The Diocese of Rome announced the event, emphasizing that this continues the tradition of the first Thursday of Lent.
The last meeting with diocesan and religious priests serving in pastoral ministry in Rome, as well as permanent deacons, took place on January 13, 2024.
A shared culture and background
Speaking on the importance of the gathering, the Archbishop of Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province, Matthew Ndagoso, noted that “because of so many things we have in common in northern Nigeria; culturally, socially, politically and so on, the Bishops of the old Kaduna Province, now made of Jos, Abuja, and Kaduna ecclesiastical provinces, meet annually to share ideas, encourage each other, to discuss common issues and to see how we can help one another.”
Collaboration between the Church and the State
While welcoming participants to Plateau State, the Executive Governor, Caleb Mutfwang called for more collaboration between the State and the Church.
“The arrival of the missionaries brought a lot of development to Nigeria as a whole and to Northern Nigeria in particular. We cannot deny the important role the Church has played in the socio-economic development of our people, especially in areas of health, education and agriculture. As partners in progress, there is need for continued collaboration between the State and the Church for the good of our people.”
Insecurity and challenges to farmers
For decades, many parts of northern Nigeria have been plagued by insurgency, kidnappings, and violence against the Church, with tens of thousands of Christians killed and hundreds of Churches burnt over the years, “There is need for governments in different states of the region to take proactive measures to protect lives and properties” said Archbishop Mathew Audu, of the Ecclesiastical Province of Jos, and the host of this year’s gathering, “We have said this consistently; the people are not asking to be fed or to be dependent on government, but for security so they can farm freely and be able to feed their families, the Archbishop emphasized.
Hope in the face of despair
As the universal Church marks the Jubilee of Hope, the Archbishop of Abuja and chair of the forum, Ignatius Kaigama, called on the Christian faithful to be hopeful in the face of many socio-economic challenges: “Where there is life, there is hope. We cannot, we should never give up on life. We tell our people that our Lord is alive, so let us sustain our faith in Him, praying in hope that things will get better,” the Abuja prelate said.
In a letter sent on Thursday afternoon to clergy in the diocese of Liverpool, Bishop Mason, the suffragan in the diocese, writes that, in March 2023, she was advised of a complaint against Dr Perumbalath.
The complaint and subsequent investigation “raised what I believe were significant concerns”, she writes, and this “included my own disclosure”.
Dr Perumbalath, announcing his resignation, reiterated his denial of allegations first published by Channel 4 News on Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday, Channel 4 News reported that an unnamed bishop had made allegations of “sexual harassment”, and described the other allegation — on which more detail was published — as one of “sexual assault”.
In Thursday’s letter, Bishop Mason did not provide details of her disclosure, but confirmed that she was the second complainant.
“The focus of my concerns centred around due process,” she writes. “Throughout these past 510 days I have remained consistent and persistent in my pursuit of proper and appropriate ecclesiastical judicial process. A bishop cannot be above the law.”
Last April, it was announced at Liverpool Cathedral’s chrism eucharist, to which all clergy in the diocese were invited, that Bishop Mason was “away from the diocese”. The reference to “510 days” dates back to September 2023.
Dr Perumbalath legally became Bishop of Liverpool in January 2023, before his enthronement the following April. Bishop Mason was Acting Bishop of Liverpool from the resignation of the previous diocesan, the Rt Revd Paul Bayes, until Dr Perumbalath began in post.
In her letter on Thursday, Bishop Mason writes: “I do not hold to the media serving as prosecutor, jury and judge. For these reasons, I have with intention distanced myself from the recent media activity.
“However, I regret we as a church have not properly and satisfactorily addressed concerns that have been raised. My prayer is that now things have been brought into the light, there will be no more defendedness but an honest scrutiny of what we are doing, how we are doing it, where the gaps sit and how we address them.”
She tells clergy in the diocese: “I would like you to hear from me that you have remained in my constant prayers and in my care and concern throughout. It has been like looking through an opaque window observing but unable to reach you.
“I regret at this time I am unable to advise you of what the future holds for me. This will become clearer in the days ahead. What I know is God’s will be done,” Bishop Mason writes.
She ends the letter saying: “Pray for Bishop John. Pray for each other and those with particular leadership responsibilities and please continue to pray for me.”
My thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by this situation.
I am committed to ensuring stability during this time of transition and will be putting the necessary arrangements in place to provide episcopal oversight for the Diocese. An acting Bishop for the Diocese of Liverpool will be announced in the coming days.
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
One woman said the Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath kissed her without consent and groped her on separate occasions between 2019 and 2023, while the second, a female bishop, accused him of sexual harassment in 2023.
Bishop Perumbalath, 58, has vehemently denied the allegations - and in his retirement letter, published online on Thursday, he reiterated his denial.
The letter, shared by the Diocese of Liverpool, read: "Having sought the permission of His Majesty the King, I have today taken the decision to retire from active ministry in the Church of England."
Addressing the accusations, he continued: "Since those allegations were made I have consistently maintained that I have not done anything wrong and continue to do so.
"I do not wish this story to become a distraction for this incredible diocese and its people whom it has been an honour and joy to serve," the bishop says in his letter.
"This is not a resignation occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability."
The exact date for when the bishop's role will formally end is yet to be decided, but he is stepping back from ministering and leading the diocese as of Thursday.
The letter continued: "I have taken this decision for my own well-being, my family and the best interests of the Diocese.
"I have informed the Archbishop of York of my decision and I understand he will put in place the necessary arrangements for episcopal oversight of the diocese for the remainder of my time here and during the vacancy."
The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell - who has faced calls to resign over separate safeguarding failures - said: "I respect his decision and thank him for his ministry."
