A bishop removed from his diocese by Pope Francis last year after opposing COVID vaccine mandates is speaking out about his widely criticized dismissal.

Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres broke months of silence with a statement on Thursday marking one year since “being ‘removed’ from my pastoral service as bishop of my beloved diocese of Arecibo, Puerto Rico.”

In an interview to mark his 10-year anniversary, Pope Francis appeared to deny the existence of Hell, saying that “is not a place” but is instead simply “a state of the heart” and “a posture towards life.”

 The Diocese of Oakland announced this week it is considering filing for bankruptcy due to hundreds of lawsuits that have been filed, alleging clergy members sexually abused children.

In a letter posted on the diocese website, Bishop Michael Barber said that 330 lawsuits have been filed against the diocese from 2020 to 2022.

A new California law gave victims of sexual abuse a three-year window to file claims that had previously expired due to the statute of limitations. 

The Roman Catholic Diocese in Albany has reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to contend with the financial fallout of hundreds of child sexual abuse lawsuits it faces.

“The decision to file was not arrived at easily and I know it may cause pain and suffering, but we, as a Church, can get through this and grow stronger together,” Bishop Edward Scharfenberger announced Wednesday, according to a Times Union report.

US drones are collecting reconnaissance data to be used by the Kiev forces for their future strikes on the Russian territory and troops, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has said.

"The unacceptable actions of the United States military in the close proximity to our borders are cause for concern. We are well aware of the missions such reconnaissance and strike drones are used for," the ambassador was quoted as saying in a communique, issued in connection with Tuesday’s US MQ-9 Reaper drone’s crash in the Black Sea.

“Thousands of people gathered at the Kiev Caves Monastery yesterday to show support for the monks who have been ordered to leave by the monastery by Zalensky, one of the holiest shrines of the Russian Orthodox Church, where the Church has been for over 1,000 years. It is the first monastery of the Russian Church. The monks have stated that they will not leave. Our government is supporting this criminal, who has also bombed and killed 1000’s of people in the Donbass, who refuse to go along with his government, which was imposed on Ukraine by the West.

The members of the heretical German Synodal Way have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a document replete with gender ideology that seeks to allow changing one’s listed sex on a baptismal certificate and paves the way for “transgender” priests. 

The Catholic Church is open to reviewing its thousand-year-old practice of celibacy, Pope Francis has suggested.

He said the ban was only 'temporary' and there was also 'no contradiction' for a priest to marry.

Celibacy was made a requirement by the Catholic Church in the 11th-century for financial reasons, as clergy without children were more likely to leave their wealth to the church.