There is no greater issue in the Catholic Church today than that of child abuse. The Church’s credibility and future depend on how this problem is handled and solved.

The Pennsylvania Grand Jury report detailing claims of sexual abuse of over 1,000 children by 301 priests makes for very painful reading. The accounts are truly horrific and display the pain and suffering experienced by victims…

A recent report in Belgium noted that legal euthanasia there has claimed the lives of three children in the past two years. The response in Belgium? A big yawn.

“The report of the control commision has provoked not one article in the press, and no comments at all,” said Willem Lemmens, Professor of Modern Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Antwerp…

“I have found so much faith in Ireland,” Pope Francis said at the end of his two-day visit to the land of Saints and Scholars. “The Irish have suffered so much from the scandals, but they know how to distinguish the truth from half-truths,” he said, reciting the words spoken to him by an unnamed Bishop a few hours earlier…

Respectful of tradition, the announcement came at the end of the closing Mass. The name of the venue for the next World Day of Families is a closely-guarded secret, known only by a handful of people, including the Pope, who has to approve the decision, and the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which has the responsibility of organizing the event…

Months of preparation went into creating the event considered one of the highlights of the World Meeting of Families 2018: the Festival of Families that was celebrated in Dublin’s Croke Park Stadium on Saturday evening together with some 70,000 people. Even the stage design reflected an ideal “circle of encounter” where families could sit close to Pope Francis while sharing their testimonies and enjoying the performances…

The first day of the Pastoral Congress of The World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland, saw 26 keynote and breakout sessions, as well as a message of hope to the world during Mass lead by the Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, in which he discussed the idea that the Church is the “family of families.”

International speakers for international themes

The panels included interactive workshops and round table discussions all regarding different aspects of family life…

Members of the Vatican Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) issued a statement on Tuesday, just one day after Pope Francis’ letter to all the People of God.

The Commission begins by saying it is encouraged by Pope Francis’ letter and thanked him for “his strong words recognizing the pain and suffering endured by people who have suffered sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by some members of the church”…

“Jekk membru jbati, ibatu wkoll (il-membri) l-oħra miegħu” (1 Kor, 12,26).  Dan il-kliem ta’ San Pawl jidwu bil-qawwa f’qalbi xħin għal darb’oħra nara t-tbatija li għexu bosta minuri minħabba l-abbużi sesswali, tal-poter u tal-kuxjenza mwettqin minn għadd imdaqqas ta’ kjeriċi u persuni konsagrati.  Krimini li jqanqlu ġrieħi fondi ta’ niket u impotenza, qabel xejn fost il-vittmi, iżda wkoll fost il-familjari tagħhom u fil-komunità kollha kemm hi, kemm jekk jemmnu wkoll jekk le.  Meta nħarsu lejn il-passat qatt mhu se jkun biżżejjed dak li nagħmlu biex nitolbu maħfra u nfittxu nsewwu l-ħsara li saret.  Meta nħarsu lejn il-futur, qatt mhu se jkun ftit dak kollu li nagħmlu biex nagħtu l-ħajja lill-kultura li jkollha ħila tevita li mhux biss sitwazzjonijiet bħal dawn ma jerġgħux jirrepetu ruħhom imma li ma jkunx hemm lok li jinsatru u jibqgħu jsiru xorta waħda.  It-tbatija tal-vittmi u tal-familjari tagħhom hi wkoll it-tbatija tagħna, għaldaqstant huwa urġenti li ntennu għal darb’oħra l-impenn tagħna biex niggarantixxu l-protezzjoni tal-minuri u tal-adulti vulnerabbli…

Mis-7 sat-13 ta’ Awwissu fi Grottaferrata l-Italja, seħħ it-2 appuntament tal-proġett OWLS (Opportunities + Willingness + Learning = Success) iffinanzjat mill-programm tal-Erasmus+ tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Il-protagonisti ta’ dan il-proġett kienu ż-żgħażagħ tal-Azzjoni Kattolika ġejjin minn Malta, l-Italja u r-Rumanija flimkien ma’ żgħażagħ mill-Polonja, l-Albanija, il-Moldova, l-Ukrajna, il-Bulgarija u Spanja. Kienet okkażjoni prezzjuża ta’ djalogu għas-60 żgħażagħ li ltaqgħu sabiex jitħaddtu fuq l-isfidi u s-suċċess tal-esperjenzi tagħhom fl-Azzjoni Kattolika u tal-volontarjat…