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Pope Francis hospitalised

<p>Pope Francis, 86, was hospitalised in Rome's Gemelli hospital on Wednesday with a respiratory infection that requires him to remain under observation for a few days.</p> <p>"In recent days Pope Francis has complained of some breathing difficulties," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.</p> <p>The pope was taken to hospital for medical checkup, which then revealed the respiratory infection.</p> <p>Bruni added that tests have shown it was not Covid, but the infection “will require a few days of appropriate hospital medical treatment".</p> <p>“Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” Bruni added.</p> <p>The statement comes after the Italian media questioned whether the pope was unexpectedly hospitalised, or if he actually went for a scheduled checkup, as a TV interview scheduled with the pope Wednesday afternoon had been cancelled at the last minute.</p> <p>Earlier that day, the pope appeared to be in good spirits as he greeted the general audience at the Vatican in his popemobile.</p> <p>A Vatican source has also confirmed that the pope’s activities on Thursday were cancelled, and others were likely to follow, in what is his busiest period with Easter Sunday coming up on April 9.</p> <p>Pope Francis has had part of his lungs removed in his early 20s after almost dying when he developed pleurisy, so he is generally more exposed to respiratory problems.</p> <p>He also suffers from diverticulitis, which is a condition that can infect or inflame pouches in the digestive tract, and has had surgery for it in 2021.</p> <p>In January, he said that the condition had returned and did not elaborate further.</p> <p>The pope also has a problem with his knee, which has led him to cancel or limit activities last year and alternates between using a cane and a wheelchair in public.</p> <p>Despite all of his health issues, the pope has said that he has no plans to resign soon, unless his health deterred him from doing his job.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Catholic conflicts on marriage continue, even decades after Vatican II