"My thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by this situation," he continued. "I am committed to ensuring stability during this time of transition and will be putting the necessary arrangements in place to provide episcopal oversight for the diocese."
An acting bishop will be announced in the coming days.
The diocese - which on Wednesday pressured the bishop to step aside - said in a statement: "We acknowledge his decision in taking this step for the good of the Diocese of Liverpool.
"This is a deeply painful situation, and we hold all concerned in our prayers."
The misconduct allegations were reported by Channel 4 earlier this week but first made to the Church of England in 2023.
The Church said the female bishop's complaint "was looked into according to statutory safeguarding guidance… and an independent risk assessment undertaken".
"This process concluded that there were no ongoing safeguarding concerns, but a learning outcome was identified with which the bishop fully engaged."
A "further disclosure was made by another woman" shortly after, the Church said. This was "assessed not to be a safeguarding matter but a matter of alleged misconduct," it added.
Bishop Perumbalath's resignation comes at a tumultuous time for the Church of England, which has recently seen Justin Welby quit as Archbishop of Canterbury over the handling of another case.
Williamson suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in his native England on Jan. 24 and died Wednesday, the Society of St. Pius X said in a statement on Thursday.
Williamson was among four men consecrated bishop in 1988 by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who formed the group in 1969 in opposition to the Second Vatican Council.
Vatican II was the series of 1960s church meetings that modernized the Catholic Church by allowing Mass in the vernacular rather than Latin and revolutionizing the church’s relations with Jews.
In 1988, the Vatican excommunicated Lefebvre, Williamson and the other bishops, because they were consecrated without papal consent.
First as cardinal and then as pope, Benedict worked to heal the schism and bring the group back under Rome’s wing, fearing the spread of a parallel, pre-Vatican II church. The fear wasn’t unfounded: The society, which is based in Menzingen, Switzerland, boasts six seminaries and dozens of chapels, schools and retreat centers around the globe.
As part of his outreach, Benedict removed the excommunications of Williamson and the surviving bishops in 2009.
But an uproar ensued after Williamson said in a television interview that aired on Swiss television just before the pope’s decree was made public that he didn’t believe Jews were killed in gas chambers during World War II.
The scandal was an acute embarrassment for the German-born pope, who later acknowledged mistakes in the Williamson affair and said that a simple internet search would have turned up Williamson’s views.
Williamson later ran afoul of the society itself, which expelled him in 2012 for insubordination.
He had ignored a deadline to “declare his submission” to its authority and had called for the society’s superior to resign, the group said at the time.
The following year, a German court fined him for having denied the Holocaust in the 2009 television interview. Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany.
In announcing Williamson’s death, the society said that Williamson had been ordained a priest by Lefebvre in 1976 and had taught in the society’s seminaries in Europe, the U.S. and Argentina.
He had also served in a leadership position as second assistant general from 1988-1994.
“Sadly, his path and that of the Society separated many years ago,” the statement said.
“In commending the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of almighty God, I offer my deepest sympathies to the families who are now mourning the loss of a loved one,” Pope Francis said in a Jan. 30 telegram addressed to President Donald Trump.
“I likewise pray for those involved in the recovery efforts and invoke upon all in the nation the divine blessings of consolation and strength,” he continued.
Around 9 p.m. local time on Jan. 29, an American Airlines flight carrying 60 passengers and four crew members from Wichita, Kansas, collided with an army helicopter as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. There were three soldiers aboard the helicopter.
As of 8 a.m. on Jan. 30, local officials in Washington said that 28 bodies had been recovered from the Potomac River.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said during a Jan. 30 news conference. If that holds true, it would be the deadliest air crash in the United States in nearly 24 years. The cause of the collision is still unknown.
Passengers on the plane included a group of figure skaters, coaches, and family members returning from a training camp following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, according to U.S. Figure Skating.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Washington, has assured those who were affected by the tragedy of the prayers from people in the archdiocese, and worldwide.
“Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Washington today join men and women of goodwill here and around the world in praying for those who perished in last night’s heartbreaking accident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and for their grieving families and loved ones,” Gregory said in a statement.
“We praise God for the generous assistance of our courageous first responders,” he said. “May this disaster serve as an impetus to strengthen our unity and collaboration.”
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington called for prayers for all those impacted by the tragedy.
“May we be united in prayer for all those tragically impacted by the accident near Reagan Airport,” Burbidge said in a statement. “We ask God to embrace them in his love, to grant strength to their families, and to watch over all first responders.”
Similarly, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore urged people to pray.
“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the tragic collision at Reagan National Airport,” Lori said in a statement. “Let us pray for them and for their loved ones who mourn them. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the first responders during this very difficult time.”
Late on Jan. 29, Trump said he had been briefed on the situation.
“May God Bless their souls,” Trump said, referring to the victims of the crash. “Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
Gabriel McConkey, 19, was awarded more than £50,000 in a civil case last week at Belfast High Court after Methodist College Belfast admitted liability in relation to negligence and failure to supervise in relation to the trip to Portugal in December 2022.
Mr McConkey, who was 17 at the time, alleged that older pupils forced him and others to run naked around the resort they were staying in.
He said they then used the video to coerce him into having his head shaved and that he was forced to witness other boys as they were coerced into performing an act on a sex toy.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Reverend Niall Johnston, chairman of the school’s board of governors at Methodist College, said the school offered its “sincere apologies”.
He said: “Immediately following the occurrence of the unacceptable behaviour, the principal was in contact with Mr McConkey and his parents and offered an apology on behalf of the school, an apology that I wish to reiterate.
“This was before any legal proceedings were intimated.”
He added: “A review of the school’s procedures commenced immediately.
“When the legal proceedings were initiated, the matter was placed in the hands of the school’s insurers who then dealt with the claim on the school’s behalf.
