A reader writes: “Do theologians hold that the only sin against the Holy Spirit, a sin that cannot be forgiven, is to refuse to repent and accept God’s forgiveness unto the point of their death? I’ve been giving a lot of thought
Priests and lay Catholics from Belarus said they still hope their church's situation will improve, despite the continued arrests of clergy and new religious restrictions that are imminent.
"Priests are being targeted on various pretexts, and many Catholics feel pressured and harassed," explained
Responding to questions from priests and deacons ministering in the Diocese of Rome, Pope Francis said the possibility of blessing gay couples regards "people, not organizations" or their agendas.
The pope spent about three hours Jan. 13 with some 800 priests and deacons
The Diocese of Stockton has issued a warning about impostors posing as Catholic clergy and charging Spanish-speaking faithful "exorbitant fees" for celebrating the sacraments. In an Oct. 20 media advisory, the diocese alerted parishioners in the Modesto area to the scammers, who
Participants in the synod's October meeting in Rome are exploring, among various topics, the "co-responsibility" of the church's mission -- shared among bishops, clergy and laity -- and what it means for how this is lived out in the local church.
Referring to
“Co-responsibility,” a theme raised in the preparatory document and again named in the Instrumentum Laboris of the upcoming October Synod of Bishops on synodality, raises questions about the nature of the hierarchy – clergy who serve in the most visible structures of
The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2021, while the number of seminarians, priests, and men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics.
At the end of 2021, the number of Catholics in the world
In a letter to the clergy of his diocese, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, Wisconsin, writes that the political division in the United States today — and in the Church — is “perhaps just the latest incarnation of traditional and progressive
Catholic Church officials in Russia criticized planned religious law changes that will require all clergy who studied abroad to retrain in a Russian college.
"Like other confessions, we find it absurd to talk of recertifying priests who are already in service and of