach of Francis, who used to repeat 'Everyone, everyone, everyone.' "

Released in December 2023, without prior warning or the arrangement of a press conference, Fiducia Supplicans is an approximately 5,000 word document mainly dedicated to reflecting on the theological significance of the act of blessing.

The text distinguishes between formal liturgical blessings and spontaneous, pastoral ones, and says that blessings of the latter kind can be offered to those in same-sex unions or other relationships contrary to Catholic teaching.

The document says that "A blessing may be imparted that ... descends from God upon those who — recognizing themselves to be destitute and in need of his help — do not claim a legitimation of their own status, but who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit."

However, the declaration stresses, such blessings are in no way comparable to marriage: "Rites and prayers that could create confusion between what constitutes marriage — which is the 'exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children' — and what contradicts it are inadmissible."

After the release of the blessings document the Vatican intervened on multiple occasions to clarify its meaning.

Most prominently, in a meeting with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, just over a month after the publication of the document, Pope Francis said that the blessings document allows for the blessing not of irregular unions themselves, but of the individuals in them.

What is blessed, the pope stressed, is "not the union, but the persons, naturally taking into account the context, sensitivities, the places where one lives, and the most appropriate ways to do it."

Shortly after the publication of the document, a number of bishops announced that they would not implement it in their dioceses or jurisdictions and some prelates went as far as to call it heresy.

The most high-profile of these was Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, archbishop of Kinshasa and president of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, and part of Pope Francis' Council of Cardinals.

In a letter, Ambongo stressed that the bishops of Africa, despite their "unwavering attachment" to Pope Francis, believed that the blessings outlined in the document "cannot be carried out in Africa without exposing themselves to scandals."

"The African bishops," Ambongo wrote, "do not consider it appropriate for Africa to bless homosexual unions or same-sex couples because, in our context, this would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities."

Ambongo, who was considered a potential candidate for pope in the conclave that elected Leo, stressed that his letter had received the approval both of Fernández and of Pope Francis.

In an interview weeks later with Italian newspaper La Stampa, Pope Francis described the church in Africa as "a separate case." For Africans, he said, "homosexuality is something ‘ugly' from a cultural point of view; they do not tolerate it."

Parishioners battle diocese over closure of historic Brooklyn church

Around 20 parishioners gathered at the Jesuit Community Chapel in Brooklyn on Thursday evening (July 3). 

The chairs were arranged in a circle, and the mood was purposeful but warm. Two community members acted as translators in Creole and in Spanish as organizers took turns standing to speak.

The group, part of a growing resistance to the planned closure of St. Teresa of Avila Church in Crown Heights, has held weekly meetings since early June, when the church's rector, Fr. Christopher Heanue, read aloud a letter from their bishop announcing the closing of the church. 

The ad hoc committee, made up largely of longtime Brooklyn residents within this Caribbean-American community, is determined to fight for a church many members have called home for decades.

"God's house must always prevail, particularly in these times when people have nothing," said Denise Caldwell, a longtime parishioner and a co-chair of the group formed to reverse the bishop's decision. They have been meeting in the Jesuit Community Chapel, about a half mile away from St. Teresa of Avila, because, Caldwell said, "we were locked out of the church."

On the first Sunday of June, Pentecost Sunday, Bishop Robert Brennan wrote a letter to the church "to share the difficult news that we have determined that the church building must close at the end of this calendar year." His letter announced that Masses would be scaled back starting July 1 and added, "While I know that these decisions will be hard for you to accept, I want to explain the reasons behind it and to commend the faithful, effective work that has been done at this church for decades."

Over the past decade, Crown Heights has undergone significant demographic shifts amid rapid growth in New York City's housing market. Between 2010 and 2020, North Crown Heights lost nearly 19,000 Black residents while gaining approximately 15,000 white residents, according to 2020 Census data released in 2021. During that time, many neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including Crown Heights, saw home prices double. 