<p>The past 60 years have been a period of change and reflection for many in the Catholic Church, initiated by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s and continued by the current synod on synodality.</p> <p>In the autumn of 2021, Pope Francis <a href="https://www.usccb.org/synod" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced a new synod</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-synod-of-bishops-a-catholic-priest-and-theologian-explains-168937" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an official meeting of Roman Catholic bishops</a> to determine future directions for the church globally. The <a href="https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/common/phases/continental-stage/dcs/Documento-Tappa-Continentale-EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first working document</a> issued by the synod was published on Oct. 27, 2022.</p> <p>This document was made public <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2022/documents/20221011-omelia-60concilio.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soon after the 60th anniversary</a> of Pope John XXIII’s 1962 convocation of the Second Vatican Council. During the three years that followed, Catholic bishops from across the globe met in several sessions, assisted by expert theologians. Many guests were also <a href="https://vaticaniiat50.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/63-non-catholic-observers-attending-second-session/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited as observers</a>, which included prominent Catholic laity and representatives from other Christian churches.</p> <p>The council called for fresh ways to address 20th-century social and cultural issues and initiated official dialogue groups for Catholic theologians with others from different faith traditions.</p> <div data-id="17"> </div> <p>However, Catholics have become increasingly divided over this openness to contemporary cultural changes. As a <a href="https://www.holycross.edu/academics/programs/religious-studies/faculty/joanne-pierce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">specialist in Roman Catholic liturgy and worship</a>, I find that one important flashpoint where these deeper disagreements become more painfully visible is in Catholic worship, particularly in the celebration of its seven major rituals, called the sacraments. This is especially true in the celebration of matrimony.</p> <h2>Vatican II</h2> <p>In the mid-20th century, the church was still shaken by the repercussions of World War II and struggling to contribute to a world connected by the reality of global communication and the threat of nuclear war. Vatican II was called to “update” and “renew” the church – a process Pope John XXIII called “<a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-10/vatican-ii-council-60th-anniversary-video-history-background.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aggiornamento</a>.”</p> <p>One important theme connecting all of the council’s documents was <a href="http://individual.utoronto.ca/hayes/xty_canada/vatican_ii.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inculturation</a>, a more open dialogue with the variety of global human cultures. With the document <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacrosanctum Concilium</a>, the bishops addressed the need to revisit the centuries-old worship traditions of Catholicism, reforming the structures of the various rituals and encouraging the use of vernacular languages during prayer, rather than exclusive use of the ancient Latin texts.</p> <p>In the intervening decades, however, sharp contradictions and disagreements have arisen, especially over clashes between flexible cultural adaptation and rigorous moral and doctrinal standards. These have become much more visible during the past two pontificates: the more conservative Pope Benedict XVI – pope from 2005 to 2013 – and the more progressive Pope Francis.</p> <h2>The synod on synodality</h2> <p>For the present synod, Pope Francis began with a process of consultation with <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-catholic-church-is-increasingly-diverse-and-so-are-its-controversies-189038" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local church communities all over the world</a>, stressing the inclusion of many different groups within the church, especially of <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-10/voices-of-excluded-in-synod-document-for-continental-phase.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those who are often marginalized</a>, including the poor, migrants, LGBTQ people and women.</p> <p>However, there <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/is-the-synod-building-a-big-tent-or-a-house-on-sand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has also been criticism</a>. Some feel that the church should more swiftly adapt its teaching and practice to the needs of a variety of contemporary cultural shifts, while others insist it should hold on to its own traditions even more tightly.</p> <h2>Gay marriage</h2> <p>In North America and Europe, a major <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/02/how-catholics-around-the-world-see-same-sex-marriage-homosexuality/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cultural shift</a> has taken place over recent decades concerning gays and lesbians, from marginalized rejection to acceptance and support.</p> <p>Over the years Pope Francis has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-endorse-same-sex-civil-unions-eb3509b30ebac35e91aa7cbda2013de2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">come under fire</a> for his comments about homosexuality. He has publicly stated that gay Catholics are not to be discriminated against, that they have a right to enter secular civil unions and that they are to be welcomed by the Catholic community. On the other hand, he has also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/setback-gay-catholics-vatican-says-church-cannot-bless-same-sex-unions-2021-03-15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused bishops permission</a> to offer gay couples a blessing.</p> <p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/gay-blessings-germany-vatican/2021/05/10/e452cea2-af6a-11eb-82c1-896aca955bb9_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Progressive bishops in Germany</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/flemish-catholic-bishops-defying-vatican-approve-blessing-same-sex-unions-2022-09-20/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Belgium</a>, who had been <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250313/synodal-way-meeting-ends-with-call-for-same-sex-blessings-change-to-catechism-on-homosexuality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proponents</a> of this practice, organized an open protest by setting aside a day just for the bestowal of these blessings.</p> <p>In contemporary Catholicism, discrimination or injustice against gay or lesbian individuals is <a href="https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/568/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a>, because each human being is <a href="https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/life-and-dignity-of-the-human-person" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considered to be a child of God</a>. However, homosexual orientation is still considered “<a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P85.HTM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intrinsically disordered</a>” and homosexual activity seriously sinful.</p> <p>The Vatican <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/03/15/210315b.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has warned</a> progressives of the danger that these blessings might be considered, in the eyes of the faithful, the equivalent of a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20210222_articolo-responsum-dubium-unioni_en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sacramental marriage</a>. Some might assume that homosexual activity is no longer considered sinful, a fundamental change that conservative Catholics would find completely unacceptable.</p> <p>This doctrinal perspective has led to other liturgical restrictions. For example, the baptism of children adopted by gay parents is considered a “<a href="https://www.usccb.org/committees/doctrine/pastoral-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serious pastoral concern</a>.” In order for a child to receive the sacrament of Catholic baptism – the blessing with water that makes the child a Catholic Christian – there must be some hope that the <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann834-878_en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">child will be raised in the Catholic Church</a>, yet the church teaches that homosexual activity is objectively wrong. Despite the current openness <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-synod-gays/gays-and-their-children-should-not-suffer-church-bias-vatican-idUSKBN0F11HV20140626" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to gay Catholics</a>, this conflict could lead to the child’s being denied baptism.</p> <p>Following a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20051104_istruzione_en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document issued in 2005</a> under Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis in 2018 stated that candidates for the sacrament of ordination – the ritual that makes a man a priest – <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-homosexuality/pope-tells-bishops-not-to-accept-gay-seminarians-report-idUSKCN1IP36J" target="_blank" rel="noopener">must be rejected</a> if they demonstrate “homosexual tendencies” or a serious interest in “gay culture.” He also advised gay men who are already ordained to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-homosexuals-book/be-celibate-or-leave-the-priesthood-pope-tells-gay-priests-idUSKBN1O10K7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">maintain strict celibacy or leave the priesthood</a>.</p> <h2>Polygamy and colonialism</h2> <p>This recent cultural shift in Western nations has raised difficult questions for Catholics, both clergy and laity. In some non-Western countries, however, it is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-catholic-church-is-increasingly-diverse-and-so-are-its-controversies-189038" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an older custom</a> that has become an important issue.</p> <p>The culture of many African countries is supportive of polygamy – more specifically, the <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/many-african-catholics-have-more-than-one-wife-what-should-the-church-do/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">practice of allowing men to take more than one wife</a>. While the civil law in some countries might not allow for polygamy, the “<a href="http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/she/v39n1/14.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">customary law</a>” rooted in traditional practice may still remain in force.</p> <p>In some countries, like Kenya in 2014, <a href="https://cruxnow.com/cns/2018/05/11/some-kenyan-christians-support-polygamy-but-catholic-church-says-no" target="_blank" rel="noopener">civil law has been changed</a> to include an <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/01/07/pushed-politicians-polygamy-abounds-among-christians-kenya?destination=/faith/2019/01/07/pushed-politicians-polygamy-abounds-among-christians-kenya" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official recognition of polygamous marriage</a>. Some have argued that monogamy is not an organic cultural shift but a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8827617/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">colonial imposition</a> on African cultural traditions. In some areas, Catholic men continue the practice, even those who act on behalf of the church in teaching others about the faith – called catechists.</p> <p>At least one African bishop <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/17354/synod-for-africa-ponders-how-to-tackle-polygamy-meddling-by-foreign-interests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has made an interesting suggestion</a>. The openness to alternative cultural approaches has already resulted in one change. Divorced and remarried Catholics were once forbidden from taking Communion – the bread and wine consecrated at the celebration of the Catholic ritual of the Mass – because the church did not recognize secular divorce.</p> <p>Today, they may <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/vatican-cardinal-amoris-laetitia-allows-some-remarried-take-communion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receive communion</a> under certain conditions. This flexibility might apply as well to Catholics in non-recognized polygamous unions, who are also <a href="https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/african-bishop-polygamy-homosexuality-divorce-oh-my" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not permitted to receive Communion</a> at present.</p> <p>As Pope Francis wrote in his 2016 document on marriage, <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amoris Laetitia</a>, some matters should be left to local churches to decide based on their own culture and traditions.</p> <p>However, despite the <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_1988_fede-inculturazione_en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">need for increased awareness of and openness to diverse human cultures</a> stressed during Vatican II and the current synod, this traditional custom is still considered a violation of Catholic teaching. Based on the words of Jesus in the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019%3A6&amp;version=NRSVACE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gospel of Matthew</a>, Catholic teaching continues to emphasize that marriage can take place only between <a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=6219" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one man and one woman as a lifelong commitment</a>.</p> <p>How the current synod on synodality, in its effort to extend the insights of the Second Vatican Council, will deal with questions like these is still unclear. It is now set to run for an additional year, concluding in 2024 instead of 2023.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/catholic-conflicts-on-marriage-continue-even-decades-after-vatican-ii-192808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Standing ovations at the Vatican for Abdallah family

