Christmas this year marks the first time in its history that the European Parliament has allowed a Nativity scene to be set up at its headquarters in Brussels. Until now, officials of the European institution had considered it “potentially offensive.” The efforts of Isabel Benjumea, a member in the EU’s House of Representatives from Spain,…
A top court in the southern Indian state of Kerala has ordered police protection for the apostolic administrator of an archdiocese in the Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church, which is embroiled in a bitter liturgical dispute. The High Court of Kerala granted the request December 5 in a lawsuit by Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, administrator of the…
Pope Francis has approved a new law strengthening the oversight of Vatican-related foundations and nonprofit organisations as well as detailing sanctions and clarifying existing norms on transparency, accountability and mandated compliance with anti-money laundering measures. The new law, which took effect December 8, applies to all legal “persons” or entities dedicated to a specific purpose…
For the second year in a row Nigeria has been left off of the US State Department’s list of countries that engage in or tolerate the world’s worst religious freedom violations, despite regular reports of kidnappings and killings of Christians, sparking outcry from members of a bipartisan government watchdog group. For more than two decades,…
by Lilia Kovalyk A religious journalist based in Lviv, reflects on her experience of reporting in war time The war has turned Ukrainian journalists into inventors. We all understood Russia would attack, but no one wanted to believe this. Before the war began, in the editorial office of Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU), we…
Staff Reporter The works of a Ukrainian iconographer depicting images of “Christ under the fire of rockets” have gone on display in a Dublin church. Artist Ulyana Krekhovet’s iconographical works reflect on the staggering scenes she saw in Lviv as the war in Ukraine broke out. “It was important for me to show ichnographically everything…
Dear Editor, I have been watching the World Cup, I dare say. Whenever the time comes around every four years, I become quite invested. It is a time when the world’s best footballers come together and millions of people from multiple nations get behind their country’s finest sportsmen. Admittedly it was a terrible decision by…
Vatican holds thermal shirt drive for Ukraine The Vatican’s charity office is holding a drive to collect thermal shirts for people in Ukraine as they face an energy emergency amid the war. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Pope’s almoner, said December 5 that the charity office of the Vatican is “already stocking up” on thermal shirts…
Staff Reporter A Catholic basketball coach in the US has said the Holy Family is the only royal family he recognises during a recent press conference that has gone viral on social media. In Boston to attend the 2022 Earthshot Prize Awards, Prince and Princess of Wales William and Kate attended the Boston Celtics’ game…
The Ukrainian government said it would sanction members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate. After a December 1 meeting of the National Security and Defence Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the government also would review if the Church met the legal criteria for use of one of the main shrines…