Catholic liturgy
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| June 7 2025 |
Black Catholicism
Cardinal Robert Prevost, a descendant of Black Creole Catholics from New Orleans, is elected Pope Leo XIV.
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| December 18 2023 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
Pope Francis approved a document (Fiducia supplicans) published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, allowing blessings for couples with same-sex attraction, marking a significant shift in the Catholic Church's approach to LGBTQ+ individuals.
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| March 11 2023 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
The Synodal Path, with support from over 80% of German Roman Catholic bishops, called for blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in German Roman Catholic dioceses.
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| February 2023 |
Summorum Pontificum
Pope Francis issued a rescript clarifying that bishops must obtain Holy See authorization before allowing parish churches to be used for preconciliar rite Eucharistic celebrations or permitting priests ordained after 16 July 2021 to use the 1962 Roman Missal.
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| November 2022 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
All Roman Catholic bishops in Belgium allowed blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples.
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| October 2022 |
Black Catholicism
A documentary about Thea Bowman was released.
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| June 29 2022 |
Summorum Pontificum
Pope Francis released an explanation for his previous document, stating he published it because some people accepted Vatican II but rejected its subsequent liturgical reforms, and emphasizing his desire to re-establish unity in the Roman Rite Church.
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| May 2022 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
Continued blessings of same-sex marriages in over 100 Roman Catholic churches in Germany.
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| February 2022 |
Black Catholicism
A Place at the Table: African-Americans on the Path to Sainthood documentary released.
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| 2021 |
Black Catholicism
A Place at the Table: African-Americans on the Path to Sainthood documentary crowdfunded with over $18,000.
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| 2021 |
Black Catholicism
A Pew Research study revealed that just over half of Black American adults raised Catholic remained in the Church, indicating a significant decline in Black Catholic population.
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| July 16 2021 |
Summorum Pontificum
Pope Francis abrogated Summorum Pontificum with a new apostolic letter, imposing new restrictions on the celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal.
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| May 2021 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
Over 100 Roman Catholic churches in Germany began celebrating blessings of same-sex marriages, including in the cathedral of Magdeburg and in Essen.
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| 2020 |
Black Catholicism
Cailloux – One Man's Fight for Freedom During the Civil War, a documentary about Andre Cailloux, was released.
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| 2020 |
Black Catholicism
USCCB President Archbishop José Gomez and Black Catholic Bishop Shelton J. Fabre issued anti-racism statements following the murder of George Floyd and during the second wave of Black Lives Matter protests.
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| November 28 2020 |
Black Catholicism
Wilton Gregory was officially made a cardinal in a consistory ceremony, breaking a significant racial barrier in the Catholic Church hierarchy.
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| October 25 2020 |
Black Catholicism
Pope Francis announced that Wilton Gregory would be named a cardinal, marking a historic moment as Gregory would become the first African-American member of the College of Cardinals.
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| July 2020 |
Black Catholicism
A joint statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement was issued by multiple Black Catholic organizations: NBSC, IBCS, NABCA, NBCCC, and the Bowman-Francis Ministry.
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| May 14 2020 |
Te Deum
The Holy See confirmed the new ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) translation of the Te Deum hymn.
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| 2019 |
Black Catholicism
Wilton Gregory was named by Pope Francis as Archbishop of Washington (D.C.), becoming the first African American to hold this prestigious diocesan position.
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| 2019 |
Black Catholicism
Across, a live-action movie about Venerable Fr. Augustus Tolton, was released.
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| 2019 |
Black Catholicism
Thea, a play about Thea Bowman by Nathan Yungberg, was performed.
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| 2019 |
Black Catholicism
Bishop Roy Campbell took over leadership of the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC).
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| 2019 |
Black Catholicism
Tolton: From Slave to Priest, a play about Augustus Tolton, premiered.
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| 2019 |
Black Catholicism
Augustus Tolton was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church, potentially on the path to sainthood.
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| January 17 2019 | Pope Francis abolished the Ecclesia Dei Commission and transferred its responsibilities to a special section within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). |
| 2018 |
Black Catholicism
The USCCB issued its first pastoral letter against racism in 39 years, titled 'Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love', which was controversial and voted against by 3 bishops, with one abstention.
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| 2017 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, president of the Austrian bishop's conference, denounced the legalization of gay marriage in Austria, arguing that marriage is for 'producing, nurturing and raising children'.
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| 2017 |
Black Catholicism
During the NBCC Congress XII, representatives from every U.S. diocese created a 'Pastoral Plan of Action' to address the needs of Black Catholics nationwide.
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| February 2016 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi rejected the Catholic Church's interference in a parliamentary debate about civil unions and adoption rights for same-sex partners.
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| 2015 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
A Catholic Dominican priest in Malta blessed a same-sex union equivalent to marriage, without public censure from his local bishop.
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| 2015 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
At the Synod of Bishops in Rome, Cardinal Reinhard Marx urged bishops to consider the values of same-sex relationships beyond sexual orientation.
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| 2015 |
Black Catholicism
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued commemorative documents for the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement, including a 'Black Catholic History Rosary' created by Dr. Kirk P. Gaddy.
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| 2015 |
Saint Andrew's Day
Romania officially recognized Saint Andrew's Day as a national holiday.
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| July 2013 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
A conservative group 'In the Name of the Family', supported by Catholic Church leaders, collected 750,000 petition signatures in Croatia, leading to a referendum amending the constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
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| January 2013 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
Catholic bishops in Poland publicly thanked members of parliament for voting down a bill that would have permitted same-sex civil partnerships.
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| 2011 |
Mass in the Catholic Church
The Roman Missal's 2011 edition introduced new versions of the liturgical dismissal, updating the concluding rite of the Catholic Mass.
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| September 16 2011 |
Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church
The re-introduced meat abstinence practice became effective, coinciding with the first anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.
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| May 2011 |
Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church
The Bishops' Conference issued new norms re-introducing the expectation of meat abstinence on Fridays for Catholics in England and Wales.
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| February 2011 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
Over 260 Catholic theologians from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria signed the 'Church 2011' memorandum, advocating for recognition of responsible same-sex partnerships.
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| 2010 |
Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church
The Archbishop of New Orleans declared that alligator is considered part of the fish family, allowing its consumption during Lenten fasting periods.
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| November 25 2010 |
Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church
The Irish Bishops' Conference published the resource leaflet 'Friday Penance', following Pope Benedict XVI's Pastoral Letter, outlining the importance and methods of practicing penance in the Catholic Church.
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| September 2010 |
Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church
Pope Benedict XVI made a state visit to the United Kingdom.
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| May 2010 |
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
During an official visit to Portugal, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage, describing it as 'insidious and dangerous'.
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| March 2010 |
Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church
Pope Benedict XVI issued a Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, suggesting initiatives to support renewal in the Church and asking Irish Catholics to offer Friday Penances for an outpouring of God's mercy and healing.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Ecclesia Dei, Black Catholicism, Te Deum, Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church, Saint Andrew's Day, Catholic Church and same-sex marriage, Mass in the Catholic Church, Summorum Pontificum & Gloria in excelsis Deo, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.