“The school admitted publicly the allegation that was made against the school, which was one of negligent supervision.
“It would have been inappropriate for the school to comment on this matter during legal proceedings.
“The school continues to extend its regret over these incidents to Mr McConkey and his family and again offers its sincere apologies in respect of the incidents that occurred on the trip.”
The report of the Commission of Investigation into how abuse allegations against basketball coach Bill Kenneally were handled, will be completed "as soon as reasonably possible", the commission has said in a statement.
Kenneally is serving almost 19 years in prison for the serious sexual abuse of 15 young boys between 1979 and 1990 following two criminal prosecutions.
Gardaí believe at least 14 other boys were abused by Kenneally and the case has been described by the commission's chair as one of the most serious cases of paedophilia uncovered in Ireland.
The criminal cases heard that Kenneally met the boys often through basketball coaching, and groomed them by plying them with drink, money and other gifts, while subjecting them to very serious sexual abuse.
The Commission of Investigation was set up in 2018 under Mr Justice Barry Hickson, and subsequently, Mr Justice Michael White, to examine how State authorities, the Catholic clergy, politicians, sporting organisations and others dealt with allegations of sexual abuse made by young teenage boys against Kenneally from the 1980s onwards.
The commission has heard over 5,000 pages of testimony during ten separate modules. There have been 31 separate books of documents disclosed.
Kenneally himself gave evidence in public, in March last year, in testimony that shocked those present, both in its content and in the manner in which he presented it.
In a statement this morning, the commission said it concluded its hearings and disclosure last Thursday when it received final oral submissions from the parties. It said it had received submissions on behalf of 11 victims, An Garda Síochána, Tusla, the HSE and Basketball Ireland.
The commission said there was very considerable work to be undertaken in reviewing the evidence and disclosure and writing the report. And it said Mr Justice White would endeavour to have it completed as soon as reasonably possible.
When the judge has completed the draft report, he must send relevant parts to any person who is identified or identifiable. Any such person who believes the commission has not observed fair procedures can seek changes or go to the High Court to seek such changes.
It is likely in those circumstances that it will be some time before the report is completed and published.
Bill Kenneally was part of what was once a powerful political dynasty in the southeast. His grandfather, Willie Kenneally, uncle, Billie Kenneally and cousin Brendan Kenneally were all Fianna Fáil TDs for Waterford. An uncle, Monsignor John Shine, was a significant figure in the Catholic church in Waterford.
Senior gardai spoke to Bill Kenneally in 1987 about allegations he had indecently assaulted a 14-year-old boy. One of his victims said he had told gardaí about Kenneally’s activities two years before that.
Kenneally was sent, after the 1987 meeting, to speak to his uncle, Monsignor Shine, who arranged for him to go to a doctor a number of times. But it was not until 2012 that his house was searched by gardaí. He was arrested the following year.
His victims campaigned for this commission, some waiving their right to anonymity. They want to know if collusion and his family’s political connections protected Bill Kenneally from being prosecuted much earlier.
Bill Kenneally's cousin, Brendan Kenneally, who was a Fianna Fáil TD and Senator between 1989 and 2011 also gave evidence to the commission. He denied that he had tried to keep the abuse quiet or sweep it under the carpet.
The controversial bishop Richard Williamson is in hospital in a serious condition and has received last rites following reports that he was admitted to hospital following a brain haemorrhage.
Williamson has been excommunicated multiple times, making him one of the most rebellious prelates in the Church’s history.
He has consecrated several men as bishops without Vatican approval, leaving behind an episcopal lineage of illicit bishops.
The renegade bishop was one of four men consecrated as bishops for the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre at Écône, Switzerland, without Vatican approval.
Williamson, an Englishman and originally an Anglican, attended Winchester College and later Cambridge University.
He was received into the Catholic Church in 1971 and, after discerning his vocation at the Brompton Oratory, London, entered the International Seminary of Saint Pius X at Écône, Switzerland.
The society, founded by Archbishop Lefebvre and then in full communion with the Church, opposed the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Williamson was ordained a priest in 1976.
He subsequently moved to the United States, where he served as rector of St Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Ridgefield, Connecticut, from 1983. He continued in this role when the seminary relocated to Winona, Minnesota, in 1988.
By 1988, tensions between the Society and Rome had reached breaking point.
Archbishop Lefebvre had long been at odds with the Holy See, facing suspension a divinis for ordaining priests without approval and resisting the New Rites of the sacraments.
Despite ongoing dialogue with Cardinal Ratzinger, who sought to regularise the SSPX, Lefebvre’s erratic behaviour and staunch opposition to Vatican II reforms ultimately derailed their agreement.
That year, Lefebvre consecrated Williamson and three others as bishops without papal consent, leading to the immediate excommunication of Lefebvre, Williamson, and the other three bishops. Lefebvre died in 1991.
Following his episcopal consecration, Williamson remained rector of St Thomas Aquinas Seminary until 2003, when he was appointed rector of the SSPX Seminary of Our Lady Co-Redemptrix in La Reja, Argentina.
In 2009, at the same time the Vatican remitted the automatic excommunications of the bishops, Williamson made headlines for stating on Swedish television: “I believe that the historical evidence is strongly against, is hugely against six million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler.”
Williamson’s relationship with the SSPX became increasingly strained.
In August 2012, he conducted unauthorised confirmations in Brazil, prompting criticism from SSPX leadership for disobedience.
By October 2012, after refusing to submit and publishing an open letter against the Superior General, he was expelled from the Society for his refusal “to show respect and obedience deserved by his legitimate superiors.”
From 2015, Williamson began independently consecrating bishops, starting with Jean-Michel Faure in Brazil, incurring automatic excommunication for conducting the ceremonies without papal approval.
