- Written by: Alex Walker
The leaders of 24 international reform groups who met in Limerick, Ireland, in April are urging Pope Francis to call for a halt to the church's policy of clustering parishes into megaparishes as a response to the decline in priest numbers.
Read more: Reform groups' letter to Francis: Stop combining parishes into megaparishes
- Written by: Fr Henry McLaughlin
The following succinct article on the practice being observed in a Mexican Diocese as experienced by a Scottish priest is a powerful account of what can be achieved by trusting the laity and making use of their talents. This piece appeared in the April Editionof Open House, the Scottish Catholic Journal, and I am grateful to the editor, Mary Cullen, and of course Fr McLaughlin, for their permission to circulate it
Eileen Fitzpatrick, ACTA Chair
- Written by: Alex Walker
"To enter into the mystery demands that we not be afraid of reality: that we not be locked into ourselves, that we not flee from what we fail to understand, that we not close our eyes to problems or deny them, that we not dismiss our questions… " Pope Francis, Easter Vigil Homily, 2015
- Written by: Garry Wills
At a recent I talk I gave about Pope Francis, a man asked me, “Why do more non-Catholics like the pope than Catholics do?” He was wrong, of course. A Pew poll two months ago found that 90 percent of Catholics like what the pope is doing—and the number is even higher (95 percent) among the most observant, Mass attending Catholics. The percentage of non-Catholics who view the pope favorably does not get above the 70s.
- Written by: Alex Walker
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has instructed priests not to regard the forthcoming Synod on the Family as a “battle”, warning that hostilities can cause “collateral damage”.