Vatican releases programme for papal trip to Iraq Pope Francis said his upcoming trip to Iraq would be an important sign of his concern for the region’s Christians, but also an important opportunity to build fraternity through interreligious dialogue. “In our time, interreligious dialogue is an important component of the encounter between peoples and cultures.…
‘Church shouldn’t stay silent,’ says Russian Catholic official The secretary-general of the Russian bishops’ conference defended his Church’s right to speak out during police repression, as the country’s Catholic archbishop demanded “substantial, concrete answers” to societal problems that are the subject of current massive protests. “Young people have gone out in freezing temperatures and tried…
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 said.
As Christians pray, fast and give alms during Lent, they also should consider giving a smile and offering a kind word to people feeling alone or frightened because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis said. “Love rejoices in seeing others grow. Hence it suffers when others are anguished, lonely, sick, homeless, despised or in need,”…
A proposed ban on “conversion therapy” for sexual orientation or gender identity in Australia’s Victoria state is far too broad and could target normal prayer and conversations between children and parents, Catholic bishops and Muslim leaders warned this week. “Unfortunately, this bill doesn’t just ban outdated and insidious practices of coercion and harm, which we…
In the midst of the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, thousands of Eritrean refugees who fled oppression and authoritarianism have been deported back to their home country, said an Eritrean Catholic priest. Fr Mussie Zerai, a priest of the Archdiocese of Asmara, Eritrea, who works with migrants, said the refugees were in Schimelba and Hitsats…
President Joe Biden’s decision to rescind a regulation governing the Title X family planning programme that was enforced by the Trump administration “will force abortion” to be part of the programme and “may be unlawful,” said the chairman of the US bishops’ pro-life committee. “We have long supported efforts to ensure that the provision and…
A German Catholic bishop said last Wednesday that he detected an “authoritarian despotism” in the procedures of the country’s controversial “Synodal Way”. In an open letter issued February 3, Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg criticised the format of an online conference of the Synodal Way. He also challenged the Synodal Way’s executive committee to show greater…
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has appealed to the people of Myanmar – including the army, which staged a coup February 1 – to remain calm and to work for open lines of communication so democracy can prevail. “When, in 2015, a peaceful transition to the elected government was effected by the army, that…
Pope Francis adds feast of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus to Church calendar Pope Francis has added the memorial of Sts Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to the General Roman Calendar, giving the siblings the combined feast day of July 29. A decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship said on 2 February that Pope Francis had…