Mike Delouis, 39, was the cantor at St. Teresa of Avila and had been baptized there after his parents immigrated to Brooklyn from Haiti in the 1970s. "I really liked to see the new faces that were coming in, even through the process of gentrification," Delouis said. He first heard the news of the church's closure from the choir loft on Pentecost morning. "We only had the closing hymn left to sing, and it was hard to do it," he said. "It's devastating."

The bishop's letter cited mounting financial challenges, dwindling participation and a deferred repair bill estimated at $5.5 million. But participants in the group are not convinced and have circulated fliers in the surrounding neighborhood since the announcement, reading: "Help Save Saint Teresa of Avila. The Church Is At Risk of Closing. But Money Is Not the Problem." 

They understand the cost of repairs is high but argue the church's financial situation is more complicated. Caldwell, the group's co-chair, is suspicious of how diocesan funds are allocated and has called for transparency over how revenue generated by St. Teresa's rental properties, including two former school buildings and a parish hall, has been spent.

The Diocese of Brooklyn did not respond to requests for comment. The church's rector, Heanue, was also contacted directly via email and through the parish office but did not respond.

The group, known casually as "Save St. Teresa," has been meeting and campaigning locally and across social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. They also launched a petition on Change.org, which has received 678 signatures. Supporters argue church attendance is slowly rising and that the church remains a vital spiritual refuge for the neighborhood.

"Young people are coming back to church now, and that makes a difference," said Myke Mathis, who had attended St. Teresa since 1967. "It's a necessity in the neighborhood. … We had a soup kitchen, we had a pantry, we had AA people, we had narcotic anonymous people. It's a vibrant church."

Chris Campo, 26, was helping organize community testimonials about the church. He said that while visiting Crown Heights one Sunday, the sound of St. Teresa's bells called him back to his faith. "I moved to this neighborhood because I liked the church's vibe," Campo said. "I went to Mass the first Sunday after moving here, and they were playing all the same music as the church I had back home."

Constructed in 1874 by Italian and Polish immigrants, St. Teresa of Avila was built by hand, including its lower church, altars and exterior masonry. In the 1970s, the parish became the first in the United States to offer Mass in Haitian Creole, drawing migrants fleeing political turmoil in Haiti. Many parishioners told RNS they believe this helped shape Crown Heights into a hub of Haitian and Caribbean life. Today the church complex comprises five structures: the main church, a rectory, a convent, a former boys' and girls' school and a parish reception hall.

The heart of the church is topped by a blue dome above the altar, where a luminous image of Christ sits with an arm raised in blessing. The lower church once displayed 14 oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross, said to have been painted by an artist who also worked for the Vatican. A pipe organ with landmark status remains in disrepair. Original stained-glass windows and hand-carved devotional statues still decorate the sanctuary.

Sharon Lewis, a 53-year-old Brooklyn native, said the closure of St. Teresa felt painfully familiar. A decade ago, she had been a parishioner at St. Ignatius, a Creole-speaking church in the same neighborhood that was merged with another church before being sold and demolished to make way for new housing. "I'm like, not again!" Lewis said. "We didn't have any meetings to try to save St. Ignatius. It was devastating. When I found St. Teresa, I was so happy to find a second home. So, this is really hard."

A study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University found that, between the 1970s and 2010s, parish closures and consolidations disproportionately affected neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty and larger populations of Black and Latino residents.

Churches in these neighborhoods often face challenges like aging buildings, rising maintenance costs and declining membership, especially in areas undergoing gentrification. With limited income from parishioner donations, dioceses across the country are making difficult decisions that can result in closures, even for parishes that hold historical and cultural significance. 

Brennan's letter acknowledged the work of Heanue and modest gains in Sunday attendance, which averaged 195 people in 2024. But the bishop also cited a decline in baptisms and the growing administrative burdens on clergy, many of whom now oversee multiple parishes.

While the formal closure wasn't announced until June, parish council members said the diocese first informed them in early April that St. Teresa was "under review" alongside other parishes in Brooklyn. Despite this alert, parishioners said the June announcement and the quick rollout of the scaled‑back Mass schedule still felt abrupt.

