Are canonizations infallible?

Mgr. Giuseppe Sciacca discusses canonizations and papal infallibility: “Papal supremacy gives the Pope the power to proclaim saints but has nothing to do with infallibility as defined in the First Vatican Council”

Is the Pope infallible proclaims a new saint, extending their liturgical cult to the universal Church?
Many theologians – most in fact – believe he is and it is a commonly held and taught belief. Vatican Insider discusses this with Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, e distinguished canonist and Adjunct Secretary of the Apostolic Signatura.

Is the Pope infallible when he proclaims a new saint?
“According to the prevailing doctrine of the Church, when the Pope canonizes a saint his judgment is infallible. As is known, canonization is the decree with which the Pope solemnly proclaims that the heavenly glory shines upon the Blessed and extends the cult of the new saint to the universal Church in a binding and definitive manner. There is no question then that canonization is an act carried out by the Petrine primate. At the same time, however, it should not be considered infallible according to the infallibility criteria set out in the First Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution “Pastor aeternus”.”

Cologne: Woelki takes over from his “mentor” Meisner

The Pope has transferred the cardinal from Berlin, which is temporarily without an archbishop. Woelki welcomed Ratzinger on his visit to Berlin in 2011 and managed to break the ice with Berlin’s gay community. Cardinal Reinhard Marx sent him a message of congratulations for his nomination

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Joachim Meisner’s former secretary, returns to Cologne. Pope Francis has nominated him archbishop of this great city in the Rhine, Germany’s largest archdiocese, transferring him from the Archdiocese of Berlin. The latter Episcopal see is currently vacant.

Woelki was born in Cologne in 1956, where he was ordained a priest in 1985. In 2003, he became the city’s Auxiliary Bishop. Just three years ago, in 2011, the former Pope Benedict XVI promoted him to the position of Archbishop of Berlin, creating him a cardinal in the February 2012 Consistory. In the Vatican, Woelki is a member of the Congregation for the Clergy and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Within the German Episcopate he heads the charity office. The complex procedure for the nomination of Cologne’s archbishop requires the cathedral chapter to select a candidate, as happened in Woelki’s case.

Vietnam is to have its first Catholic university

The establishment of the new university marks a historical turning point for the Church in this communist country and a step towards complete freedom of education

Vietnam’s first Catholic university is no longer a mirage. It is very soon going to become a reality, in fact according to Paul Bui Van Doc, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, the structure could be ready within a year. It is going to mark a crucial turning point in the history of the Vietnamese Catholic Church, the sign of an eagerly awaited return to the freedom of education, which the communist government has denied the people for 60 years.

The Archbishop of former Saigon, proudly explained to Vatican Insider that “the dialogic approach adopted with the government is producing results.” As bilateral relations gradually relax, he said, bishops have pointed out that more and more universities and private campuses run by foreign Asian, Australian and European entities and universities have been popping up over the past decade. The first of these was established in 2001. “Why then should the Catholic Church in Vietnam be deprived of this right? Particularly given the shortcomings in the national education system, which are evident from the figures on Vietnamese education.” The Catholic Church can offer its educational philosophy and experience to educate people into becoming responsible individuals, for the good of the entire society,” the president of the local Episcopate said.

Cardinal Pell hopes to complete reform of Vatican finances in 2-3 years

In this interview the Australian cardinal affirms that the new Secretariat for the Economy will control the budget of all the Vatican offices, including the Secretariat of State

Pope Francis is well on the way to achieving a total and radical reform of the Vatican’s Finances. That become abundantly clear on July 9 when the Australian cardinal George Pell, the man he appointed to spearhead that reform, presented the New Economic Framework for the Holy See at a crowded press conference in the Vatican.

Speaking in English, he announced a restructuring and downsizing of the scandal-hit Vatican Bank, whose proper name is The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), the replacement of its entire governing board, and the appointment of a French business executive, Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, as the bank’s new president. A Vatican Asset Management unit will be established, he said, and the Pension Fund will be reviewed to ensure a safe future for some 5,000 Vatican employees.

The Pope’s conversation with Scalfari and the words Francis never pronounced

Fr. Lombardi’s immediate response to the article published by Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” illustrates the surprise it caused in the Vatican: The Pope never made any mention of “paedophile cardinals”, neither did he speak about celibacy in the terms described, nor did he say he would come down hard on paedophile priests “like Jesus did”

The content of the article published in today’s issue of La Repubblica newspaper was not an interview, the phrases in speech marks which Francis allegedly pronounced had not been recorded, the author of the article had not taken notes and neither did Francis read said text prior to publication. The quotations contained in the article are a reconstruction from journalist Scalfari’s own memory of what was said during various conversations with the Pope. Francis did not make the comments regarding “paedophile cardinals” that are mentioned in the article, neither did he speak about priestly celibacy in such terms, nor did he say he would come down hard on paedophile priests “like Jesus did.” The fact that Fr. Federico Lombardi immediately contradicted the comments attributed to the Pope in the article, indicates how surprised everyone in St. Martha’s House was to read the news.