Closeness is the legacy of the Jubilee, says Cardinal at closing of St. John Lateran Holy Door

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of Rome and Archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, presides over the closing of the Holy Door and the subsequent Mass and invites the faithful to manifest the presence of God in the places where there is no fraternity, justice, truth and peace.

“Today, by closing the Holy Door, we raise to the Father a hymn of thanksgiving for all the signs of His love for us, while we keep in our hearts the awareness and hope that His embrace of mercy and peace remains open to all peoples,” said Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of Rome and Archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The Cardinal’s prayer echoed in the atrium of the Basilica on the morning of Saturday, December 27, as he presided over the solemn rite of the closing of its Holy Door.

The cardinal ascended the steps in silence, then knelt on the threshold in prayer, before rising and closing the large door, while he bowed his head in a sign of reverence. 

Many faithful then approach the threshold and placed their hands upon it in a gesture of prayer and recollection.

Bringing the Lord through the streets of Rome

The same door had been opened on December 29, 2024, feast of the Holy Family. It’s closure instead occurred on the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, “the disciple who became Jesus’ closest friend,” the cardinal emphasized during the Mass that followed the rite of the closing of the Holy Door.

John had “walked with Jesus, listened to His voice, even the wordless one of His heart, resting his ear on His chest,” the Vicar of Rome continued.

Following John’s example, the faithful present—including the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri; and the Prefect, Lamberto Giannini—are invited to be “ministers of God’s mercy,” allowing the Lord “to find fulfillment in a city in which many have lost hope,” the Cardinal said.

The weight of absence

Cardinal Reina warned that one cannot profess the Christian faith without being concerned for those who, “because of the burdens they carry, the pain they endure, the injustices they suffer,” are unable to perceive anything other than absence.

He described this absence in all its facets: the lack “of solidarity in the gap between periphery and centre; of attention to economic and existential miseries; of fraternity, whereby we resign ourselves, even in the presbytery, to remaining alone or leaving one another alone. 

The absence in which families fall apart, bonds grow fragile, generations clash, and addictions become chains”; the lack of “justice that does not live up to the highest vocation of politics which is to remove obstacles so that everyone may have equal opportunity to fulfil themselves, give shape to their dreams, substance to their dignity, through work and fair wages, having a home, and being defended and cared for in their fragility.”

Overcoming inertia to change the city

The hearts of many, the cardinal continued, are weighed down by the deprivation “of vision and thought at a time when passions have become saddened, judgments have become sumary, information has lost contact with the search for truth, and culture no longer has credible teachers.”

Not to mention “the absence of peace in a world where the logic of the strongest prevails,” he emphasized. 

All this lack of prophecy “renders God mute,” he said urging the faithful to oppose “every form of inertia, so that the Lord may be encountered” and Rome may be transfigured, in all its “social and existential” places.

Recognizing everyone as brothers and sisters

This “is the hope that moved the countless pilgrims who left on our streets the footprints of steps weighed down by the burdens pressing on their hearts” and who imprinted on the Holy Door their touch seeking God and His mercy, Cardinal Reina highlighted.

He insisted that this is the teaching the Jubilee leaves to every believer: “A widespread sacrament of the closeness of the God of surprises,” because even if the Holy Door is now closed, “the Risen One passes through it and never tires of knocking, to offer and to find mercy.”

After all, the Cardinal underlined, at the end of time “we will be judged by Love,” by our ability to recognize everyone as brothers and sisters, including “those we consider enemies.”

The Church of Rome as a laboratory of synodality

In the “new time” that now begins for the Diocese of Rome, the Cardinal Vicar invited all to unite “prayers and efforts so as to be a place that reveals the presence of the Lord, that bears witness to His closeness by becoming close to one another, without forgetting anyone.”

He emphasized - quoting Pope Leo XIV’s address to the Diocese of Rome on September 19 -  that only in this way will the Church and the city be able to become a “laboratory of synodality capable of bringing the Gospel to life.”

Cardinal Reina thanks all those who worked for the Jubilee

Before imparting the solemn final blessing, Cardinal Reina thanked all those who worked during the Jubilee Year. 

He recalled the closeness of the Pope and greeted Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and organizer of the Jubilee, who was present at the Mass.

He also expressed his gratitude to the civil and military authorities who worked to keep everyone safe during this Holy Year, and to the many faithful of the diocese who practiced “charity and hospitality” toward the numerous pilgrims.

The Holy Door

In the history of the Jubilees, the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran —located on the right side of the portico—was the first to be opened, during the Holy Year of 1423.

It was Pope Martin V - whose relics now rest in the confessio in front of the main altar - who identified the crossing of the Door as what would thereafter become the quintessential sign of the Jubilee pilgrimage: passing through the true threshold, which is Christ, to receive the gift of His grace.

The current Holy Door was created by sculptor Floriano Bodini for the 2000 Jubilee. On it is depicted the Blessed Virgin with the Child, the Crucified Christ, and the coat of arms of St. John Paul II. 

The Mother protects the Child, who reaches toward the Cross to affirm His eternal divinity through sacrifice.

The other closing rites

The Holy Door of St. John Lateran was the second among those of the papal basilicas to be closed. On the afternoon of December 25, the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Cardinal Archpriest Rolandas Makrickas closed the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

On Sunday, December 28, the feast of the Holy Family, Cardinal Archpriest James Michael Harvey will preside over the celebration for the closing of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Lastly, on January 6, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Leo XIV will close the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, thus bringing Jubilee 2025 to a close.

Pope Leo sends aid to Ukraine for Holy Family Sunday

Pope Leo XIV donates three truckloads of humanitarian aid to regions of Ukraine most affected by bombing – a “small gesture,” according to Papal Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, intended to support families that, like the Holy Family, “are travelling along the ‘via dolorosa’ of exile in search of refuge.”

Three lorries carrying one hundred thousand food packets that, with a little bit of water, become energy-rich soups with chicken and vegetables: A “small gesture” from Pope Leo XIV that offers vital relief for Ukrainian families who, on the occasion of Holy Family Sunday in Nazareth on 28th. December, will receive humanitarian aid from the Vatican.

Help for those who follow ‘the painful path of exile’

Pope Leo XIV's gift, as Papal Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski told the Vatican media, is a gesture towards families who, like the family of Nazareth, “follow the ‘via dolorosa’ of exile in search of refuge,” experiencing “the dramatic condition of refugees, marked by fear, hardship and uncertainty.”

It is a gesture, the cardinal continued, that shows how God, “by being born into such a family, desires to always be where human beings are in danger, where they suffer, where they flee, where they experience rejection and abandonment.’

Closeness to families who suffer

The cardinal also noted that, even before Christmas, through the Office of Papal Charities and the Nunciatures, the Holy Father sent financial aid to various countries.

For Ukraine, before Christmas Eve, three lorries full of humanitarian aid sent by the Korean company Samyang Foods arrived at the Vatican and were then diverted to the war zones most affected by bombing, “where there is no electricity, no water, and no heating.”

Cardinal Krajewski pointed out that Pope Leo “not only prays for peace, but wants to be present in the families who are suffering.”

Pope Leo XIV: Christians Have No Enemies, Only Brothers and Sisters

Pope Leo XIV on Friday urged Christians to resist the temptation to treat others as enemies, saying the mystery of Christmas calls believers to recognize the God-given dignity of every person, even in their adversaries.

“Christians, however, have no enemies, but brothers and sisters, who remain so even when they do not understand each other,” the Pope said Dec. 26 during his Angelus address from the Apostolic Palace on the feast of St. Stephen, the Church’s first martyr.

Leo acknowledged that “those who believe in peace and have chosen the unarmed path of Jesus and the martyrs are often ridiculed, excluded from public discourse,” and sometimes even “accused of favoring adversaries and enemies.” Yet, he said Christian joy is sustained by “the tenacity of those who already live in fraternity.”

Reflecting on St. Stephen’s martyrdom, the Pope noted that early Christians spoke of the saint’s “birthday,” convinced “that we are not born just once,” and that “Martyrdom is a birth into heaven.”

Citing the Acts of the Apostles, Leo recalled that those who witnessed Stephen’s trial and death “saw that his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15), calling it “the face of one who does not leave history indifferently, but responds to it with love.”