Now, the group opposing the closure launched a formal appeal with the Vatican and is collecting notarized letters and testimony. "We are doing everything, you know, in a systematic format," Caldwell said.

At the July 3 meeting, parishioners discussed printing more fliers to raise awareness about the church's closure and asking local businesses to post them. Toward the end, one member of the group passed around a small stack of old newspaper clippings and photographs from dances and community events once held at the church.

"I tell people, stop saying they're going to close St. Teresa! Say they want to close St. Teresa," said Mathis. "I said, but you know what? I got faith. I don't have no fear. I only have faith."

Special prosecutor begins probe into Unification Church executives

South Korea's special prosecutor has formally designated Hak‑ja Han, head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, popularly known as the Unification Church, as a criminal suspect.

The office is extending its investigation to include allegations of bribery via a religious intermediary, embezzlement of church funds for casino gambling and interference in law enforcement.

Prosecutors allege that luxury goods -- including designer handbags and diamond jewelry -- were acquired to be given to the former First Lady Keon‑hee Kim, wife of the recently impeached former President Suk-yeol Yoon.

The items had been transferred through Seong‑bae Jeon, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," a spiritual adviser to the church. Investigators are working to establish whether directives came from senior church officials and if funds were misused for political influence.

The special prosecutor's office has announced that summonses will be issued soon to several senior Unification Church executives.

Among those investigators are set to question Young‑ho Yoon, former director-general of the church's world headquarters; Young-ho Yoon's wife, previously a leading figure in church finances; Won‑joo Jung, deputy director at the church's central Cheonmu Institute.

To date, no such individuals have been taken into custody or formally interviewed, but prosecutors have confirmed plans to bring them in for questioning as part of the unfolding inquiry.

granted permission last month to visit her critically ill husband. However, to date, she has not yet returned to Korea.

Financial audit teams uncovered records indicating that church donations -- totaling tens of billions of Korean won -- were allegedly used for gambling at Las Vegas casinos, dating from 2008 through earlier this year. Investigators traced rewards‑club reports reflecting substantial bets and gaming sessions attributed to church figures.

Prosecutors are also probing whether the church attempted to obstruct a separate police investigation into this gambling activity. Authorities executed search and seizure operations July 8, seeking internal communications that could demonstrate exertion of political pressure or bribery to obstruct the earlier inquiry.

This probe spans multiple suspected criminal offenses: illicit transfer of luxury goods as political bribes, embezzlement of church funds for gambling, obstruction of justice through interference with police investigations, and potential collusion involving religious leaders, former police officials and political intermediaries.

The formal opening of a criminal case into Hak‑ja Han marks a pivotal escalation in this investigation. As summonses to key church figures draw closer and forensic evidence continues to accumulate, questions are mounting about the church's financial and political entanglements.

This case has generated intense interest in the Korea media over past several months. It represents one of the most high-stakes probes into religious-political influence in South Korea, raising significant questions about institutional transparency and accountability.

Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court issued an order for the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan -- formerly called Unification Church Japan.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church says it left Moscow. Documents say otherwise.

The historically Moscow-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox Church is still affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church despite claims to the contrary, a Ukrainian state committee has found.

In a lengthy investigation, the Ukrainian State Service of Ukraine on Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has concluded that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC MP) is still legally part of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The timing of the document, which confirms an earlier expert committee probe, is particularly crucial. It comes just one week after Ukraine stripped citizenship from the UOC MP leader.

Ukraine is gearing up for a lengthy legal battle with the UOC MP after banning Russian-affiliated churches in August 2024.

The law gave religious organizations nine months to sever relations with Russia. Now, DESS is probing whether the connections are still there.

But, how does one establish such matters? After all, the UOC MP insists it supports Ukraine and that it already cut its Russian ties back in 2022.

Moreover, it is leading a global campaign decrying alleged state religious persecution. This initiative has been particularly fruitful among American Republicans, in part thanks to lavish lobbying efforts.

