Happy Friday! As always, your weekly roundup:
Pope Francis’ eagerly awaited environment encyclical will be published June 18. The Vatican took the unusual step Thursday of announcing the release date in advance “to avoid confusion over the diffusion of unconfirmed information.” But republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said the pope should just leave climate change to the scientists.
A new report from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate indicates a growing number of Catholics around the world but also that fewer receive the sacraments.
Australian Cardinal George Pell is seeking legal advice after a member of the Vatican’s child protection commission called him “almost sociopathic” and appealed for his dismissal from the Vatican.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Pope Francis on June 10 at the Vatican, with conflicts in Syria and Ukraine likely to top the Holy See’s agenda.
Amid national buzz over transgender celebrity Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner’s public gender transition, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone denounced the spread of “gender ideology.” Cordileone has become a controversial figure in the church for his battles against same-sex marriage and his outspoken defense of traditional Catholic teachings on sexuality.
A Massachusetts judge ordered parishioners of a Catholic church who have occupied the building for more than a decade while the archdiocese attempted to close it to end their vigil by next week.
The head of liturgical music for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, who was also to play a key role orchestrating the huge outdoor Mass concluding Pope Francis’ trip to the United States in September, is resigning his post over long-standing differences with Archbishop Charles Chaput.
A Gallup poll shows that 50 percent of all Americans now identify as “pro-choice,” the first statistically significant lead over the “pro-life” label, which came in at 44 percent, since 2008.
President Barack Obama will deliver the closing address to the annual assembly of the Catholic Health Association, the organization has announced.
In his latest act of papal charity, Pope Francis donated funds for two busloads of homeless and sick pilgrims to visit the Shroud of Turin. They will stay in two charitable centers that offer shelter to the homeless during the winter.
And now for the papal rapid fire roundup:
This week, Pope Francis:
- Almost had a chemistry degree.
- Praised poor families.
- Is going to Bosnia.
- Should watch SpongeBob Squarepants.
- Blessed an iPad.
- Is a plush doll.
