When Jimmy Macdonald found himself floundering in the waters of Lake George in New York next to his tipped kayak, he thought he might die. He had been enjoying an August day on the lake with his family, meditating and taking pictures. He kept his lifejacket in the boat – he didn’t think he would…
The Synod of the Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has recommended setting up crematoriums in dioceses amid the worsening Covid-19 pandemic. “Though burying the dead bodies is the practice in the Church, the (Eastern-rite) canon law permits cremation in times of pandemic,” said a statement from Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of the Church.…
When we face suffering, it is easy to feel abandoned by God but it is then that we must cling to Faith writes Niall Guinan This year has certainly seen its fair share of bleak moments and one of the bleakest must surely have been the RTÉ Prime Time interview with geriatrician Prof. Rónán Collins…
The fight against poverty and social inequalities, as well as harsh criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic dictated this year’s Cry of the Excluded protests. Despite the ongoing pandemic, several cities had live demonstrations to mark the annual event, sponsored by the Brazilian bishops’ conference. “We are in difficult times. The…
Two missionary sisters captured by rebels in northern Mozambique were released unharmed after 24 days, according to their congregation, the Sisters of St Joseph of Chambery. Sr Maria Inez Leite Ramos and Sr Eliane Costa Santana, both originally from Brazil, were reported missing on August 11 after rebels claiming to belong to the Islamic State…
The Vatican has named a church in Kazakhstan as the first minor basilica in Central Asia. The Minor Basilica of St Joseph in Karaganda was built at the request of persecuted Catholics who had been exiled to the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic by the Soviet Union. “Our beautiful church was built 40 years ago. At…
Female inmates in Ireland’s largest women’s prison, the Dóchas Centre in Dublin, are subjected to xenophobic and threatening abuse and suffer chronic overcrowding according to a chaplain’s report. The 2018 report, seen by the Irish Examiner, was scathing of the conditions inmates face. It alleges there is overcrowding, with between 130 and 150 inmates being…
The legislature of the Australian state of Queensland has passed a law requiring priests to violate the seal of confession to report known or suspected child sex abuse. Failure to do so can be punished with three years in prison. Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane has said such a reporting requirement would “not make a…
A cardinal said that Europe should be “ashamed” after fire devastated the continent’s largest refugee camp, leaving 13,000 people without shelter. In a September 9 interview with Vatican Radio, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), lamented the destruction of the Moria camp on the Greek…
Bangladesh Catholic hospitals treat Covid-19 patients with Pope’s ventilators he Catholic Church of Bangladesh has expressed its gratitude to Pope Francis for donating three ventilators in the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Donated through the Apostolic Nuncio, a ventilator was sent to Dhaka and the others were sent to two Catholic hospitals in Dinajpur…