Canonically speaking

The path of an Orthodox church to autocephaly (independence) is notoriously vague and complicated. Unlike the Catholic Church, governed by a single primate from Rome, global Orthodoxy is defined as a constellation of amicable jurisdictions that received independence according to pastoral needs.

Ideally, of course. In practice, however, the path to church independence has been fraught with political strife, stonewalling, and competition between two centers of Orthodox gravitas—the Moscow and Ecumenical patriarchates.

Enter the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The UOC MP’s predicament stems from centuries of imperial church politics. The 1686 transfer of the Kyiv Metropolitanate from Constantinople to Moscow began Russian control over Ukrainian Orthodoxy—control that outlasted the Soviet Union and continued into independent Ukraine.

This pattern wasn’t unique to Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church historically granted limited “autonomy” to Orthodox communities in its sphere—a status somewhere between full independence and direct diocesan control. 

The Japanese Orthodox Church, Latvian Orthodox Church, Estonian Orthodox Church, and Ukrainian Orthodox Church all received similar arrangements.

True autocephaly, by contrast, means complete independence—as Moscow granted to the Polish Orthodox Church in 1948 and the Orthodox Church in America in 1970. The language was unambiguous: full canonical independence with no mention of accessing global Orthodoxy “through” another church.

Church hasn’t reported abuse claims: NSW Police

The Catholic Church’s powerful Sydney Archdiocese has failed to report to NSW Police allegations of abuse involving one of its most senior figures, despite “disclosing” the matter a week ago.

NSW Police said they “have not received any notification” from the church, about the abuse allegations involving Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers, who is second only to Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher.

That’s despite the Sydney Archdiocese on Tuesday last week quietly posting to a relatively obscure part of its website a statement about the allegations, including claiming to have “notified authorities”.

It’s also despite having claimed that “the NSW Police have confirmed there is no investigation at this time”.

The Klaxon revealed the statement on Wednesday last week, on Friday revealing that the church had not notified NSW Police, despite its official claims.

“The NSWPF position remains the same – we have not received any notification,” a NSW Police spokesperson has now told The Klaxon.

Umbers denies the allegations.

The Sydney Archdiocese has repeatedly refused to respond to requests for comment from The Klaxon, and did not respond to a series of written questions yesterday.

Its statement last week, dated July 1, states that Umbers had stood aside and that the allegation was being “investigated”, but does not state the entity or entities investigating.

“In accordance with its obligations, the Archdiocese has notified the relevant authorities of the complaint,” it states.

“The NSW Police has confirmed there is no active investigation at this time”.

Yet on Thursday last week, July 3, NSW Police told The Klaxon: “NSW Police is not aware of this matter”.

Yesterday NSW Police said its “position remains the same” and “we have not received any notification”.

“Without a victim statement or complainant, police can’t investigate,” said a spokesperson.

Fermanagh church hall ransacked in overnight incident

The PSNI has launched an investigation following a burglary and extensive vandalism at a rural church hall in County Fermanagh.

There is palpable anger and upset in the community near the North Fermanagh village of Kesh after Mullaghfarne Church Hall, which is linked to Ardess Parish Church, was targeted overnight.

The damage was discovered shortly after 3.15pm on Monday, July 7.

When The Impartial Reporter visited the scene on Tuesday morning, the full scale of the destruction was evident. 

Every window in the small hall had been smashed, and the front door was visibly damaged. 

Inside, parishioners said Bibles, hymn books and prayer books had been thrown out through the broken windows.

Shockingly, tomatoes, eggs and yoghurt had also been strewn across the interior.

A PSNI spokesperson confirmed officers are treating the incident as a burglary.

“It was reported that access had been gained to a church hall sometime overnight,” they said. “The front door has been damaged, all windows had been smashed, and it was also established a number of items from inside had been damaged or removed.”

Ulster Unionist councillor and Ardess parishioner John McClaughry told The Impartial Reporter he was "angry and disgusted" by what had taken place.

“A lot of hatred has gone into this attack. It’s quite sad,” he said.

Investigations are ongoing.