John L. Allen Jr.Sometimes leaders learn more from crowds than from polls about how passionately people are feeling something, and in his preface to a new biography of Benedict XVI, Francis suggests crowds have taught him that ordinary Catholics are just fine with the two-Pope arrangement. Arthur Schlesinger once said that President John F. Kennedy could look at…
Category: News
Catholic Bishop leads calls for truth in Philippines killings
Paul Keenan
A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has led calls for the nation’s elected representatives to uncover the truth about the surge in killings of suspected drug dealers and addicts. As senators convene a congressional inquiry into killings which have risen in line with the tough stance adopted by President Rodrigo Duterte since his election on…
World News in Brief
Chilean Bishop welcomes talks A Catholic bishop in Chile has welcomed moves to establish a forum for dialogue towards ending violence and arson attacks in the Araucania region. Bishop Hector Vargas of Temuco said such a forum for talks “will be very positive” if they are conducted for “the common good of all inhabitants”. The proposal of talks…
Bishop undaunted by prison threat
A Catholic bishop in Mexico threatened with prison for allegedly interfering in politics has vowed to continue his work on behalf of the people of his state from behind bars. Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca in the state of Morales is awaiting a decision from local prosecutors on possible charges after he hosted a…
Religion banned from hospitals in Zhejiang
Courtney McGrailThe Chinese province of Zhejiang, which garnered international attention for its drive against Christian crosses and buildings, has now moved to ban any outward signs of faith in medical facilities. Under new regulations it is forbidden to pray or preach in any hospital, while patients are barred from receiving priests at their bedsides. The main…
Film festival showcases life and legacy of Mother Teresa
A four-day film festival dedicated to the life and works of Blessed Mother Teresa is set to take place in India in the days running up to her canonisation in Rome on September 4. Already an annual event that began after the announcement of her beatification in 2003 with a small number of documentary films…
Caritas workers released after Congo kidnap
Three workers with the Catholic aid agency Caritas were abducted from their convoy in the Democratic Republic of Congo and held for 24 hours by militiamen in the troubled North Kivu region, it has been reported. Initial reports detailed a gun attack on the convoy of vehicles in which a German photojournalist covering the work…
Vatican Roundup
Pope meets French President in wake of Hamel killing Pope Francis has followed up on a private phone call he received from French President Francois Hollande in the wake of the brutal murder of Fr Jacques Hamel in Normandy to host the French leader at the Vatican. Touched by Mr Hollande’s call to express condolences in the wake of the killing, Pope Francis…
Irish campaigners urged to step up pro-life fight amid funding row
Greg DalySenator Rónán Mullen has called on Irish people at home and abroad to support Irish pro-life organisations as pressure builds to overturn the constitutional protections for the unborn. The NUI senator’s comments came as it was revealed that the billionaire financier George Soros’ New York-based Open Society Foundations is a major contributor to the Abortion…
Flag of all nations
The Olympic flag – bearing one colour from every national flag in the world – is lowered during the closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on August. 21. It will next be raised in Tokyo for the 2020 Games. Photo: CNS