Articles by AC Wimmer
German bishop must face Vatican investigation, abuse council demands
Dec 12, 2022 / 08:35 amThe survivors’ organization called on Bishop Bode “to take moral responsibility for the suffering caused by him — irrespective of the standards of criminal law.”
Pope Francis calls on Catholics to entrust themselves to Our Lady, prays for peace in Ukraine
Dec 8, 2022 / 08:42 amOn Thursday, Pope Francis publicly visited the statue dedicated to the Immaculate Conception near Rome’s Piazza di Spagna for the first time in two years.
Pope Francis decrees better control of Vatican funds and foundations
Dec 6, 2022 / 08:00 amPope Francis issued a decree on Tuesday aimed at improving the financial accountability of funds, foundations, and other legal entities inside the Vatican.
German Synodal Way designed to create ‘pressure’ on the Church, founding president says
Dec 2, 2022 / 07:10 amThomas Sternberg, former president of the Central Committee of German Catholics, said the process wanted to achieve changes to Church teaching.
Pope Francis praises ‘fruitful’ theology of Benedict XVI
Dec 1, 2022 / 05:06 amSpeaking at the 2022 Ratzinger Prize award ceremony, Francis said: “We all feel his spiritual presence and his accompaniment in prayer for the whole Church.”
Norwegian bishop: Catholic life leads ‘to persecution to some degree in this fallen world’
Nov 30, 2022 / 07:00 amMarking 500 years of his country’s history, a convert to Catholicism, Trappist monk, and Scandinavian bishop spoke about persecution in Rome this week.
As Church allows for LGBT-employees in Germany, Vatican publishes concerns over Synodal Way
Nov 25, 2022 / 09:30 amThe Vatican on Thursday published the full wording of its latest warnings over another schisma coming out of Germany, raising fundamental concerns and objections against the Synodal Way.
Did the Vatican ‘snub’ German bishops over Synodal Way?
Nov 21, 2022 / 10:04 amBishop Georg Bätzing said supporters of the Synodal Way wanted to remain Catholic, “but we want to be Catholic in a different way.”
Why Catholics and Orthodox might once again celebrate Easter on the same date
Nov 18, 2022 / 07:30 amThe spiritual leader of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Christians has come out in support of finding a common date to celebrate Easter.
Ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup, bishop calls for ‘critical look’ at situation of Christians in Qatar
Nov 17, 2022 / 08:20 amThe “sports bishop” of the German Bishops’ Conference on Thursday called for a critical look at conditions in the competition’s host country.
German bishops meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican amid concern over Synodal Way
Nov 17, 2022 / 07:52 amThe audience with Pope Francis lasted about two hours, the German Bishops’ Conference said in a statement published after the encounter.
French bishop under investigation for ‘inappropriate’ behavior toward a woman
Nov 17, 2022 / 03:25 amThe archbishop emeritus of Strasbourg said he deeply regretted making “inappropriate gestures toward a young woman of legal age” in the late 1980s.
‘Truly not an easy task’: German bishops begin talks in Rome amid Synodal Way concerns
Nov 14, 2022 / 10:30 amBishop Georg Bätzing said the German bishops would “openly and honestly address” the topics of the process during their ad limina visit in Rome this week.
Pope Francis meets with Father James Martin at Vatican
Nov 11, 2022 / 05:24 amPope Francis received Jesuit Father James Martin in a private audience in the apostolic palace inside the Vatican on Friday.
Pope Francis, King of Jordan discuss ‘need to encourage Christian presence’ in Middle East
Nov 10, 2022 / 09:20 amPope Francis received King Abdullah II of Jordan on Thursday in the Vatican.
‘Priestly formation at the heart of evangelization,’ Pope Francis tells seminary rectors
Nov 10, 2022 / 09:00 amSpeaking to rectors and formators from Latin America Nov. 10, the pontiff called priest vocations “a gift of God to the Church and to the world.”
Vatican’s first auditor general and his deputy sue Secretariat of State
Nov 10, 2022 / 07:40 amLibero Milone and Ferruccio Panicco are seeking $9.25 million compensation for loss of earnings, damage to their reputations, and emotional suffering.
Pope Francis accepts resignation of German bishop found guilty of embezzlement
Nov 8, 2022 / 04:34 amPope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of a German bishop who was convicted of embezzling money from a woman suffering from dementia.
French cardinal confesses to sexual abuse
Nov 7, 2022 / 09:00 amCardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said on Monday that he had abused a 14-year-old girl several decades ago and was making himself available to authorities.
Pope Francis calls on religious not to be discouraged by ‘lack of vocations or by aging’
Nov 7, 2022 / 08:03 amThe pope addressed representatives of the Claretianum Institute of the Theology of the Consecrated Life at the Vatican on Nov. 7.