Pope Francis issued a landmark decree on Thursday making bishops directly accountable for sexual abuse or covering it up, requiring clerics to report any cases to Church superiors and allowing anyone to complain directly to the Vatican if needed. Tackling sexual abuses that have battered the Catholic Church’s reputation hasContinue Reading
Pope Francis recently disclosed that he once attended therapy for six months to help him “clarify some things” in his life. The pontiff made the revelation during one of a dozen interviews he had with French sociologist Dominique Wolton, the bulk of which will soon be published in a bookContinue Reading
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/our-humanity-naturally/201803/smile-there-is-no-hell-even-the-pope-says-so Controversy erupted this week with reports that Pope Francis denied the existence of hell (link is external). Quoted by an Italian journalist who is both a friend and frequent interviewer of the pontiff, Francis reportedly said that sinners who die without eternal salvation “are not punished” but that insteadContinue Reading
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43098231 Pope Francis has announced the renewal of the Church’s panel tasked with combating sexual abuse of children, in the wake of a fresh controversy. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is made up of eight men and eight women – nine of them new members. Its originalContinue Reading
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/01/pope-francis-psychoanalysis Pope Francis has revealed that he sought the help of a psychoanalyst for six months when he was 42 and the leader of the Jesuit order in Argentina during the country’s military dictatorship. The pope’s disclosure was made in a book based on 12 in-depth interviews with the FrenchContinue Reading
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-francis-encourages-moms-to-breastfeed-in-the-sistine-chapel_us_5873a543e4b043ad97e491ff? When it comes to breastfeeding in church, Pope Francis has a simple message for moms: Go for it! While celebrating the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday, the pontiff encouraged mothers present at the service to breastfeed their babies. “The ceremony isContinue Reading
http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/victims-sexual-abuse-popes-visit-recalls-childhood-trauma/ According to one estimate, as many as 100,000 American children have been victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy. Pope Francis has gone farther than his predecessors in addressing the problem: He’s created a Vatican tribunal to try bishops accused of covering up abuse, and calledContinue Reading
Pope Francis: “Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare” http://t.co/rEKPLp2zx3 — HuffPost Religion (@HuffPostRelig) July 19, 2014 Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has telephoned the presidents of Israel and Palestine. A Communiqué from the Press Office of the Holy See explains that the purpose of the calls was toContinue Reading