The Pope linked Stephen’s witness to the meaning of Christmas, saying “the birth of the Son of God among us calls us to live as children of God,” drawing believers through the humility of Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds of Bethlehem.

At the same time, he said, the beauty of Christ and of those who imitate him can be rejected because it exposes injustice and threatens those “who struggle for power.”

“To this day, however, no power can prevail over the work of God,” Leo said, pointing to people around the world who choose justice “even at great cost,” who “put peace before their fears,” and who serve the poor.

“In the current conditions of uncertainty and suffering in the world, joy might seem impossible,” he added, but insisted hope still “sprouts” and “it makes sense to celebrate despite everything.”

The Pope said Stephen’s final act of forgiveness mirrors Jesus’ own, flowing from “a force more real than that of weapons,” a “gratuitous force” rekindled when people learn to look at their neighbor with “attention and recognition.” 

“Yes, this is what it means to be reborn, to come once more into the light, this is our ‘Christmas!’” he said.

After the Angelus, Leo renewed his Christmas wishes “for peace and serenity,” greeted pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, and asked St. Stephen’s intercession for persecuted Christians and communities suffering for their faith. He also encouraged those working amid conflict to pursue “dialogue, reconciliation and peace.”

Excavate the Abbey call as more remains found in Tuam

A LIMERICK woman who was born in Sean Ross Abbey mother and baby home says the latest discoveries at the former Tuam home demand that ground at her birthplace be opened to find out where the missing babies are.

Ann Connolly is one of the leading campaigners of the ‘We’re Still Here’ Sean Ross Abbey survivors group, who want an underground structure and land adjacent to the angel’s burial plot there excavated.

The group says there are still no answers for women about what happened to 900 unaccounted for babies who died at the home but have no marked grave.

Over the last few months, a meticulous excavation, prompted by the discovery of infant remains in a former septic tank, has uncovered more human remains (juvenile and adult), personal items like tiny shoes and bottles. An identification program for relatives is being run in tandem.

“What is happening in Tuam is showing the country that the truth can stay hidden underground for generations, even when everything looks normal on the surface. And that is exactly why Sean Ross Abbey needs to be excavated before more time is lost, while the mothers of these children are still alive,” said Ann.

A previous ultrasound exploration of the ground adjoining the angel’s plot in the former institution in Roscrea revealed “anomalies” but campaigners were told these did not warrant further exploration.

“At Sean Ross Abbey, 1,090 babies died. Only 269 burials were ever recorded. That leaves over 800 babies with no confirmed resting place. 23 young women also died there.

“These children did not simply ‘pass away’. Many died from preventable causes including malnutrition, untreated infections, overcrowded and cold rooms, neglect, and a lack of proper medical care,” said Ann.

“The Government uses phrases like ‘manifestly inappropriate’ to avoid digging. They say there is no evidence – but how can there be evidence when they refuse to look?

“Tuam has already shown Ireland that babies can be buried beneath ordinary ground, that scans cannot detect remains, and that you only find the truth when you excavate. Sean Ross Abbey deserves the same truth.”

The survivors group also wants to see full disclosure of records for Sean Ross Abbey.

“The government has locked away the institutional records for the next 30 years. These are the medical files, inspection reports, internal letters, adoption documents, correspondence about deaths, and the State’s own communications about how mothers and babies were treated. People deserve to know exactly what is being sealed,” said Ann.

“These records include what inspectors wrote, the warnings that were ignored, the conditions the children lived and died in, and who allowed it.

“They also include the truth about the mothers: the forced labour, the punishment, the dangerous birth conditions, the lack of pain relief, the medical neglect, the babies taken without consent, the coerced or forged signatures, the illegal birth registrations, the adoption arrangements and what really happened to the 23 young women who died there.

“They also contain information about pharmaceutical companies entering these institutions and carrying out trials on babies without their mothers’ knowledge. These are the facts being hidden.

“The Government has seen these records. We have not. They know the truth and they have chosen to lock it away from the very people who lived it. That is not preservation. That is control. And it is cruelty.”

The Guardian’s coverage of Opus Dei treats facts as optional (Opinion)

Like many Catholics who are familiar with their faith as it is actually lived, Opus Dei rarely resembles the institution so often presented in the secular press. 

It does not fit easily into the narratives that are routinely imposed upon Catholic bodies. 

Instead, the picture painted is frequently one of “cult” and “secrecy”, drawn less from Catholic reality than from popular fiction. 

Much of this framing still owes more to The Da Vinci Code than to any serious engagement with the life of the Church.

With fiction, the imagination is given free rein and reality becomes distorted. 

Over time, this produces a false picture, one we have seen repeatedly in media portrayals of Catholicism, which is often treated not as a concrete reality to be examined carefully, but as a symbolic canvas onto which wider anxieties and grievances are projected.

For Opus Dei, this makes it an easy target for the secular press. 

It is poorly understood, sufficiently obscure to be cast as unsettling, organised enough to appear suspicious, and Catholic enough to provoke instinctive mistrust among readers already primed to expect wrongdoing.

This pattern is familiar whenever Catholic news gains traction. The secular press’s habit of exaggeration becomes particularly pronounced when a pontiff is introduced. 

The Pope functions as a narrative amplifier. His name adds weight and drama regardless of whether he has any substantive involvement. 

Stories that would otherwise attract limited attention are elevated simply by implying papal interest or encouragement, even when such suggestions rest on nothing more solid than an unnamed source or a second hand assertion.

It is within this context that the Guardian’s coverage of a small conference in Argentina concerning Opus Dei should be understood.

The Guardian’s report of 15 December on an international gathering in Argentina of former members of Opus Dei is revealing less for what it establishes than for what it attempts to suggest.

Stripped of its most eye catching element, the story concerns a conference in Buenos Aires organised around the testimonies of 43 women who allege they were exploited when they were young and who are now engaged in a legal dispute with Opus Dei and its regional leadership. 

That dispute is already under way. Prosecutors are investigating, lawyers are involved, and public debate in Argentina has been ongoing for some time.

The Guardian’s version of the story, however, hinges on something else entirely: the claim that Pope Leo XIV “privately urged organisers to convene the conference”, accompanied by the further suggestion that he might make a statement afterwards. 

This is the lever that transforms a geographically and institutionally distant event into a global drama. 

As the Guardian itself acknowledges, the claim cannot be verified. 

It rests entirely on an anonymous “source with knowledge of the case”.

As noted above, the Pope’s name is not a decorative flourish for the secular press. If Pope Leo truly “urged” the organisers of the conference, the story would no longer concern contested allegations alone, but direct papal involvement. 

Yet we do not know that he did. No corroboration is offered. The Holy See does not confirm it, even in the Guardian’s own reporting. 

More importantly, Pope Leo has made no statement. 

The suggested post conference intervention has not materialised. 

The extraordinary claim remains unsupported by evidence.

This is why the Guardian’s piece is of interest chiefly because it invokes Pope Leo at all. 

The remainder concerns a small conference, far from both Rome and the UK, involving individuals who report negative experiences of Opus Dei and who are engaged in an ongoing legal dispute, now being framed in the language of trafficking.

Whether that characterisation stands up in court is a matter for evidence, due process and legal argument, not journalistic escalation through the use of the Pope’s name as a rhetorical device.

While researching this piece, I had the opportunity to review the email correspondence between Opus Dei and the Guardian. 

Opus Dei, through its Information Office, wrote to the Guardian’s readers’ editor objecting to the use of unverified claims in the headline and opening paragraphs, and to the promotional deployment of an anonymous tip to bring the Pope into the frame. 

In that message, Opus Dei stated: “We believe a serious newspaper such as The Guardian should not be promoting its articles based on unverified claims.” 

It added that at least one headline level assertion had “been shown to be false”, referring to the suggestion that the Pope would comment afterwards.

The Guardian’s response did not supply evidence for the papal claim. Instead, it argued that the article had “contextualised” the reference and that readers would not be misled. 

It said it had amended the subheading to “more closely reflect the reporting”, stressing that the claim came from a source and was not presented as established fact. It also insisted that it would be inappropriate to amend the archive “retrospectively with the benefit of hindsight”.

This goes to the heart of the problem. This is not a matter of hindsight, but of verification. If a claim is weighty enough to justify a headline, it is weighty enough to require substantiation. 

