Catholic Fire

Pope Francis has approved a commission for the protection of minors and for victims of clerical sex abuse. The announcement was made by Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, who as the Archbishop of Boston, has directly led the fight against these type of cases. CARD. SEAN PATRICK O'MALLEY Archbishop of Boston ( USA ) "Continuing in the decisions, and in the policies of Pope Benedict XVI, and accepting a proposal that has been presented by the Council of Cardinals, the Holy Father has decided to establish a very specific Commission for the protection of children, so the Commission will be able to advise the Holy Father about the protection of children and in pastoral care for victims of abuse.” So the commission will study the current policies and propose new ways to improve them. It will also look into the pastoral support of victims and their families as the cooperation lines between Episcopal conferences and the respective authorities. CARD. SEAN PATRICK O'MALL...

With Tuesday morning Mass at Santa Marta, the Council of Cardinals, or G8, kicked off the second round of meetings with Pope Francis to discuss changes to the Roman Curia. After Mass, the eight member council began working right away. For the next few days, until December 5, they will eat, sleep and work under one roof, Casa Santa Marta. FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI Vatican Spokesperson "In this morning's meeting, they got right to work on their main topic: they continued their analysis of the Roman Curia.” During their first session, in October, Pope Francis announced the Council would overhaul the Vatican's governing bodies. With such an ambitious project, the Vatican said the G8 will dedicate all three days of meetings to go in-depth into this topic. FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI Vatican Spokesperson "They leaning away from small tweaks or minor improvements, and instead focusing on changes to the Apostolic constitution. So much so, that we can talk about a new A...

October 3, 2013. (Romereports.com) The Vatican spokesman has announced that Pope Francis isn't planning on reforming the Vatican's Apostolic Constitution. Rather, he's planning on drafting a completely new document, that deals with the governance of the Church.   FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI Vatican Spokesman “The idea is not limited to updating the current 'Pastor Bonus' constitution, with small tweaks here and there. Instead the Pope plans on drafting a new constitution that includes new relevant changes. I think we can expect a new constitution.” The new law will highlight two main aspects. First, that the Roman Curia shouldn't be a power house, but instead it should be 'at the service' of the Universal Church. Also the Vatican's State Department will more of a branch rather than a full governing body. The Council of Cardinals recommended that a 'moderator' be assigned to coordinate the relationship between the Pope and the dicasteries...

October 1, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Tuesday morning, Pope Francis celebrated Mass with the 'Council of Cardinals' just a few hours before the so called 'G8' advisory group held its first meeting with the Pope. The Pope prayed so that their meeting would give fruit to a more humble, trusting and patient Church. POPE FRANCIS “And when the people see this witness of humility, of meekness, of mildness, they feel the need that the Prophet Zachariah spoke of: ‘We want to come with you.’” The Pope also noted that October 1st marks the Feast Day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. He described the life of the nun as one filled with humility, which inevitably attracted others to follow her example. SUMMARY OF POPE'S HOMILY (Source: Vatican Radio) “Another spirit comes, that of that charity that suffers all, pardons all, that does not boast, that is humble, that doesn’t seek itself. Someone could say — and there are some philosophers that thing this way — that this is...