He subsequently consecrated Tomás de Aquino Ferreira da Costa, Gerardo Zendejas, Michał Stobnicki, Giacomo Ballini, and, reportedly in 2024, performed a conditional episcopal consecration for Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.
Known for his controversial views, Williamson argued that women should not pursue careers or attend university and propagated conspiracy theories, including claims that the September 11 attacks and the 2005 London bombings were orchestrated by the US and UK governments.
A number of protesters stood and turned their backs to President Michael D Higgins as he delivered his speech during the National Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration in the Mansion House this afternoon.
The protesters took to their feet as the president spoke about the Hamas attack on October 7, the response inflicted on Gaza after and the “long-overdue ceasefire”.
“I believe that those in Israel who mourn their loved ones, those who have been waiting for the release of hostages, or the thousands searching for relatives in the rubble and Gaza, will welcome the long-overdue ceasefire, which for there has been such a heavy price paid,” President Higgins said.
The president said the agreement “must end the killing”, deliver increased humanitarian aid to save lives and that all remaining hostages are released.
“It is to be hoped that the agreement will not only bring an end to the horrific loss of life and destruction which has taken place, but that it will also mark the beginning of the meaningful discussions, the sustained diplomatic initiatives which have been missing from the international community with tragic consequences,” he said.
According to reports from RTÉ News, while a number of protesters walked out of the Round Room where the commemoration took place, some were removed from the room by security and gardaí.
The ceremony took place the day before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp.
During the keynote speech, President Higgins told those gathered that war was “not the natural condition of humanity”.
“When wars and conflicts become accepted or presented as seemingly unending, humanity is a loser. War is not the natural condition of humanity. Cooperation is,” President Higgins said.
“We must recover and assert that principle at every level, nationally, regionally, internationally.
“We must never lack the courage to challenge hatred and persecution in whatever forms they are sought to be manifested by promoting a world that is free from persecution based on difference,” he added.
Organised by Holocaust Education Ireland, Holocaust survivors Tomi Reichental and Suzi Diamond were in attendance and who met the President as he arrived at the Mansion House this afternoon.
Among the politicians who attended the event included Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain and Senator Michael McDowell.
No doubt it is evidence that you could have gathered yourself had you decided to instigate an independent and impartial investigation, but you failed to do so....and then you had An Garda Síochána call to 'interview' you in relation to that failure...amongst other related issues.
So brace yourself Fintan, it's going to start getting a little bumpy for you....and we would HOPE that you may actually start telling the truth (to which you seem to be so averse), and failing that, the evidence will do what you have failed to do, and indeed continue to fail to do.
A telephone call and email - both of which you are aware will be the starting point Fintan....and if you have any problem with it, get in touch with us....
We look forward to hearing from you.
Mise,
AODHÁN DE FAOITE
Eagarthóir / Editor
Today, on RTÉ 1, at 11am, his successor, Fr Joseph Campbell is celebrating Mass.....but why the silence Bishop Deenihan in relation to Fr Cummins?
Why was Fr Cummins removed from his chaplaincy position at the Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School, Tullamore, Co Offaly, and replaced by Fr Joseph Campbell?
Was it down to something he said in a classroom along the lines of his claim that IVF babies are not real babies?
We continue to look forward to hearing from you.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
AODHÁN DE FAOITE
Eagarthóir / Editor
....and now has developed into a 'security guard' (unvetted by the Irish Security Industry Association) located at a convent church, An Garda Síochána in Henry Street, Limerick, a convent involved (perhaps, unwittingly) in potential money-laundering via its accounts, a retreat centre in the North West of the country....
....into that mix then add forged 'celebrat' paperwork by aforementioned priest (must be getting lesssons from Fintan in Killaloe), who was also parading and peddling his false relics in the North West of Ireland, before being found out and recalled to the Diocese of Limerick....all this whilst this same said priest is supposedly on leave pending canonical investigation by the Diocese of Limerick....
....but don't worry, once we have the full legal clearance required, we will print names, incidents etc, and if anyone realises they have been scammed, we will be only too happy to legally help them sue the priest and the Diocese involved.
Mise,
AODHÁN DE FAOITE
Eagarthóir / Editor
He underscored the importance of a cohesive educational community involving bishops, priests, religious, professors, and staff and noted that this community extends beyond the seminary, incorporating parishes, movements, and families.
“Formation must touch all dimensions of the person and orient them toward mission,” he said.
Human relationships and trust
Pope Francis said that only by fostering a family environment, characterized by fatherhood and brotherhood, “Can mutual trust develop, essential for effective discernment.”
Seminaries, he added, should be spaces where seminarians can be their authentic selves, free from arbitrary judgment.
Diversity as a gift
The Pope upheld the diversity of candidates entering seminaries today, ranging from different ages, cultural backgrounds, and spiritual experiences.
“Do not fear diversity,” he encouraged, describing it as a gift.
And pointing to the need for personal accompaniment and individualized paths, he said “Education in welcoming others guarantees a presbyterate that is fraternal and united in essentials.”
Three key priorities
Pope Francis then outlined three priorities for priestly formation: Inner freedom that enables candidates to develop the ability to judge and decide independently, illuminated by faith and charity; Human maturity needed as a protection against excessive rigidity or emotional imbalance; and patience,” Mission orientation that provides the right focus for the priesthood that involves self-giving and humility, centred on Christ and service to God’s people.
“Do not let love for God and the Church become a pretext for self-promotion,” he cautioned, adding, “When you find an ecclesiastic who behaves like a peacock, it’s not good.”
“He continually raises us up from the ashes of death and gives us the strength to go on, to begin anew.”
In his homily for the feast of the Conversion of St Paul – which also marks the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with Martha after the death of her brother, Lazarus. In response to Martha’s profession of faith in the resurrection of the dead at the end of time, Jesus assured her that He Himself is the resurrection and the life, and asks of her, “Do you believe this?”