To argue that an anonymous assertion has been sufficiently “contextualised” is to treat insinuation as a substitute for proof. 

To resist correction in the name of archival integrity is to confuse preserving the record with preserving error.

The secular media frequently approaches the Church through a lens of hyperbole, covering Catholic life chiefly through controversy. 

It gravitates towards stories that confirm prior suspicion, and when the Pope’s name serves a purpose, it is deployed as a moral accelerant.

None of this implies that allegations should be minimised or that complainants should be dismissed. It does, however, mean that the Church and the public deserve a higher standard of reporting. 

In this case, the Guardian amplifies a claim about the Pope that it cannot verify and implicitly invites readers to treat as plausible.

We do not know whether Pope Leo knew about the conference at all. It is highly unlikely that he privately encouraged it, and still more unlikely that he would have committed himself to a public statement afterwards. 

The plain fact is that he has not made one.

In a statement sent to the Guardian prior to publication, Opus Dei rejected the central claim promoted by the conference, stating: “Opus Dei categorically denies this accusation, and considers it to be a manipulated use of a criminal offence to obtain media exposure, when it has no connection with the facts described by the complainants themselves, let alone with the reality of Opus Dei.”

US strikes in Nigeria on Christmas Day after ‘Christian genocide’ claims

The US launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against jihadists in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day, according to President Donald Trump.

He said the targets were “terrorist scum” linked to the Islamic State (IS) group who were “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”.

In a social media post late on Thursday, Trump said the US military “executed numerous perfect strikes”, while the US Africa Command later reported that the attack was carried out in co-ordination with Nigerian forces in Sokoto state.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC it was a “joint operation” targeting “terrorists”, and it “has nothing to do with a particular religion”.

Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, saying this depended on “decisions to be taken by the leadership of the two countries”.

In his post, Trump said that “under my leadership, our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper”. In November, he ordered the US military to prepare for action in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militant groups.

Although the post did not specify particular killings, claims of a genocide against Nigeria’s Christians have been circulating in recent months in conservative US circles.

Meanwhile, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post on Thursday he was “grateful for Nigerian government support and cooperation”, adding: “Merry Christmas!”

The US Department of Defence later posted an unclassified short video that appeared to show a missile being launched from a military vessel. Last week, the US said it carried out a “massive strike” against more than 70 IS targets in Syria with support from Jordan.

On Friday morning, the Nigerian foreign ministry said in a statement that the country’s authorities “remain engaged in structured security co-operation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorist and violent extremism”.

“This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the north west,” it said.

Following Trump’s warnings in November, an adviser to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu told the BBC that any military action against the jihadist groups should be carried out in cooperation with the government.

Daniel Bwala said Nigeria would welcome US help in tackling the Islamist insurgents but insisted it was a “sovereign” country. He also maintained that the jihadists were not targeting members of a particular religion.

Human rights groups monitoring violence in the region say there is no evidence to suggest that Christians are being killed more than Muslims, which each account for roughly half of Nigeria’s population.

In his Christmas message, the Bishop of Sokoto Matthew Hassan Kukah called on Nigerian leaders to address the suffering of ordinary citizens caused by crime and insecurity.

“In the midst of the darkness of our circumstances, we strongly urge our leaders to strengthen their resolve towards ameliorating the sufferings that challenge our faith,” he said on Christmas Day. “We may not have enough to feed the greed of our elite, but there is enough to feed our people.”

Bishop Kukah has disputed claims of genocide in Nigeria, but in his message said banditry, armed robbery and kidnapping blight the country, and he is asking citizens to pray for the families of those affected by them. He emphasised that the perpetrators are “among us”, products of failures to address poverty and hardship.

“In this holy season of Christmas, let us remember that the Lord heals our wounds and mends our broken hearts (Psalm 147:3). Like the shepherds in the fields, we pray that millions of our brethren stranded in refugee camps or forests may hear the good news that joy has come into the world,” he said.

“We do not celebrate Christmas as a feast or a date on our calendar. We celebrate it as a vocation. Our duty is to let the world see and experience the face of Jesus. Let us do that by our lives of love. Let us embrace peace and seek reconciliation.”

President Tinubu has insisted there is religious tolerance in the country and said the security challenges were affecting people “across faiths and regions”.

Trump previously announced he had designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” under religious freedom legislation because of the “existential threat” posed to its Christian population. He said “thousands” had been killed, without providing evidence.

The designation, used by the US State Department, provides for sanctions against countries “engaged in severe violations of religious freedom”.

Following this announcement, Tinubu said his government was committed to working with the US and the international community to protect communities of all faiths.

Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and IS West Africa Province have been active in north-eastern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands of people. According to Acled, a group which analyses political violence around the world, most of their victims have been Muslims. In central Nigeria, there are frequent clashes between mostly Muslim herders and farming groups, who are often Christian, over access to water and pasture.

The Archbishop of Lagos Alfred Adewale Martins urged Nigerians to give thanks for their survival despite widespread violence and instability, in a message issued on Christmas Eve. He warned the authorities to remember that they would give an account of their stewardship to God.

“We must also insist that everyone, especially those in government at all levels and all politicians should work intentionally, in order to generate hope in our people,” he said, “not simply by empty platitudes, but in courageous and meaningful action to stem the tide of fear and criminal activities in the land.”

He continued: “While we are not oblivious of the efforts being made by the government, we must also admit that the present reality of insecurity and pervasive fear have made it almost impossible for the average Nigerian to thrive or even dream with confidence.

“We must continue to challenge the nation’s leadership to urgently bring an end to the kidnappings and killings and so give assurance to communities of people who feel that they are being targeted and under siege by criminal elements in the country.

“Our citizens do not need mere promises but decisive action that secures our farms, our roads, our schools and our places of worship. After all said and done, the primary duty of the state is to protect the life and properties of her citizens.”

He said that because Christmas marked “God’s definitive entry into a world of struggle and a potent intervention in human history”, Christian hope becomes “a call to embody his presence here and now as we show love, empathy and kindness towards one another”.

“We must all remember that the true essence of this season lies in a selflessness that fights for justice, a humility that serves the broken among us, and a love that dismantles walls of division. The national transformation that we long for will surely come,” he said.

“We must learn to live at peace with one another, irrespective of religion, tribe, or political affiliation. Let this Christmas be a turning point. Let us put aside hatred, embrace our shared humanity, and work tirelessly to build a Nigeria where every person can live with dignity, free from fear and oppression. Let us build bridges, not walls.

“The light of Christ, shining in our hearts and actions, is the sure foundation for the brighter future we all seek.”

Vatican II theologian Peter Hünermann remembered for ‘critical loyalty’ after death at 96

The German theologian Peter Hünermann, a leading scholar of the Second Vatican Council, died on 21 December aged 96.

Born in Berlin in 1929, he studied in Rome at the Gregorian and at the Germanicum from 1948 until 1958 and was ordained priest there in 1955.

On his return to Germany he initially worked as a chaplain and teacher whilst continuing his studies. After an initial teaching post as a professor of dogmatics in Münster, Hünermann was Professor of Catholic Dogmatics in Tübingen from 1982 to 1997.

He was actively involved in theological research until his final days and celebrated the seventieth anniversary of his ordination last October.

The Dean of the Faculty of Catholic Theology in Tübingen Sakia Wendel called Hünermann a theologian “who, out of a deep spirituality and with critical loyalty, has accompanied and helped shape the development of theology and the Church since the Council”.

The editor of a five-volume critical commentary on the Second Vatican Council and for four decades of the handbook of Catholic creeds and council documents known as “Denzinger”, as well as of the acclaimed series Quaestioes Disputatae, Hünermann believed that theology should always serve the Church.

His scholarship, students and colleagues wrote, opened doors into new worlds of thought, life and faith. Already in the 1970s he made international connections for systematic theology in Germany.

In 1989, he was one of the founding presidents of the European Society for Catholic Theology. He was awarded honorary doctorates by universities in Germany, Argentina and Bolivia.

In his farewell lecture on his retirement from university teaching Hünermann said that “faith, the Church and theology are being put to the test in a completely new way”.

“They must prove themselves anew every day in their encounter with the times, in their engagement with cultures, and in their dialogue with religions,” he said. “There is no retreat behind the bastions. Theologians today are challenged to be creative with a different intensity than in the pre-Vatican II era."

