Last year proved beyond all doubt that journalists are terrible at predicting the future. Few commentators foresaw Brexit, the emergence of François Fillon in France or Donald Trump’s presidency. With that in mind, we offer this guide to 10 topics that are likely to feature prominently in coverage of the Catholic Church in 2017. They are in no particular order and do not pretend to be exhaustive.
1) Dubia drama When Pope Francis released Amoris Laetitia, his apostolic exhortation on the family, last April the reaction was relatively muted. But as sharply divergent readings of the text emerged, a group of four cardinals submitted five dubia, or “doubts”, to the Pope. Cardinal Burke, the most vocal signatory, says the cardinals will issue a “formal act of correction” if they receive no reply. This is a dramatic development that threatens to destabilise this pontificate and heighten polarisation within the Church.
