Politics

By Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D., Breitbart - Pope Francis delivered a message Friday to an international Catholic theological conference in which he congratulated organizers for keeping attention fixed on the environment and immigration, two issues the pope has held at the centre of his pontificate.... For the opening of the third international conference of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, which bears the title “A Critical Time for Bridge-Building: Catholic Theological Ethics Today,” the pontiff sent a message stressing the need for a coordinated, global approach to the divisive problems facing mankind.

CNA/EWTN News - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday ordered that a redacted version of a grand jury report detailing sex abuse in six of the state's eight Catholic dioceses be released next month… News outlets, victims, and the state attorney general have pressed for the release of the report… The Pennsylvania Supreme Court had stayed the release of the report June 20, after numerous individuals named in the report objected to its release, citing concerns of due process and reputational rights guaranteed by the state constitution.

By Catholic News Agency/EWTN News - The 800-page report is the result of a two-year grand jury investigation, led by Shapiro, into the handling of sexual abuse cases by the five Pennsylvania dioceses – Altoona-Johnstown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. It was originally scheduled for public release at the end of June this year, but legal challenges by individuals named in the report, including some priests, have delayed publication.