<p>The Abdallah family have received two standing ovations after an emotional speech at the Vatican, saying they forgive the man who killed their three children and niece.</p> <p>Western Sydney couple Danny and Leila Abdallah were invited by the Pope to share their harrowing story with thousands of parishioners at the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome on Saturday.</p> <p>Their three children Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, Antony, 13, and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed by Samuel William Davidson who was drunk and high on drugs while behind the wheel in Oatlands in February 2020.</p> <p>Joined by their children Liana, 12, Alex, seven, Michael, six, and 14-week-old Selina, the Abdallahs spoke to a global audience on the eve of would have been Antony's 16th birthday.</p> <p>Ms Abdallah recalled the devastating moment she was informed of her children's deaths, while Mr Abdallah explained why their family have chosen to forgive the man who caused the accident through the I4Give campaign the family has set up.</p> <p>The family's speech was so moving that the congregation was twice brought to their feet, with Australians in the crowd at the Vatican proudly displaying the national flag.</p> <p>Bishops around the world were so moved by their story that the Abdallahs may also get a face-to-face meeting with the Pope himself, depending on his health.</p> <p>"There's been more than two years and I must choose to forgive myself and the driver every day, to not retreat into hatred," Mr Abdallah told the Vatican and millions watching online.</p> <p>"I choose to forgive myself for telling my kids to go for walk. I choose to forgive the offender in obedience to my Father in heaven."</p> <p>"If my children were here today, they would say 'Dad, forgive him.'"</p> <p>"When you forgive the other person, you start to heal."</p> <p>His wife Leila added, "I would not have imagined we would be in the Vatican on the eve of my son's birthday to speak about forgiveness to the world."</p> <p>"You can't control what happens in life, but you can choose how to respond. We choose forgiveness over hatred, we choose love over revenge and we choose to turn the day of tragedy into a day of forgiveness."</p> <p>You can watch the Abdallah's address to the Vatican below.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DiLGPqJUrWs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

