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Pope Calls for Global Ban on Surrogacy

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Pope Francis on Monday condemned the practice of using a surrogate mother to birth a child and called for a global ban on the practice.

The pope called surrogacy “despicable” during an annual foreign policy address to ambassadors of 184 countries.

“I consider despicable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child,” Francis said.

The pope said surrogacy exploits the surrogate mother’s financial situation and said an unborn child must not be “turned into an object of trafficking.”

He called for a global ban “to prohibit this practice universally.” (Read more from “Pope Calls for Global Ban on Surrogacy” HERE)

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Pope Francis Punishes Conservative Cardinal—the Second Action Taken Against Outspoken Critics in the US

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Pope Francis took action against one of his biggest critics. This is the second time this month that Pope Francis has punished an American prelate.

Pope Francis punished Cardinal Raymond Burke, a 75-year-old canon lawyer from Wisconsin. Francis revoked Burke’s salary and his subsidized Vatican apartment.

Burke, like other cardinals in Rome, lived in his apartment for free and received a monthly stipend of about $5,500.

During a meeting on Nov. 20, Pope Francis informed the heads of Vatican offices that he was taking action against Burke because he was a source of “disunity” in the church, according to an anonymous participant.

Another unnamed source said Francis punished Burke because he was using the privileges against the church. (Read more from “Pope Francis Punishes Conservative Cardinal—the Second Action Taken Against Outspoken Critics in the US” HERE)

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Pope Francis Dines With Transgender Women for Vatican Luncheon

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Pope Francis hosted a group of transgender “women” — many of whom are sex workers or migrants from Latin America — to a Vatican luncheon for the Catholic Church’s “World Day of the Poor” last week.

The pontiff and the transgender “women” have formed a close relationship since the pope came to their aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were unable to work. Now, they meet monthly for VIP visits with the pope and receive medicine, money and shampoo any day, according to The Associated Press.

“Before, the church was closed to us. They didn’t see us as normal people, they saw us as the devil,” one member of the transgender group, Andrea Paola Torres Lopez, told the AP.

Some 1,200 people who are impoverished or homeless also attended the luncheon inside the papal audience hall for a full meal and dessert.

The invitation to the transgender “women” comes as the Vatican released a controversial document earlier this month affirming that individuals suffering from gender-identity disorders are allowed to be baptized or be named as godparents under specific circumstances. (Read more from “Pope Francis Dines With Transgender Women for Vatican Luncheon” HERE)

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Pope Francis Calls US Catholic Church ‘Backwards’ for Putting Political Ideologies Ahead of Faith

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Pope Francis accused some leaders of the US Catholic Church of “backwardness,” saying they have abandoned Christian doctrines in favor of political ideologies.

“Doing this, you lose the true tradition and you turn to ideologies to have support. In other words, ideologies replace faith,” the pope said during a private meeting with a Jesuit order in Lisbon earlier in August.

The transcripts from that meeting were just made public Monday, revealing the 86-year-old pope’s unfiltered opinion about a rift growing between some US religious leaders and the Vatican over his initiatives to modernize the Catholic Church.

Francis’ comments came after a Jesuit described encountering a number of Catholics and bishops who were critical of his papacy and the Vatican during a recent year-long stay in the US.

In response, the pope called the US church “backward,” and said it had “a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude” which he warned could lead to a climate of closure that would be the antithesis of Christian values. (Read more from “Pope Francis Calls US Catholic Church ‘Backwards’ for Putting Political Ideologies Ahead of Faith” HERE)

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Why Is the Vatican Investigating a Conservative Bishop in Texas?

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A Texas bishop with a history of conservative activism and criticism of Pope Francis received a Vatican-ordered “visitation” that ended on June 23, but the reasons behind the investigation remain uncertain.

An apostolic visitation is a rare procedure that can be invoked by the Vatican to review a diocese’s leadership and can lead to disciplinary action, according to the Catholic News Agency. A spokesperson for the Tyler Diocese confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that the meeting with Bishop Joseph Strickland had taken place but declined to comment on whether Strickland’s public comments on social issues and the Pope were the cause for the visit.

“So, it was a visitation, a visitation did happen but the whole process is confidential so out of respect for all those involved we’re not really able to say anything beyond that,” the spokesperson told the DCNF.

The spokesperson also confirmed that the visitation had concluded by Friday but declined to comment on what the aftermath would be. (Read more from “Why Is the Vatican Investigating a Conservative Bishop in Texas?” HERE)

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Vatican: Pope Francis Hospitalized In Rome

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Pope Francis will be hospitalized in Rome for a “few days” after a scheduled checkup on Wednesday, according to the Vatican.

