The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has performed a U-turn and will now file a complaint against religious sisters who have been accused of embezzling from a Catholic school at which they had worked for more than a decade. Sr Mary Margaret Kreuper CSJ and Sr Lana Chang CSJ, who both retired this year from St…
Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit prayed for the country on December 7, even as the French government dropped all fuel tax increases for 2019. The government move came after French cities were hit with weeks of violent protests, as French people demanded lower fuel taxes and better purchasing power. Images of rampage at the Arc de…
Catholic tribal leaders in India are worried over a move by Jharkhand’s government to take away tribal status from people who have left their traditional Sarna religion to join other faiths. The eastern state’s move will deprive thousands of tribal people of social benefits meant for their advancement. “It is a deliberate attempt to divide tribal people…
Pope Francis approved a new set of laws concerning the structure and governance of Vatican City State in an effort to simplify the many offices and activities of the world’s smallest nation and to boost oversight, transparency and budgetary controls. The measures were issued ‘motu proprio’, on the Pope’s own accord. The Pope said the…
The beatifications of 19 martyrs in Algeria will be a “great joy” to the Church and will help unite Christians and Muslims of the country, said a French-Algerian archbishop. The beatifications represent “hope for the future” rather than a “complaint about the past”, said Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers, the largest city in the North…
Vatican announces historic papal trip to UAE Pope Francis will visit the United Arab Emirates next year, becoming the first Pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula, the Vatican has announced. In a statement on December 6, the Vatican said the Pope will “participate in the International Interfaith Meeting on ‘Human Fraternity’” after receiving an invitation by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan,…
Poor mental health care explains 293 child suicides A lack of awareness among families and teachers as well as inadequate facilities for mental health care of children are behind an alarming rise in child suicides in Bangladesh, health experts and child rights activists have said. There have been at least 293 child suicides and 22 attempted child suicides…
The Catholic Church has been slow to recognise the presence of homosexual men in the priesthood, which is why superiors must exercise care in helping gay candidates prepare for a life of celibacy or leave the seminary, Pope Francis said. “Homosexuality is a very serious matter, which must be discerned adequately from the beginning with…
The AIDS Office director of the South African bishops has said significant progress is being made in the AIDS response in South Africa. On the 30th World AIDS Day anniversary on Saturday, December 1, Mrudula Smithson who works for the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACB) said: “South Africa has the largest ARV programme in…
A member of the Sisters of Mercy has been presented with a Presidential Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her development and humanitarian work amongst the poor and marginalised in Kenya at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin. Hailing from Dublin, Phisbsboro, Sr Mary Killeen received the award last week. Her missionary work in Africa began…