Focus

A canon lawyer reviews the first major changes to church law since 1983

Jun 19, 2021

The latest revisions to Catholic Church law, published on June 1, respond not only to the recommendations of the Australian Royal Commission but to new kinds of abuses identified by the church in the years since the last revision, including the attempted ordination of women and the various financial scandals uncovered.
Pope Francis to priests: Weakness is a chance for encounter with God

Jun 12, 2021

Pope Francis told a group of young French priests on Monday, June 7 that weakness is a chance for encounter with God, and not something they should try to overcome by their own strength.
Pope Francis: Rigid priests are a manifestation of clericalism

Jun 12, 2021

Pope Francis urged a group of Italian seminarians to avoid rigidity, which, he said, lacks humanity, and encouraged them to ask God for the gift of docility.
Fears rise over China's growing crackdown on Christian religious leaders

Jun 05, 2021

The recent arrest of a Vatican-approved bishop, priests and seminarians in north-central China came as a shocking development, if not surprising, as religious persecution in the communist-led country has continued to intensify under President Xi Jinping.
Hong Kongers to defy ban against Tiananmen massacre memorial

Jun 05, 2021

Although they face up to five years in prison, some Hong Kongers are ready to defy a police ban against the Tiananmen massacre vigil Friday, 4 June, at Victoria Park.
Mary Help of Christians, protector of Chinese Catholics

May 28, 2021

As Christians celebrate the Feast of Mary Help of Christians on May 24, Catholics are also marking the 13th day of prayer for the Church in China.
Arturo Sosa, SJ on what Pope Francis and St Ignatius have in common

May 22, 2021

Arturo Sosa, SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, granted an interview to GERARD O’CONNELL of America in the Jesuit Curia in Rome on the eve of the launch of a new book published to coincide with the Ignatian Year.
Discernment is for every Christian — not just Jesuits

May 22, 2021

On May 20, 2021, the Society of Jesus kicks off the Ignatian Year, a celebration of the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St Ignatius Loyola, following his “cannonball moment” on the battle-field of Pamplona. To kick off this year of prayer and deepening conversion in our own lives, America spoke with Arturo Sosa, SJ, the superior general of the Jesuits. Ashley McKinless, the host of the “Jesuitical” podcast, and Colleen Dulle of “Inside the Vatican” ask Fr Sosa what Christians today can learn from Ignatius’ journey towards Christ, about his relationship with Pope Francis and more.
The future of the parish

May 08, 2021

Every reform must be preceded by ample consultation with both clergy and laity, as well as with the institutional spheres delegated for this purpose (presbyteral, pastoral and diocesan councils), so as to bring alive the pastor’s concern for all the realities of the diocese. A certain indifferentism must be avoided, either in “secularising” clerics or in “clericalising” the laity.
The Future of the Parish: Pastoral Conversion to the Gospel

May 01, 2021

Pope Francis has dwelt at length on the “pastoral conversion” of the parish