This Gospel passage provided the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer, and teaches us, the Pope said, “that even in times of deep desolation, we are not alone and we can continue to hope.”
And this is important not just in our own lives, but also “for the life of Christian communities, our churches, and our ecumenical relationships,” the Pope said. If at times we feel overwhelmed or discouraged, Jesus nonetheless comes to us. “Do we believe this?” Pope Francis asked. “Do we believe that He is the resurrection and the life?”
The Holy Father that the Gospel’s message of hope “is at the heart” of the Jubilee Year. This hope, which comes from the Holy Spirit, is likewise the foundation of the ecumenical journey.
Pope Francis noted, too, that 2025 will see the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, the first of the great Ecumenical Councils, which produced the Nicene Creed. This creed, the Pope said, “is a common profession of faith that transcends all the divisions that have riven the Body of Christ over the centuries”; and the anniversary of its proclamation, “an opportunity for all Christians who recite the same Creed and believe in the same God.”
“Let us rediscover the common roots of the faith,” the Pope exclaimed. “Let us preserve unity!”
Finally, Pope Francis took the occasion to renew his appeal that Christians might work together “to take a decisive step forward towards unity around a common date for Easter,” as he noted that this year, Easter falls on the same date for both the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
Concluding his reflections, Pope Francis insisted, “In Jesus, hope is always possible,” and it is Jesus “who sustains our hope as we journey towards Him in unity.” Returning to Jesus’ question to Martha, Pope Francis asked, “Do you believe this? Do we believe in communion with one another?”
And he ended his homily with the exhortation, “Dear brothers and sisters, this is the time to confirm our profession of faith in the one God and to find in Christ Jesus the way to unity… let us never grow tired of bearing witness, before all peoples, to the only-begotten Son of God, the source of all our hope.”
In an interview with the internet portal "kirche-und-leben.de" on Friday, the Jesuit (58) reported on a victim who could be financially satisfied with the reappraisal following church payments in recognition of the suffering he had endured.
However, the victim was disappointed that those responsible did not look after him afterwards.
He had hoped for further spiritual counselling.
Zollner said: "The church can't simply put a lid on it. It has to face up to the different expectations of those affected and look for a path that they want and that is feasible for them."
Creating safe spaces
The theologian, psychologist and psychotherapist explained that those affected should be able to find contact persons or groups in every parish to support them.
Safeguarding must be recognised and implemented as part of the church's mission.
Safeguarding means comprehensive measures for child protection and protection from violence of all kinds.
With regard to developments in the global church, Zollner stated that, similar to Germany, prevention work had improved significantly worldwide compared to 2010.
Safeguarding measures are in place in more and more countries. He emphasised the importance of creating safe spaces, relationships and processes. Zollner added: "In many places, we are still at the beginning of the corresponding change in mentality for such comprehensive safeguarding."
Zollner is Director of the Institute of Anthropology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and Head of the Centre for Child Protection (Institute for the Protection of Minors from Abuse).
He resigned from the Pontifical Child Protection Commission in 2023 after extensive criticism of its working methods.
Although the process is still at an early stage, the announcement has caused great joy in his home country, the French newspaper "La Croix" reported on Thursday.
"It is a great joy for us to see the start of the beatification process.
The news has caused great enthusiasm here," said Fr Anicet Gnanvi, Communications Director of the Bishops' Conference of Benin.
"Cardinal Gantin was an extraordinary personality who left his mark both in Benin and around the world."
High offices in the Roman Curia
Born in a small village in Benin in 1922, Gantin made a career in Rome and held several important posts in the Roman Curia: he was initially active in the Congregation for Missions, then became President of the Pontifical Councils "Iustitia et Pax" and "Cor unum", before finally becoming Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops in 1984.
This was the first time that an African was responsible for the appointment of bishops in Europe, North America and parts of South America. He was also the first black curia cardinal.
However, Gantin became famous as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops through his signature on the decree that excommunicated the traditionalist Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
This was triggered by four unauthorised episcopal consecrations, with which Lefebvre also realised a schism.
From 1993 to 2002, Gantin was Dean of the College of Cardinals.
After his resignation, he returned to Benin, where he lived in seclusion until his death in 2008.
The local priest in the Sisak-Moslavina region south of the Croatian capital Zagreb had published a list on which not only the amount of the respective donation of 10 to 200 euros, but also the first and last name and the exact address were noted, Croatian media report.
The priest's action angered many in the parish, which has around 2,500 believers, as it is a region that was devastated and partially impoverished by the 2020 earthquake.
This was indecent and scandalous, said one parishioner.
Among other things, he explained that since his arrival, the pastor had introduced the new practice of reading out the respective monetary donations during the service.
"For me, this is unacceptable," criticised another parishioner. "Many here live hard and have given as much as they can to the church, now they are ashamed."
Similar case on Epiphany
A price list for house blessings by priests in a parish in Virovitica-Podravina County had already caused displeasure and anger on Epiphany.
According to reports, the faithful were recommended to donate at least 30 euros, and up to 100 euros for those with higher incomes.
This is not the first time the issue has polarised opinion in Croatia.
There is no church tax or contribution system in Croatia like in German-speaking countries.
The church is financed by donations, collections, mass stipends and state contributions.
Prefect of the Faith Víctor Manuel Fernández explained the legislative plans for the first time on Thursday in an interview with the Spanish church newspaper "Alfa y Omega".
In November, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith set up a working group under the direction of the Prefect of the Dicastery for the legislative textsto draft a canonical offence for spiritual abuse and "false mysticism".
According to Fernández, this concerns cases of manipulation of people "who entrust themselves to a spiritual leader and, at the same time, manipulation of the spiritual beauty of our faith in order to obtain sex".