“They not only bear a heightened responsibility for the future of faith and the Church, but they are also urgently called upon in their personal faith, hope, and love. For dogmatic theology is about developing that understanding of faith in light of different cultures and life contexts, which is the flip side of those forms of life in which faith is to be articulated in these cultures and life contexts.”

Kirill claims ‘diabolical hatred’ of Orthodoxy threatens Church in Ukraine

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow condemned the alleged persecution of Russian Orthodoxy around the world.

“To our sorrow, in a number of countries, people possessed by a diabolical hatred of Orthodoxy continue to wage war against the Russian Orthodox Church,” he said in a Christmas message. “Let us pray for fortitude and peace of mind for all those who are faithful to canonical order and church unity.”

Kirill specified the prosecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), formerly tied to the Moscow Patriarchate. 

“A total of 208 criminal cases have been initiated against clergy of the canonical Church to date, and 19 clergy have been stripped of their Ukrainian citizenship and the right to reside in Ukraine, including His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine,” Kirill said.

Over the past four years, 40 clergy have been sentenced to varying prison terms, he reported, accusing the Ukrainian authorities of “persecuting” UOC clergy. 

Kirill is a leading ideological supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has frequently asserted that Ukrainians and Russians are “one nation”. His commitment to the state led Pope Francis to warn him not to become “Putin’s altar boy”. 

The authorities in Kyiv deny claims of persecution. However, they accuse UOC clergy of blessing Russian soldiers and weapons, supporting Russian aggression against the country and spreading anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

Following the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UOC leadership removed the letters MP (for Moscow Patriarchate) from its name and Metropolitan Onufriy condemned the “fratricidal war”. The UOC representatives now claim to be now “completely independent” from Moscow.

In late 2022, the Ukrainian government introduced legislation banning religious organisations affiliated with Russia, and in summer 2025 the authorities tried to close the administrative centre of the UOC. An investigation by the State Agency for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Religion (DESS) concluded that the UOC Kyiv Metropolis remained affiliated to the Moscow Patriarchate. 

The UOC’s lawyers succeeded to postpone the court hearings several times until the end of 2025, arguing that the agency failed to provide all the documentation that it had used to examine the links between the Kyiv Metropolis and Moscow. Viktor Yelensky, head of DESS, accused the UOC of using legal procedures to prolong the process to avoid a substantive hearing on the matter.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has voiced concerns about threats to religious freedom under the legislation.

“We are concerned that the question of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s alleged ecclesiastical and canonical links with the Moscow Patriarchate – currently under judicial scrutiny – restricts the scope of freedom of worship and religious practice,” said a report from the commissioner, Volker Türk, in October.

“These elements are an integral part of the freedom of thought, conscience and religion as upheld in international standards. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is non-derogable, even in times of armed conflict.”

UOC membership has declined since the Russian invasion, though reportedly still accounts for the majority of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine with around 8,000 parishes as of mid-2024 despite defections to the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Sometimes I wonder.....

Sometimes I wonder

if Mary breastfed Jesus.

if she cried out when he bit her

or if she sobbed when he would not latch.

and sometimes I wonder

if this is all too vulgar

to ask in a church

full of men

without milk stains on their shirts

or coconut oil on their breasts

preaching from pulpits off limits to the Mother of God.

but then i think of feeding Jesus,

birthing Jesus,

the expulsion of blood

and smell of sweat,

the salt of a mother’s tears

onto the soft head of the Salt of the Earth,

feeling lonely

and tired

hungry

annoyed

overwhelmed

loving

and i think,

if the vulgarity of birth is not

honestly preached

by men who carry power but not burden,

who carry privilege but not labor,

who carry authority but not submission,

then it should not be preached at all.

because the real scandal of the Birth of God

lies in the cracked nipples of a

14 year old

and not in the sermons of ministers

who say women

are too delicate

to lead.

-Kaitlin Hardy Shetler

Pope at Angelus: Saint Stephen teaches us that martyrdom is a birth into the light

On the feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to contemplate martyrdom not as an end, but as a beginning: a “birth into heaven” that reveals what it truly means to come into the light.

Greeting pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for the Angelus, on the day traditionally known by early Christians as Saint Stephen’s “birthday”, the Pope recalled the ancient certainty that “we are not born just once”. 

With the eyes of faith, he said, even death is no longer darkness. “Martyrdom is a birth into heaven,” he continued, describing it as a passage illuminated by love rather than obscured by fear.

Reflecting on the account from the Acts of the Apostles, Pope Leo XIV pointed out the striking image of Stephen before the council: “All who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). 

This, the Pope explained, is “the face of one who does not leave history indifferently, but responds to it with love”. Stephen’s life and death, he said, mirror “the divine love that appeared in Jesus, the Light that shines in our darkness”.

From Bethlehem to martyrdom, the Holy Father traced a single thread: the call to live as children of God. The birth of the Son of God, he said, draws humanity, as it did Mary, Joseph and the shepherds with their humility. 

Yet, he acknowledged, the beauty of such a life is also rejected. From the very beginning, “his magnetic force has provoked the reaction of those who struggle for power”, of those unsettled by a goodness that exposes injustice and reveals “the intentions of their hearts” (cf. Lk 2:35).

Still, Pope Leo XIV insisted, no power can prevail over God’s work. Even today, across the world, there are those who “choose justice even at great cost”, who place peace before fear and service of the poor before self-interest. From these choices, he said, “hope then sprouts”, making celebration possible even amid suffering.

The Pope did not shy away from the realism of the present moment. In a world marked by uncertainty and pain, joy can seem unattainable. Those who believe in peace and follow “the unarmed path of Jesus and the martyrs”, he noted, are often ridiculed or excluded, sometimes even accused of siding with enemies. 

Yet, he said, “Christians have no enemies, but brothers and sisters”, whose dignity remains intact even when understanding fails.

At the heart of the Christmas mystery, Pope Leo XIV continued, is a joy sustained by those who already live fraternity, who recognise in every person, even in adversaries, “the indelible dignity of the daughters and sons of God”. 

Like Jesus, Stephen died forgiving, sustained by “a force more real than that of weapons”: a gratuitous force already present in every heart, reawakened when we learn to look upon one another with attention and recognition.

“Yes, this is what it means to be reborn, to come once more into the light,” the Pope said. “This is our ‘Christmas’.”

Bringing his address to a close, Pope Leo XIV entrusted the faithful to Mary, “blessed among all women who give life and counter arrogance with care, and distrust with faith”. 

And finally, inviting all to contemplate her, he prayed that she might lead the world into her own joy – “a joy that dissolves all fear and all threats, just as snow melts before the sun”.

“I renew my heartfelt good wishes for peace and serenity in the light of our Lord’s birth...As we remember Saint Stephen, the first Martyr, we seek his intercession for strengthening our faith and supporting the communities that suffer most for their Christian witness. May his example of humility, courage and forgiveness accompany those who, in situations of conflict, are committed to promoting dialogue, reconciliation and peace.”

Can Courts Compel the Reinstatement of a Former Nun to Her Cell?

This is an unusual case, and one that has been handled in a particularly strange way, which is now before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). 

Sister Elisabeth belonged to a religious community affiliated with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church between 2011 and May 2017. 

At that time, she left the monastery of her own free will. 

According to canon law, she is no longer a nun and has resumed using her civil name, Zhanna K.

The Ukrainian Courts of Appeal has ruled that the former nun still has her domicile in her former monastic cell.

“Since February 2018, Zhanna K. has wanted to return to the monastery and live in her former cell. She has tried several times to enter, but the locks have been changed. She allegedly has no other place to live. Zhanna K. invoked her right before the Ukrainian courts to return to the monastic cell she occupied for eight years as Sister Elisabeth.”

She won her case before a Ukrainian Courts of Appeal on December 18, 2023. 

The court ruled that “her cell constituted a home within the meaning of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and that the monastery must therefore allow her exercise her right to return to live in that home. The court ruled that the monastery must give Zhanna K. new keys to the monastery gate and the entrance door to the cells.”

Following this decision, the monastery appealed the case to the Ukrainian Supreme Court. “The monastery argues that the dispute falls within canon law rather than civil law. 

