For months, EWTN viewers have been told Pope Francis' synod represents a "hostile takeover" of the Catholic Church, or is a "moment of crisis." The influence of such statements has been profound, media experts told NCR.
Church-government relations are creating some tension in countries like Spain and France, for example, as other EU nations like Germany demonstrate an orderly and earlier coordinated effort to allow public worship to resume.
Catholic bishops have distanced themselves from a letter in which several prominent Catholic clergy warned there were attempts to use the COVID-19 pandemic to create a "world government beyond all control."
Just Catholic: "The Two Popes" is feel-good fiction about the disparate personalities of Pope Francis and his predecessor. Now, a "three pope" book tries to pit Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah against Francis.
Simply Spirit: Speaking to FutureChurch, veteran Vatican journalist Robert Mickens asks progressive Catholics "to push and support the pope" — and have patience with the slow pace of reform.
In a series of NCR interviews, those involved with preparing the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon struck back at the unprecedented level of criticism the gathering has already received.
Distinctly Catholic: There is a cabal among right-wing Catholics to undermine or minimize this pope and his teachings, but the church is big, with room enough for all.
Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno says the agenda, which raises the possibility of ordaining older married men as priests in rural areas, "largely expresses the feelings and desires of many representatives of the Amazon people."
