How Bishops are Appointed Last week on Vatican Connections we talked about how a bishop gets appointed. It’s a rather long process, and some viewers wrote in asking if there was a text explaining the process. (I talk fast sometimes!). Step one: The process begins at the local level. The bishops in a region submit ...read more

Here are some stories from across the Canadian Church this week: Ever wonder what its like to live in a place with no permanent priest? One community in La Ronge, Saskatchewan knows exactly what that feels like. One sister offers her presence as a means of spiritual support to the community. You may have heard ...read more

Three priests and a layperson where arrested in Spain after Pope Francis encouraged an abuse victim to take his case to authorities. The victim, a 24 year old, male,  Opus Dei supernumerary, wrote to Pope Francis after hearing the pontiff statements about zero tolerance for abusers and people who cover up abuse. Upon reading the ...read more

The Vatican bank has repatriated twenty three million euros that were frozen for more than three years, by Italian authorities. The Institute for Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican bank, announced the repatriation of the money in a statement released November 18. The funds were unblocked in 2011 but was not repatriated because ...read more

In Toronto, different religious groups are working together by opening their place of worship on winter nights to keep the city’s homeless out of the cold. In Saskatoon, Bishop Don Bolen is calling on Catholics to get better informed about the cases of missing aboriginal women in the province and the country, and pray for ...read more

A group of Catholic and Muslim scholars meeting at the Vatican this week unanimously condemned acts of terrorism and violence, persecution, and desecration of sacred places. The 12 Catholic and 12 Muslim scholars were taking part in the third Catholic – Muslim Forum which focused on “Working together to Serve Others.” The participants acknowledged that ...read more

Here are some things that have been happening in the church across Canada: The Catholic Register in Toronto gives us a look at Canada’s Religious Freedom Office. Community groups representing live-in caregivers are skeptical of the federal government’s plan to give permanent residency to 60,000 foreign caregivers. In Saskatoon, Catholic Elders are looking how to ...read more

Here are some things making headlines across the church in Canada this week: A Catholic family in Montreal has been deported after their refugee claim was repeatedly denied. The family’s parish vows to help the family get back to Canada. In Regina, the provincial government’s throne speech promises the development and roll out of an ...read more

Things are returning to a normal pace at the Vatican after the end of the extraordinary synod. Pope Francis kept a full schedule this week, which included his daily masses, a meeting with members of popular movements from around the world (non-religious movements that advocate for worker’s rights, indigenous land rights, fair wages, and access ...read more

In Ottawa, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast reacted to this week’s shooting at parliament hill. In Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario one couple celebrates 10 years of giving up everything to help bring water to campesinos in rural Guatemala. Archbishop Paul Andre Durocher shares his thoughts on the Extraordinary Synod on the Family that just ended in Rome. In Vancouver, ...read more