Spain’s Catholic bishops warned of growing division and tension in their country over government attempts to “deconstruct and dismantle the Christian worldview”. “We are in a difficult moment, not only because of Covid-19, but because we are convulsed by a deep institutional crisis, with some groups seeking to open a new constitutional phase and replace…
Natural family planning: protecting the environment and doing something healthy for your body
Jodi Marlin “To have…To hold…To honour: Supporting God’s gifts of love and life in marriage” was the theme of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week July 25-31 in the US. The annual educational campaign of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops aims to celebrate God’s vision for marriage and promote the methods of natural family planning…
VATICAN ROUNDUP
5th Catholic bishop consecrated under China agreement A Vatican spokesman confirmed July 28 that the fifth bishop to be created under the 2018 Vatican-China deal has been ordained. Anthony Li Hui was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Pingliang by Pope Francis on January 11, according to spokesman Matteo Bruni. Bruni said that Bishop…
WORLD REPORT BRIEF
Ecuadorian priest awarded for feeding hundreds daily The Mayor’s Office of Guayaquil awarded Fr Wilson Malavé Parrales, director of the Lord of Good Hope Soup Kitchen for the Brother in Need, with the Urban Heroes Medal of Merit. The July 25 award ceremony commemorated the 486th anniversary of the founding of the city. The Archdiocese…
Former Cardinal McCarrick charged with 1970s assault case
The Boston Globe reported July 29 that police in the Boston suburb of Wellesley have charged former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 in a criminal complaint filed by Wellesley Police in a district court in nearby Dedham, Massachusetts. A summons has been issued ordering…
Married priests would be far less effective
Dear Editor, The Church can never permit marriage of its clergy as long as it continues to stand against artificial contraception. If priests marry, it is only to be expected they will have children. But how many children? If a priest produces only a few offspring, he will be suspected of practicing birth control. In…
Cork launches new clustering
Bishop of Cork and Ross Fintan Gavin has insisted that more parishes sharing fewer priests will increasingly be the reality in the diocese. As a response to the vocations crisis, he has announced a series of clustering of parishes to share resources and co-ordinate Mass times together. He said the future is going to involve what he…
US Supreme Court to rule on abortion x-case
Many would like to believe the US Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalising abortion settled the issue “once and for all”, but instead “all it did was establish a special-rules regime for abortion jurisprudence”, said Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch. This “has left these cases out of step with other court decisions and neutral principles…
Nuala O’Loan calls for full Omagh inquiry
The former Police Ombudsman for the North has called for a full international inquiry into the circumstances that led to the Omagh bomb in 1998. Writing in her column in The Irish Catholic, Baroness Nuala O’Loan also criticised plans by the British government to offer an amnesty when it comes to Troubles-related deaths. She accused…
Columbans lauded in upcoming environmental documentary
The Columban fathers have received praise for their environmental work and attitudes in an upcoming documentary from Afri. The organisation’s impending Food Sovereignty documentary saw Bobby Pagusara of Sustainable Development Philippines commend the Columbans on their work of instilling environmental consciousness in the Philippines. “The Columbans do very good work here in the Philippines. When…










