The leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church has advised European countries against letting sentiment guide their reactions to the crisis in the Middle East, and asked them not to prioritise Christians when accepting refugees. The Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, Louis Raphael I, has warned in an interview that there is a real risk of the…

The US Congress has begun an investigation into Planned Parenthood, with the House Judiciary Committee being the first of three committees scheduled to consider the beleaguered abortion-providers.  The investigation comes in the aftermath of the publication by the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) of a report into instances where Planned Parenthood has been accused…

Kenya will be the first country Pope Francis will visit as part of his first Apostolic Visit to Africa, the Holy See has confirmed. The Pontiff announced his intention to visit Africa last January, stating in June that he would visit the Central African Republic and Uganda.  “Accepting the invitation issued by the respective Heads…

Catholic leaders in Nepal have welcomed the visit of Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, to southern Asia. The cardinal’s visit is rounding off a trip that has also seen him visiting Bangladesh and India’s Archdiocese of Kolkata, and sees him visiting camps for survivors of April’s earthquake as…

Europe’s bishops call for European solution As the European Union is founded on the solidarity of Europeans, so the current refugee crisis should be recognised as a common challenge that needs a common solution, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) has said. Describing as “unacceptable” the attempts by some countries to evade their responsibilities, the…

The Arabic version of National Geographic’s August issue, which featured a cover photo of Pope Francis and a lengthy article about the Pontiff, has been banned in Saudi Arabia.  Although there has been no official explanation of the ban, it is understood that officials in the Saudi regime were alarmed by the headline that spoke…

Although persecution and instability has reduced Basra’s Christian population to just 10% of the 3,000 Christian families who were there before the 2003 invasion, the city’s Chaldean Catholic archdiocese has opened southern Iraq’s first Christian museum. The museum contains over 200 religious artefacts, documents, photographs, tools, clothing and furniture dating back to the 17th Century,…

Some of the youth group taking part in the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Diocese of Meath Michael Smith and participating clergy.

The Pro Life Campaign has said there is nothing reassuring about Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s refusal to commit to a referendum on Ireland’s constitutional protection for the unborn if Fine Gael is re-elected to government. PLC Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock said “The Taoiseach never actually said he was opposed to a referendum to dismantle the Eighth…

At least two American presidential hopefuls have backed Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who has been jailed for contempt of court after refusing to register same-sex marriages. Ms Davis, who served as Rowan County’s deputy county clerk for 25 years to November last when she was elected county clerk, stopped issuing marriage licenses in…