It relies in particular on the principle of autonomy of religious organizations, protected by freedom of religion within the meaning of Article 9 of the European Convention.”

An Advisory Opinion Is Forthcoming

The Ukrainian Supreme Court, before ruling on the dispute, referred the case to the ECHR, through an advisory procedure. The Ukrainian Supreme Court asked the ECHR “whether the monastic cell of a former nun was protected as a home, on the one hand, and whether the civil courts had jurisdiction to rule on such a religious dispute, on the other.”

“The requested advisory opinion will be issued by the Grand Chamber, which is the most solemn formation of the ECHR. It will therefore have an impact on the recognition of the rights of religious communities throughout Europe. The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) has been authorized to intervene as a third party in the proceedings and filed its written observations on October 31, 2025.”

“These observations demonstrate that a monastic cell is not the home of a nun, especially after she has left the community, and that such a question falls under the internal organization of the community.”

The Ukrainian Courts of Appeal Is Mistaken

“Is the right to respect for one’s home, protected by Article 8 of the European Convention, applicable to a monastery? If so, the holder of that right must be the monastery itself, and not each individual nun. Indeed, the ECHR has already recognized that legal entities may be entitled to the right to respect for one’s home.” 

“In any case, a monastic cell cannot be separated from the monastery as a whole. The organization of a monastery is communal, and nuns choose to take vows that involve, among other things, sharing all their property and renouncing a private ownership (the vow of poverty), refraining from founding a family (the vow of chastity), and obeying the superior of the congregation (the vow of obedience).”

Monastic cells “are regarded as places of retreat and prayer, not as personal dwellings. They are small and uniform. A nun cannot change the decoration or furniture in her cell. .  . Nor does a nun have the right to invite people from outside the community into her cell. She usually takes her meals in common with the other nuns and not in her cell.”

The Principle of Autonomy

“This monastic reality has no secular equivalent. For this reason, a specific regime must be applied to it, that of freedom of religion, recognized in Article 9 of the European Convention. 

This freedom gives religious organizations the right to respect for their autonomy, a principle enshrined in the ECHR. 

Autonomy aims to ensure that religious organizations are ‘allowed to associate freely, without arbitrary State intervention.’”

Thus, religious communities are free to govern themselves and free to define "the criteria for membership," and therefore to "exclude existing members." 

The State must accept "the right of such communities to react, in accordance with their own rules and interests, to any dissident movements emerging within them."

The ECHR also considers that "in the event of a disagreement over matters of doctrine or organization between a religious community and one of its members, the individual's freedom of religion is exercised through his freedom to leave the community."

Therefore, “if the monastic cell occupied by Zhanna K. was never her home, that cell cannot, a fortiori, be considered her home after she left the monastery and is no longer a nun.” 

Forcing the monastery to house Zhanna K. would imply either reinstating her into monastic life as Sister Elizabeth or revising the entire functioning of the community to create a special place for her as a layperson. 

Such an obligation would violate the monastery's right to respect for its autonomy.

The Ukrainian Courts of Appeal Exceeded the Limits of its Jurisdiction

“The principle of autonomy of religious organizations has consequences for the jurisdiction of civil courts in such a case. Civil courts may enforce the decisions of religious organizations, but they may not judge their merits.”

In essence, the examination by civil courts must be limited to verifying the absence of abuse on the part of the religious authorities. 

“By granting a former nun the right to return to live in her cell against the monastery's decision, the Ukrainian Courts of Appeal has therefore overstepped their competence.”

This ruling by the Courts of Appeal was all the more unexpected given that Ukrainian law provides guarantees to monasteries regarding their freedom to organize and use their buildings. 

“Furthermore, even adopting a broad interpretation of the right to housing, providing a cell to a nun does not create any civil right under Ukrainian law.” 

Order of nuns who formerly ran Magdalene Laundry raise issues with plans to turn it into housing

AN ORDER OF nuns in Donnybrook that previously ran a Magdalene Laundry are among a number of people who have raised concerns about the plans to develop the former laundry into homes.

Dublin City Council has requested that developer Pembroke Partnerships Ltd provide additional information on a number of issues related to the planning application. 

The company applied for permission to construct 38 housing units, comprising a mix of apartments (31), duplexes, and houses, on the site of the former Magdalene Laundry at The Crescent, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. 

Pembroke Partnerships was previously granted permission in 2020 for a development on the site. 

The latest application is an update to the previous one.

The former laundry was run there by the Religious Sisters of Charity from 1837 until it was sold to a private company in 1992. It continued to operate there as a commercial laundry until 2006.

Justice for Magdalene Research has recorded the names of 314 women and girls who died at the Donnybrook Magdalene Laundry.

The proposed plans would retain the old chimney stack (a protected structure) on the site, and convert the old laundry building into duplexes and housing.

The Religious Sisters of Charity are still present in the area, and have their convent – St Mary’s – immediately adjoining the site of the proposed development.

In a submission to the council, Brian Kelly, head of planning and place with commercial property advisor Avison Young, acting on behalf of the order, raised a number of issues with the proposed development. 

Kelly described St Mary’s as “the historical and spiritual home of the Religious Sisters of Charity”, in which 25 nuns still live. 

The order also has a graveyard on the site in which hundreds of nuns are buried, as well as the women who lived and worked there.

He said that an increase of height in the latest development proposal would result in excessive height and scale, and that there was a “significant opportunity for overlooking” into the convent.

Kelly also raised issues with the likely impacts of the construction phase on the nuns, the loss of private amenity, and the potential impacts on sunlight and daylight.

“It is our considered opinion that the proposed development fails to appropriately consider impacts on the sensitive residential use of the adjoining St Mary’s Convent Campus. Prescribed mitigation measures are inadequate to screen or to reduce the potential impacts,” he concluded.

“The resulting scheme would be detrimental to the continued well-being and residential amenity of the sisters”.

Other issues

A number of local residents in the area also raised concerns about the proposed development, raising concerns about the height and scale of the plans, as well as the historical significance of the site.

Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn said in a submission that the council had an “immense duty of care to execute in its decision making”, as a result of the historical significance of the site, and to pay respect to those who suffered there.

“I respectfully ask that the essence and residue that are ever present on this historic site be foremost in your mind and your hearts in consideration of this planning application,” he said.

We should not erase the past, painful as it is in this place, in this city, in this country. 

Dublin City Council has requested eight pieces of additional information from the applicant. These have to do with various aspects of the proposal, including its height and the potential for the building to overlook other buildings.

The council also requested updated archaeological, industrial and cultural heritage information, information to do with parking and the layout of the buildings.  

NYC's incoming archbishop inherits dispute with insurer over clergy abuse claims

New York Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks, who will be installed in early February, will arrive in an archdiocese seeking to raise $300 million to compensate more than 1,000 survivors of clergy sexual abuse while negotiating a universal settlement deal.

A settlement agreement could break years of legal gridlock involving the archdiocese and its longtime insurer Chubb, which has refused to cover abuse claims because, the company argues, the church is responsible for allowing misconduct to occur over several decades.

"Our goal has always been ... to resolve expeditiously all meritorious claims, provide the maximum amount of compensation to the greatest number of victim-survivors and help them heal and move forward," Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote in a public letter Dec. 8.

The outgoing cardinal, who led New York Catholics for 16 years, noted that the archdiocese has reduced staff, cut its budget and sold its former Manhattan headquarters for a hefty sum to help meet its multimillion dollar goal. 

NCR previously reported that the archdiocese laid off 18 employees last November due to a "financial crunch."

This month, the archdiocese sold the land under a luxury hotel on Madison Avenue for a reported $490 million. 

Some $200 million will be used for survivor compensation, while the remaining funds will help cover loans received by the archdiocese for previous settlements.

While acknowledging that the church failed to protect minors from abuse, Dolan also faulted its insurers for "accepting millions in premiums from the archdiocese" and then declining to cover abuse cases. 

Between 1956 and 2003, Chubb, identified in lawsuits as the Century Indemnity Company, issued more than 30 liability policies to the archdiocese; the church argues that these policies provide coverage for abuse claims. 

Since the passage of New York state laws, in 2019 and 2022, extending the statute of limitations to allow more abuse survivors to file civil suits, the archdiocese has been named in more than 1,500 abuse cases it has struggled to settle. 