The planned change to church law is necessary because there is currently no relevant criminal offence for such cases. For this reason, the general penal provision of c. 1399 CIC has often been applied to date, which also permits penalties for offences that are not expressly defined if the particular gravity of the violation of the law makes punishment appear necessary.
The general penal norm has been criticised in canon law for decades because it breaches the principle of "no punishment without law".
The prefect described it as "not favourable" to be able to rely solely on such a general provision for frequently occurring crimes.
Focus away from "false mysticism"
The working group set up in November is currently working on systematising existing precedents.
"Collecting cases or stories can help to better specify the conditions and scope of a typification or - with an authentic interpretation of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts - make it clear which existing norms cover these situations," said Fernández.
The Church's criminal law already covers
the abuse of a cleric's authority to commit sexual offences.
However, the original intention to introduce a criminal offence of "false mysticism" seems to have been abandoned.
The prefect emphasised that this formulation should be included in the new Vatican regulations on the examination of miracles in order to systematise the assessment of behaviour that is already punishable as serious.
In the case of spiritual abuse, however, it is appropriate to use a different term, as the two concepts are not congruent.
In the case of spiritual abuse, it is not necessary for false beliefs to play a role: "Even the Catechism of the Church or the writings of St John of the Cross can be used as a pretext to manipulate another person and commit a crime of 'spiritual abuse'."
Investigation into the Rupnik case concluded
In recent years, prominent cases and allegations of abuse have repeatedly been made public in which sexualised violence was spiritually justified by the accused.
Examples of this are the allegations against the ex-Jesuit Marko Rupnik where sexualised violence and abuse of power are said to be part of his creative process in the production of works of art, or the case of the founder of the case of the founder of the spiritual community "Family of Mary".
Former members of the community had accused him of inadmissibly mixing pastoral care and leadership of the organisation he founded.
In the interview, Fernández also commented on the Rupnik case. Although this is a prominent case, there are currently other open cases that are even more serious.
According to the prefect, the Dicastery of the Faith has compiled and analysed the necessary information for a trial against Rupnik. The task now is to put together an independent court to conduct the proceedings. Suitable persons are currently being sought for this.
In 2023, the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) published a working aid on dealing with clerical abuse published.
It states that the prosecution of clerical abuse under church law is only possible to a very limited extent: "This is because clerical abuse as a complex system is not qualified as a criminal offence either in church criminal law (reformed version of 2021) or in the state criminal code."
The working aid lists the abuse of knowledge acquired in confession, abuse of office and breaches of official duty, violation of the confidentiality of confession, violation of good reputation and the coercion of sexual acts as regulations in ecclesiastical criminal law that partially cover clerical abuse.
In January, there was even a slight decline in bookings compared to the same month last year, as reported by the newspaper "La Repubblica" (Thursday).
For the Holy Year 2025, which Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve, 32 million visitors were actually expected in Rome; that would be almost 50 per cent more than in 2024.
However, according to data from the hotel association "Federalberghi", there are no signs of a visitor boom at present or in the coming weeks.
According to the data, thousands of accommodations offered via Airbnb are empty, and even for March and April there is still no sign of a turnaround.
As a result, some people are now offering their flats at dumping prices. For example, a flat a few steps from St Peter's Basilica with "all the comforts" is available for 62 instead of 130 euros per night.
According to the report, there are also plenty of discounts on the Booking portal among the almost 18,000 hotels, holiday homes, B&Bs and hostels in Rome.
"Black months"
Dario Pileri, president of the ProLocaTur landlords' association, explained that although January and February have been "black months" so far, he is not pessimistic.
"The days of the big celebrations for the Holy Year will come - along with the guests."
At the moment, however, everything is still at a standstill; those who have relied solely on the jubilee year have taken a risky approach.
According to the newspaper, another problem for tourist arrivals in Rome is looming for the summer: the low-cost airline Ryanair wants to withdraw one of its aircraft stationed in Fiumicino "despite the jubilee celebrations" and not offer any more flights at Ciampino Airport - also due to increased airport costs.
Rome's tourism commissioner Alessandro Onorato nevertheless expressed confidence that the investments made by the city government for the Holy Year would provide an "enormous image boost" for the Eternal City.
At the beginning of January, new guidelines for the training of priests came into force in Italy, the 44th paragraph of which caused a lot of discussion.
It states: "If homosexual inclinations are mentioned in the training process, it is also appropriate not to reduce the distinction to this aspect alone".
It is much more a question of checking whether candidates for the priesthood are aware of their sexuality and can refrain from living it out - whether heterosexual or homosexual - in accordance with the obligation of celibacy.
Since then, a dispute over the interpretation of the 44th section of the paper has been raging.
While Münster canon law expert Thomas Schüller spoke of a "de-dramatisation" of homosexuality in Italian seminaries, Roman canon law expert Stefan Mückl explained that he was astonished by the perception that the Italian Bishops' Conference had decided not to exclude homosexuals from the priesthood as a matter of principle in future.
LGBT representatives and pastors also expressed their displeasure - the document was inadequate. Everything would remain the same.
The "real novelty"?
The reaction of the Italian bishops showed just how much fire is under the roof on this issue.
They quickly tried to regain sovereignty of interpretation over their published document: The chairman of the Commission for the Clergy and Consecrated Life of the Bishops' Conference, Stefano Manetti, explained in the bishops' own newspaper "Avvenire" that the controversial paragraph merely confirmed the position of the Magisterium.
The "real novelty" of the document is that it emphasises the need for "discernment". The aim is to accompany people beyond the usual categorisations in "finding the truth about their sexual orientation".
