Scottish bishop excommunicates rector of Redemptorists after illicit ordination

Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen, Scotland, has pronounced Father Michael Mary Sim, rector of the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, to be excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

“Regrettably, I find Father Michael Mary guilty of the charges brought against him, most notably that of schism. He is therefore declared to be excommunicated, dismissed from ecclesiastical office, and prohibited from the celebration of Mass or the other sacraments,” Gilbert said in a statement released July 25.

Gilbert’s statement came after Sim’s participation in an elicit ordination, which the bishop described as “a clear break with the Church.”

Gilbert added that Sim and his congregation “have removed themselves from the communion of the Catholic Church, and the faithful of the diocese should have no dealings with them.”

Augustinian nuns evacuate monastery amid wildfires in Spain A community of Augustinian nuns at the Monasterio de la Conversión in Avila, Spain, is “waiting for a grace that will allow us to return home” after being evacuated amid wildfires.

The sisters said in a statement on Monday that they have been staying with another community of Augustinian sisters…