Peru’s Catholic bishops want a thorough investigation of a Covid-19 vaccine trafficking scandal that includes the country’s papal nuncio. In a statement released late February 17, the bishops’ conference said the illicit use of vaccines “exposes the new face of the monster of corruption” in this Andean country of 33 million people. The scandal, known…
More than 5,000 people including 3,000 Catholics have fled their homes in Indonesia’s Papua region following clashes between security forces and a separatist group, according to a Church official. The violence flared in Bilogai, Intan Jaya district, between security forces and members of the Papua Independence Organisation (OPM) on February 10 and was still ongoing,…
The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land launched a virtual Way of the Cross project for pilgrims during Lent because the Holy Land is not accessible for a second year in a row due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the Franciscans realised that pilgrimages would not be possible again this year, the Custody wanted to…
Hundreds of Catholic nuns, priests and laypeople have joined protests in Buddhist-majority Myanmar following the February 1 coup. Ucanews.com reported that hundreds of Catholics, including dozens of nuns, marched on the streets of Yangon February 14 and recited prayers and the rosary. Youths held placards reading “Free Aung San Suu Kyi” and “We support CDM”,…
Holy See urges equal access to labour market Archbishop Janusz Urbańczyk gave voice to the Holy See’s concern that women’s work in the family should be recognised as advancing economic development. While focusing on the promotion of the equality of women and men in economic participation, states “should not fail to pay due attention to…
Bishops: Blanket DNR for Britons with learning disabilities ‘immoral’ Medical orders against attempting to resuscitate patients with learning disabilities in the UK are “wholly unacceptable and immoral”, said the bishops of England and Wales. Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton issued a February 16 statement denouncing the practice of imposing Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary…
For believers, the ability to practice their faith and receive spiritual guidance are “the highest of essential services”
Vatican staff who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 could be sacked under a decree made public by the city state, which employs around 5,000 people. An employee must have a documented medical reason for refusing a jab or face “consequences of various degrees which may go as far as the termination of employment,” according…
Lent is a time to reconsider the path one is taking in life and to finally answer God’s invitation to return to him with one’s whole heart, Pope Francis has said. “Lent is not just about the little sacrifices we make, but about discerning where our hearts are directed,” he said, “toward God or toward…
In parts of Africa, mass vaccination against Covid-19 is so far off that it is not even mentioned, warned bishops across the African continent. The malnourished people in the Nuba Mountains, South Sudan are “moving skeletons,” and their compromised immune systems expose them “to all kinds of diseases, not just Covid-19,” Bishop Macram Max Gassis,…
Michael Kelly