The US Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment’s free speech clause protects a Colorado web designer who feared she would be prosecuted under state anti-discrimination law for her faith-based objections to designing websites that promote same-sex marriage or same-sex weddings. Lorie Smith, owner of the graphic and web design studio 303 Creative LLC,…
Persistent violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the emergence of new groups of militia are key concerns of the Catholic bishops in the Central African nation. In a statement issued at the end of their June 19–22 plenary assembly, members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO)…
The Catholic Church in Germany, shaken by the abuse scandal, is continuing to shrink, with more than half a million people officially quitting the Church in 2022. Most of the resignations occurred in the Archdiocese of Cologne. The wave of resignations from the Church in Germany has reached a record high, according to figures published by the…
Susan Hines-Brigger Ten years ago, I travelled to Assisi, Italy, on pilgrimage, to follow in the footsteps of St Francis. For days, we immersed ourselves in the words and actions of St Francis throughout his life. Of all the moments that resonated with me, though, there was one story that seemed especially challenging – both…
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki plans to take legal action after investigators searched his residence and other buildings of the Archdiocese of Cologne June 27, the KNA news agency reported “What bothers us is not the raid, but that the information and the date appear to have been leaked to the media,” Cardinal Woelki’s lawyer, Bjoern…
The Vatican vetoed the appointment of a new dean at a seminary in Northern Italy, citing concerns over the appointee’s views on sexual morality diverging from the Church’s teachings. On June 26, the Philosophical-Theological College in Bressanone (PTH Brixen), announced that Fr Martin Lintner, OSM, had been chosen to serve as dean for the term…
Audrey Bryce When Fr Pat Neeson joined the priesthood, he had his heart set from the very start on ending up somewhere like Malawi, Africa, to begin his ministry. Fr Neeson was passionate about his calling, saying, “All through my training I wanted to go there. I thought I would go to Africa, and I…
A Quest for Meaning: A Journey Through Philosophy, Science and Spirituality, by Gearóid Ó Donnchadha (Orpen Press, €14.99/ £12.99) This is a stimulating book by an author who in his lifetime as a teacher invited and delighted in argument and debate. Gearóid Ó Donnchadha was a very committed priest and a very committed academic. Born on…
US Franciscan friar sent to prison for abortion protest Catholic priest and pro-life activist Fr Fidelis Moscinski, CFR, has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for blocking access to a Planned Parenthood abortion facility by placing locks and chains on the gated entrance. Judge Steven Tiscione laid down the six-month sentence, which is…
The Sunday Gospel Deacon Greg Kandra 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Zec 9:9-10 Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 Rom 8:9, 11-13 Mt 11:25-301 Jesus makes us an invitation that is irresistible: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from…