In what appears to be an attempt to rectify the biggest misstep of his pontificate, Pope Francis has appointed an investigator with a strong track record to look into sexual abuse allegations that have dogged Bishop Juan Barros, the pope’s controversial pick to lead the diocese of Osorno, Chile. Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta has…
A new statement from the Holy See Press Office today indicates that despite assertions to the contrary from an outspoken Chinese cardinal, Pope Francis is fully aware and approves of recent diplomatic steps taken by the Vatican to appease the Chinese government. Yesterday, we reported that Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop-Emeritus of Hong Kong, had released…
…There’s a post up at Rorate Caeli today from FFI Father Paolo M. Siano (who has written for 1P5 here), originally published at Corrispondenza Romana and now translated into English. The piece marks the sixth anniversary of a meeting between the (then) General Council of the Franciscans of the Immaculate and the five friars who opposed Father Stefano…
I’m pretty sure most of us are fed up with hearing about Lilianne Ploumen and her award from the Vatican. I know I am. But there’s been a development that is just too amazing not to share. And I’ll get to it, but I’m going to leave you hanging for just a minute because first…
A new report out of China yesterday indicates that the Vatican has now, for a second time, asked a legitimate bishop to step down and give his episcopal see to a Communist government-appointed bishop who was excommunicated in 2011 after being illicitly consecrated without a papal mandate. Bishop Peter Zhuang Jianjian of Shantou was forced…
It was arguably his most stunning statement to date as pontiff. As I reported last week, while in Chile, the pope accused victims of clerical sexual abuse perpetrated by Fr. Fernando Karadima of “calumny” for alleging that his protege, papal appointee to the Diocese of Osorno, Bishop Juan Barros, of having either known of or…
Image: Yahoo Video (Screengrab) In stunning new comments made during his visit to South America this week, Pope Francis has attacked the credibility of victims of notorious clerical sexual abuser Fr. Fernando Karadima. The pope accused abuse victims of “calumny” for their allegations that Bishop Juan Barros, a Karadima protege, knew about the abuse, or…
Well, it seems like the New Year just started a few days ago and we’re already more than half way through January. I was talking with one of our writers the other day and they commented on just how fast events in the Church have been happening already in 2018. On the news front, we’ve already…
Over the past few days, we’ve been covering a story that managed, despite outrage fatigue across the Catholic world, to still shock and upset the faithful. The story is documented here and here, so I won’t bog this post down in details. Suffice it to say that Lilianne Ploumen — a rabidly pro-abortion Dutch politician so…
Images, From Left to Right: Pope Francis meeting with Liliane Ploumen in 2015 (Courtesy of Netherlands Government); Ploumen shows off her award on YouTube (Screengrab) Michael Hichborn and Maike Hickson contributed to this report. On January 12, OnePeterFive and The Lepanto Institute reported that Liliane Ploumen, a Dutch politician and international abortion activist, received the…
A new, open letter to the pope is making the rounds on the Internet, and it has gathered over 2,600 signatures so far. “Most Holy Father,” it begins, “Many of us have tried to contact you, on many occasions and for several years, and we have never received the slightest acknowledgement of our letters or…