Chubb claims the church hopes to evade financial responsibility for its misdeeds by relying on insurance policies.

Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents hundreds of clergy abuse survivors, told The New York Times that the church's recent push toward a settlement marks "the first time the archdiocese has shown willingness to engage in any kind of process to bring all of this toward resolution."

Opening the 'lookback' window

In February 2019, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act, which allowed some survivors of child abuse a one-year "lookback" window to bring claims "in which the statue of limitations has lapsed." 

Heralded by state legislators as a historic step toward justice for abuse survivors, the bill faced opposition from the archdiocese. Dolan claimed the lookback clause "would be toxic" for the church. 

"The lookback we find to be very strangling. When that happens, the only organization targeted is the Catholic Church," the cardinal told reporters in 2018 after a private meeting with Cuomo.

Tensions between the governor and the cardinal had escalated into a war of words by January 2019, when Cuomo blamed church leaders for protecting themselves instead of children, and Dolan accused New York Democrats of choosing to "alienate faithful Catholic voters."

The act was passed the following month, and two years later, in 2021, Dolan noted that the archdiocese was the defendant in more than 1,500 abuse cases after the one-year lookback period was extended due to the Covid pandemic. 

After suing 32 of its insurers (including Chubb) for nonpayment in 2019, the church urged its longtime carrier to provide restitution to survivors who filed claims.

"We are committed to calling upon our insurers to respond to covered claims and redeem the insurance coverage we purchased over many decades, so, on our behalf, they can expeditiously resolve meritorious abuse claims with appropriate compensation," the cardinal wrote in an archdiocesan communiqué.

Trouble for the church continued in the spring of 2022, when Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act. 

Similar to previous legislation focused on minors, the new law also opened a one-year lookback window and allowed abuse survivors sexually assaulted as adults to sue perpetrators "regardless of when the abuse occurred."

Dueling lawsuits

In June 2023, Chubb sued the archdiocese in New York State Supreme Court, arguing that church leaders are responsible for settling claims because they may have been aware of sex abuse committed by priests. 

By this point, the church expected Chubb to pay $859 million in compensation to satisfy more than 3,000 claims. 

Chubb's lawsuit against the church was first dismissed before an appellate court handed the insurance giant a legal victory and allowed its case to proceed.

"The complaint sufficiently alleges that recovery would fall outside the scope of plaintiffs' [Chubb] duties to defend and indemnify if the Archdiocese had knowledge of its employees' conduct or propensities," the appellate court ruled in April 2024.

But the next month, in May 2024, a large group of child sex abuse survivors urged state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate Chubb for "violating New York insurance and business laws" by refusing to compensate victims. 

On Sept. 30 2024, in a fiery letter that said the "gates of hell" would not destroy the church and that the archdiocese would prevail like New York City after 9/11, Dolan announced the church would countersue Chubb for abandoning abuse survivors. 

The cardinal noted that the church had already settled hundreds of cases but faced approximately 1,400 more.

Chubb, in response, called the church lawsuit "a financial maneuver" and faulted the archdiocese for "shifting responsibility for its actions onto insurers."

Questioned motives

The archdiocese instituted the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program in October 2016 to offer financial settlements to clergy sex abuse survivors. 

In an email to NCR this past March, Camille Biros, who provides victim compensation through the archdiocesan program, stated that the church independently resolved more than 400 abuse cases. (These settlements were separate from 123 resolved cases brought through the Child Victims Act.) 

"The compensation payments to victims were made directly from the archdiocese to our program," wrote Biros. 

Dolan has touted the program as an example of the archdiocese's commitment "to help bring a measure of peace and healing" to abuse survivors. 

But controversy erupted in 2021 when leaked remarks made years earlier by attorney Kenneth Feinberg, whom Dolan tapped to run the compensation program, suggested that the archdiocese sought to prevent survivors from filing new abuse claims through state law. 

"I think the cardinal feels that [the compensation program] is providing lawyers in Albany with additional persuasive powers not to reopen the statute," said Feinberg during a teleconference with attorneys and church officials from three New York dioceses. "We are already doing this. Why bother? Don't reopen the statue. We are taking care of our own problem." 

Hicks, during his time leading the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, described "profound remorse over any failure of the diocese to respond to an allegation of abuse" after the Illinois attorney general released a nearly 700-page report on clergy abuse claims in 2023. 

At that time, Hicks noted that no priests facing allegations of misconduct remained in active ministry in the diocese. 

"Remembering the harm done forces us to remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure it never happens again," Hicks wrote.

Phoenix surpasses New York, Chicago to become America’s 2nd-largest diocese

According to statistics published in the recently released 2025 edition of The Official Catholic Directory, the Diocese of Phoenix has surpassed the Archdiocese of New York and the Archdiocese of Chicago to become the nation’s second-largest diocese, exceeded only by Los Angeles. 

In the 2024 edition, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (3.82 million Catholics), Archdiocese of New York (3.26 million), Archdiocese of Chicago (2.08 million), Diocese of Phoenix (2.01 million), and Archdiocese of Boston (1.79 million) were the nation’s five largest dioceses, according to statistics reported to the Directory’s publisher by the dioceses themselves.

Diocese of Ferns Warns of Email Scam Targeting Local Community

The Diocese of Ferns is warning the public about a scam involving a compromised email account belonging to Fr. Thady.

A fraudulent message was sent from his email asking for assistance in purchasing an Apple Gift Card for a very ill friend.

One recipient has already replied but the Diocese is urging everyone to delete the message immediately and not to respond.

The email which was sent on Tuesday, December 23rd reads as though it’s from Fr. Thady himself mentioning a sore larynx and an inability to make a phone call.

Please be aware that this is part of a scam attempt and Fr. Thady’s email is not being used for such requests.

If you’ve received a similar message it is important to avoid clicking any links or opening attachments.

The Diocese of Ferns is currently addressing the situation and appreciates your vigilance in helping to prevent further issues.

Beattie urges Presbyterian Church to ditch all existing non-disclosure agreements

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has been urged to dissolve all existing non-disclosure agreements as it tries to forge a way forward amid the ongoing safeguarding scandal.

Ex-UUP leader Doug Beattie warned that legally binding confidentiality agreements make a “nonsense” of the church’s own appeal for potential victims to come forward and risk undermining the ongoing police probe.

Mystery over paedophile minister’s missing £200,000 will

A furious victims’ campaigner is demanding answers over the Department of Justice’s inability to find the will of a notorious paedophile minister who died with an estate worth almost £200,000.

The late Rev Bill Neely was exposed as a child molester in 2022 when Belfast man Eddie Gorman spoke out about his abuse.

Zimbabwean victims of sadistic sexual abuser John Smyth bring legal claim against Church of England after Justin Welby's resignation over scandal

Zimbabwean victims of one of Britain's most barbaric and prolific child abusers are bringing a legal claim against the Church of England over allegations of a cover-up.

Six men, including Rocky Leanders, who were abused as teenagers at John Smyth's Christian holiday camps in the African country, are among the seven claimants.

The other is the mother of Guide Nyachuru, a 16-year-old boy whose naked body was found in a swimming pool at one of the sadistic sexual abuser's camps in 1992.

The group joined forces to allege that senior clergy and church officers in England orchestrated a cover-up that meant Smyth could continue abusing boys for decades.

Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury last year over his handling of the case of Smyth, who abused more than 100 boys and young men in the UK and Africa.

The horrifying abuse included forced nudity, beatings with table tennis and jokari bats, indecent exposure, groping and intrusive conversations about masturbation.

Smyth beat boys naked for hours in a purpose-built, soundproofed shed in his garden in Winchester, leaving them bleeding to the extent that some needed adult nappies.

Law firm Leigh Day has sent a letter of claim on behalf of the seven which connects the Church's failure to act in the 1980s to abuse that later occurred in Zimbabwe.

It said the Church not reporting Smyth's abuse in the UK from 1982 until 1984 directly led to his move to Zimbabwe, where he continued to prey on vulnerable boys.

While an internal investigation acknowledged the criminality of the beatings, the police were not told - and Smyth was instead encouraged to leave the UK.

He moved to Zimbabwe and set up the Zambesi Trust UK which funded his work and expenses – meaning he could host the camps where further abuse took place.

