Articles by AC Wimmer
Vatican II at 60: A timeline of key moments
Oct 11, 2022 / 12:30 pmOct. 11 marks the 60th anniversary of a monumental event in the history of the Catholic Church: the gathering in Rome of bishops from around the world for the start of the Second Vatican Council.
Pope Francis expresses condolences to victims of explosion in Ireland
Oct 10, 2022 / 08:42 amPope Francis has assured his “spiritual closeness” to those affected by an Oct. 7 gas station explosion in northwest Ireland.
Vatican’s Synod on Synodality organizers say synod is ‘fruit’ of Second Vatican Council
Oct 10, 2022 / 05:20 amIn a message marking the 60th anniversary of Vatican II’s opening, the general secretariat of the Synod on Synodality called the event “one of its most precious legacies.”
Swiss bishop resigns at age 59 due to ‘inner fatigue’
Oct 10, 2022 / 04:41 am“I tell you this with an open heart: I can no longer imagine being in the position I have tried to hold until now.”
Christians excluded from Australian sports? Bishops raise alarm after exec resigns
Oct 7, 2022 / 10:14 amOne day after being appointed chief executive of an Australian rules football club, Andrew Thorburn stepped down from the role following a public backlash.
French Jesuit and American legal scholar win 2022 Ratzinger Prize
Oct 7, 2022 / 03:01 amA French Jesuit and an American legal scholar were named the recipients of this year’s Ratzinger prize on Friday.
Pope Francis mourns 23 children and several adults killed in Thailand day care attack
Oct 7, 2022 / 02:31 amPope Francis has expressed deep sorrow at the news of a deadly rampage at a day care center in Thailand that left more than 30 people dead — 23 of them children.
Public spat between German bishop, Swiss cardinal leads to private meeting in Rome
Oct 5, 2022 / 06:46 amFollowing demands for an apology and a threat he would “file an official complaint with the Holy Father,” the German Bishops’ Conference president met with a Vatican cardinal in Rome this week.
Belgium violated right to life in euthanasia case, European Court of Human Rights rules
Oct 4, 2022 / 08:53 amThe European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday ruled that Belgium failed to conduct a proper investigation into the circumstances of the 2012 euthanasia of Godelieva de Troyer on the grounds of “untreatable depression.”
Gothic Revival reborn: Nottingham Cathedral receives grant to ‘Restore Pugin’
Oct 3, 2022 / 14:01 pmAugustus Welby Northmore Pugin’s design of St. Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham, England, is to be restored and brought back to life.
Europe’s top human rights court to rule on landmark euthanasia case
Oct 3, 2022 / 06:30 amThe European Court of Human Rights is set to rule in a landmark case on Tuesday on whether Belgium wrongly allowed a woman to be euthanized.
Pope Francis recognizes the ‘countless acts of kindess and charity’ of Stella Maris, Apostleship of the Sea
Oct 3, 2022 / 04:50 amPope Francis has recognized the role of Stella Maris, the Apostleship of the Sea — the largest ship-visiting network in the world.
Let your beauty shine, Pope Francis tells young people
Sep 30, 2022 / 09:00 amPope Francis on Friday told young people to let their true beauty shine, the beauty that is a reflection of divine beauty.
Vatican cardinal says he did not compare German Synodal Way to Nazi ideology
Sep 29, 2022 / 22:07 pmA Vatican cardinal has defended himself against the accusation by the president of the German bishops’ conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, of making a “totally unacceptable gaffe” over remarks regarding the German Synodal Way.
Supporters of statue of St. Michael the Archangel in small French town vow to fight removal order
Sep 29, 2022 / 01:30 amAfter a French court confirmed the removal of a statue of St. Michael from a seaside town, supporters have vowed to continue their fight.
Religion is ‘interruption,’ not continuity, German bishops’ president says
Sep 27, 2022 / 12:33 pmBishop Georg Bätzing spoke in a live-streamed Mass on Tuesday on the occasion of the bishops’ plenary assembly in Dulda, Germany, Sept. 26–29.
Vatican opens canonical investigation into Australian bishop
Sep 26, 2022 / 07:05 amThe Vatican has appointed Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane to oversee an investigation into former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders.
Bishops in Belgium defy Vatican, publish ceremony for blessing same-sex unions
Sep 20, 2022 / 06:27 amIn open defiance of the Vatican, Catholic bishops in Belgium on Tuesday announced the introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples.
Catholic prayers for Queen Elizabeth II — and the new king
Sep 19, 2022 / 07:24 amWhile millions bid final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II today, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales have commented on the death of Her Majesty.
A ‘supermarket of religions,’ God’s will, and the wisdom of a tweaked declaration
Sep 16, 2022 / 07:52 amA sensitive passage in the final declaration of the congress that brought Pope Francis to Kazakhstan Sept. 13–15 appears to have been changed after it found the approval of attendants.