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Pope unveils strongest language yet on vaccination

<p>Pope Francis has shared his strongest views on the Covid vaccine, describing it as a "moral obligation", simultaneously denouncing those who have been persuaded by "baseless information" to refuse a life-saving measure.</p> <p>Francis shared his views for the first time in a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See: an annual event that discusses the Vatican's foreign policy goals for the upcoming year.</p> <p>Pope Francis, 85, has previously held back from sharing views on the vaccine, though his Covid-19 advisory body has referred to it as a "moral responsibility".</p> <p>Now however, he has deemed vaccination as "an act of love" and that refusing to get jabbed was simply "suicidal".</p> <p>During his speech, he said that individuals had a duty of care to consider which "translates into respect for the health of those around us".</p> <p>“Health care is a moral obligation,” he said.</p> <p>“Frequently people let themselves be influenced by the ideology of the moment, often bolstered by baseless information or poorly documented facts,” he said, calling for the adoption of a “reality therapy” to correct this distortion of human reason.</p> <p>“Vaccines are not a magical means of healing, yet surely they represent, in addition to other treatments that need to be developed, the most reasonable solution for the prevention of the disease,” he added.</p> <p>Some Catholics, including conservative US cardinals and bishops, have claimed that vaccines were immoral and have refused to get the jab, based on research that claims vaccines used cells derived from aborted foetuses.</p> <p>However, the Vatican's doctrine office has said that is "morally acceptable" for those in the Catholic faith to get the jab.</p> <p>Francis repeated his call for universal vaccines and health care availabilities for all, especially in parts of the world with low vaccination rates, while also calling for governing bodies to let these countries develop their own vaccines.</p> <p>“It is appropriate that institutions such as the World Trade Organisation and the World Intellectual Property Organisation adapt their legal instruments lest monopolistic rules constitute further obstacles to production and to an organised and consistent access to health care on a global level,” he said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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“What a rip off!”: Rome restaurant slammed for outrageous bill

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A restaurant in Rome has caused a stir amongst tourists as they have reportedly charged diners $139 for two burgers and three coffees.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A photo of the receipt shows that the meal for two came to a whopping €81.40 and surprised users when it was shared online.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hamburgers cost €25 ($42.70) each, coming to €50 ($85.40).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They were also charged €8 ($13.66) for one Americano coffee and €8 ($13.66) each for two double cappuccinos, plus a service charge of €7.40 ($12.64).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The restaurant is called Caffe Vaticano and is situated just opposite the Vatican, which is a popular tourist destination.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The restaurant now has more than 1,800 reviews on TripAdvisor, with a rating of just 1.5 stars out of five.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">TripAdvisor has had to step in and “temporarily suspend publishing new reviews” of the restaurant due to the outrage of the receipt.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some people were on the diners’ side, saying that it’s “absurd” that a restaurant can charge that much for a meal.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, others were on the side of the restaurant.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If, in 2019, you go to a place that has an average of 1.5 out of almost 2000 TripAdvisor reviews, you deserve it a little,” one user commented.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reviews that are on the review page for the restaurant are not kind but paint a clear picture as to what the diners were getting themselves into.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A review from one member from the 13</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of September 2018 states the issue that happened to the unaware diners beforehand.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The review reads:</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“AVOID! I’m so annoyed with myself for falling for the Caffe Vaticano’s dirty tricks. They removed the prices from all table and wall menus and then customers are handed a way over priced bill which also has the service charge added,” the reviewer wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I told the slimy waiter the prices were ridiculously high and that I was now aware I’d fallen for the dishonest and sly tactics used, he had the cheek to ask me for a second tip for him personally! </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My tip to the scumbags running and working at this place is to get themselves across to the Vatican and go to confession. Even after being robbed by these crooks you can’t use the toilet unless you pay more cash to the waiter. It’s a shame such a beautiful city has this place spoiling it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are many reviews just like that on the site.</span></p>

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