Protesters showed up during the September 26 screening of the film Benedetta at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, where the 59th New York Film Festival premiered the film. Armed with megaphones, banners, and placards, members of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property branded Benedetta as a “blasphemous lesbian movie.”
The Italian "pusher priest," Fr. Francesco Spagnesi, was arrested on September 14, 2021. He was charged with importing, using, and selling drugs, including the date-rape-drug GHB, which he imported from the Netherlands. Fr.
In a media pool interview, the Catholic pontiff once again issued a firm stance against same-sex marriage. Pope Frances said that “Marriage is a sacrament. The church doesn’t have the power to change sacraments.”
While the world was cringing at the legal circus unfolding in Texas, Mexico, one of the most prominent Catholic countries in the world has made an astounding comeback.
In October 2014, Lonnie Billard announced through social media that he and his longtime partner would be getting married. A couple of weeks after that post, he was told he could no longer teach at Charlotte Catholic High School. An unnamed assistant principal of the school told Billard of his termination.
On August 18, 2021, Bishop Tomé Ferreira da Silva, 60, of the Catholic diocese of São José do Rio Preto, resigned. The resignation happened days after a video leaked where he is seen playing with his genitals.
Around the same time da Silva submitted his resignation, he also acknowledged that the man in the video is him. He also believes the video was leaked by someone “living with him.” The bishop added that he would be working with his attorney and the local police to rectify the matter.
On July 27, a meteoric criminal trial took place in a makeshift courtroom inside the Vatican Museum. More than ten clergymen, and laypeople, went on trial for alleged corruption and massive fraud unfolding within the walls of the holy city. Amongst the indicted individuals is Cardinal Angelo Becciu. This trial is the first-ever in the church’s history, where a cardinal is investigated for financial crimes.
In Ohio, a Catholic-run school, Mt. Saint Joseph University (MSJU) confirmed that they would be hosting CNN’s town hall meeting where President Joe Biden will attend. The university confirmed the meeting on Tuesday, July 20; the town hall meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 21.
On July 20, Archbishop Jose Gomez directed a memo to bishops in the US. In the message, he announced the resignation of Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, the General Secretary of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) since November. Archbishop Gomez added that the monsignor’s resignation is immediate and cited “possible improper behavior,” referencing his presence in gay dating apps.
On the weekend of June 26, the St. Anne's Church in Upper Similkameen Indian Band was set on fire. This was one of the four incidents in the last month in which a catholic church was caught on fire in a First Nation territory in Canada. Made of wood and over a century old, the local fire department couldn't do anything to save the structure.