Francis, 86, visited the Gemelli Hospital Wednesday afternoon for his checkup, Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said. The Vatican later said that Francis went to the hospital for a respiratory infection after experiencing breathing difficulties and will remain hospitalized for a “few days,” the BBC reported. The pope canceled his audiences through Friday.

A statement from the Vatican said that the pope’s condition would “require a few days of appropriate hospital medical therapy.”

“Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” the statement added. The pope appeared to be in relatively good condition when he was in front of a general audience earlier on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. (Read more from “Vatican: Pope Francis Hospitalized In Rome” HERE)

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Pope Francis Suggests He’ll Review Catholic Church’s Vow of Celibacy for Priests

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Pope Francis has hinted that he would review the Roman Catholic Church’s rule of priestly celibacy, describing it as an individual “discipline” rather than a “contradiction” to the church.

Francis, who previously opposed the idea that celibacy was an option for leaders of the church, appeared to make a U-turn during his latest interview with Argentine outlet Infobae in celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his election as pope.

“There is no contradiction for a priest to marry. Celibacy in the western Church is a temporary prescription,” Francis, 86, remarked. “It is not eternal like priestly ordination, which is forever, whether you like it or not. Whether you leave or not is another matter, but it is forever. On the other hand, celibacy is a discipline.”

Celibacy was made a requirement in the Catholic Church around the 11th century, following centuries of tradition for priests to embrace the practice along with vows of abstinence.

Despite the rule sparking conflict within the church for nearly 1,000 years, the Vatican has continually enforced the rules, including Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI. (Read more from “Pope Francis Suggests He’ll Review Catholic Church’s Vow of Celibacy for Priests” HERE)

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Pope Francis Blasts Gender Ideology as ‘One of the Most Dangerous Ideological Colonizations’

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Pope Francis criticized radical gender ideology in a recent interview, referring to it as “one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations” in the current public discourse.

Francis spoke on that topic and others with journalist Elisabetta Piqué for an interview published March 10 in the Argentine daily newspaper La Nación — and he explained that gender ideology was dangerous because it blurred the lines between male and female, diminishing the inherent value held by each.

“Gender ideology, today, is one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations,” Francis said. “Why is it dangerous? Because it blurs differences and the value of men and women. All humanity is the tension of differences. It is to grow through the tension of differences. The question of gender is diluting the differences and making the world the same, all dull, all alike, and that is contrary to the human vocation.”

The Pope explained that while he was not planning to write anything extensive on the topic of gender, he did find it necessary to address the issue from time to time, largely “because some people are a bit naive and believe that it is the way to progress.” (Read more from “Pope Francis Blasts Gender Ideology as ‘One of the Most Dangerous Ideological Colonizations’” HERE)

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Pope Francis Brings Heterodox Cardinal Into His Inner Circle

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Pope Francis has named progressive Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich to his inner cabinet of advisors despite the cardinal’s rejection of key elements of Catholic moral teaching.

Vatican News noted Tuesday that Pope Francis has rebooted his Council of Cardinals, or “C9” as it is known, which was created to assist the pope in the governance of the universal Church. The new Council retains four of its previous members and adds an additional five, including Cardinal Hollerich, a Jesuit like the pope.

In February 2022, Hollerich, who is also president of the European Bishops’ Commission (COMECE), said that Catholic teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual relations is mistaken and needs to be updated.

“I believe that the sociological-scientific foundation of this teaching is no longer correct,” Hollerich said, while calling for a fundamental revision of the Church’s position.

For its part, the Catholic Church teaches that same-sex attraction is “is objectively disordered.” (Read more from “Pope Francis Brings Heterodox Cardinal Into His Inner Circle” HERE)

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Pope Francis Resigning? Declining Health, Canceled Africa Trip Fuel Rumors

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Pope Francis’ recent health struggles, worsening mobility issues and canceled events have fueled rumors that the head of the Catholic Church is about to follow his predecessor into early retirement.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected to the papacy in March 2013, after Pope Benedict XVI stepped down at age 85, becoming the first pontiff to do so since Gregory XII in 1415.

Now, some Vatican observers believe that the 85-year-old Francis could become the second — although the pope’s adviser has brushed off the chatter. . .

[H]is health has been in apparent decline, and for the past month Francis has been getting around in a wheelchair, or with the aid of a cane, because of knee pain.

The octogenarian prelate reportedly does not want to undergo surgery on his knee — and was quoted as telling bishops in May: “Rather than operate, I’ll resign.” (Read more from “Pope Francis Resigning? Declining Health, Canceled Africa Trip Fuel Rumors” HERE)

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