Central African Republic – The United Nations must intervene in the country, the Bishop of Bangassou has said. In a message sent to the UN in New York ahead of a debate on the deteriorating state of affairs in the African nation, Bishop Juan Jose Aguirre Muno states that the controlling Seleka group is now…

This week, Rome marks the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIIís encyclical Pacem in Terris. Between October 2 and 4, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is hosting a major conference on tenets of the encyclical, not least its educational aspect. This, the council’s president, Cardinal Peter Turkson said ahead of the conference, “is…

United States – A perfume manufacturer in the state of California has released a fragrance named in honour of Pope Francis. Excelsis Fine Fragrances, which was originally founded in 2005 to recreate the cologne worn by Pope Pius IX and has since offered colognes such as Benedictus has now released Francis, billing it as fragrance…

D&C Congress ‘filled with faith’ Cathal Barry Over 1,700 people from the diocese of Down and Connor packed out the impressive Waterfront Hall in Belfast at the weekend for their inaugural diocesan congress. ‘Living Church’ was an appropriate title for the first congress of its kind in Down and Connor, which drew together the faithful…

Fr Kevin Doran says he can’t in conscience stand over statement

Australia – Bishop Christopher Prowse has been named Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Australia. The Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese has been without a bishop since Archbishop Mark Coleridge was moved to Brisbane in April of 2012. The Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese has a population of some 620,000, with a Catholic population of 176,500. They are served by around 120…

Hong Kong – Pope Francis’ response to a request for a symbolic ‘mooncake’ donation to prisoners in Hong Kong has generated excitement and a flood of cash donations since it was published in early September. The Asian Church news portal ucanews.com reported that Cardinal Joseph Zen, retired Archbishop of Hong Kong, issued the request to…

France – A spokesman for France’s bishops urged the government to ensure a new ‘charter of secularism’ does not impede religious freedom. Msgr Bernard Podvin, spokesman for the French bishops’ conference, told the French Catholic daily La Croix that although Church officials understood why the government sent the document to schools last week, “secularism must…

Catholic colleges and universities are ranked among some of the best in the country, US News & World Report’s annual rankings has shown. The University of Notre Dame in Indiana, is the top-ranked national university on the list, placing 18th in the magazine’s annual survey. Georgetown University in Washington was close behind in a three-way…

An Italian priest has given Pope Francis a 20-year-old white Renault 4 to drive himself around the Vatican.  The car – which has 300,000 km on the clock – was presented to the Pope by Fr Renzo Zocca.  Known for his humble lifestyle, Francis said he used to drive the same car in his native…