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Schönborn questions role of celibacy in abuse cases

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, writing in the archdiocese's in-house magazine, called for an unflinching examination of the possible roots of child sex abuse by priests. He cited "the issue of priests’ training, as well as the question of what happened in the so-called sexual revolution." He added: "It also includes the issue of priestly celibacy and the issue of personality development. It requires a great deal of honesty, both on the part of the Church and of society as a whole." The Vatican on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of priestly celibacy, calling it "a gift of the Holy Spirit."

Priest calls for compassion towards Bulger killer

A Catholic priest has been vilified for saying he feels “immensely sorry” for Jon Venables, the man convicted of murdering two year-old James Bulger in Liverpool. Fr Ray Blake, of St Mary Magdalene’s in Brighton, said on his blog that he felt sorry for the 27-year-old, who has recently been recalled to prison. His posting resulted in a story that critisised him in his local paper and in hostile responses to the blog. “I was trying to give a compassionate understanding to the situation rather than inflaming it. The witchhunt going on rather frightens me … people’s bloodlust is pretty appalling. The Catholic understanding of this is ‘there but for the grace of God go I’,” said Fr Blake.

Vatican to investigate Medjugorje shrine

Pope Benedict XVI is expected soon to appoint retired Cardinal Camillo Ruini to head a Vatican commission aimed at clarifying whether alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje in Bosnia are authentic. Italy’s Panorama magazine on 4 March said the commission to be headed by the former Vicar of Rome and past president of the Italian Episcopal Conference would work under the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Local Bishop Ratko Perić of Mostar-Duvno and his late predecessor, Bishop Pavao Žanić, have repeatedly voiced scepticism about the alleged apparitions.

Iran arrests Evangelical leaders

Three Protestant church leaders were arrested in Iran’s second largest city, Isfahan, last month. They are the Revd Wilson Issavi, 65, whom the Farsi Christian News Network believes is being tortured in prison, and two converts, Hamid Shafiee and his wife, Reyhaneh Aghajary. Tehran has reportedly accused Rev Issavi, pastor of Evangelical Church of Kermanshah in Isfahan, of "converting Muslims". Mr Shafiee and his wife were arrested following a raid at their home by police, who also confiscated Bibles and other books.

First papal visit to Protestant church

Pope Benedict XVI is on Sunday to make his first visit to a Protestant church since his election in 2005. His visit to Rome’s Evangelical Lutheran community for a prayer service was planned to mark 25 years since Pope John Paul II’s trip to the congregation – the bilingual German-Italian Christuskirche – on 11 December 1983, which coincided with the fifth centenary of the birth the Martin Luther. The congregation was founded in 1819 and is one of 22 Lutheran churches in Italy.

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