Rotenburg-Lispenhausen/Cologne (KNA) A priest from the diocese of Fulda sees his decision to offer a church for sale in a classified advert as a necessary but “brutal” step. Profanation would be “very, very painful”, said priest Andreas Schweimer, dean of Eschwege-Bad Hersfeld, in an interview with the Cologne portal domradio.de (Thursday). He has placed a…

Oliver Hinz (KNA) Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda (67) of Gdansk is the new President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. At their plenary meeting in Warsaw on Thursday, the 90 or so bishops with voting rights elected Wojda as the successor to Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki (74), according to a spokesperson. According to the statutes, the previous chairman…

Ludwig Ring-Eifel (KNA) From Moscow to NATO headquarters, from Kiev to Washington, political decision-makers have been discussing the Pope’s statements on the subject of negotiated peace in the Ukraine war over the past few days. On Saturday, excerpts from an interview became known in which the Pope spoke of the “courage of the white flag”…

Bonn (KNA) A spokesperson for the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference has described Pope Francis’ recent statements on peace negotiations in Ukraine as unfortunate. The German bishops had made it clear in their peace statement published in February that Ukraine would ultimately have to decide when the time had come for peace negotiations, explained bishops’ spokesman…

Vatican City (KNA) Pope Francis is continuing his work programme despite the flu. On Thursday morning, he held seven audiences for individuals and groups, according to the Vatican press office. Among others, the 87-year-old received the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, and the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children. As Francis…

Vatican City (CNA) According to a media report, the Vatican intends to publish a new document on the subject of human dignity this month. As the Vatican correspondent reports in the Catholic newspaper “La Croix international” (online), Pope Francis has commissioned the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to do so. The authority, headed…

Geneva (KNA) According to a United Nations expert, religiously motivated hatred must be tackled comprehensively and at its social roots. The promotion of hostility based on religious beliefs is widespread and a driver of polarisation and conflict around the world, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion, Nazila Ghanea, told the UN Human Rights Council…

Freiburg (KNA) Caritas Germany has criticised the dropping of aid over the Gaza Strip as a sign of poverty and symbolic politics. “Uncontrolled drops of aid are the worst form of aid. They in no way ensure that the weakened population actually receives the vital support and are therefore an indictment of poverty,” criticised the…

Augsburg (KNA) Cardinal Reinhard Marx from Munich has called on the Church to defend freedom. “Freedom may be under threat, but then we as a church have to stand on the side of freedom,” said Marx on Tuesday in Augsburg. “Not on the side of authoritarian regimes, not of those who dream of the past,…

Hanover (KNA) Following the presentation of the first nationwide study on abuse in the Protestant Church, those affected are urging for swift consequences. “Much remains to be done,” said Detlev Zander, spokesperson for the organisation representing those affected, according to a statement issued by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) on Tuesday. “Only if the…