Bernhard Anuth, a canon lawyer from Tübingen, expressed a similar view when asked by the Catholic News Agency (KNA): Previously, too, candidates could have been admitted to ordination whose "homosexual tendencies", "merely the expression of a temporary problem, such as an adolescence that had not yet been completed", and had "clearly been overcome" before ordination.
"The Italian bishops are now merely categorising this 'overcoming' of deep-seated homosexual tendencies in a more sensitive and differentiated way," says Anuth.
Accordingly, anyone who is admitted to ordination after the clarification process described in the Ratio nationalis no longer has "deep-seated" and therefore, from an official point of view, problematic homosexual tendencies.
According to the canon lawyer, the official teaching that homosexuality is "objectively disordered" remains unchanged.
It is striking that the Italian bishops continue to maintain the magisterial discourse on "homosexual tendencies" despite the fundamental reception of human scientific expertise. This implies - together with the idea of "overcoming" - that sexual orientation is a tendency and therefore something changeable.
This narrative is perceived as a burden by affected seminarians and clergy. It can put pressure on those affected to continue to hide part of their identity.
However, the issue of homosexuality and Catholic clergy is not the only controversial one to be found in the new training regulations. It is striking that the Italian bishops refer in many places to cultural and social influences on future clergy.
The list is long: social media, diverse models of life and meaning, heterogeneous socialisation of potential new priests.
For example, the guidelines deal extensively with the question of the environment in which the next generation of priests should be trained. The Italian bishops propose greater involvement of women and experts.
In the more than 200 Italian dioceses - some of which have fewer than 100,000 Catholics - there are currently a total of around 120 seminaries.
Less than 2,000 seminarians live in these centres.
Fifty years ago, there were around three times as many.
Consequently, the paper also contains considerations on merging training centres, because: A larger group is needed for the development of a consolidated personality, the bishops write.
Experts outside the church circle
The need for human maturity and development runs through the entire paper. In future, seminarians should receive more offers of therapeutic counselling - at their own request or on the advice of those responsible for their training.
The Italian bishops repeatedly emphasise that the psycho-social and sexual development of candidates must be clarified and consolidated before they can be ordained as deacons and priests.
The vehemence with which this is insisted on shows that there is a certain awareness of the problem in Italy.
A related recommendation from the bishops is increased co-operation with experts and specialists outside the inner circle of the Church.
The document addresses the issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in detail, albeit not always explicitly.
While the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone was the first of over 200 Italian dioceses to present an abuse report at the beginning of the week, the Italian bishops are signalling greater sensitivity for their seminary training.
According to the bishops, the culture of abuse has "unfortunately been ignored for a long time".
Therefore, "it can be useful for the trainers in the seminaries" to work together with prevention specialists. Stable ways of working together are needed. This is the only way to promote the necessary reforms "to develop a culture of care and eradicate the culture of abuse".
This approach was praised by Dirk Gärtner, Chairman of the German Regents' Conference and Head of Priest Training in Fulda, in an interview with KNA at the beginning of January: "The published version of the Italian training regulations incorporates new findings from social research and the human sciences."
This is also currently being worked on in Germany, said Gärtner. He announced a new training regulation for Germany based on similar criteria.
The pontiff’s message comes as the communications landscape is experiencing a paradigm shift, with the “traditional” media of printed newspapers and television news organizations is being overcome with different forms of online versions, from social media to podcasts.
An investigation by the Wall Street Journal in 2021 showed the popular social media platform Facebook was aware of mental health risks linked to the use of its Instagram app but kept it secret.
Dr. Deborah R Glasofer, the Associate Professor of Clinical Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at Columbia University, said for those vulnerable to developing an eating disorder, social media may be especially unhelpful because it allows people to easily compare their appearance to their friends, to celebrities, even older images of themselves.
“Research tells us that how much someone engages with photo-related activities like posting and sharing photos on Facebook or Instagram is associated with less body acceptance and more obsessing about appearance,” she told Columbia University’s public health website.
“When you find yourself feeling badly about yourself in relation to what other people are posting about themselves, then social media is not doing you any favors,” Glasofer said.
In his message, Pope Francis focused on the actions of the present way the media is changing as social media increases its influence.
“Too often today, communication generates not hope, but fear and despair, prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred. All too often it simplifies reality in order to provoke instinctive reactions; it uses words like a razor; it even uses false or artfully distorted information to send messages designed to agitate, provoke or hurt,” he said.
“On several occasions, I have spoken of our need to ‘disarm’ communication and to purify it of aggressiveness. It never helps to reduce reality to slogans. All of us see how – from television talk shows to verbal attacks on social media – there is a risk that the paradigm of competition, opposition, the will to dominate and possess, and the manipulation of public opinion will prevail,” Francis said.
He pointed out the “programmed dispersion of attention” through digital systems are modifying the perception of reality.
“As a result, we witness, often helplessly, a sort of atomization of interests that ends up undermining the foundations of our existence as community, our ability to join in the pursuit of the common good, to listen to one another and to understand each other’s point of view,” he said.
“Identifying an ‘enemy’ to lash out against thus appears indispensable as a way of asserting ourselves. Yet when others become our ‘enemies’, when we disregard their individuality and dignity in order to mock and deride them, we also lose the possibility of generating hope,” the pope claimed.
Francis said Christian communication – and also communication in general – “should be steeped in gentleness and closeness, like the talk of companions on the road.”
“I dream of a communication capable of making us fellow travelers, walking alongside our brothers and sisters and encouraging them to hope in these troubled times. A communication capable of speaking to the heart, arousing not passionate reactions of defensiveness and anger, but attitudes of openness and friendship,” the pope said.
I dream of a communication that does not peddle illusions or fears, but is able to give reasons for hope,” he continued.
Francis said hope is always a community project.