Mr Leanders was hit 35 times by Smyth on the bottom with a table tennis bat or wooden paddle during a one-week camp with 80 other boys aged 14 to 16. He was also forced to swim naked and queue naked for the shower while Smyth watched.

The 47-year-old said: 'The memory of the shame and humiliation I suffered to satisfy John Smyth has never left me. After the Makin report was published I expected some redress. But none came.

'I feel increasingly angry that the Church of England exported this criminal to Zimbabwe. I am sharing my story to raise awareness and encourage other survivors of abuse to speak out.'

Guide was found dead in the swimming pool at Zambesi Holiday Camp in December 1992 after reportedly going swimming naked, as was Smyth's tradition at the camps, before bed.

Smyth, who had move to Zimbabwe in July 1984, officiated at his funeral and later called it an 'unfortunate incident'.

He was charged in the mid-1990s with culpable homicide regarding Guide's death and criminal injury in relation to other boys who were harmed.

But the prosecution was discontinued when Smyth's legal team, which was largely led by the barrister himself, argued the prosecutor had a conflict of interest.

Guide's sister Edith Nyachuru said: 'My brother Guide was just 16 when he died at Smyth's camp. For years, we've lived with unanswered questions and unimaginable grief.

'The Church of England had the power to stop Smyth before he ever came to Zimbabwe. Instead, they chose silence. We want truth, accountability, and change.'

The lawyers have sent the letter of claim to St Andrew the Great Church in Cambridge - formerly the 'Round Church', which employed the late Reverend Mark Ruston, who led the internal investigation into Smyth's abuse in 1982.

The law firm alleges that Mr Ruston, other clergy and senior church officers from other parishes deliberately concealed the abuse and failed to report it to the police, despite acknowledging that crimes had been committed.

The failure to report Smyth to the authorities was allegedly 'motivated by a desire to protect the reputation of the Church of England - particularly among senior figures in its conservative evangelical wing', the lawyers said.

The action follows the Makin report into Smyth – thought to be the most prolific abuser associated with the Church – which concluded Mr Welby did not adequately follow up on reports about the Christian camp leader and barrister.

The review, which was released in November 2024, said Smyth might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported allegations to police in 2013.

The report said Smyth 'could and should have been formally reported to the police in the UK, and to authorities in South Africa (church authorities and potentially the police) by church officers, including a diocesan bishop and Justin Welby in 2013'.

Mr Welby initially said he would not resign as Archbishop of Canterbury over the report and remained in post for a further five days before announcing he would quit.

The review also stated that the Church had covered up Smyth's abuse in 1982 and considered him 'a problem solved and exported to Africa'.

At the time, Mr Welby – who spent more than a decade as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury - said he was quitting 'in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse'.

But in a later interview at the Cambridge Union in May 2025, Mr Welby said new evidence had come to light after the review which showed reporting was 'fully' given by clergy to the police, who asked the Church 'not to carry out its own investigations because it would interfere with theirs'.

Over five decades between the 1970s until his death, Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.

While some 30 boys and young men are known to have been directly physically and psychologically abused in the UK, and about 85 boys and young men physically abused in African countries, including Zimbabwe, the total 'likely runs much higher', the report said.

Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was 'never brought to justice for the abuse', the Makin Review said.

Despite his 'appalling' actions having been identified in the 1980s, the report concluded he was never fully exposed and was therefore able to continue his abuse.

Mr Welby knew Smyth because of his attendance at Iwerne Christian camps in the 1970s, but the review said there was no evidence that he had 'maintained any significant contact' with the barrister in later years.

Mr Welby said he had 'no idea or suspicion of this abuse' before 2013.

The Makin report said church officers in the UK were 'very aware' Smyth was under investigation in Zimbabwe in the 1990s and they 'could and should' have reported him to police for abuses in the UK.

It said: 'People in the UK, including church officers, were very aware of these attempts at bringing John Smyth to justice in Zimbabwe.

'At any point in this period, any one of those people could and should have taken the initiative to report John Smyth to the police for his abuses in the UK.

'His UK abuses were well known to many people in Zimbabwe by 1995 and the number of people being aware steadily grew until he left Zimbabwe to move to Durban in South Africa in 2001.'

The Leigh Day legal letter states: 'In orchestrating this cover up, Ruston and the other Church of England church officers and clergy who covered up Smyth's abuse knowingly enabled him to continue to have access to and be involved with vulnerable boys, and their care, including our clients.

'But for the breaches our clients would not have been abused by Smyth and would not have suffered the harm detailed.'

The claimants now want an apology and independent review into learning from the abuses perpetrated by Smyth in Africa, as well as financial compensation.

Rebekah Read, the solicitor representing the seven, said: 'This case is about accountability. The Church of England had multiple opportunities to stop John Smyth and protect vulnerable boys.

'Instead, it chose to protect its reputation and take control of sweeping this horrific abuse under the carpet. Our clients are seeking justice not only for themselves, but to ensure that such failures are never repeated.

'The claimants hope that the current leadership transition in the Church of England will signal a renewed commitment to transparency, accountability, and justice for survivors.'

A Church of England spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'We are truly sorry for the horrendous abuse carried out by John Smyth, both here and in Africa, and the failures in the Church's response to such abuse. 

'The Church in South Africa has already carried out its own review. We have been in contact with the Church in Zimbabwe and offered to support and contribute financially to any review that it might choose to undertake, building on the review undertaken by David Coltart in 1993. 

'The Church of England has accepted the majority of the recommendations of the Makin review and has recently published an update on implementing these recommendations. 

'The National Safeguarding Team has taken out complaints under the clergy discipline measure against 11 members of the clergy criticised in the Makin review, eight of which are currently in progress.'

The 'update' referred to in the statement was an announcement in November 2025, one year on from the Makin review, in which the CofE said it had partly accepted three of the report's 27 recommendations and fully accepted the other 24.

One of the recommendations accepted in full was to consider the commissioning of a full independent review into Smyth's abuses in Zimbabwe between 1985 and 2001.

A spokesperson for St Andrew the Great Church told the Mail: 'We are full of sorrow about the horrendous abuse carried out by John Smyth which has had lifelong effects on survivors, both here and in Africa, and that he was not stopped sooner.

'While we are unable to comment on the specifics of this claim, we take the safety and wellbeing of our congregation, staff and volunteers extremely seriously and follow the Church of England's Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance designed to protect vulnerable people.

'If anyone has been affected by this issue and wants to talk to someone independently, please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk. Further support is also available via contacts on our safeguarding webpage."

The time bombs in the new Archbishop of Canterbury's in-tray for 2026

The church of Holy Trinity is a solid red-brick presence at the top of Guildford's medieval High Street. 

There has been a place of worship on the site since at least the 14th Century, and today's Georgian building includes the tomb of an archbishop of Canterbury from the reign of the Stuarts. 

The pre-Christmas scene here could not be more traditional - children from the local Church of England school putting on a Nativity show of song, dance and drama.

But there is a quiet revolution unfolding at Holy Trinity. 

In defiance of the Church of England's current rules, the rector of Holy Trinity and St Mary's, Simon Butler, is conducting stand-alone same-sex blessings (blessings that are carried out individually, rather than as a small part of a normal scheduled service).

This quiet act of defiance is a metaphor for the state of the Church as a whole, as Dame Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, prepares to take over the C of E's top job on 28 January.

The sense of crisis facing the Church in the aftermath of Justin Welby's resignation this time last year has subsided. 

Archbishop Welby stood down after being accused of failing to follow up information about abuse committed by the late John Smyth, a lawyer who ran Christian camps here and in Zimbabwe.

While the process of finding a permanent replacement for Justin Welby has taken time, it has all been done by the book, and the choice has been welcomed by many, though not all.

But beneath the smooth-sailing surface, the icebergs are still there. 

Many of the big issues that troubled Justin Welby's time in office remain unresolved, and the evidence suggests Dame Sarah is facing truly turbulent times when she is installed at Canterbury Cathedral.

Splits over same-sex couples

The debate over same-sex relationships has troubled the Church for decades. 

Sir John Wolfenden, whose 1957 inquiry concluded that sex between men should be decriminalised, was a committed Anglican, and his recommendation was couched in grudging terms.

