Latest news with #reformers
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Peak absurdity on campaign finance reform heads to the Supreme Court
Developments in recent decades reflect diminished respect for the First Amendment. These include campus speech codes, political pressure for censorship on social media platforms, and a society-wide 'cancel culture' that inspires self-censorship lest 'harmful' speech 'trigger' offended hearers. The most serious speech-regulation began half a century ago, under the antiseptic rubric of 'campaign finance reform.' On Wednesday, the Supreme Court can begin removing another shackle reformers have clamped on political speech. The court will consider taking a case about whether the First Amendment is violated by limits on what political parties can spend in coordination with their candidates' campaigns.
Sky News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
The demands and challenges facing the new pope
There is a long list of demands in the new pope's in-tray, ranging from the position of women in the church to the ongoing fight against sexual abuse and restoring papal finances. People both inside the Catholic Church and around the world will be watching how the new pontiff deals with them. US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new pope on Thursday after just two days of conclave. The 69-year-old, who becomes the first American pope, will take the name Leo XIV. 1:25 Here, Sky News Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins takes an in-depth look at the challenges facing the new pontiff. Sexual abuse Many Catholic insiders credit Pope Francis with going further than any of his predecessors to address sexual abuse. He gathered bishops together for a conference on the issue in 2019 and that led to a change that allows cooperating with civil courts if needed during abuse cases. But it didn't go as far as forcing the disclosure of all information gathered in relation to child abuse. Any abuse allegations must now be referred to church leaders, but reformers stopped short of decreeing that such cases should also be automatically referred to the police. 6:27 While many abuse victims agree they saw progress under Pope Francis, who spent a lot of time listening to their accounts, they say reforms didn't go far enough. The next pope will be under pressure to take strong action on the issue. Women Pope Francis also did more to promote women in the Vatican than any other pontiff. Two years ago, he allowed women to vote in a significant meeting of bishops. While he was clear he wanted women to have more opportunities, he resisted the idea that they needed to be part of the church hierarchy and didn't change the rules on women being ordained. His successor will need to decide if they push this agenda forward or rein it back in. It's a pressing concern as women do a huge amount of the work in schools and hospitals, but many are frustrated about being treated as second-class citizens. 10,000 nuns a year have left in the decade from 2012 to 2022, according to Vatican figures. Inclusion "Who am I to judge?" Pope Francis famously said when asked about a gay monsignor in 2013. His supporters say he sought to make the church more open, including allowing blessings for same sex couples but while critics argue he didn't go far enough, some conservatives were outraged. African bishops collectively rejected blessings for same sex couples, saying "it would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities". How welcome LGBTQ+ people feel in the church will depend partly on decisions made by the pontiff. Conversely, the Pope must also bring together disparate groups within the Catholic faith. Many are demanding a leader who can unite the various factions and bring stability in an increasingly unstable world. The global south While the Catholic church is losing members in its traditional base of Europe, it's growing rapidly in the global south. The area has become the new centre of gravity for Catholicism with huge followings in countries like Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines. Pope Francis tried to expand representation by appointing more cardinals from different areas of the world, and the new Pope will be expected to continue this. 1:02 The Vatican is facing a serious financial crisis. The budget deficit has tripled since Pope Francis's election and the pension fund has a shortfall of up to €2bn (£1.7bn). These money worries, which were compounded by COVID-19 and long-standing bureaucratic challenges, represent a major concern for the next pope. Conversely, the Pope must also bring together disparate groups within the Catholic faith. Many are demanding a leader who can unite the various factions and bring stability in an increasingly unstable world.
Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Who is Robert Prevost? First North American pope elected
Follow the latest updates on Pope Leo XIV's election here Cardinal Robert Prevost, whose papal name will be Pope Leo XIV, has become the first North American pope. The appointment will probably please Donald Trump, as Vatican insiders previously remarked that the US had more than enough geopolitical influence without taking over the papacy. A Vatican insider said: 'He was not one of the obvious candidates, but he knows everybody, he spent 30 years as a missionary, he has languages. 'His time in Peru means he is one of the least 'American' of the American cardinals. But he understands America and he can speak to the country, which is important in the Trump era.' Cardinal Prevost, 69, who was born in Chicago, has an impressive CV. He spent years in Peru, first as a missionary and then an archbishop. He is seen as a reformer in the mould of Pope Francis, who sent Cardinal Prevost to run the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014. Cardinal Prevost liked the country so much that he acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015. He ran that diocese until 2023, when Francis brought him to Rome to be head of the Vatican's powerful Dicastery for Bishops, in charge of vetting nominations for senior clergy around the world. Prevost was also president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a job that kept him in regular contact with the Catholic hierarchy in a region of the world that still counts the most Catholics. Although he kept a low profile in Rome, he was part of one of the most significant reforms undertaken by Francis: adding three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope. Before his election, it was thought that his comparative youth could count against him because cardinals would not want to elect a pope whose reign could last for two decades or more. Those concerns were evidently dismissed by a majority of cardinal electors, who have given the Catholic Church the first pontiff from the US, an historic shift.