“We are all invited – all of us! – to start over again, to let God lift us up, to let him embrace us and shower us with mercy. In this regard, the personal and communal aspects are inseparably connected: we set out together, we journey alongside our many brothers and sisters, and we pass through the Holy Door together,” he added, referencing the Jubilee Year started at Christmas.
“I encourage you to discover and make known the many stories of goodness hidden in the folds of the news, imitating those gold-prospectors who tirelessly sift the sand in search of a tiny nugget. It is good to seek out such seeds of hope and make them known,” Francis said.
The members of the Sudanese Church of Christ had sought refuge in areas controlled by the SAF from the military fighting in Khartoum, but upon arrival in Shendi, River Nile state, they were arrested by personnel from Military Intelligence, according to the Sudanese Christian Youth Union.
Military Intelligence agents accused the Christians of supporting the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and receiving stolen money, with the Christians denying both allegations. The youth union asserted that the false accusations were an excuse to arrest the Christians, and an attorney following the case said authorities tortured them into confessing.
The Christian attorney, Shinbago Mugaddam, said the seven young Christians were denied legal aid, tortured and taken to a sham trial on the same day as their arrest.
“They were arrested by the army intelligence and were subjected to beatings and interrogations,” Mugaddam, following the case from another country as a refugee from the war, told Morning Star News.
“A case was opened against them where the complainant and the witnesses for the accusation were all members of the armed forces. The court did not ask them whether they needed a lawyer or had witnesses to deny this incident, knowing that they were beaten and forced to confess and provide evidence against themselves.”
The accusers and the witness were all from Military Intelligence, and they forced the Christians to plead guilty against their will, he said.
“These youths were tried under Article 174 of the Sudanese Criminal Code of 1994 relating to theft in a summary trial in the Shendi Court, River Nile state, where the conditions for a fair trial were not met,” Mugaddam said.
The Union of Sudanese Christian Youth condemned the arrests and called for their immediate release. Describing the arrests as a violation of human and religious rights in Sudan, the body urged all rights groups, regional and international organizations to intervene and protect those who have been jailed without evidence.
“We in the Sudanese Christian Youth Union hereby condemn these violations that are based on the religion, color and ethnicity” reads the statement issued on Turesday (Jan. 21).
In October, 26 Christians were arrested by Military Intelligence in Shendi after fleeing areas under RSF control in Khartoum.
Sudan’s military-led government in May approved a law restoring broad powers and immunities to intelligence officers that had been stripped after the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
The General Intelligence Service (GIS) Law (2024 Amendment) empowers intelligence officers to summon and interrogate individuals, conduct surveillance and searches, detain suspects and seize assets, according to the Sudan War Monitor.
The amendment granted extensive immunity, shielding agents from criminal or civil prosecution without the approval of the head of GIS. In capital punishment cases, it gave the director authority to form a special court.
“Any act committed by any member of the agency in good faith during or because of the performance of his job duties, or the performance of any duty imposed on him, or from any act issued by him under any authority authorized or granted to him under this law, shall not be considered a crime,” the law’s Article 52 states, according to the Sudan War Monitor.
Sudan was ranked No. 5 among the 50 countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian in Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List (WWL), down from No. 8 the prior year.
Conditions in Sudan worsened as civil war that broke out in April 2023 intensified. Sudan registered increases in the number of Christians killed and sexually assaulted and Christian homes and businesses attacked, according to the WWL report.
“Christians of all backgrounds are trapped in the chaos, unable to flee. Churches are shelled, looted and occupied by the warring parties,” the report stated.
Since April 2023 militants of the paramilitary RSF have been battling the SAF, and each Islamist force has attacked displaced Christians on accusations of supporting the other’s combatants.
The conflict between the RSF and the SAF, which had shared military rule in Sudan following an October 2021 coup, has terrorized civilians in Khartoum and elsewhere, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 12.36 million people within and beyond Sudan’s borders, according to the U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR).
The SAF’s Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan and his then-vice president, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, were in power when civilian parties in March 2023 agreed on a framework to re-establish a democratic transition the next month, but disagreements over military structure torpedoed final approval.
Burhan sought to place the RSF — a paramilitary outfit with roots in the Janjaweed militias that had helped former strongman Omar al-Bashir put down rebels — under the regular Army’s control within two years, while Dagolo would accept integration within nothing fewer than 10 years.
Both military leaders have Islamist backgrounds while trying to portray themselves to the international community as pro-democracy advocates of religious freedom.
Sudan had dropped out of the top 10 of the WWL list for the first time in six years when it first ranked No. 13 in 2021.
Following two years of advances in religious freedom in Sudan after the end of the Islamist dictatorship under Bashir in 2019, the specter of state-sponsored persecution returned with the military coup of Oct. 25, 2021.
After Bashir was ousted from 30 years of power in April 2019, the transitional civilian-military government had managed to undo some Sharia (Islamic law) provisions. It outlawed the labeling of any religious group “infidels” and thus effectively rescinded apostasy laws that made leaving Islam punishable by death.
With the Oct. 25, 2021, coup, Christians in Sudan feared the return of the most repressive and harsh aspects of Islamic law. Abdalla Hamdok, who had led a transitional government as prime minister starting in September 2019, was detained under house arrest for nearly a month before he was released and reinstated in a tenuous power-sharing agreement in November 2021.
Hamdock had been faced with rooting out longstanding corruption and an Islamist “deep state” from Bashir’s regime — the same deep state that is suspected of rooting out the transitional government in the 2021 coup.
The U.S. State Department in 2019 removed Sudan from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom” and upgraded it to a watch list. Sudan had previously been designated as a CPC from 1999 to 2018.
In December 2020, the State Department removed Sudan from its Special Watch List.
The Christian population of Sudan is estimated at 2 million, or 4.5% of the population of more than 43 million.