"We do not see," he declared, "why this particular form of sexual behaviour, which we regard, most of us, as morally repugnant… should be a criminal offence."

The archbishops of Canterbury and York of the day (and in the 1950s the views of archbishops carried much greater weight) both supported the change in the law, but also both condemned homosexuality in moral terms. 

Michael Ramsay, then Archbishop of York and later of Canterbury, declared, "Christianity abhors the indulgence of lust, whether by fornication, adultery or homosexuality."

In 2023 it looked as if the cycle of debate which had held the church in its clutches for so many years had been broken. 

The General Synod, the Church's parliament, voted to approve a set of prayers for blessing same-sex couples, and also decided that stand-alone blessing services should be trialled – even though many traditionalists argued that these are gay weddings in all but name.

The decision was, critically, endorsed by both the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and his successor, Sarah Mullally.

But in October this year the Church's leaders performed what one of their critics describes as "a handbrake turn". 

After a private meeting in Berkshire, the bishops announced that trials of stand-alone services should only begin if the Synod voted for them by a majority of at least two-thirds.

One reason for their change of heart can be traced to the warnings – some called them threats – emanating from a group of conservative churches. 

"It was becoming increasingly obvious that this was a source of huge division within the Church of England," says Madeleine Davies, who writes for the Church Times.

"More traditional members of the Church, including conservative evangelicals, many of whom represent quite large churches… became increasingly vocal about what they might do if the blessings went ahead without this full approval procedure."

Ian Paul, a conservative theologian and a member of the General Synod, denies that this amounted to "strong-arm tactics". 

He says that the bishops have simply recognised why opponents of the blessings feel so strongly. 

"This is sufficiently important to us to say that we will withdraw our support and our co-operation," he told me. "We will say that we are out of communion, out of step with our bishop. The reason for that is that these are churches who are committed to the doctrinal teaching of the Church."

Dr Paul believes that the bishops' ruling means "we have an opportunity… to draw a line under this process" at the next Synod meeting in February. 

He argues that if the "war of attrition" over sexuality continues then "it's going to harm the church. It's going to harm our witness. It's going to continue with this demographic crisis we're facing on clergy numbers, with dropping vocations, it's going to be very demotivating, and it's also going to continue to undermine trust."

Many on the other side of the argument would recognise his concern that this debate has become corrosive, but the idea that they will simply give up and accept defeat is fanciful.

At Holy Trinity in Guildford the rector, Simon Butler, is pushing ahead with his stand-alone blessings out of frustration with the bishops' recent announcement.

In the vestry, surrounded by racks of well-pressed white surplices and brightly coloured vestments, I met Ian and Paul, one of the couples he has blessed. 

Paul, a regular churchgoer from a family of Anglican vicars, spoke warmly about the service.

"I think it was something about being in that chapel, which has been there for over 1,000 years, with the priests, with the candles," he said. 

Both men felt they had been brought closer by the ceremony, especially by the promises they made to look after one another in times of sickness. 

"It was probably the covenants that were the important thing," Ian reflected, "because it was something that we were agreeing between us to do, which just binds us that little bit closer together."

Simon Butler argues that far from ending the debate about same-sex blessings, the bishops' decision to raise the bar for a trial of stand-alone blessing services will actually encourage campaigners on his side to push the even more contentious issue of same-sex marriage in church.

"The reality is that the hurdles that the bishops have put in place now means that it seems a rather pointless thing to do, to be arguing about stand-alone versus… existing services, when the option of having same sex-marriage, which requires the same majorities in General Synod… are the ones that I think many people will feel are worth going for now," he says.

If you can have the "full-fat option", he asks, why would you go for the "fairly thin gruel" on offer at the moment?

Dame Sarah Mullally has been a prominent voice in this debate, and she has given every indication that she wants to move it on. 

As Madeleine Davies of the Church Times notes, "She has used these phrases about wanting to get her sleeves rolled up and being someone that likes to sort of fix things." 

But quite what she can do when the two sides are so far apart is difficult to see.

There are elections to the Church's General Synod during her first year in office, and it is already clear this issue will dominate the campaign.

The official announcement of Dame Sarah's appointment noted that her roles in her new job include being "primus inter pares – or first among equals – of the Primates of the global Anglican Communion, which consists of around 85 million people, across 165 countries".

In reality, her leadership of the wider Anglican world can no longer be taken for granted in the way that claim suggests.

How female leadership triggered divides

The fact that she will be the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury has been welcomed by many on her home turf. Coming just over three decades after the first women priests were ordained in the Church of England, it seems a natural development.

But in some of the countries where the Anglican Church claims a large and growing membership there are very different views. 

At a recent thanksgiving service in the Nigerian city of Lagos, for example, one priest told the BBC, "I find it difficult to believe that a female [can] lead any church." 

Another declared, "There's this feeling of the church sinking… going the way of the world rather than the way of God."

The formal opposition to her worldwide leadership role comes from a group of conservative churches – including Nigeria's – which at a 2008 meeting in Jerusalem established Gafcon, or Global Anglican Future Conference. 

The movement was a response to the consecration of a gay bishop in the United States, and the organisation holds firmly to traditional church teaching on sexuality. So Dame Sarah's past support for gay blessings crosses a red line.

Gafcon's chairman, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda, described her as "a leader who will further divide an already split Communion".

And when I spoke to the organisation's general secretary, Texas-based bishop Paul Donison, his challenge to Sarah Mullally's leadership of the worldwide Anglican communion was direct. 

"Now we really want nothing to do with the Canterbury structure," he said, "because it's failed to hold together any sense of biblical, historic Anglicanism." 

He described the new archbishop's appointment as "a profound split, profound breaking point".

Justin Welby devoted huge amounts of time and energy to preserving the unity of the worldwide Anglican communion, but that battle may be over before his successor even takes office.

Aftermath of sexual abuse scandals

Closer to home, the new archbishop will be faced with the task of restoring the trust the Church lost during the leadership crisis this time last year. 

The anger that erupted following the publication of a much-delayed report into the brutal abuse of young boys by John Smyth reflected a sense that the Church did not really understand the damage that abuse can do.

"Abuse is… about power being used wrongly in relationships over a long period," says Andrew Graystone, who interviewed many of Smyth's victims for his book, Bleeding for Jesus: John Smyth and the Cult of the Iwerne Camps. "And if there's to be any recovery or healing for the victim or survivor of abuse, it needs that power dynamic to be reversed and the messages that have been fed to that person to be to be reversed and countered, and you can't do that simply by making an apology or signing a cheque."

In the months since Justin Welby's resignation, the Church has been struggling to reform the way it deals with abuse, but the record has been patchy - partly because of the C of E's decision-making processes. 

At its meeting in February the General Synod debated advice from Alexis Jay, the academic who chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. 

Prof Jay had recommended that the Church should transfer all responsibility for dealing with abuse to an independent body. 

But the Synod rejected that, instead voting for independent oversight at a national level, while the Church retains control in dioceses and parishes.

In the summer, after years of debate, the Synod did finally pass a scheme for giving redress to survivors, but like all big Synod decisions it had to work its way through parliament because the C of E is the established church. 

And accusations that the Church has been dragging its feet keep coming. 

Only last month the Charity Commission ruled that the Church's efforts to reform safeguarding showed "insufficient urgency and pace" and imposed its own, faster timetable.

Joanne Grenfell, the bishop responsible for safeguarding, defends the Church's record. She told me, "I don't want to make any apology for trying to get the governance of this right. We've done this quickly once before, and got it wrong. To be really, really frank, we can't afford to do that again."

Andrew Graystone's verdict is that "the preventative safeguarding that happens in parishes and churches all around the country, with parish safeguarding officers and safeguarding training… is pretty good. 

What they haven't managed to do is find any ways to care for victims and survivors of abuse… Really, nothing much has changed."

It is a formidably challenging in-tray.

But here is a final thought that may cheer the new archbishop: the Church of England still seems capable of inspiring deep affection, even from those who feel it has wronged them.

I asked the gay couple who had been blessed by Simon Butler in Guildford why they wanted to be embraced by an institution that had shown such ambiguity – to put it at its mildest – towards their relationship.

Paul came back immediately: "We have to keep hope and keep with the Church of England," he said. "It's a great institution.

"It's part of the fabric of our country, and it's something we should cherish."